The ESS timer should be reduced to 4 minutes and 21 seconds

EVE Technology and Research Center Player Features & Ideas
1

I recorded blob response times in my past 200 ESS heists in Excel.

The average response time for a massive standing fleet blob is 4 minutes and 21 seconds, with the fastest tackles (Huginns) arriving slightly earlier with an average of 3 minutes and 44 seconds.

No one can solo a blob.

The current setup is a 100mn Celestis with three t2 sensor damps (I’ve been using this for over a year).

The problem is that getaway boats like the Celestis are easily rebuked by PvE ratting ships in 1v1. A ratting ishtar is sufficient to ward off a celestis.

The other problem is that you can’t bring a combat ship to force a PvE nullbear to reship, because they will inform the blob if you’re in anything that can dent their purples (although sometimes I reship into a brick dual web Sacrilege for 200-300 mill ESS’s that are being defended by one ratting ishtar, but it requires me to use an alt to create a diversion at another faraway ESS).

Simply put, if you try to PvP in an ESS, you’ll get blobbed, leaving the Celestis as the only option to escape the inevitable Huginn that precedes the blob.

Only once (in my Sacrilege) did I ever get a 1v1 fight in an ESS, and that was over fourteen months ago (more than a year), and it was with a pirate who was fighting me for the ESS, not the null bear. Sacrilege | Saladinae | Killmail | zKillboard

I’ve performed no less than 10,000 heists by now and acquired more than 650 billion in bonds total across all my characters. So I have a metric ton of experience concerning this topic.

From this experience I’ve come the following conclusion: The timer is too damn long. There would be more small gang PvP in the ESS’es if the timer was reduced to 4 minutes and 30 seconds, based on the average blob defense response time. Even the pirates in Serpentis space will rarely follow me to an ESS unless they know fountain blob is deployed elsewhere.

By the way, these response times were all recorded in systems that were all greater than (or equal to ) three jumps from the nearest sovereign controlled jump bridge network.

And if numbers and statistics and Excel doesn’t resonate with you, consider this: I’ve been robbing banks for the last fifteen months, acquired hundreds of a billions of ISK, and only had ONE solo PvP engagement—which means the ESS content is not working as originally intended—because the TIMER IS TOO DAMN LONG.

If you’ve never done a heist before, give a shot in a cheap ship, and you’ll quickly realize that the current duration feels like a lifetime. If your eyes even slip once during this heist, you’ll find yourself webbed by a Huginn, shortly followed by the Kitchen Sink.

2

EVE is not and should not be balanced around solo play (and I say this as a mostly solo player). ESS isn’t there to give you isk, it’s there to incentivise pvp. Shortening the timer would make it very difficult (as your own stats clearly prove) for the locals to react and thus there’d not be any pvp incentive for them to bother. Also, if you’re going to steal from a bunch of people you will have to accept and adjust to the fact that you’ll end up running into a bunch of ships.

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3

I don’t think shortening the ESS timer would result in more PvP encounters.

If anything, it will result in less PvP encounters when people are encouraged to use more ‘steal and get away before they notice’ fits, like you’re doing.

I really like the idea that you’ve stolen that much ISK in a Celestis and should try it out myself as well. I just don’t think that this gameplay should be made easier by shortening the timer.

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4

You kill your own argument by bragging about how much isk you make.

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5

I"m already making plenty of ISK from it.

I’m just pointing out that ESS’es aren’t providing the intended experience, which is small gang PvP…because the timer is too damn long.

6

So there’s no problem then, thank you for your TED talk.

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That doens’t kill the argument.

The argument isn’t about the ISK, it’s about the PvP.

8

Agreed, the ESS doesn’t seem to be providing the intended experience (if that is small gang PvP) most of the time, because both sides of the equation, the farmers and the thieves, optimize the fun out of it.

The farmers blob any group that is inside.
The thieves fit solo ships optimized for running away.

Neither side is looking for a solo PvP fight, they’re just both looking to keep or get the ISK.

I do not see how shortening the timer would increase the amount of PvP fights, it just tips the balance in favour of the stealing party.

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9

You want the intended experience to be small gang PvP, but that is NOT the intended experience. Unfortunately, the intended experience in this game is isk making, which you are apparently managing just fine. I agree that CCP has made some poor decisions. I think if they undid the 50,000 nerfs to Highsec PvP the game might be a lot more fun, with small gang PvP against Highsec mining fleets. Unfortunately, CCP does not like PvP, because PvP makes carebears cry and whine. This forces CCP to hire GMs to handle the deluge of crybaby tears, and CCP is determined to reduce this cost.

CONCLUSION: CCP is trying very hard to make the game as stale and boring as possible. PvP is simply too emotional for most players.

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10

You would have to be a real dumb carebear to have a play style that makes quadrillions to then make a forum post about how it should be made even easier, while casually dropping that you make quadrillions.

“shorter ESS timer would be better for pvp… oh wait no, it would be better for me”.

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12

I guarantee 15 months of krabbing nets more than 625 billion ISK of heists over the same fifteen month period.

You have no idea what it takes to infiltrate goon space and rob their banks on a daily basis. Furthest thing from “carebear” there is in the game, and the only part of the game that gives me any joy these days.

13

You should send me some of that isk, I will use it to kill nullbear freighter pilots and Highsec miners, so that they will have an emotional experience in EvE Online.

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but not in a Celestis.

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Do you really think you can just waltz around in a celestis in Fountain/Delve? The moment I login the watchlist alerts my own group of dedicated hunters.

You need alts to collect your own intel.
you need paid stooges to spread late intel (they broadcast my location 5 minutes after I pass through).
you have to engage the blob with alts to divert their attention away from High ISK Ess system
you need to reroll your bookmarks and intel every two hours.
625 billion gained, and probably 250+ billion spent to acquire it, net profit is less than 325 billion ISK over fifteen months.

It’s not even about the ISK, if it was about the ISK, I’d be krabbing.

I do it because it’s the only solo activity left that i find enjoyable in EvE.

It would more enjoyable if those Sacriledge hulls could actually blow up once in a while (and no, I’m not going to stick around for a blob to see my Sacrilege blow up)

With a shorter timer, the nullbear in their Vargur/Ishtar/(put ratting ship name here) would actually have to confront me from time to time in a PvP ship.

Remember, they would still have 4 minutes and 30 seconds to reship to whatever they want to kill my Sacrilege with. And they would be forced to with a shorter timer, instead of waiting for an unpaid hungry blob to do it for them.

16

If you enjoy it, what’s the problem. If it can be done in a ~30 mil isk ship while making amazing income then what’s the problem.

There clearly is no problem, you just want it easier. That’s it. Had you said that then at least you’d have been honest but your “nono this makes the peeveepeee better” is just a very obvious lie, and as such any of your statements are therefore by definition suspect.

1 Like
17

So you don’t think there’s anything wrong with a veteran’s PvE Ishtar bot relying on unpaid newbros to blob the ESS for him?

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unrelated straw man.

Again, due to the obvious lie anything you say is suspect.

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Again, you don’t think there’s anything wrong with a PvE Ishtar bot relying on unpaid newbros to blob the ESS for them?

Because that is…the ugly truth…of how ESS PvP works.

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You’re not interested in any of that, you’re interested in making your isk easier. Also your statement doesn’t even make sense, it’s just another (terrible) try at coming up with reasons as to why things should change, which just happens to be a change in your favour… magically.

It seems that the more you say the more lies you tell. Explain to us why anyone should take you serious.

21

What are the lies?

If you can’t handle PvP, you shouldn’t be in Null sec.

Imagine for a moment if your ratting Ishtar had to reship to fight my Sacrilege, instead of calling a blob?

I think you just don’t want botting threatened.

The Defender already has the advantage of CHOOSING which SHIP they’ll kill you with, since you’re already STUCK in the ESS with the ship you brought from FAR AWAY.

If the Defender is too afraid to fight me for their ESS with the advantage of choosing their ship, then:

  1. They don’t deserve the ISK.
  2. They shouldn’t be in null sec.
1 Like