Currently, mobile observatories are required to be deployed greater than 1,000km from any stargate, station, or upwell structure. This prevents players from using automatic gate/station guns or upwell structure defenses to protect a mobile observatory while it is deployed in space.
However, the minimum distance from a control tower is only 100km. This allows for the automated defense of a mobile observatory by the POS modules, preventing an attacker from destroying the observatory without themselves being tackled and destroyed by the automated modules of a “death star POS”. This gives little recourse for anyone wishing to destroy a mobile observatory, unless they want to bring capital ships that can tank or out-range a POS - a significant escalation and risk compared to the deployment of a 65 million isk item.
I propose that the minimum distance to deploy a mobile observatory be increased to 1,000km from a control tower, in order to prevent the automated defense of a deployable structure. If you actively deploy something, you should have to actively defend it.
Yes, I am aware that I can refresh my cloak stabilization timer. That’s not what the post is about. The post is about using the automated POS modules to protect a vulnerable structure that otherwise would need to be actively defended from attack. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to restrict the placement from stations, stargates, and other structures, but not POSes.
That’s a lot of effort to put up a POS to protect an observatory, at least it’s covered on all time zones and if it needs taking down you just have to kill the POS guns or kill enough to tank the guns . Sure it doesn’t need cap ships or it didn’t
