Forums » Suggestions
Hive Identifier Module drop
The Hive Identifier Module (HIM) is something new players and in some cases everyone else will find extremely useful at times.
The way it works is at some random value a hive bot will drop it's HIM after being destroyed. This device networks with the Hive to allow other hive bots to know if you're a friend or foe. When a player connects the HIM to a small port of their ship, their ship will ID as friend to the hive bots and they will ignore you when the key associated with the port the HIM is in is activated. You can turn it off pressing the button again.
Enabling the device in a sector with hive bots after being in the sector with the device disabled requires leaving the sector and returning with it already enabled to have the desired effect.
Dropping mines or launching missiles/rails/rockets will trigger normal hive response to you as these are not bot weapons. Energy weapons will also do the same but you have to hit a bot. Leaving the sector resets the functionality of the device.
This will be useful for new players who are opting to start out or simply wish to explore a less combative path in the game and aren't yet ready to handle all situations. They can mine in fields crawling with hive bots or simply pass through systems with hive presence. Other players can benefit as well when they're slumming it in a roid field etc. But the biggest impact will be on new players where bots of most types are significant threats.
Since you will ID as hive if you enter a hive skirmish sector with this active (you haven't triggered normal hive behavior as described above or turned it off) you will get targeted by the NPC's attacking the hive. This includes if you took the mission yourself, though it may be decided that being in a group with non-hive members in a sector with the Hive will negate the effect of the device, to avoid anything shady with group missions involving the hive (or queening etc).
The way it works is at some random value a hive bot will drop it's HIM after being destroyed. This device networks with the Hive to allow other hive bots to know if you're a friend or foe. When a player connects the HIM to a small port of their ship, their ship will ID as friend to the hive bots and they will ignore you when the key associated with the port the HIM is in is activated. You can turn it off pressing the button again.
Enabling the device in a sector with hive bots after being in the sector with the device disabled requires leaving the sector and returning with it already enabled to have the desired effect.
Dropping mines or launching missiles/rails/rockets will trigger normal hive response to you as these are not bot weapons. Energy weapons will also do the same but you have to hit a bot. Leaving the sector resets the functionality of the device.
This will be useful for new players who are opting to start out or simply wish to explore a less combative path in the game and aren't yet ready to handle all situations. They can mine in fields crawling with hive bots or simply pass through systems with hive presence. Other players can benefit as well when they're slumming it in a roid field etc. But the biggest impact will be on new players where bots of most types are significant threats.
Since you will ID as hive if you enter a hive skirmish sector with this active (you haven't triggered normal hive behavior as described above or turned it off) you will get targeted by the NPC's attacking the hive. This includes if you took the mission yourself, though it may be decided that being in a group with non-hive members in a sector with the Hive will negate the effect of the device, to avoid anything shady with group missions involving the hive (or queening etc).
Spoofing transponders is cool.
+1 to the general idea.
+1 to the general idea.
+1
Also, let players play as Hive!
Also, let players play as Hive!
+1 cellsafemode
It would also mean enabling it in an empty sector means if you go home with it on, the station will attack you.
+1 Death Fluffy
I really like the idea of a playable hive!
It would also mean enabling it in an empty sector means if you go home with it on, the station will attack you.
+1 Death Fluffy
I really like the idea of a playable hive!
Needs more thought. As it stands I'd say -1 for the following reasons:
1) This would make soloing (or just killing generally) a levi super easy.
2) If the technology is advanced enough to make a modification to your ship that identifies you as friendly to the hive, it seems ludicrous that the "engineers" wouldn't be able to also figure out how to relay this information to the NPCs in the area. In other words, the either/or standing alignment you suggest doesn't make a lot of sense from a gameplay perspective. It sounds like an incomplete realization of what could be a cool technology.
3) Are you suggesting that (if you have this module activated) you can shoot bots with weapons they drop and they won't shoot back? That opens the express lane to unlimited, unchallenged bot kills... given your past suggestions and critiques, I cannot see how you think this is acceptable.
Essentially what you are talking about is a magic standing adjuster... I thought you were against magic? Or are you only against certain kinds of magic? You need to clarify your position on magic.
1) This would make soloing (or just killing generally) a levi super easy.
2) If the technology is advanced enough to make a modification to your ship that identifies you as friendly to the hive, it seems ludicrous that the "engineers" wouldn't be able to also figure out how to relay this information to the NPCs in the area. In other words, the either/or standing alignment you suggest doesn't make a lot of sense from a gameplay perspective. It sounds like an incomplete realization of what could be a cool technology.
3) Are you suggesting that (if you have this module activated) you can shoot bots with weapons they drop and they won't shoot back? That opens the express lane to unlimited, unchallenged bot kills... given your past suggestions and critiques, I cannot see how you think this is acceptable.
Essentially what you are talking about is a magic standing adjuster... I thought you were against magic? Or are you only against certain kinds of magic? You need to clarify your position on magic.
He says if you shoot a not they become aggro.
At greenwalls #2 this is a video game not real life , isn't this the strance you've taken in many suggestion topics.
At greenwalls #2 this is a video game not real life , isn't this the strance you've taken in many suggestion topics.
Yes, that is my stance Boda. I guess I just don't see the gameplay benefit of basically toggling who will shoot at you in a hive skirm. It would make much more sense to appear "friendly to hive" without changing how your team views you (assuming you are in a mission).
It seems Cellsafemode's goal was to create a way for newbs and miners to more easily evade bots... If that was the case, then the penalty's (/risk) for using the device should be those that would discourage use by non-newbs and non-miners. Adding a penalty to make otherwise friendly NPCs shoot at you just makes its application in a hive skirmish both confusing and redundant.
If this truly was for newbs and miners, the nerfs on it should reflect that intention.
It seems Cellsafemode's goal was to create a way for newbs and miners to more easily evade bots... If that was the case, then the penalty's (/risk) for using the device should be those that would discourage use by non-newbs and non-miners. Adding a penalty to make otherwise friendly NPCs shoot at you just makes its application in a hive skirmish both confusing and redundant.
If this truly was for newbs and miners, the nerfs on it should reflect that intention.
It might not be useful for miners in dynamic hive skirmish missions, but it is useful for miners in static hive sectors where there aren't any friendly NPCs. It's also useful for waiting before following collectors to queens. It could potentially be useful in an attempt to escape from player pursuit by hiding among the hive who would then attack the pursuer while ignoring the fleeing party. (I don't see that as being very effective though. Which is unfortunate because it would be pretty cool.)
Two additions I would make are that while it is enabled, the player should show up in the list and radar as unaligned and hostile to all other players who aren't also using such a device, and that once the device has been activated, the person using it should not be given the protection of the governing faction until that person leaves the sector. (A 30s cooldown after disabling it before faction protection returns would also be acceptable.) That way using it adds a risk of being killed by a player without the chance to inflict a penalty on the killer, which I think is a fair trade for being able to mine among bots without hindrance.
Another potentially fun alteration is to let observers see through the effect and paint you as hostile if they get too close. Maybe also apply that to Overseers, Queens, and Leviathans.
Two additions I would make are that while it is enabled, the player should show up in the list and radar as unaligned and hostile to all other players who aren't also using such a device, and that once the device has been activated, the person using it should not be given the protection of the governing faction until that person leaves the sector. (A 30s cooldown after disabling it before faction protection returns would also be acceptable.) That way using it adds a risk of being killed by a player without the chance to inflict a penalty on the killer, which I think is a fair trade for being able to mine among bots without hindrance.
Another potentially fun alteration is to let observers see through the effect and paint you as hostile if they get too close. Maybe also apply that to Overseers, Queens, and Leviathans.
+1 op with Rin's revision of unaligned and observers. This would make the observers have some kind of effect in game.
+1 with Rin's bit.
Why not make it so if you kill or damage a bot while using it the bot doesn't drop items? This would make it very hard to exploit.
Because it already cancels the effect if you fire on a bot. The OP even has it disable as soon as you fire a non-energy weapon, so it doesn't help with avalon or swarm stacking.