I have noted that a lot of people discard wrecks. I witness a lot of missed salvaging opportunities on DSCAN. I would suggest that there be a new probe type and launcher specifically for scanning down wrecks. However, there are a few caveats.
One must isolate the wreckage area with DSCAN first to ascertain the general location in space. This is because…
This probe would only be able scan in a 1 AU radius. Yes, probe (singular) because…
Instead of multiple probes triangulating a location you would utilize a single probe.
That probe would have a 1 minute scan time.
The probe launcher would then have a reactivation delay of 3 minutes once the probe was retrieved.
I didn’t want it to be something that could be done casually. You would need the right skill and equipment. Before I go into launcher stats, skill books and bonus progression I wanted to get some feedback on the general concept. Maybe there is some detail I’m missing that needs to be addressed.
Edit: My response to it being used as an alternative to combat probes.
The Assembly Hall description says, “The platform for players to bring topics to the attention of the CSM”. Aren’t they the go-betweens for the players to the developers?
Care to elaborate on any specific issue with there being a means to scan down wrecks?
wrecks only last 2 hours. i doubt anyone is going to waste time to scan down wrecks only for them to start disappearing by the time they scan them… if you care enough about wrecks, ask people to mark them blue and you follow them and BM the locations.
Thanks. So many sub forums within forums. The main forum says…
I assumed it was just about announcements, bug reporting and test server stuff. I guess I keep seeing the CSM ads in the stations so I figured I was supposed to go through them. Out of curiosity, what exactly is the Assembly Hall for? I saw other similar threads to mine here.
I feel 2 hours is long enough. When on my way to my mining spot in lowsec I will sometimes save anomaly spots and on my way back salvage/loot the wrecks. Doing it this way, as a kind of afterthought, I manage to salvage multiple entire wreck areas on the way back. It’s usually the ones close to the start (naturally) that start to disappear as I’m salvaging. If I were looking for wrecks as my primary objective I feel this would not occur. If it takes someone more than 2 hours to DSCAN a wreck to within an 1 AU area then they simply lack the skills for the job. You have to take into account people who might be actively monitoring busy systems for wreckage. I am only asking for the opportunity. I don’t feel infringing on anyone else by having the option. At least not any more than any other activity allowable in EVE.
That doesn’t really help if the mission runner has already completed the site. I’m fairly new to EVE (played years ago, but A LOT has changed) and I’m not an expert. I voiced my thoughts in chat and was told to make suggestions on the forum. Does this work out optimally outside of high security space where people are more jumpy? If people start seeing combat probes aren’t they likely to abandon the site before I can lock them down? Are combat probes much faster than core scanner probes?
We don’t need salvage probes to find salvage (you can create your own wrecks or scan down the ships creating salvage)
Salvage probes ignore the counterplay options that exist against combat probes.
With combat probes you can probe down the players that create the wrecks, that way you can get a bookmark for their salvage (or kill their ship.)
Against combat probes there are counterplay options by using a ship with high sensor strength and low signature radius from mods, boosters and implants. And if that person is using an MTU, they can choose to pick one that is much more expensive but cannot easily be probed down. Or they can warp off/cloak up when they notice someone is combat probing them.
With salvage probes you would ignore all that counterplay to do just the same thing: land right on top of an enemy ship that you can then kill. For that reason, I don’t think it would be a good addition to the game.
Get a combat probe launcher.
Combat probes are just as fast as core scanner probes. If you know the location (found with d-scan) you can get your target in one cycle.
Looks like an Expanded Probe Launcher requires a T2 cruiser or battlecruiser minimum due to the relatively enormous CPU needs. It would take quite a big chunk out of a T1 cruiser. I’m looking at this from a purely salvaging (non-player interaction) perspective. But I’m glad you brought up another perspective.
Your issue is that it would be used for PvP and circumvent established counterplay. What is the counterplay to covert recon ships that cannot be detected on DSCAN? They can move in close undetected with just DSCAN alone. Narrow down your location and then launch a tight combat probe formation, instantly lock down your location and be on top of you. This type of thing already exists. I was mining today and a Lachesis just showed up. I’m very attentive and normally see would-be attackers coming a mile away. Luckily this guy didn’t use combat probes within a window I didn’t hit DSCAN and never landed within scram range. Instead he simply warped to the belt I was in. But he came awfully close the second time he tried. I entered warp and he was only 16km away. Depending on his skills and scram modules he could have locked me at 15 to 18km. And I have no counter whatsoever if he was a better player or was the designated “warp disruptor” in a group keeping me from warping off with a 40-48km bonused Warp Disruptor range while an interceptor comes in to lock me up before I could get out of range. He could still hit me even with unbonused medium rails if I tried to MWD away. That’s just a danger we risk, particularly outside of high security space. It comes with the game. I never even knew such a ship existed until I looked it up afterwards. However, I’d like this to be a PvE module.
In the case of this probe it must stay in space for 1 minute. It couldn’t be deployed and retrieved quickly enough to be missed by an attentive player. There could also be penalties to having it equip like there is with the warp core stabilizers or prototype cloaking devices. Furthermore, after scanning down the location the probe could warp to and land on site once it determines the wreckage location and appear on the overview of anyone in the vicinity. So not only only will this thing be sitting for 1 minute in space, DSCANable the whole time, but it will show up at the wreck site ahead of the pilot who fired it. It could be automatically flashy/inherently criminal so that it stands out on the overview when it lands on grid. And easily destructible with low hit points and high signature radius without incurring suspect status or a negative security penalty on anyone who attacks it. Finally, only the ship with the launcher can jump to the probe. So in closing…
It sits in space for 1 minute while it scans. Perfectly capable of being picked up on DSCAN.
When the 1 minute is finished it warps to the wreck site.
It’s flashy on anyone’s overview and has a huge signature radius.
Only the ship that launched it can go to it. A ship debilitated by drawbacks of having the launcher active. Perhaps 10s delay until they can lock a target and a 10km targeting range cap.
Finally, the person firing it is rendered stationary, like bastion (but cancelable?) without the tank bonuses. It’s prevents cloaking while the probe is active. So if the probe is in DSCAN range so is the ship that launched it as they can’t pull out of DSCAN range.
I think this is more than enough forewarning. You would see this coming a mile away. And because it can be easily destroyed it could even be stopped outright if players are still in the area. People won’t want to send it into an active site. We can also add an additional 20s delay before a warp lock can occur. We could even have it take aggro from NPCs like a new player entering a site tends to do. Just spitting ideas.
I’m a pure pve’er, I still don’t see any benefit, unless I’m able to loot the wrecks as well as salvaging, but unless they abandon the wrecks, you wouldn’t be able to loot them.
Then you also, have travel time between each wreck. So unless you are using a speedy dessie/noctis, which this will happen either way, you still run the risk of being combat probed
If you are only about salvaging just use a T1 exploration frigate (cheap plus has scanning bonus, huge cargo hold and bonus to salvaging). Maybe you need better skills to can easier fit the expanded launcher.
The benefit is that you would be able to scan down wrecks from completed combat sites. It’s really that simple. If you personally aren’t interested in doing so I understand. However, that does not mean no one else would welcome the opportunity. This isn’t imposing on anyone else. You would be perfectly capable of not scanning down wrecks. And of course you can loot them. You’d be suspect for 15 minutes, but you can loot them. It would be nice if wrecks automatically went from yellow to grey after 30 minutes, but alas. People could use a destroyer, a Noctis or you could use a speedy frigate. T1 frigates like the Probe has salvage bonuses.
I was incorrect about the Expanded Probe Launcher in the fact that there are smaller ships that can fit it, like the Probe, but how does this get me to wrecks from completed sites with no player ships in the vicinity? That’s the whole point. I’m not interested in signalling to those completing the site that I’m coming in afterwards or scare them off from completing it in the first place. If I see wrecks and no players on DSCAN I’d like to be able to get to those wrecks instead of them going to waste.
Is this a good place for this or should a moderator move it?
And it conflicts with the interest of the player that produced those wrecks. He don’t want you to get to those wrecks (if he does then he could just share a bookmark. )
Gankers conflict with the interests of other players who are in high security space.
Hunters conflict with the interests of miners and explorers outside of high security space.
People who undercut prices on the Market conflict with the interests of other sellers.
People competing for combat sites conflict with the interests of each other.
Explorers scanning in the same wormhole system conflict with the interests of each other.
In high security space people stroll right into active sites and salvage while the other player is actively clearing the area.
I could go on. You want to ban conflict in EVE?
In most cases the wrecks are simply abandoned and aren’t deemed valuable enough to spend the time to salvage when simply doing another mission is a much more efficient means of getting paid. But for newer players who can’t do those missions/sites or are disinterested in the combat side of things, one man’s garbage is another man’s treasure.
So combat scan for people while they are doing sites, bookmark them, and come back in 30 minutes.
Why does this need to be in the game? It’s an incredibly niche approach to salvaging that attempts to avoid all the actual conflict and cooperation opportunities. That’s not a win for the game environment.