Who's complaining about non PvP ships high-waking? I've complained that their wakes disappear if I can't get into their target system within moments of their arrival (e.g. same instance before they cut thrusters to drop from SC) but not that they hi-waked away in the first place.
I'm not trying to be snarky. Some folks have recently mentioned as part of PvP etiquette low wakes are preferred, but that's not at all the situation in your post. Maybe I'm missing some posts.
It might not be the forums current "hot-topic", but I've certainly seen posts in the past. They're usually citing things like:
- High waking is OP, no way to counter!
- Make mass-lock affect high wake, targets escape too quickly
- Give me some module that makes high-waking impossible/puts a player in stasis for two minutes
etc.
Happy to go google-hunting if you like? They definitely exist.
I'm skeptical that there is any protection that cannot be adapted to offense, and even more doubtful that such a module would have any logical context in the setting.
One for starters which I've suggested in the past is an FSD "shunt". Plain language, it is a slow->medium refire weapon with limited (=~ 20 charges, at a spitball figure), and it just transfers a "block" to the interdictee.
In "lore" terms, as the FSDI establishes a "tether" (whatever that means) to the target ship, this is essentially putting disruptive feedback back down to the interdictor... whether that's kinetic feedback, electrical/energy feedback or space pixie dust, I'm sure something could be imagined, given "telepresence" is your lower-bar for canon. It could be balanced however you like; do nothing, charge use causes hull/systems damage, needs a full SYS bar per use, can only fit one, whatever.
No offensive use, is a defensive aid, best appropriated to larger, lower-agility ships which struggle in a PvP interdiction situation.
For something more tactical, how about an FSD energy bypass. Activation causes significant heat generation like SCBs to reduce the effects of mass-lock, and drains energy from SYS or WEP to give a boost to low-wake spool when affected by mass-lock, since the logic (correct me if I'm wrong) is that a nearby large-mass needs more energy to overcome the "gravity" of a ship for low-wake, as it's a slower, more controlled build-up, as opposed to the high-wake which uses energy levels which are orders of magnitude higher and result in nearby ships being "meaningless" in the calculation of a high-wake spool up. I guess that isn't a hardpoint though, and more an optional internal.
Again, no combat use (overheating your own ship and... trying to low wake away?).
Maybe a self-applied healies for feelies beam instead? Sucks more power than a beam laser variant? Works by generating a different harmonic which makes it impact the ship's own shield^, impacting it instead and causing the effect? Of course, healy beams are pretty broken anyway, but again, would only be effective while power is in WEP. Most defender's power is in SYS or ENG, so would be one of those "I have spare hardpoints/rainy day" situations, but it's still eschewing a damage dealer for a self-repair mechanism (^ how *do* our own weapons pass through our own shields?). But that's an example of "tanking better" too... not that simply tanking better *isn't* a defensive option... just that it's the only one.
How about a magneto turret? Burns WEP like a beam laser, disrupts kinetic munitions like flak, but regardless of fixed/gimbal/turret mount? Useless against beams/plasma. Only works against a ship if that ship is firing at the ship using the turret?
WEP Neutraliser (OK, I'm stealing that one from EVE...). Burns WEP, neutralises target WEP. Has some offensive capabilities sure, but has minimal/no use against someone trying to run... again they're probably jammed up with SYS/ENG, unless they're slow in which case SYS is all they care about... might as well put those two pips in WEP and do something that isn't inconsequential damage.
That's just off the top of my head. Of course, you may hate all these ideas, but nonetheless, I'm not claiming to be a font of fantastic ideas, only that there's bountiful amounts of ones which could function and be easily explained with in-game lore.
