I know that there are those out there who advocate for the introduction of an open PvP zone to make the klingon war feel more like a war. I am one of those people. I had an idea that should be part of such a open war/territory control zone, that being targets.
In war, the opposing military forces are not always the target. In fact, they are most commonly not the target. Engagements between opposing forces come when an objective is trying to be reached. It is ideal for an attacking force to avoid engagement with the enemy wherever possible in the persuit of their objective. Sun Tzu himself said "Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."
There should be several Federation and Klingon targets established, forward command outposts, supply depots, construction and repair yards, communications hubs, etc. If there are objectives such as these to be attacked, protected, captured, or destroyed, then this war may actually start to seem like a war.
It would be cool. Be not until they make the spawning points dynamic. Otherwise it will just be like that end-of-beta event where the KDF "attacked" ESD by appearing one ship at a time, in the same place... just to be immediately vaporized by a horde (hehehe) of Feds.
This is a great idea, not quite open PvP but still a hell of an improvement than what we have at the moment. I'm not really into PvP at the moment but this would make me want to take a peek
This idea could be incorporated into a series of dailies, set in Eta Eridani, or possibly Pi Canis when it opens up to the Klingons.
Perhaps a some dailies where your objective is to attack a Klingon Shipyard (or Fed Shipyard for Klingons) and the defense forces come out to stop you. (PvE Daily)
Or maybe your mission is to secure an agreement with a neutral party to gain a trade / resources deal for your faction, which then results in Diplomacy points. (PvE Daily)
Or a daily, where you enter a small PvP match at set locations (think capturing the towers in the Eastern Plaguelands, World of Warcraft) that can be "controlled" by the faction that captures it. I see this working like the Drozanna System. Everyone can enter it, and once you enter it, you can fire on any enemy ships (instances would be locked to 5 Fed Ships, 5 KDF ships) that are in the system (which would be other players) and control goes to whoever holds the point. (similar to the capture and hold nodes in current PvP) Awards would be handed out whenever the control point changes. So basically, if the Klingons hold it, and a Fed group comes in and takes the node back, then all players get awards, similar to how they are handed out in PvP matches. It's not a big reward, but do it enough times, and it starts to stack up. Respawn points would be put far away from the control node, so you avoid complete stalemates and the invalidation of gains made by an attacking force, or the node becomes perma-defended. (Semi-Live Action PvP)
Some additions like this would help to create the "war" ambience that is currently missing from STO.
Ships spawn in a "safe zone," maybe inside a starbase or similarly protected by cloak-detecting quantum torpedo turrets.
Objective-based protect missions where Feds have to beam tactical teams to capture a facility while protect it with their own tactical teams and intercepting fed ships. Even putting in a system where you can tractor turrets to protect objects would add a bit of strategy to the mission, especially if the turrets are finite in supply and can only be taken from your spawn point.
Or Klinks try to destroy deuterium tanks (like this new daily) or are trying to overrun a colony...
I like the idea. perhaps a new fleet action is in the works in this thread...
Fleet actions are just the first step. I believe that, with time, the neutral zone can become a fully interactive warzone. Repair yards with damaged warships like sitting ducks waiting to be picked off. Supply depots holding vital supplies for front line forces defended/destroyed at any cost. We've seen just a glimpse of what could be in the most recent daily missions. I say it can be taken not just one step, but several steps further.
I remember GW tried to use such a system, that looked great on paper, but turned ouut to be more annoying, than entertaining. To be honest, i don't belive this will work out. It is not a good idea to mix up PvP and PvE.
More i would prefer to have better PvP maps, with different goals to achieve. Maybe a hold the line scenario, where Feds protecting a starbase starting with lots of NPC-Ships helping to protec, and Klingons who try to siege this station, maybe by outnumbering the fed guys.
Or maybe connected PvP action. Maybe a Fed aways team tries to conqur a point of intrest ( lab, anciant ruin, etc...), and the time to accomplish is modifed bbya space battle for this point of interest. Maybe Klingons try to destroy it, and federation tries to keep it alive. Just look at the new daily, where you protect your awayteam. Just that the awayteam may be players.
Last alternative i would add to discussion, that if you really want to mix iuo PcP and PvE, I would do it like this: You form your team. You first encounter a PvP space mission. If you win it, you get routed to a PvE Ground mission. afterwards a PvP Ground mission, and than a (challenging) PvE space fight, without the option to regroup and readjust your team. This would force to form versatile teams, and master different challenges. Than I would add up an high reward, so that people really step up to this challenge. Add a "cool" accolade, maybe unique emotes as rewards for achieving, and really make people step up to the plate. So you could live up the idea of making this feel like a war, but not forcing "tresspassing" players who are not intreted in PvP at all, to be killed by some berserk.
Or just add an imunnity skill, that players who want othing to do with the war, may just reach their points of intrest without being disturbed. Link that skill to the Diplomat-Level, and it will be fine.
The way I envision it, there could be a combination of actual players and npc's. There should be eonugh npc's so that the mission can still be done even if there's only players on one side. I don't see why it couldn't work out. The basis of it already exists in the form of the fleet actions.
Comments
Boring.
That might be cool for a random daily or something too.
"Raid TRIBBLE KDF or Fed Supply Depot in TRIBBLE sector".
Would also tie in nicely with the upcoming Pi Canis freighter raids, btw.
Perhaps a some dailies where your objective is to attack a Klingon Shipyard (or Fed Shipyard for Klingons) and the defense forces come out to stop you. (PvE Daily)
Or maybe your mission is to secure an agreement with a neutral party to gain a trade / resources deal for your faction, which then results in Diplomacy points. (PvE Daily)
Or a daily, where you enter a small PvP match at set locations (think capturing the towers in the Eastern Plaguelands, World of Warcraft) that can be "controlled" by the faction that captures it. I see this working like the Drozanna System. Everyone can enter it, and once you enter it, you can fire on any enemy ships (instances would be locked to 5 Fed Ships, 5 KDF ships) that are in the system (which would be other players) and control goes to whoever holds the point. (similar to the capture and hold nodes in current PvP) Awards would be handed out whenever the control point changes. So basically, if the Klingons hold it, and a Fed group comes in and takes the node back, then all players get awards, similar to how they are handed out in PvP matches. It's not a big reward, but do it enough times, and it starts to stack up. Respawn points would be put far away from the control node, so you avoid complete stalemates and the invalidation of gains made by an attacking force, or the node becomes perma-defended. (Semi-Live Action PvP)
Some additions like this would help to create the "war" ambience that is currently missing from STO.
Ships spawn in a "safe zone," maybe inside a starbase or similarly protected by cloak-detecting quantum torpedo turrets.
Objective-based protect missions where Feds have to beam tactical teams to capture a facility while protect it with their own tactical teams and intercepting fed ships. Even putting in a system where you can tractor turrets to protect objects would add a bit of strategy to the mission, especially if the turrets are finite in supply and can only be taken from your spawn point.
Or Klinks try to destroy deuterium tanks (like this new daily) or are trying to overrun a colony...
I like the idea. perhaps a new fleet action is in the works in this thread...
More i would prefer to have better PvP maps, with different goals to achieve. Maybe a hold the line scenario, where Feds protecting a starbase starting with lots of NPC-Ships helping to protec, and Klingons who try to siege this station, maybe by outnumbering the fed guys.
Or maybe connected PvP action. Maybe a Fed aways team tries to conqur a point of intrest ( lab, anciant ruin, etc...), and the time to accomplish is modifed bbya space battle for this point of interest. Maybe Klingons try to destroy it, and federation tries to keep it alive. Just look at the new daily, where you protect your awayteam. Just that the awayteam may be players.
Last alternative i would add to discussion, that if you really want to mix iuo PcP and PvE, I would do it like this: You form your team. You first encounter a PvP space mission. If you win it, you get routed to a PvE Ground mission. afterwards a PvP Ground mission, and than a (challenging) PvE space fight, without the option to regroup and readjust your team. This would force to form versatile teams, and master different challenges. Than I would add up an high reward, so that people really step up to this challenge. Add a "cool" accolade, maybe unique emotes as rewards for achieving, and really make people step up to the plate. So you could live up the idea of making this feel like a war, but not forcing "tresspassing" players who are not intreted in PvP at all, to be killed by some berserk.
Or just add an imunnity skill, that players who want othing to do with the war, may just reach their points of intrest without being disturbed. Link that skill to the Diplomat-Level, and it will be fine.