Suggestion: Ability to enable Mobile Tractor Units to disregard empty wrecks / new MTU that disregards empty wrecks
Keywords: gameplay
Note: Useful for those that do not salvage / time saver
In talking with those that do PVE content, many agree that they spend way too much time waiting for MTU to randomly tractor in all wrecks during PVE sites, many of whom do not have salvage skills necessary nor are interested in salvaging. It would be great to be able to toggle directions for the MTU to acquire both filled wrecks, empty wrecks only or wrecks with cargo only. This would enhance the PVE experience. An alternative would be to have MTUâs that specifically only do one of those those or all?
The issue with dropping MTU / BM method, in my opinion, is for sites with multiple escalations. Carrying multiple MTUâs takes up a lot of space and youâd have to make an additional trip to drop loot / MTUs off to get loot. This could be resolved be enabling MTUâs with added functions / presets.
Tractor Beams - even with bonuses on a golem (the point is to NOT have to come back in Noctis for only cargoâd wrecks) 46K tractor beam doesnât get close to the wrecks 75+ away.
keep the mtu as it is, create a variant (mtu-ns9000 or something) that ignores empty wrecks cool for abyss too.
ns stands for no salvager if someone is curious.
edit: though if i remember it right salvaging was half the money for combatsites no?
Which means you need to make valid gameplay choices: do you take the loot and wait, do you bring multiple MTUs, a Noctis or do you think your time is too valuable to wait for all the loot and let some of it behind?
What youâre asking for is a way to skip making those choices. You want to have it all: no effort quick looting with a single MTU, no tractor beam and no salvage ship.
I say no. Keep those choices. We donât need more automation.
Also remove the MTU while weâre at it, the game doesnât need MTUs. If you want loot and/or salvage, grab a Noctis.
My intention is not to automate nor dictate gameplay choices, but give players the additional options. Your choice here is to not salvage. Still go through the same process as you normally would. Time still spent waiting regardless.
It isnât an additional option, though - itâs a removal of meaningful choices, and encourages players to solo PvE content.
As currently configured, MTUs are worse than dedicated ships, because they grab whatever is closest with no discrimination between cargo contents (or other potential value indicators, like better salvage loot tables). If someone wants to optimize their income, they either need to use a second ship of their own, or actually play with other people.
Increasing the incentives to solo PvE content is not healthy for balancing an MMO. PvE is already painfully easy to make money on; making it even easier to do so without having to engage more characters is not a win for EVE.
Why take away the option to enhance solo PVE content.
Now I am not saying that we shouldnât enjoy the game with others; however, enhancing the solo experience shouldnât be shunned either. There is also not much income incentive from loot / salvage as it is on the majority of missions, with bounty / mission rw being the most lucrative portion.
There is also not much difference of someone running an alt character following behind their main, doing this same thing in a noctis? Other than the fact that there is additional payments made to run the alt account.
Outside EVE, automation of manual labor is progress.
In EVE, that manual labor is gameplay. If we were to automate all that can be automated, EVE PvE would be a pretty screensaver.
If the gameplay is not automated, offers meaningful choices and encourages characters to work together for efficiency, we get an interactive multiplayer game rather than a screensaver.
This combined with the ability to set the MTU to loot yellow wrecks might be enough to satisfy everybody. Just as long as both the MTU and the owner of the MTU go yellow flashy as soon as that MTU hits it with the tractor beam!
That said the necessary option might be a dedicated MTU for these tasks with the caveat that it self destructs the instant the owner leaves the system or docks. Why? Because linking the MTU to the owner in another system will likely be a technical issue and allowing a player to dock up while his or her MTU scoops up someone elseâs loot would be rubbish.
And one more thingâŚtethers wonât work for that player either.
The Noctis seems such a nice ship, but itâs purpose is largely gone now that we have MTUs to automatically pull and loot wrecks together.
Newbies gathering, salvaging and looting sites that older players donât bother about is a nice way to make money for those newbies, but now that MTUs can loot it automatically there is not much left for newbies to do in that role, except that they can salvage the wrecks that are left behind in a neat pile. No need for a Noctis with tractor beam bonuses as a destroyer can do it just as well but cheaper.
The introduction of the MTU added convenience at the cost of gameplay.
We donât need convenience if it is done at the cost of gameplay.
Edit: I withdraw this post. I was wrong this time.
@ [MB ThePhotographer] I know you think you are funny but you arenât.
The topic is about changing the function of MTUs. You are off topic.
Attacking yellow wrecks will result in death by Concord, an obscure rule you know well that many people, especially new players, do not know. You are trolling.
The first line of the TOS states âThe EVE forums are intended to provide a warm, friendly atmosphere for the EVE community.â Its the FIRST line.
Yes, you are correct. My bad and I apologize. You mean shootng your own wrecks, not yellow ones. I was lost in my own suggestion there.
But I will say that my error was made in the light of knowing whose post I was reading as well. But I do own my mistake. Now watch me add an edit to the post. Watch it NOT disappear.
actually the noctis is perfect for a lot of loot/salvage in areas where leaving an mtu is risky, not to mention the noctis can actually be a faster option in most cases, especially having one in a mission to do rooms behind the fleet.
Meh, So you donât use auto repeat on your weapons because pressing the key is âgameplayâ right?
And you donât auto reload either, because âgameplayâ?
And you move probes one at a time right, because âgameplayâ?
I remember an early Ultima game in the series in which the player had to feed themselves and drink water at intervals and I remember that âgameplayâ was just stupid and boring.
Does the removal of auto repeating guns, removal of auto reload or removal of moving all 8 probes at the same time offer meaningful choices and/or does it encourage players to work together?
It does not.
Those things are good examples of quality of life automation. Not all automation is bad.
Automation which takes away meaningful choices and takes away player interaction is bad. For example automation that hauls for people would make hauling as gameplay less profitable. For example automation that trades on the market (market bots) make trading much less enjoyable. For example automation that automatically loots a field of wrecks makes that activity unavailable for players who would like to do that activity in their Noctis (or in case of newbies in a cheaper ship ).
MTUs are a form of automation that have removed the choice of âdo I spend time to loot this fieldâ as it is now automatically looted by dropping the MTU. It is also a form of automation that does no longer encourage player interaction as a single solo ship can now both kill and efficiently loot a site.
Youâre right that not all forms of automation are bad for gameplay. MTUs are bad.
