I don't like to post big, pie in the sky ideas. But since FD is clearly going ahead with arena-style combat (a few ships get together and rumble on a ship with a complex "map-like" area), I thought I'd just throw this out there. I've often thought about proposing USS which contain wreckage mazes with a "prize" at the center, but never thought to say anything. Now I've seen FD's intent with these CQC :
CQC could very easily be the big, fat carrot Exploration needs, and make USS actually really interesting. On top of that, most of the mechanics exist already.
Explorers want to, well, explore. CQC is offering arenas which seem to feature all sorts of tunnels, nooks, crannies and obstructions, creating a labyrinth to navigate while fighting a hostile enemy. Now imagine the same labyrinth, say, a ruined station, with a vault containing 20t of gold at it's center. Your cargo drones fire off and go "nope, I've got nothing.". It's time to go in and get it yourself.
Imagine this: You're 4000 LY from Sol, halfway through scanning the planets of a system. Suddenly, a USS pops up on your radar. You drop in.
Scenario 1
You come across a ruined station, roughly 20km across. Scanners show 15 tonnes of painite in a vault somewhere in it's center, powered by a small backup generator. The station's wrecked by asteroids, so navigation through the wreck is terrible. Light can't get in, and nothing else is powered with the main reactor destroyed, so you need to use your ship lights to see. You try your best to remember where you came from, but it's tricky.
Eventually, you get to the vault, and find the painite behind a protective field. You spot the generator and blow it up, dropping the field. Suddenly, heat levels start rising thanks to large amounts of radiation released by the reactor's destruction. It's now a race to scoop up the painite and find your way out of the wreck before you cook.
Scenario 2
You come across another wrecked station. This one isn't so bad, it's been hit by raiders at one point, but there seems to be a secure area that they couldn't get into. There's a pair of Unknown Artefacts floating in the station, which clearly has some power in it, but only to some areas. You fly in easily enough, and scoop up the cargo, but somehow, you've triggered a hidden alarm system. Strong security doors activate, blocking you in. You could shoot through them, but it will take time you don't have, as 4 security turrets activate and open fire. Do you take out the turrets or blast through the door as quickly as possible?
Scenario 3
You come across a giant brain-maze-like asteroid. Inside you detect large amounts of pure platinum floating around different areas of the asteroid. Scans also detect the wreckage of a ship, and high levels of poisonous gas. The only way to prevent it seeping into your cabin is to go silent, sealing off your ship from the outside world. Getting in there is relatively easy, but with only your thrusters and cargo scoop active, there's only so long you can stay in there before you cook yourself. But going out of silent mode means letting the gas in your ship, and instant death. How long will you chance it? Better get scooping fast!
That's just a couple ideas about how CQC arenas could be used to revitalise exploration.
CQC could very easily be the big, fat carrot Exploration needs, and make USS actually really interesting. On top of that, most of the mechanics exist already.
Explorers want to, well, explore. CQC is offering arenas which seem to feature all sorts of tunnels, nooks, crannies and obstructions, creating a labyrinth to navigate while fighting a hostile enemy. Now imagine the same labyrinth, say, a ruined station, with a vault containing 20t of gold at it's center. Your cargo drones fire off and go "nope, I've got nothing.". It's time to go in and get it yourself.
Imagine this: You're 4000 LY from Sol, halfway through scanning the planets of a system. Suddenly, a USS pops up on your radar. You drop in.
Scenario 1
You come across a ruined station, roughly 20km across. Scanners show 15 tonnes of painite in a vault somewhere in it's center, powered by a small backup generator. The station's wrecked by asteroids, so navigation through the wreck is terrible. Light can't get in, and nothing else is powered with the main reactor destroyed, so you need to use your ship lights to see. You try your best to remember where you came from, but it's tricky.
Eventually, you get to the vault, and find the painite behind a protective field. You spot the generator and blow it up, dropping the field. Suddenly, heat levels start rising thanks to large amounts of radiation released by the reactor's destruction. It's now a race to scoop up the painite and find your way out of the wreck before you cook.
Scenario 2
You come across another wrecked station. This one isn't so bad, it's been hit by raiders at one point, but there seems to be a secure area that they couldn't get into. There's a pair of Unknown Artefacts floating in the station, which clearly has some power in it, but only to some areas. You fly in easily enough, and scoop up the cargo, but somehow, you've triggered a hidden alarm system. Strong security doors activate, blocking you in. You could shoot through them, but it will take time you don't have, as 4 security turrets activate and open fire. Do you take out the turrets or blast through the door as quickly as possible?
Scenario 3
You come across a giant brain-maze-like asteroid. Inside you detect large amounts of pure platinum floating around different areas of the asteroid. Scans also detect the wreckage of a ship, and high levels of poisonous gas. The only way to prevent it seeping into your cabin is to go silent, sealing off your ship from the outside world. Getting in there is relatively easy, but with only your thrusters and cargo scoop active, there's only so long you can stay in there before you cook yourself. But going out of silent mode means letting the gas in your ship, and instant death. How long will you chance it? Better get scooping fast!
That's just a couple ideas about how CQC arenas could be used to revitalise exploration.
