What we really need is a major update to mining celestials or some small adjustments to existing Ore Fields themselves. Not quantity, type or composition of ore but positioning and layout.
Right now the fixed asteroid fields all spawn in exactly the same place each time. In many systems ANOM fields in many systems mostly like to spawn near gates. Whether they are fixed or ANOM fields they all have a very static nature that promotes automated and/or AFK mining.
Here are some options to consider:
Bring actual belts to EvE
Reduce all ore celestials in all systems to 1 or 2 fixed belts that actually wrap around a planet or the sun and 1 SOV expanded ANOM belt for NULL that wraps around a planet or the Sun. Give them each a default warp in. Once in place these would each have different replenish rates based on system security for fixed belts or industry index for ANOM belts that determine composition. These belts would move or orbit at 50-100mps rocks would tumble and fluctuate distance.
Rorquals would have to shift targets as they passed under or learn to drift deployed.
A new visual for EvE would be seeing the live replenishment of the belt as rogue asteroids get captured in the belt
Keeping it simple with fields
If Belts are simply out of the question, here are some Field options
Randomly spawn and position majority of fields 15au or more from all gates
Randomly generate default warp in 60km-100km from nearest rock
Have some of them move and fluctuate distance from one another
These would be for fleet and solo subcap miners, Rorquals would still have some static fields
The field could move at speeds of 50-100mps
Distance fluctuation [between each rock] 50-100%
This will address a few issues:
BOTTERs can no longer just warp to default and start.
(Probably only a minor adjustment to their code but it is some resistance.)
Miners must be a bit more active vs just warping in and mining.
Hunters have to hunt a bit more.
(I would expect this to have low to no impact on cloaked hunters.)
High slot module: To be able to target any rocks you need an “ore targeting module”. Allows you to scan a belt and target up to 2 rocks with a T2 module. Scan will last for 1 minute and have X amount of range, but locked targets will remain.
Skill: “Ore scan”: Allows you to target an additional rock at each tier and scan range increases by X amount.
Module will need a high capacitor use. Thinking of 90%. T1 module locked to 3 targets total.
All mining craft have targeting sensors built into the hull currently allowing you up to 6 targets of nearly any kind including rocks . An Ore Scanner already exists, its called a Survey Scanner and requires only CPU Management I. It uses almost no capacitor or powergrid and is enhanced by Industrial Command ship boosts.
I actually like this idea! I highly doubt PvPers will. Mining on the structures affords another layer of defense. Athanors offer battle cruiser sized defense. Miners would simply setup only Tataras giving then more firepower than a Super Carrier for defense which is why I love this idea and know it will likely never happen.
Sadly, here is why it wont fly. Easy lone miner kills would all but disappear. Nearly all hunters would actually have to fight when trying to kill miners, there would be almost no easy kills.
The down side here is majority of ore locations become fixed allowing a repeatable routine to be employed. Automation can easily occur on public structures and those held by favorable alt corp or alliance allowing automated miners access.
But, can’t see how to explain it much better. It were in addition to your bot play and more engagement in mining. Having to actively play your with your ship and be at your keyboard.
I’m well aware of how the ships and their modules works, despite of the age of this character. You don’t need to point out you didn’t actually read what I wrote.
How does it cripple legitimate miners? Other than the cap is more important than ever, it’s not devastating to it. Some balance would likely be needed though. That is always a possibility.
Procs/Skiffs use about 60% of cap to mine
Ret/Mac Use about 75%
Cov/Hulk use about 85%
Even if you single cycle your proposed module you would have to wait a several minutes every time you needed to target more rocks for your cap to regen. Granted it makes you pay more attention but it does so by adding some pretty boring wait time. This would mandate purely passive tanking on Skiffs and Procs which are balanced to have the tank vs mining fast or carrying a lot of ore.
What about multiple warp in points on each field [ANOM or fixed]? Each of them randomized for distance and position. Each field would still only appear on over view once but would for example have 4 different warp in points. When you warp to the field you would land at one selected at random when you initiated warp to the field.
Active, why are you people trying so hard to make an activity that’s does not lend itself to “excitement” and try to make it worse, it’s like pouring perfume on a pig, won’t make it more attractive, all mining in all games that have “been improved” just made a grind more of a grind.
I always thought a mining mini-game would be interesting. Where you need to play it to get better yields. Something like tuning the mining laser through some interface. Of course you can mine the old way but through the game get much more yield than just sitting there watching Netflix.
I like the current hacking game (even if the loot is disappointing) and some flavor of that would be nice to add to mining.
I’d prefer actual making things active during the mining–though I agree miners should have to warp around more–such as fundamentally change adms such that the deepest null unused system had the largest deposit’s of ores.
At the point of mining though things should be more active, such as different layers to the roid or having the good stuff in embedded nodules within which for optimum efficiency required the miner to switch lasers or find a better angle to work around those low value layers and get to the good stuff.
I would love to see Spodzilla back on steroids. You have to fracture it to mine it. It could have a simple system requiring multiple miners to reach a minimum threshold to crack the rock. Instead of taking time like moon fracturing, it takes coordination.
