Just an idea for the next era of EVE as player base dwindles (or does it?)
Allow players to have their own squadron of ships and a skill based around how many ships you can have in a squadron.
Squadron= Your PC ship you control + 1 to 4 ships you own controlled by NPC’s
For example you have a few NPC run frigates escort your Battleship in a Squadron during a mission.
This could lead to a vast amount of new mission types with all new challenges.
This could also lead to even bigger space battles in nulsec and lowsec.
It will also allow you to get a lot of ships you dont use anymore blown up all at once!
EVE’s not exactly designed for vector based navigation and combat formations. It’s submarines with camera drones buzzing around in space.
Sure, it’s the kind of overhaul that would reinvigorate deeply on so many levels that it would revitalise a heck of a lot, but can you see CCP undertaking what would be a quite massive project? They bank on minimum product viability and short track cycles.
What you’re asking is likely to only remind CCP’s venture levels of old trauma and make them hold on to selected metrics even harder.
Also, this is far from the first time this idea has surfaced, both among players and devs.
