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Another CtC thread!

Jul 11, 2008 vIsitor link
Yes, I seem to have no shortage of stupid ideas to inflict upon you. Will it ever end? (Ha ha)

Capture the Cargo is widely considered broken for two reasons:

1) The Serco have to go through B8, the most pirate-infested system in the galaxy.

2) With the advent of Lawguns and weapons trading, N3s don't mean what they used to (and stockpiling was an issue even before).

And so, here's what I propose:

First, replace the weak bot convoy we currently have with proper Tridents and Constellations. They'd be a lot tougher to destroy, and would require teamwork and continued harassment across several systems to down, not just loose cannons in a single sector.

And, Second, make the prize for winning the week something that the players will actually care about: like their advanced ship variants: IBGs, SVGs, and non-basic Proms and Valks would be at risk. When CtC is run, a limited run of these ships would be manufactured, and a player would be given a quota of how many they could purchase over the course of the week. Participation in the previous week's CtC would grant a higher quota of ships for purchase! This would make stockpiling very difficult, especially since, unlike weapons, ships can not be traded.

It could be argued that we should just scrap CtC altogether, but I say that it would be foolhardy to remove it without something to replace it. And so long as we have it, we might as well make it work.

Thoughts? Opinions? Criticism? Samoflange?
Jul 11, 2008 MSKanaka link
You haven't been playing for ages, vIsitor, so it's no surprise how you came to these conclusions. However:

1) B8 is not an issue generally, as most pirates *help* the Serco side in CtC, and the Itani no longer have a station in Edras I-2. If it's unbalanced at all nowadays, it's unbalanced in favor of the Serco.

2) Lawgun drop rates have been nerfed. They aren't as prevalent anymore as you may think.

Personally, I think we should get rid of CtC entirely and come up with something different.
Jul 11, 2008 iry link
What could Lanthanic and Apicene be used for?

They're both found in Odia which happens to be between the 2 starting systems for CtC.

What if CtC type convoys only launched when a suitable quantity of ore was delivered to the current CtC start stations. Then a convoy carrying some sort of purified Lanthanic / Apicene Ore could make its way up to nation space to create some nifty prize.

Only so much could be held inside the station at once but players could decide when the convoys are launched by taking an escort type mission. Taking the mission would cause a 5-15 min warning announcement.

Perhaps Lanthanic and Apicene Piles are used in high grade power cells. (What are the in-game properties of these ores anyway?)

Maybe a 55-60 per second powercell for every so many crates of Purfied Lanthanic or Apicene Delivered?

(55 charge cell made with purifed Lanthanic and a 60 for Apicene?)

The winning side would get full production. So if say the Itani win then they can utilize all of their crates in Powercell production, while the Serco would have to make due only with what their previous week's surplus could make.

Something like 75% of the Cells made though would have to be reserved only for the pilots who actually participated. So the miners and escorts / raiders would get access to most of the prizes, while the non participants would have to share a small fraction of the total.

The type of ship used to carry the ore would also be decided by the players depending on how much is inside the station at the time of the escort activation. At the end of the week any ore in the station will auto launch in a convoy.

If 240 crates or less then behemoth heavies would be used. (120 per Heavy)

More than 240 then tridents would be used (360 per trident). If there isn't enough cargo to fill up at least 60% of a Trident then behemoth heavies will be used to transport the remainder.

If more than 7500 is stocked then a Constellation would be used (Up to two Connies assuming a maximum station hold for the ore is 20,000 crates and up to 10,000 per Connie). If at least 60% of a Connie cant be filled then Tridents and Behemoths will be used for the remainder.

I really think that for as big as it is a Constellation should have a cargo hold of at least 10,000cu
Jul 11, 2008 Azumi link
MSKanaka, stop smoking that shit:) A ton of good ideas have been issued so far, and admittedly this is not one of the best, but at least it keeps the CtC in the game. Not many Serco voys get through on my watch!

I have been active in CtC for the Itani side since I started. I really like CtC, and I do it as much as I can. The only reason the CtC is won each week by the filthy Serco is because they as a whole take it seriously and ITAN does not.

So, little Serco toaster, next time you buy a neut Mk III, thank Da Gu for his work!

That said, we should keep it. Not all of us like doing escorts or the like, let us have CtC that means something to the nations that we after all belong to!!!
Jul 11, 2008 MSKanaka link
I believe I said "most pirates", not "all pirates". Past experience and records show that the pirates tend to fight on the Serco side of CtC when they participate. You are an exception, not the rule, Azumi.
Jul 12, 2008 Azumi link
Azumi jumps off her high horse.

Most pirates that do CtC merely kill the bots, they hardly ever transport the xith.

Dammit, I should be a rule:)
Jul 14, 2008 Starpwn link
I may be wrong, but didn't B8 because the pvp center of the universe BECAUSE of shape hanging out for CTC? Shape's legacy is killing serco bots, you got a problem?
Jul 14, 2008 slime73 link
Despite Shape's uberness, he didn't single-handedly cause Sedina B-8 to be the pvp center. :P