Risk vs. Reward
All of sudden when more risk vs rewards is brought in High Sec that involves a random variable that you are not in control of the buckets of tears start falling from the shelves.
NPC’s should be able to kill Capsuleer Pods in High, Low, Null and W-Space. Not just every once and a while but more to the tune of 75% of time an NPC or several NPC that are part of a Combat Site, Ghost Site or even W-Space would be able to pod kill.
The NPC Commanders that can pod kill a Capsuleer might be part of the NPC fleet in a mining belt or it might warp in separately while you are running a data site.
The NPC Commanders that can pod kill would have varying difficulties assigned to them and would be based on Anomic NPC’s.
High Sec - 65% strength of a Burner NPC. Frequency of showing up: 50-60% every hour with one NPC Commander showing up for every five asteroid belts in the system.
Low Sec - 70% strength of a Burner NPC. Frequency of showing up: 25-35% every hour with two NPC Commanders showing up for every three asteroid belts in the system. 15% random chance that a High Sec NPC Commander might be with them.
Null Space - 75% strength of a Burner NPC. Frequency of showing up: 35-45% every hour with two NPC Commanders showing up for every three asteroid belts in the system. 25% random chance that a High or Low Sec NPC Commander might be with them.
W-Space - - 80% strength of a Burner NPC. Frequency of showing up: 25-30% every hour with two NPC Commanders showing up for every five asteroid belts in the system. 10% random chance that a damaged Drifter ship will show up with the Sleeper.
Each NPC Commander could:
- Call in reinforcements of up to three lesser NPC ships.
- Create Warp Bubbles in Low, Null W-Space.
- Scoop the loot from your wreck.
- Pod Kill
NPC Commanders can appear relatively anywhere in a solar system and would be the only NPC ship that could be probed down using Combat Probes.
NPC Commanders can also escalate combat by calling in reinforcements. During an escalation the NPC Commander will call in up to 25 ships ranging from frigates to Battle Ships and from frigates to dreads in Low and Null.
Escalation is random but when the escalation takes place a system wide message is broadcast regarding that the escalation is occurring.
More than one escalation can take place in a solar system but no more than five at the same time.
When an escalation takes place the gates into and out of the system are locked down for a minute based on the total number of escalations taking place.
When an NPC Commander escalates a system the NPC Commander will randomly warp the fleet to different locations such as belts, combat sites, gates and citadels for example. If a Capsuleer is encountered the fleet will engage the Capsuleer and attempt to destroy the Capsuleers ship. The NPC Commander will then Pod Kill the Capsuleer.
The system escalation fleet will remain in the system until the NPC Commander has been:
- Killed ( the fleet might continue to fight on for some time after their commander has been killed however)
- Random de-escalation by the NPC Commander
- 90% of the fleet has been destroyed that will cause the NPC Commander to de-escalate
- :30 minute escalation timer expires
These types of fights could well escalate into a full system lead throwing affair if NPC Commanders escalate other NPC Commanders that then escalate NPC fleets into the system after the gate lock down timer has expired.
These new type of Escalation Fleets would have improved AI mechanics that could identify new threats and react accordingly.
For example: Four NPC ships have targeted a single a cruiser that is speed tanking them. Although the NPC’s are landing hits the damage to the Capsuleer ship is minimal. Two Capsuleer ships seeing the fight taking place each jump one of the NPC ships. The two NPC ships then disengage the cruiser and then actively go after the two new Capsuleer ships attacking their flight while the other two NPC ships continue to try and destroy the cruiser.
