I'm posting this here because it's not a suggestion. I'm just looking for feedback from other players on ion storms. I would like to hear what others think about them or if they use them for any type of hunting/pirating.

In my own personal view, I find them just an annoyance. Something that adds about a minute to me getting from point a to point b. I rarely ever get damaged in them and don't hunt in them.

If I find one, I generally fly around it into empty sectors to reach my destination. I would almost prefer to have PVP instead of ion storms.

As I said earlier, I am curious to see what others think about them.

Thanks

Currently, they're mostly just an annoyance. For pirating players they really don't help, because players can and do avoid them easily. But the NPC traders don't; and the escort/pirate/anti-pirate missions are going to take ion storms into account; if there's a storm on a route causing NPC traders to go boom, there's more likely to be escort missions along that route, etc.

So I expect to see storms become more interesting as the high level DELIVERATOR AI gets more and more polished & integrated into missions. The one thing that I still think needs to be addressed, is why the NPC traders don't avoid storms, when players do. As much as possible, I don't think there should be any difference between NPC traders and Player traders, so if there's a storm that a player would jump around, why don't the NPC traders jump around it, too? What I'd like to see to address that is a change to how in-system jumps drain energy; rather than requiring 25% and draining 100% the way it does now, I think it should require and drain 30 energy for the initial jump, plus 15 energy for each sector jumped across; so if you're jumping over 5 sectors you would need 105 energy. Diagnal jumps would be calculated using the Pythagorean Theorem: jumping from A-1 to P-16 would be jumping 22.63 sectors, and would require 369.41 energy. This would provide a reason for going in a straight line, as that would require less energy, so it would be understandable for NPC (and player) traders to make the straight jump, risking being caught in a storm. It would also make for more variety in battery choice.

I think storms should have a shared exit point. Currently, your exit point is entirely random. It's supposed to be based on what sector you came from, but it isn't. So that means that player pirates can't use a storm to hide in, since everybody who enters a storm has a different exit point. If everybody had the same exit point, regardless of where you came from or where you're going, then pirates could set up shop there.

Not only a shared exit point.... but a _shifting_ exit point. That would make a lot more sense for something as unpredictable as a 'storm,' plus it would add a heckuva lot bigger challenge to people trying to get out of it.

As well there shouldn't be so many bots in a storm sector. Maybe that's changed since I last logged in way back in the stone age, but I remember it being rather difficult to stick around in storms for very long at all because of the hive buzzing around my ship.

annoying wastes of my time without any use at all nor will have any use in the near to totally non near future.

but hey thats my view.

I love storms, if it wasnt for storms I wouldnt have as many moth kills as I do, ok, yeah, most traders try go round them, but well, they dont always manage to, example : Trader warps into azek, see's me n runs like hell, I chase, they hop empty to try lose me, but they aint fast enough, so as they chnage course to the closest station, wallop, ion storm.

Happens like that at least once a day for me, sure, I cant wait around in them, but when i'm chasing someone who lands in one, it gives me a much needed edge (specially if the trader is in a moth).

Eh, they add some realism to the game, and actually make you think before you click.

What Beolach and yoda said.

I agree with Beolach, rehashing his energy-cost-per-jump idea. BUT only if crafting is implemented and we can MAKE our own batts, so I can have a "better-than-UC" battery that will handle a 370-energy jump and still recharge at 50/s.

Right now, Ion storms are the only navigational hazard. Need to have more variation and stuff. Like red ions / green ions / white ions, etc. What if the different colored ion storms did different things?
How about a rogue asteroid drifts across your warp path and you must drop out of hyperspace to avoid it (almost smashing into it as you drop out of warp).
I'll say it again just because it'll be funny: Nebulae! We need nebulae!

But right now, Ion storms are not really very dangerous unless yoda's in them. They are merely an annoyance, even in a govbus. They need some attention.

What annoys me about storms is that some bots and traders dont seem to require the exit point while players do.

i've seen collector bots escape from a stormed area by jumping out of totally random points, so long as they respect the 3000m rule.

I was once chasing a collector bot to find a hive and it just warped out while I had to do an about-face, travel some 11000ms to then reach the hive.

it needs to be in the middle of the sector or something, so pirates can have an 'attack base'

I think I remember hearing the devs mention that they agreed ion storms are currently pointless. Said they were open to suggestions.

i always figured that NPC traders got stuck in ion storms because they used the auto-ploted coarse they got from their trade missions (like i do) and just didn't bother to plot around potental storms.

anyway most of the sugestions in this thread seem reasonable. but i don't think ion storms will ever be a reliable pirat hang-out, as they are non persistant. you can always go to a wormehole and catch traders, but finding a storm can take more time, and there may not be one in your favorat hunting grounds.

I find storms very pretty, though I usually avoid them.
But: before getting a fc batt or a good speed ship, I think they might be annoying for beginners, maybe the exit could be closer at low lvls ?
Botting in them is funnier.
And, uh, I don't pirat, so..

^_^

Yea nioubi, gotta admid, storms are gorgeous (sp?). Check this one:

http://viperguild.com/forimages/details.php?image_id=176

splendid ^_^
I wished to add two things.
First: Ion storms positions are a good thing to share between guild members or simply with friends, and as such they are contributing to making VO the convivial place we know.
Second: Yesterday, I heard people complaining about storms, hoping to see them removed from the game. Oh, if piracy, agressive bots, sectors and whormholes jumps, long distances and unsure routes could be removed too, and if we had an entirely automatic pilot, and if someone else could play for us...

:P

I want to see...

Shared Exit Point
Storms in Station or WH Sectors

Why are station and WH sectors exempt anyway? if storms are a byproduct of WHs, then they should, logically, be relatively common in the sectors where WHs reside. Furthermore, having an occasional storm in a station sector would add an interesting twist, and cause for alterations in gameplay.

It would also be nice to see -multiple- exit points in storms - have 2 or 3 different possible exit points of varying size, slowly drifting around the sector. It would add realism (pockets of calm in which to escape) and allow for choices in leaving (buzz the queen or face the pirate?)

I definately think they should keep them in game.

I'd love to see storms in wormhole sectors, it'd make things much more interesting for pirates and traders alike. Shared exit points are also a must. Pirates could lay in wait at these exit points, or near them, for traders. This also eliminates the point and boost scenario, you actually have to look for your exit point, which gives pirates time to catch traders, and if its shifting, that increases the likely-hood of a trader being caught by a pirate.

These changes would make pirating much more worth while, as people would pay more often then run. Multiple exit point would also be interesting, if somewhat more annoying for pirates.

Storms - When i was a new pilot flying a wraith or even a EC88 bus on a light battery,I used to dread storms, back then i had no option of just infiniboosting to the exit point, I had to learn to plot around the likely storm sectors, and if i was unlucky enough to encounter one, it meant boosting and dodging until, if i was lucky, getting out alive.

Consider this - a low level trader flying the BEST ship he or she can afford, or use due to license levels, doing a procurement trade mission. On the return leg fully laden with expensive cargo, and suddenly they run into a storm - didnt plot a course, trying to earn the time bonus!

This is a high risk scenario for a low level player. Everything they have worked for is potentially lost. Storms may just be an annoyance for the higher level players with the cool ships and batteries, but remember the low level player, shifting exit points and storms in wormhole and station sectors would be deadly for them, and would imho make the game unplayable.