Forums » Suggestions

Reason For Conquering Stations

Jan 21, 2010 Ghost link
Just throwing this out there early in case it's easier to develop before the mechanic has been fully implemented. The biggest consistent problem in Vendetta is there's no reason to do anything. We need a 'why' to conquer a station.

Some ideas:

-Steady credit income. The station owner is given a steady rate of incoming credits. This could be explained by the various resources/trade that the crew of one's station handles daily.

-Access to ships/equipment. The station owner is able to purchase his nation's or faction's ship variants at his station for a slightly lower price. This not only allows the owner to get discounted ships, but provides him with a place to purchase them outside of nation space.

-Repair and reload for free.

-Access to special equipment. Depending on which area a station is located, a special weapon or device may be available for purchase. These unique items could vary from station to station, providing a reason to take stations in different sectors. The nature of these items could be something like law neuts or hive posis, or other enhanced versions of standared weapons like flares/missiles/gat turrets/etc. Or even brand new and unique weapons.

-Access to special ships. Once again varying from station to station, slightly enhanced versions of standard ships may be available. Thus a trader might want to control a station that provides him with a ship with increased cargo space while a fighter would rather control a station that provides him with a ship with increased thrust or spin torque. On top of this, certain all together new ships might only be available in conquerable stations.

-Travel. Controlling a station in a wormhole sector prevents those of opposing nations from accessing the wormhole without a key. Or, to incorporate another old suggestion, perhaps a station in grey controls a wormhole to deneb.

*Edit* -Sensor Array. Building off of ShankTank's idea, a certain station could have access to a powerful sensor array, providing the owner with a list of players in the system, complete with their sector locations.
Jan 21, 2010 ShankTank link
Free repair and reload sounds like the simplest and most realistic idea, but I don't know if it's the most balanced. Perhaps greatly reduced repair/reload. That sounds like the first perk to be added... but personally, I'd like some sort of relevant tactical advantage such as being able to have access to some sort of system sensor array that detects wormhole jumps.
Jan 21, 2010 peytros link
i would just like players not to amass billions of credits when ships cost 70k
Jan 21, 2010 Alloh link
brainstorming:

-Turrets. Who owns the station can deploy N turrets, and designated Friend/Foe based on nation/guild/name. (example, declare foe all serco and "Ppl Name")

-Steady income, as credits and locally produced goods, including "ship repair kit", at fixed rate. Ore required to feed production rate.

-No "free" nothing. Resources have price/stock. And those products can be used by station owner at will: sell, donate, load as cargo, equip ship. Owner can produce "free" repairs using station's stock of "ship repair kit".

-Limited Repair Capacity. Station only have X units of repair in stock. Those are produced locally. Repair a ship is remove from stock and add to ship, resulting in 100% ship instead of cargo/addon. WHY? Limits amount of repairs and guards at disposal. You have P "guard pilots" who respawn immediatly and can take another ship, but if guards' ship destruction rate is bigger than repair production, they stop comming...
Jan 21, 2010 Impavid link
Eventually conquered stations should be able to export goods and send convoys, as well as put out a call to receive them.
Jan 21, 2010 Resistance37 link
Well maybe we could start a system where you could manage the station a bit more, like choose if you want to hire mining/trading/combat NPC's, and they'll make money which goes to you, but you get a certain amount deducted for the pay of NPC's? Just an idea.
Jan 21, 2010 missioncreek2 link
Well said Ghost!

I think that there should be conquerable stations in key PVP WH sectors precisely because they are strategic and thus worth the effort to own.

Latos O6
Sedina B8
Edras - Jaluk WH
Latos - Azek WH

They could also go in rich ore fields.

I also like:
• special access WH idea
• sensor array idea.
• deployable turrets
Jan 21, 2010 ShankTank link
Stop crowding them in south grey, seriously. Anyways, I'm going to stick with my idea of having access to a channel that alerts the station owners of any wormhole jumps in the system.

Edit: you edited it right before I posted. D: Anyways, those are fine ideas as well.
Jan 21, 2010 incarnate link
It has long been my plan to tie regional conquest to "income". Where income is not just credits, but aggregation of ores and minerals and things, and basically the "right" to mine them. So like, someone who owns a station, and "conquers" the surrounding sectors as well, and defends them, can have drones go out and mine large quantities of things which then might lead to being able to manufacture certain stuff. Like, say, capships. Or just certain exclusive trade goods.

But, I also have a lot of other plans relating to having your own convoys that you can select where and what they trade, and generating goods at your station that can be re-sold elsewhere and so on. Posting missions which get people to serve your station in some way or bring you necessary goods, hiring of convoy captains and escorts, making formal agreements with pirate clans, blah blah.

Basically, like 80% of my general planned "endgame" has been based around either owning a station, or purchasing some sort of "trading space" at a given station. But realistically was based on owning one's own station. In all of this it is possible to balance "overhead costs" against "income", so that it isn't a trivial gravy train. Maybe mining drones break down a lot and require a lot of costly maintenance, or stations are a big economic drain to keep running. I don't know. It would be possible to generate significant income, but risks would be higher too, and outlay much higher.

But this is all high-level stuff that will take a long time to implement properly. In the short term, we might just want an exclusive ship that's tied to each station. Even just an exclusive-looking ship. Or.. addon, or something. I dunno.
Jan 21, 2010 zamzx zik link
oh man, I can't wait to start wiping out people's drones.
Jan 21, 2010 Dr. Lecter link
oh man, I can't wait to start wiping out people's drones.

Oh yeah. Like botting, but with a purpose.
Jan 22, 2010 Alloh link
-Ore is required for stations produce repairs/ships/addons
-Collectors and miners provide resources to stations

So, keeping a blockade against station's bots and incoming convoys should be the best tactics before attacking the station itself...

Seems very promissing. Keep your station well stocked and it can defend itself. Empty and starving stations are easy prey.
Jan 26, 2010 missioncreek2 link
Inc: Cool endgame stuff! That post should go in a newsletter where people will see it.

A simple economic motivation for station conquest could be a special trade good manufactured only at the station. For example:

Acheron's Vodka
1 cu
75 kg
5400 cr purchase

The owners of the station would make 10% for the sale of the vodka, or they could buy it and ship it themselves. The Vodka should have an aggressive demand curve at other stations. Thus it will be more valuable than other commodities to trade. A station owner could grant station access to traders to buy Vodka, or he could create a temporary embargo, and inflate the sell prices at other stations.
Jan 26, 2010 ShankTank link
I would like to be able to sell my convoy catches to the conquerable station.
Jan 26, 2010 Dr. Lecter link
+1 to missioncreek's idea
Jan 27, 2010 ladron link
Aye, Acheron's Vodka it is. We need more alcohol in this game anyway, a man has about 4 choices for a drink as it is...
Jan 28, 2010 PaKettle link
Dont we have enough boozers in game already? .... LOL

Stations do need to provide some unique opportunities and should in fact be limited in numbers so there are not enough stations to go around.

The ability to "personalise" a station will also increase thier value as well. Custom paint and signage would both increase a players ownership of the station...