I’ve been thinking about the idea of a new Invention processes for Hulls that allows players to customize hull attributes, I thought sharing with the community.
The idea has been presented in the forums a few times already without much details on mechanics, or differentiating from T3 Hulls capabilities.
1st - Why?
The ship meta progresses slowly, while the game has a vast catalog of hulls only a few are competitive in at a point in time due to balancing mechanics.
Smaller groups have a slim chance under the current ship meta to propose a treat to larger groups in regards to fleet composition. Doctrines based on stock hulls become known quickly and countered easily by larger groups.
For larger groups it’ll continue to be more cost-effective to use standard hulls for doctrines and large deployments, smaller SIGs however will benefit from the expanded hull options for max enjoyment.
2nd - How?
Prototype BPC Invention Process
- Input:
- T1 BPC (non faction)
- Datacores (new items)
- Decryptors (existing items)
- Output:
- T1/T2 Prototype Blueprint
Requires new upwell station modules
-
Standup Invention Lab II: Module can’t be fitted in HS, requires an online registry office module within industrial jump range to be online. Pirate NPC corporations provide Lab & Registration services to capsuleers. Standard T1 invention process can be also run with this module.
-
Registry Office I: Module provides Private BPC Registration. Stations fitting the module can be hacked to retrieve registered specs (intel), at least one active module is needed per corporation, multiple can be active for redudancy or uninterrupted industry migration. Module can service any labs within Industrial Jump range.
BPC & Hull Registration Mechanics
-
Private Registration: To run an invention job to create a prototype BPC, it must be registered by an NPC or Player Corporation. Requires new station module - Registry. Players can access and load BPC presets registered per ACL.
-
Prototype Hull ID: The display name of the BPC & built Hull is a unique ID, hashed from the hull & datacore configuration, and the corporate registration name.
-
Public Registration: Prototype hull IDs involved in ‘1,000’ KMs are recognized by concord, the corporation that owns the private registration can publicly register the prototype in a concord station, to and set a unique named ID (moderated) and sell Hulls and BPCs on market. Multiple identical BPCs with diferent names can be registered and active at any point. Publicly registered BPCs can be generated by any player using the T1 Invention process, with an added % royalty defined by the corporation registration owner & SCC Tax (control sink), royalties are paid to said corportion. It requires a station with Standup Invention Lab I, and a registration office module active. NPC Pirate factions provides stations with these modules for capsuleers.
-
Registration payment: 1 Account Plex Monthly equivalent paid to concord.
-
Registration payment default: 1st: 7 day Notice, no new BPCs can be made, or Hulls built to the registered name with the T1 Invention process after notice. 2nd 30 Day Final Notice, BPCs and Hulls are no longer accepted in the market, existing market orders are cancelled. Existing hulls & BPC continue to be named until destruction. Defaulted registrations can be claimed by another player with a matching BPC in a concord station.
Invention T2 Mechanics
-A player docked in a station fitted with a Standup Invention Lab II and with ACL rights for an active corporate registration office, can configure, register and run a Prototype invention process. When loading a T1 Hull BPC into the invention process the player can select between the standard T2 outputs (Invention T1) or “custom BPC output” (invention T2) that allows for protype manufacturing datacores to be selected in their stacks, or a load a present from the Corporate Registry.
-
Datacore Stacks: Datacores are stacked to determine hull attributes and bonuses applied to the base hull. there are 2 stacks on a run, Hull and System Optimizations. Each stack can accomodate poins up to a total max. T1s are 1 point, T2 are 0.5 points. To load a T2 Datacore it must have a compatible T1 installed.
-
Datacores: The required datacores are T1 and T2 items with specific empire faction bonuses for hull (Hull Role & Attribute Modifiers) and system optimizations (Bonuses per lvl). Engineering skills are required to use each factional datacore type (30 new skills) and influence the ‘points’ assigned to each datacore. Datacores drop by running empire NPCs hacking sites in high, low and null sec that render negative empire standing.
-
Skill Books (30 new skills) drop by hacking NPC stations in high sec, successfull hacking sets suspect timer and unsuccessfull sets a criminal timer & player gets concorded. Skill Books should be expensive and difficult to collect, and a long training queue to master. Skills at lvl 1 allow players to use T1 datacores, at lvl V allows players to use T2 datacores to produce T2 variants.
-
Process Success Chance: Datacores have a chance multiplier for T1 (80%) and T2(60%). For each addional faction to the hull’s it applies a 0.5 multiplier.The datacore stack determines the chance of success. IE: Single Faction T1 (H(T1)S(T1)) → (0.800.80) → 0.64 chance, Cross Faction T1 (H(T1)S(T1)0.5) → (0.800.800.5) → 0.32 chance. Chances for elaborate T2 Stacks are reduced considerably to balance BPC creation costs.
-
Decryptors: Same functionality as T1 invention process, increase success chance & BPC quality
3rd - What does it bring to the game?
- New Immersive playing experiences that present unique PVP opportunities are introduced by the datacore and skillbooks farming mechanics.
- Opportunities for small wealthy groups to challenge large formations with customized doctrines.
- Introduces a new ‘Industrialist’ Role → Prototype Engineering, since the entry requirements (skill books) will be exclusively limited, Pilots with these skills will be highly valuable.
- Vast industrialist opportunities to produce profits with high value added
4rd - Datacores have all the magic?
That’s right, the mechanics is in the datacores to allow for a self-regulating meta, what can they actually do?
For example, for Frigate class hulls would have the following Hull Optimization Datacores for each faction (and a similar list for System Optimizations): each of the includes the factional bonuses that are applied to existing hulls (engineered balance framework)
- T1 - Support Optimizations
- T2 - Logistics Optimizations
- T1 - Combat Optimizations
- T2 - Assault Optimizations
- T1 - Electronic Warfare Optimizations
- T2 - Electronic Warfare Optimizations
- T1 - Exploration Optimizations
- T2 - Covert Ops Optimizations
- T2 - Stealth Bomber Optimizations
- T1 - Interceptor Optimizations
- T2 - Interceptor Optimizations
- T2 - Interdiction Optimizations
For example the first 2: T1 Support and T2 Logistic optimizations would look like this:
T1 - Support Optimizations
- Minmatar:
- Remote Shield Booster Falloff Bonus: 300%
- Gallente:
- Remote Armor Rep Optimal Range Bonus: 50%
- Remote Armor Rep Falloff Bonus: 600%
- Caldari
- Remote Shield Booster Falloff Bonus: 300%
- Amar
- Remote Armor Rep Optimal Range Bonus: 50%
- Remote Armor Rep Falloff Bonus: 600%
T2 - Logistics Optimizations:
- Minmatar:
- Structure HP Bonus 20.69%
- Inertia Bonus -1.28%
- Shield HP Bonus 12.50%
- Shield EM Resistance Bonus 50%
- Shield Thermal Resistance Bonus 20%
- Armor HP Modifier 20.00%
- Armor EM Resistance Modifier 20%
- Armor Thermal Resistance Modifier 16.25%
- Scan Resolution Bonus 1.62%
- Maximun Targetting Distance Bonus 17.65%
- Maximun Locked Targets Bonus 1
- Ladar Sensor Strength Points Bonus 4
- Warp Speed Bonus 10.00%
- Medium Slots Bonus 1
- CPU Bonus 5.26%
- PWG Bonus 5.00%
- Launcher hardpoints Bonus 2
- Rig Slot Bonus -1
- Gallente
- Structure HP Bonus 26.87%
- Inertia Bonus -1.33%
- Shield HP Bonus 20.00%
- Shield Kinetic Resistance Bonus 30%
- Shield Thermal Resistance Bonus 20%
- Armor HP Modifier 12.50%
- Armor Kinetic Resistance Modifier 32.50%
- Armor Thermal Resistance Modifier 16.50%
- Scan Resolution Bonus 1.71%
- Maximun Targetting Distance Bonus 13.16%
- Maximun Locked Targets Bonus 1
- Magnetometric Sensor Strength Points Bonus 3
- Warp Speed Bonus 10.00%
- Low Slots Bonus 1
- CPU Bonus 6.90%
- PWG Bonus 12.24%
- Rig Slot Bonus -1
- etc… (I built a spreadsheet of these stats from reverse-engineering in-game hull stats)
Examples
You made it this far! thanks, here are some example BPC stack:
Identical T1 logi (burst), A player with lvl 1 skills could create a prototype a BPC identical stats as an existing T1 hull:
INPUT:
- HULL Stack
- Burst Hull BPC
- Datacore Minmatar T1 - Support Optimizations
- SYSTEMS Stack:
- Datacore Minmatar T1 - Logicstic Optimizations
OUTPUT:
- PROTOTYPE BPC (Burst identical stats)
Or a T2 Logi Hull identical to the scalpel, requires skill lvl V
INPUT:
- HULL Stack
- Burst Hull BPC
- Datacore Minmatar T1 - Support Optimizations
- Datacore Minmatar T2 - Logistics Optimizations
- SYSTEMS:
- Datacore Minmatar T1 - Support Configuration
- Datacore Minmatar T2 - Logistics Adaptations
OUTPUT:
- PROTOTYPE BPC (Scalpel identical)
More interestingly, a player with skills lvl IV can build its own prototype interceptor, mixing hulls & bonuses:
INPUT:
-
HULL Stack
- Rifter Hull BPC
- Datacore Minmatar T1 - Interceptor Optimizations
-
SYSTEMS:
- Datacore Minmatar T1 - Launcher Configuration
- Datacore Amar - T1 - Combat Configuration
OUTPUT:
- PROTOTYPE BPC (Custom Stats)
The stats would read out:
-
Stats:
- Identical Rifter
-
Bonuses:
- Minamatar Frigate Bonus (per lvl)
- -5% Light Missile and Rocket rate of fire.
- Amar Frigate Bonus (per lvl)
- +4% All armor resistances.
- Role Bonus
- -80% Propulsion Jamming systems activation cost.
- Minamatar Frigate Bonus (per lvl)
What do you think?
FAQ: (anticipated FAQ, nobody asked anything)
1 - Why is this different from T3 hulls?
T3 hulls have a different purpose, allowing a pilot to strategically reconfigure the ship for every engagement or situation. Prototype BPCs are less cost effective than a T3 cruiser for a dedicated purpose and do not allow the owner to change the configuration in a station.
2 - Why not just refit your stuff?
It is not enough to provide players with differentiating combat profiles, most hulls allow for optimal configurations that quickly become ‘s**t stacks’ or ‘blingy’ ships that do not provide an advantage in real combat.
3 - Will this not result in un-killable/OP combinations
Likely some combinations are overly well-performing against others in different scenarios, it’ll however be less cost effective than other standard solutions. the balance is in the cost of prototypes.
4 - Will it be unmaintenable from a dev point of view?
It’ll be much easier for CCP to balance the game by providing players with a framework to self-balance the meta, CCP can focus on creating new content instead of permanently tunning attributes to balance the existing ship meta.