In star trek they are always investigating anomalies. I doubt this is anything they can patent or copyright.

We should have anomalies.

It should be random, with potential risk and reward at random. Some anomalies might require a scanner, some might be investigated by anyone. Some anomalies would appear on the main navigation map. Prior to investigation anomalies may appear as large cubes, roids, or some interesting phenomenon. Some anomalies may cause ion storms and/or fog in their sector.

The results of investigation may vary according to how they are investigated.

An examples:

An anomaly appears on the nav map. In sector investigation reveals an ion storm. Somewhere in the storm is a large roid that should not be there, which would be difficult to find without an ion storm extender. The roid would be partially hollow with an entrance that would be difficult to find without an ion storm extender. An ion storm scanner would reveal that the roid is at least partially hollow, and a potential entrance point. A mineral scanner would reveal the roids mineral composition. A mining beam shows that it is very hot and getting hotter. A port scanner would reveal the presence of a large number of weapons, some of which are hive weapons. A cargo scanner would reveal precious minerals and hive parts. firing on the roid would have no effect. entering the roid would reveal a large hive presence which would assault anyone intruding. destroying a specific bot would dissipate the anomaly, making the cargo available to loot.

Sounds like fun.

+1

+1 to more random events

+1

+ 1 to OP
+ 1 to RANDOM things in general

Also, see my "random sectors/uncharted sectors" thread since there is some similarity.

http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/3/23194

+1 to anomalies, sort or random... but what you really are asking for is new content...

Ion storms are random, but became known, familiar. So will become any new idea/anomaly after some time... or how many anomalies can be created and coded per week? How many times each anomaly will show for same player? And Alts??

VO is a long lasting environment, where everything new becomes regular...

maybe something in between, like replacing the only type of existing anomaly, ion storms, with N different ones, similar to those random sectors... some dangerous, as many already proposed, some foggy, some confined... As Roda proposed, put an easter egg in each, but that only shows once per player...

Alloh: Your easter egg idea deserves it's own thread. Please create one.

Coding each anomaly by hand could be time consuming, and they would become predictable. Instead, anomalies could be random in modules.

= Randoms:
== Navigational
: Zero or more of the following
* Show on nav map
* Cause ion storm
* Is also currently being investigated/guarded by the hive
== Appearance
: one of
* roid
* cargo
* abandoned ship
* worm hole
* abandoned station
== cargo
: One or more of the following
* cargo stash (with possible multiple cargo types)
* stronghold (pirate/hive)
* fake anomaly created by player pirate(s)
* Worm hole (transport player(s) to a random part of the galaxy)

etc...

By having the game generate anomalies and piecing them together at random, You never know what an anomaly is going to be until you actually investigate it. Investigation can be simple like just going and seeing what it is, and picking up the cargo, or Investigation could be complicated and even risky. The result will not always be something good. Some anomalies may result in a swarm of hive poring out to destroy the offender.

Having been fleshed out a bit, I am really starting to like this one. Adds a bit of scientific exploration to the scene.

additional +1

Anomaly = another name for an easter egg... or a space treasure chest...

And how you imagine integrating that into multiplayer scenario? One anomaly per system? Or a few in whole (empty) universe?

What happens when many players converge to that spot, and the easter egg is already open?

I am not against the idea, just trying to make it fit to VO.

Anomalies would be random occurrences, otherwise they wouldn't be anomalous. If many players converged on the anomaly, they would either fight it out or work together, both are win/win for player interaction.

Good idea. Random encounters in other RPG's are really what makes the game (I'm thinking of Red Dead and Fallout 3); I think that VO could benefit, as well. I am opposed to instituting a significant number of weather anomalies, though.

very cool. Allthough i think they should appear randomly all the time regardless of mission or "investigation".

I intended for them to be random. Some of them would even be visible on the nav map. But if you don't investigate them they will rarely if ever effect you. They are only for the curious.

Although this could be done with a pcc mission, I was suggesting something outside of missions. You could be on a trade mission and one of these appear in an ion storm as you escorted your convoy.

If everyone added ideas, anomalies could be so diverse and risky that you would want to tame a team with you just to investigate them.

I posted an idea for some anomalies a while back. One was a dangerous one, in essence it was a field gaseous anomalies that covered X meters in all directions which would be detonated via rockets, missiles, and energy weapons.

Thats my two cents for now.

+1

I like the use of scanners

Anomalies dangerous enough to require a group to explore/defeat would be cool.

Other anomalies which are like a puzzle and require a sequence of logical actions to enter/activate would be interesting.

Yes. This game is rather lacking in the puzzle department (which is understandable).

Long term, fine. Short term, start some wars. Really start shooting at things....

DJ, Repetition is repetitive. Anything that gives us interesting content, which may in turn help us retain players is good.