New module: Auto D-scanning System

EVE Technology and Research Center Player Features & Ideas
1

When flying around in systems or PVPing and baiting targets it get’s very tedious to constantly click the directional scanner to see if someone is close by. Why not create a new active module that runs the D-scan something like every 10 seconds or so at the range you have it set to? Could be balanced by how fast it runs to not make it as good as manual D-scanning. You will anyway have to adjust the range to find any ships but at least you get a feel for what is around you if you run at 360 degrees angle without constant clicking.

Thoughts?

2 Likes
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As a high-slot module, sure.
Gives a weapons timer and cannot be activated while cloaked.

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Honestly? Hitting a keybind for refresh D-scan is so much work you’d like to waste a slot on it?

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CCP has had to water down the learning curve for EVE over the years I feel… why are you so lazy you cant hit scan? Im sorry but I dont get it… unless you just want an alt sitting in a safe in the middle of a system scanning while you run sites… all ya gotta do is look at the other screen after every d scan that is automatic, and yea give a timer and cant cloak…

but why?

cant you just use the d scan button?

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Given the RSI risk of constantly deep scanning for several hours, an automatic deep scan every 5-15 seconds wouldn’t be unreasonable. CCP will have data showing how often people manually click so the auto can be set a little slower than that.
Tying it to a module just seems unnecessary complication for something which is linked to real life health.

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in paranoid mode, when running sites in something not bastion or siege ill hit d scan as soon as it will let me to get me a new result…

would be cool if it was a special kind of probe???
would be cool if it was a full system wide scan???
would be cool if it would scan every … say 30 seconds???
would be cool if you could not simultaneously fit a combat launcher???

idk. im stoned so ill share my ideas and not give .02

0/

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And while we are at it, how about the server flies your ship and automatically ganks everyone daring to undock and insta-kill all ships in all directions of you because you are so awesome at pvp, the server should pvp for you AMIRITE.

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If you have the presence of mind in the fight to look at the window, I’m pretty sure you can manage the presence of mind in the fight to press the hotkey for dscan.

1 Like
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Actually for me it’s just about making the game more fun. I don’t find constantly clicking the same button every few seconds fun and there is no skill involved in 360 degree scanning. There is still skill in scanning someone down so that is not related to this problem.

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I can certainly agree that it is not fun. But I would feel obligated to say that it feels like a first-world problem having an automatically refreshing dscan, and investing developer time in making said new module (however insignificant it may be) feels like it is a misallocation of development resources.

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True, I wouldn’t mind if they just put it in as a check-box in the D-scan window and when it’s activated the angle is locked to 360. Would not take so much time to implement and it would impact my gameplay a lot and probably many others as well. Might even ease the strain on the servers a little.

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I support the idea of automatic d-scan.

It shouldn’t be tied to module that just makes it too complicated and unlikely to be done.

Other than that, I see no reason why d-scan couldn’t be automatic. And I don’t accept the counter-arguments so far presented.

It is not about lazyness or skill. D-Scanining, at least defensive d-scanning doesn’t require skill. Also it isn’t hard to press V every second. But it is annoying and not fun, major reason why I prefer doing anomalies or this new event in highsec.

I would like a new button called auto-scan which would act as toggle. While toggled on, manual dscanning will be disabled, only range/angle could be changed. D-scan then will be snapshoted every 2 seconds for duration of 5 (or 10) minutes or untill toggled off. It should also be disabled when d-scan window loses focus, when docked, jumped, etc.

The 2 sec for 5 minutes should make it less burden for server and also less powerfull for players. Right now you can spam it manually every second so having it activated automatically without hitting anything but with 2 sec delay should make it balanced.

2 Likes
13

Upfront, I’ll admit that I don’t like the directional scanner, or anything that gives the player information they don’t actually deserve to have. It’s a form of hand holding that abets risk avoidance.

If we’re going to have one, it might as well be one that updates itself on the regular, at a rate that is tolerable to server performance and likely linked to the time dilation system.

For realism’s sake, let’s pretend we weren’t limited by the integer return mechanism that underlies it, or rather that the client can decide what of that information it chooses to present to the user. As there are options to modify the range, aperture and hypothetically the sensitivity of the scanner, the obvious offset would be frequency of updates.

More sensitive scanning usually means more signal averaging, or more scans to cancel out false positives. The composite is then computed and shown to the user. In gaming terms, all that means is that a more sensitive scan takes longer to perform, yielding signals of decreasing intensity at farther ranges.

That system is in place for anomalies, but not for ships or other non-natural objects. It might as well be for realism’s sake. Seems like ship names should be reserved for ships in your own fleet, especially as it would serve as a rapid FoF identifier.

In terms of scope, a 180 degree scan is half as much data to compute as a 360 degree scan. I’m not sure how to compute a 90 degree arc “area,” but some crude approximation would suffice. I imagine it’s a point with a 45 degree radius around it for some sort of “unit sphere.” Diminishing returns on cycle time would be logical.

If there could be a ship stat or two which modifies directional scanning capability, it would then be a simple matter of having modules or rigs modify it, perhaps even using existing modules.

Intensity might as well be modified by both distance, source and type.

If there were some reason to really double down on the sensor game, static sensors as deployables would be a logical development, preferably something comprised a strategic objective. In the context of pragmatism, it would make sense if covert ops frigates were dual role ships as squad generalists.

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I’ve had to replace my “V” key 4 times since 05, be a man…

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Yes, though I would actually prefer if this was the only way of d-scanning. It would make d-scanning less irritating, and also a little less good as a mechanic since you wouldn’t be able to spam it every second.

I would go further and tie refresh rate to the range and angle of the scan, so short range/narrow angle refreshes quickly, while a 14.6 AU 360 deg scan takes some time to refresh.

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Sorry if your to lazy to click one button. Go blind in or stay docked and spin your ship.

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The problem is taking out human error. Human error makes the difference between a fight or an escape and works both ways. It’s interesting.

If auto-dscan ever becomes a thing you’re looking at it being pretty poor to maintain a chance of failure and to reward those actively scanning. 10 seconds is FAR too frequent. You’d probably need to half the range and/or make it 30 secs to a minute.

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Everything worth being afraid of has already played around this hypothetical module. They’re cloaked in your site (or at least has your site scanned down).

About the only high-level play this might mess up is the find target -> launch probes out of dscan range -> cloak again -> dscan pinpoint target -> confirm with probes -> quickly recall probes -> attack. Except people have learned that if they don’t know what you’re doing or what you’re flying, you’re automatically a cyno ship with a blob ready to go.

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Because every time you don’t assume it’s a cyno, it’s a cyno.

Nothing against cynos, I just hate unwelcome guests.

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I don’t agree: no one forgets to look after they’ve had to press a button, but if it autoscanned every 10 seconds, I bet good money on people missing a bogey occasionally. No high sec use though, to save hamster energy.

I think you mean “you’re too”. Are you a moron, up past your bedtime, or… just too lazy to type the extra letters?

1 Like