Future of Exploration Content

Exploration Gameplay Center Known Space
21

i’ve done a little bit of exploring and i havent tried everything yet. but i feel that Exploration Agents and Missions are something missing in the game.

i mean, yeah players do expeditions on their own. but its strange the empires and assorted factions in the game dont propose any kind of expedition to players.

it would be good to see a mix between exploration and mission running where not only you have to fulfill a marked objective but also get additional bonus stuff like hacking containers or even get additional coordinates after interacting with certain objects in the pocket.

it could be a special format of mission. you look for a signature on a specific location and do all the research until you get the assorted objective. it could reward the player not by time reward, but by the stuff you could find there.

for example:

you get sent to X system to scan for a strange signature (difficulty lvl of the mission defines stuff like hacking difficulty, rats if there are any and scanning difficulty,security lvl also affects this factors).

you find an abandoned serpentis outpost. your task is to investigate what happened. so you use a relic analyzer on certain key containers left up on different locations of the pocket. then two things that could happen could be

A. the player hacks most/all the containers -> not only you get the objective completed, but the mission branches into looking additional coordinates obtained from the logs. you also get relic site loot matched to the difficulty.

B. the player only gets to hack 1 container -> you complete the objective. get a bit of loot you return to the agent to explain the details and get the mission reward.

C. the player fails to hack all the containers -> technically you would have failed the task, but something else happens, rogue drones appear out of nowhere from all the corners of the ruins. the player gets additional money from bounties, and perhaps, the mission will branch by tasking the player to investigate the drone remains in search of additional information.

this is just an example of an Exploration Mission. there’s a lot of different things that could be done with it.

6 Likes
22

Nice ideas!

I think the main difficulty with exploration missions lies in making scannable sites for the specific mission. If there is a Cosmic Signature that is the exploration mission site, it should only appear in the scanner window of the pilot that has an exploration mission accepted. This way they can scan it and proceed to the mission. Otherwise, if the cosmic signatures for exploration missions are showing in everyone’s scanner window, there might be competition for the mission site.

I do realize that there is no immediate need for exploration mission sites to be scannable, there might be both scannable and predefined warpable sites, for variety.

But yeah, Exploration Missions is something that would be really cool. :slight_smile: :rocket:

3 Likes
23

Well, if we’re talking missions, then they should be via the R&D agents. Exploration has been tied to invention and this tie them even closer. Instead of collecting data core points doing very little or a few haul missions, a series of ecploration missions are needed to collector “LP” points for data cores and/or other research and invention materials.

These missions could be set up in several ways.

One would be similar to mining missions. Go explore a site and collect some trinket that actually does not exist on the market (like the ores in the mining missions).

An agent type mission “points” system where your given a time frame to go and "scan down 10 Sigs in the [insert constellation here] and report back what you find. You dont get crdit unless the anomly expires, which would help clear out sites where explorers grabbed the good stuff and left junk, leaving the site up.

Data Cores should never have been move to such an unrelated activity like FW. They should have m,made R&D into exploration mission system from which you can gain these items. Making R&D no longer passive, and giving explorers actual missions, and bringing exploration and salvage in much closer with invention, research…

3 Likes
24

I personally think it would be awesome to put exploration content in game for us to discover. For example, if CCP, is secretly on working creating a new ship, module, structure, or some other new item, it would be awesome for us to be able to find an item that would hAve CCP release news about the item. Think about Caroline’s Star as an example.

5 Likes
25

Maybe some alpha only sites in the starter regions. Or scalable sleeper sites

2 Likes
26

I didn’t know till the other day that you have a certain order to the sites to disable the sites.

I tried taking a cruiser in and it couldn’t take the traps neither. I guess I need to get a buddy or alt to go in with fitted Max relic and data rigs to be able to step to run the sites

1 Like
27

Just to add:

High Sec Relic Sites need some work. How many Space Pirates hid their booty under a cloak, and then got killed, over the past 20-squillion years? Quite a few I’d guess. And that stuff could be worth some shiznit now. Cash, Relics for research, all-sorts. So if the Old Cloak said unfortunate Pirate deployed dies of old age ( like how Sleepers work ) you suddenly have a bunch of Low Sec Relics in High Sec.

I get that High Sec has been picked dry by every archaeologist & their Cat, because it’s teh safest patch to explore, but even so. With Wormhole space now so difficult to get anything out of ( Wormhole Wars, occupation saturation, etc ) you do need a shift in dynamic again.

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Also consider Wormhole burps. When a Wormhole opens, and ‘spits’ out more than just some Mining stuff. It might be an old asteroid base in with a bunch of worthless rocks, that would then be explorable whilst in High Sec.

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You can explain Ice showing up by saying it’s debris from Comets etc that gets left behind in places, but how does a lump of Jaspet jump from Low Sec to High Sec without some kind of Wormhole Assistance? And what causes the Wormhole to happen ( it would have to be material density I would think ).

What about Meteor Storms, and that Meteor having a probe on it from many moons ago that was forgotten? Ancient Data could be recovered.

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One last one. 2 Asteroids hit and break up. Inside is a secret base that is now detectable. It’s old. Real old. Indeedy…

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I’m sure you could have some fun here, instead of just finding the same bits of salvage you can get from a dead drone.

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Just make sure that there are Blueprints in there for this ancient stuff. That way old parts can be used to make old ( yet still effective ) kit. Lost Tech can slowly be recovered, linking with Science Skills heavily.

2 Likes
28

I’d like to see some genuine exploration. Maybe rare WHs that won’t appear on systemwide overview or dscan, but will be visible at a local location, such as an asteroid belt or planet, with a very limited lifespan & size limit. These WHs can lead to small isolated systems with plenty of PVE exploration content.

2 Likes
29

A solution to you not finding high value stuff would be to move out of HiSec :rofl:

1 Like
30

Heh, if you don’t have anything to add to the topic then don’t bother posting.

Also Brok Haslack and everyone else in the thread has some pretty good ideas to spice up exploration.

1 Like
31

I really like the idea of expedition missions.
Finally the Nestor could get a more important role for Lv4 BS-sized solo expeditions ^^

(please don´t take this too serious…)

1 Like
32

I wrote my comment because because his only concern was improving HiSec exploration and making his own “adventures” more profitable while staying safe. And that is absolutely against EVEs risk versus reward mindset.

…you suddenly have a bunch of Low Sec Relics in High Sec.

Also consider Wormhole burps. … that would then be explorable whilst in High Sec.

Lets say we add the WH/Null content to HiSec:

  • This will keep more people in HiSec because you still might get dank loot without any risk.
  • Increase the overfarming problem in HiSec (not mine, haven’t been there in a while)
  • Hinder player progression by removing an incentive to go to riskier regions
  • Devalue the WH/Null loot

So if you do this you would also have to add similar events to Low/Null/WH space. Without also creating new materials that are needed in more advanced industry (think T4) this would devalue the loot even more.

So those are not pretty good ideas. Quite the contrary.

And that’s also the reason why I told him to leave HiSec. Even LowSec has far better loot than HiSec and with some basic precautions it’s pretty save.
No you can’t throw out your probes at the gate and sit there while you scan.
No you can’t warp into every site while there are a bunch of people in local.
You might even die a couple of times. But you surely will have more adventures than in the kiddie pool.

As the topic is about ideas for future content:

  • More variety to the sleeper data sites(procedurally generated rooms, more variations)
  • site escalations: hacking the last can of a site might reward you with the location of another site
    • gives people an incentive to finish the sites instead of cherry picking
    • pushes players to go out of their usual route to find them
    • might be tied into the lore by only describing the system instead of giving the coordinates (“had to drop the loot in the system with a strange black artefact”)
  • more landmarks (I just like to screenshot my discoveries)

And lastly I would like to see small citadels. A step up from a mobile depot. Not bound to the corp, but a personal structure. No asset safety, maybe fuel to extend the reinforce time from 2 to 4 days. Some temporary base of operation that has the risk of becoming a loot pinata.

5 Likes
33

Heh, Eve’s “Risk v Reward” mantra got nerfed by CCP years ago. There’s nothing wrong with playing safe and not everyone who plays this game is into pew pew player ships. By the way, high sec space is the most unsafe area to operate in anyway.

Having some high value reward sites randomly spawn every once in a great while would actually incite more players to venture out of high sec space in search of them. And no, don’t need to add similar content to low/null/w-space since the idea is to entice players to go there in search of those sites.

People always say they want to see assets unsecured and be easily destroyed yet if it happens to them, they’re the first to meta-game the forums for asset safety. Sure it’s great fun to destroy other players stuff but heaven forbid it should happen to their own stuff.

2 Likes
34

Only for those with lack of brain cells … sorry. Each space can be safe with the right equipment and knowledge about the mechanics. Highsec just requires the least knowledge to stay unharmed… right as a newbie, learning, and casual living area.

I’m fine with adding more stuff to do in Highsec but it must not pay more than you can get elsewhere in highsec. Increasing risk free ISK potential even further is the total wrong direction.

1 Like
35

Much as I agree with raiding Low-Sec for stuff if you want a regular supply of nice stuff, if you are stoney broke ship-losses may be more than you can afford.

Recently-evicted worm-holers will be stoney-broke & having to start again, for example.

Plus, to be honest, some days I just want to chill out & role-play; not gank.

1 Like
36

Lets see. This ship here costs 8M:

[Heron, Low]

Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II

5MN Cold-Gas Enduring Microwarpdrive
Data Analyzer II
Relic Analyzer II
Scan Rangefinding Array I
Scan Rangefinding Array I

Core Probe Launcher I, Sisters Core Scanner Probe
Improved Cloaking Device II
Salvager I

Small Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I
Small Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I
[Empty Rig slot]

All T2 would be 18M. That’s the output of two Relic sites in LowSec. And if you cant afford this as ex-wormholer … you did something wrong.

As for ship loss: There are plenty lowsec regions that are practically empty. No problem waiting for the system to be empty.

And lastly: Why are the would-be-HiSec-lobbyists in this thread either not posting with their main or quite inactive?

37

I give a definite NO to low sec sites appearing in high sec.

CCP did this with low sec ores appearing in high sec. The price of low sec ores (hedbergite & hemorphite) tanked to the level of veldspar. I remember mining hedbergite in low sec years ago when it was worth twice as much as high sec ore. Now it’s garbage.

1 Like
38

I would like to see all scannable sites unanchored from the “within 4AU of a planet” restriction. It is archaic from a mechanic long gone.

:bust_in_silhouette: All all sites to spawn anywhere within a systems’oort cloud.

Odyssey introduced the Discovery Scanner revealing all signatures with a system. We need a partial reversal to this:

:bust_in_silhouette: Only anomalies are instantly revealed when entering a system. Only the act of scanning the entire system will reveal if there is anything more interesting.

Now these changes will have impacts both PvE and PvP aspects of EvE and will spread out system activity. It will also allow the Devs an addition variable to use for new content.

4 Likes
39

I will be running for CSM this coming year and part of my platform is revamping / reviving / revising the Exploration content within Eve online. Don’t let this topic die! :slight_smile:

3 Likes
40

Well, if you are serious about the CSM, then you are gong to need to raise your presence and name recognition both on these boards and in the game itself if you are going to overcome the null sec voter inertia that always seems to steamroll the voting. I agree that exploration improvement is one area that could positively effect all sections of the EVE universe, therefore removing the normal “what’s in it for my group/alliance/sec standing area of space?” that has always been the cancer in all CSM activities. Better get going on YouTube videos,streaming, and posting like a demon on the forums, because it’s going to take a lot of work to awake the HS/LS levitation from its long term apathetic slumber.

1 Like