Distress Signals

So we have all seen science fiction shows where there is a distress signal ships use when they’re stranded or in danger. My idea is to have a distress signal high or mid slot module that could preemptively call concord based on system security, and/or temporarily increase the security status of a system.

As a balance, there could be a structure that acts as a distress beacon scrambler. Which would cancel any distress signals activated and/or lower the security of a system temporarily.

These would be limited to a single stack of the effect if used to change security of a system as otherwise it would be abused. Additionally, a fee would be requested by Concord dependent on if they incurred losses, found no immediate threats for the duration, or other factors. If the fee cannot be paid the activator would be unable to re-activate a distress beacon until they do.

Naturally, these have no effect in Null Sec or Wormhole space, would be incompatible with cloaks, would have Concord fire on you for using it as a suspect, etc. Placing a scrambler in a normally high security system would make you suspect. Perhaps other balances as needed.

This main use would be in barely low and high security systems to provide a resource for players to learn the transition from High and Low security and assist people in searching for PvE and PvP activity without needing a full fleet for security. I’m sure corporations exist to help with this but it could be a fun and interesting twist for gameplay in my opinion.

EDIT: This is not meant to resolve an “issue” nor is a problem I am facing. I thought it would be an interesting and fun gameplay mechanic and was hoping for discussion related to that or ideas for how it could work if it existed in the game. Naturally if you really need help you really get a group together to assist you because that’s how the game works.

So what if one player, with his/her insta-CONCORD module faces off against another player with an insta-CONCORD assistance module?

They both just sit there and die with no option to do anything?

Hardly seems very engaging.

Seems a pretty strange way to transition to pvp, having an ability to call in an invincible NPC force to assist, where the NPCs provide ewar, scram, web on the character. How does anyone develop pvp skill if they can just call for big daddy?

Also, CONCORD don’t respond in lowsec. It’s too scary for them.

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The PvP aspect was for the blocker which could potentially lower a system’s security. Removing concord assistance and forcing players into a low-sec temporarily. As for people fighting with the module active whoever goes suspect first will get blown up as usual. However, duels are a feature in the game which can be used to PvP in high-security systems.

CONCORD doesn’t destroy suspects.

Also, so someone enters a highsec system in a freighter (which wouldn’t be able to fit an assistance module); and someone else makes the system lowsec… free freigher kills… Nice.

Firstly, anyone running a freighter without an escort is already taking a huge risk. This would be another factor to consider. Perhaps freighters could come with the feature. What would you suggest?

I misspoke, but yes whoever hits first would be effectively destroyed in that scenario.

This is just an idea and I’m not going to claim to know every solution. But I thought it would make things interesting partially inspired by the recent cloaking changes.

Yep there it is

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Dear Lord no. This is another version of the npc pets idea.

Ask players to help you. Not NPC’s

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Naturally, the game is social so it’s important to work with other players. Not saying that should change. It would make the fringes of high-sec more exciting though as it could shift either way dependent on who’s running what.

I’d supposed if we wanted to remove Npc’s from the equation it could simply act as a systemwide warp point for anyone who activates the distress module but that just feels like a kinda useless cyno. Especially if you’re fleeted then it’s unnecessary. It’s more for adjusting the fringe of high-sec operations adding some additional danger and opportunities for PvP and PvE alike to watch for.

You can call for help in local, or any other chats.

The New Eden Police Force should set up a distress signal channel.

Then that’s your ‘distress beacon’.

Make a public fleet, link it in local and constellation chat.

That would work if this were about needing to fleet up or an issue players encounter, but it’s not about that. It’s an idea for an update or expansion to enhance gameplay options.

yknow concord said it themselves “we arent here to protect you you can commit crimes were just here to give out punishments” the idea that they would take their shiny doomsday marshals to lowsec to save someones ass is laughable

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No. Just, no…

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This idea deserves…

No P2W

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you know, reading over your post and I have to say I do actually like this concept in fact i’ve been working on towards making a suggestion similar to it recently.

I can see where you’re trying to go with the idea, but I feel for the concept it is unfortunately the wrong direction, I also can see why people have voiced their disaproval.

perhaps I could offer an addendum here which i feel would be better suited would work similary to what you have suggested.

in another thread someone has suggested “small structures” so this concept will work off of that concept of using a small structure. my thinking would be something along the lines of the old reaction silo’s for POS’s, maybe a few re-design tweeks and a slap of new paint will do, but I digress.

my thinking would be top have an anchorable structure, which can be loaded with fighters, you equally then fill that structure with Marines
what then happens is this structure will have a set radius similar to the anchorable anti cloak devices we have.

if any friendly ship is detected within that range, it will “launch fighters”

using the old code from carriers WAAAAY back when which allowed pilots to warp fighters across whole solar system. you could then apply this to these new friendly “Diamond Fighters”

recently there was a titan attack in high sec, where the titan literally DD’d the planet, to me this suggests CCP still retains their old code in the game. assuming this is the case this is what i propose.

that the fighters launched from those structures are the new Diamond combat ships, however they are not frigate sized they’re simply just fighters, standard in game made off the shelf fighters.

this can work in all regions of space, high, low, null, WH, T-space etc.

the structure becomes under attack and the fighters will launch and mount their own defence fleet.

this also means people wanting to secure structures as “forward operating locations” can actually now do so especially for large alliance / coalition wars.

limit it to one structure per system per corp, each one holds X amount of fighters and equally marines.
keep sqaudron sizes the same, but combine those two features.

this actually means every corp or alliance has a way of protecting their sov or at least their players during times when there is low player activity, if i played in late US but had people in AUS and they wanted to do stuff but felt limited by no back up, this puts the playing ground on all fronts.

the fighters would be purely responsive, so in the event of a player being attacked in the solar system, they launch, warp to 0 and support, this is applicable across all regions of space.

having that little extra land on grid to help fight off one guy trying to gank you or to simply buy you more time will always be useful, you might get away you might not.

on another thread I posted about corrupting invading pilots genetic structure, it kills the clone but turns the ship into a friendly Diamond ship.

that concepted got mixed reactions
yes to the diamond ship
no to the corruption.

however having some kind of “Rapid Response Structure” could help people out, for smaller groups this could be a huge benefit but to large groups not so much. if limited to say one structure per system.

i like the idea of being out in a belt somewhere minding my own business enjoying the simpliciy of the game, mining away and someone lands on grid, i switch drones because i’m already tackled, then a few squads of back up fighters land on grid to help me out.

this is just my two cents on the subject though. i personally like the idea of distress calls

TLDR: my idea is to have rapid response diamond fighters launch from a new / exisiting structure and assist people actively taking damage on grid.

how that is managed i don’t know, the PANIC module seems like a smart one to use (this would be awesome for rorqs in concept) but i have no idea, i just think it should be automatically detected as background mechanic and it just happened, the reason why i think this is so if multiple people were attacked in the same system, the fighters would warp from one location to another dealing with things as best they could.

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