The alternative to a barrier based on quantity and time is skill based difficulty.
So, how would FD implement a skill based option for players who are Neo and do not wish to putz around looking for RNG drops? Glad you asked. I'll tell you.
We break down materials / data into 3 categories.
1. Scans
2. Hacks
3. Drops
To make materials / data a skill based mechanic we need to create mini-games that initiate during the activity of acquiring the data or materials.
Scans:
This applies to scanning a wake or ship and pertains to signals and shield signatures etc (requires normal sensors or wake scanner as applicable.
Minigame: You must match your scanner/sensor to an underlying signal movement beneath a bunch of noise. This is done via the joystick, which is taken over while the scan is in effect (initiating the scan would not be automatic in this case but a new button would need to be assigned to start it and dis-engage it). Imagine a HUD filled with wave forms dancing around with a certain signature look moving up and down in various colors. You match the pattern of movement (up and down) to a given waveform across from your indicator and that is what your scanner will pick up. Not all signals would be available from every ship or wake ...but a number will be and each type moves a specific way. Becoming good at mimicing the movement in sync (when the signal is available) will guarantee you get what you want.
Hacks:
This applies to scanning data points and base related scanning of equipment for data resources.
Minigame: Upon initiating the scan a hud opens up a grid visualization of the computing system. There are a couple varieties of "maps" but utilizing the joystick you fire at a given node in the "computer system". The node will protect itself in a patterned way - the color of the node dictating the kind of data it is protecting and the variety of nodes is somewhat dependent on the what you're hacking (not all things will have all types of data material but will have multiple available ranging from common to rare). If you manage to eliminate the node's firewall layers before it hits you with a counter-measure then you've successfully hacked it and you get the data you were after.
Drops:
This applies to ship destruction and rock/barnacle smashing.
This is a two part issue.
Ships, would be skill based by dropping rares in ratio to the difficulty in destroying a ship (if in wing, this is taken into consideration as well as if the ship is in an escort wing, then the escorted ship would be the priority rare holder). Certain spawn rates would be linked to the kind of ship in addition to the combat difficulty level.
Rocks, would be a different story. If you equip a detailed surface scanner, when you are between 1 and 2km from the surface at any given area of a planet you can initiate the surface scanner and instead of it's normal scan it initiates a minigame.
Minigame: The surface scanner mini game operates much like interdicting, only instead of 1 target you have a subset of targets based on what is available on that planet. They are jittering and moving about your HUD and you move your reticule around with your joystick and pull the trigger when you are over the one you want (or try to grab the one you want). Once that's done the mini-game really begins and you have to hold that signal as it moves around and becomes covered by other signal noise from the other materials / elements. If you succeed (the rarer the element the harder it is to win) then a number of non-persistent POI's will be available in a 2km square radius beneath your ship indicating the location of high probability ores containing the material you were scanning for. You can then drop into your SRV and collect without aimlessly wandering around.
Obviously the quality of the scanners / sensors will affect the difficulty of the mini-games when applicable. This would not replace grinding, but be in addition to it. So you can still blindly wander around and collect things. This just offers a way for you to test your skills to eliminate the blind aspect. For the most part these mini-games manipulate the RNG odds - they do not make available items that have no chance at all of showing up in a given area.
So, how would FD implement a skill based option for players who are Neo and do not wish to putz around looking for RNG drops? Glad you asked. I'll tell you.
We break down materials / data into 3 categories.
1. Scans
2. Hacks
3. Drops
To make materials / data a skill based mechanic we need to create mini-games that initiate during the activity of acquiring the data or materials.
Scans:
This applies to scanning a wake or ship and pertains to signals and shield signatures etc (requires normal sensors or wake scanner as applicable.
Minigame: You must match your scanner/sensor to an underlying signal movement beneath a bunch of noise. This is done via the joystick, which is taken over while the scan is in effect (initiating the scan would not be automatic in this case but a new button would need to be assigned to start it and dis-engage it). Imagine a HUD filled with wave forms dancing around with a certain signature look moving up and down in various colors. You match the pattern of movement (up and down) to a given waveform across from your indicator and that is what your scanner will pick up. Not all signals would be available from every ship or wake ...but a number will be and each type moves a specific way. Becoming good at mimicing the movement in sync (when the signal is available) will guarantee you get what you want.
Hacks:
This applies to scanning data points and base related scanning of equipment for data resources.
Minigame: Upon initiating the scan a hud opens up a grid visualization of the computing system. There are a couple varieties of "maps" but utilizing the joystick you fire at a given node in the "computer system". The node will protect itself in a patterned way - the color of the node dictating the kind of data it is protecting and the variety of nodes is somewhat dependent on the what you're hacking (not all things will have all types of data material but will have multiple available ranging from common to rare). If you manage to eliminate the node's firewall layers before it hits you with a counter-measure then you've successfully hacked it and you get the data you were after.
Drops:
This applies to ship destruction and rock/barnacle smashing.
This is a two part issue.
Ships, would be skill based by dropping rares in ratio to the difficulty in destroying a ship (if in wing, this is taken into consideration as well as if the ship is in an escort wing, then the escorted ship would be the priority rare holder). Certain spawn rates would be linked to the kind of ship in addition to the combat difficulty level.
Rocks, would be a different story. If you equip a detailed surface scanner, when you are between 1 and 2km from the surface at any given area of a planet you can initiate the surface scanner and instead of it's normal scan it initiates a minigame.
Minigame: The surface scanner mini game operates much like interdicting, only instead of 1 target you have a subset of targets based on what is available on that planet. They are jittering and moving about your HUD and you move your reticule around with your joystick and pull the trigger when you are over the one you want (or try to grab the one you want). Once that's done the mini-game really begins and you have to hold that signal as it moves around and becomes covered by other signal noise from the other materials / elements. If you succeed (the rarer the element the harder it is to win) then a number of non-persistent POI's will be available in a 2km square radius beneath your ship indicating the location of high probability ores containing the material you were scanning for. You can then drop into your SRV and collect without aimlessly wandering around.
Obviously the quality of the scanners / sensors will affect the difficulty of the mini-games when applicable. This would not replace grinding, but be in addition to it. So you can still blindly wander around and collect things. This just offers a way for you to test your skills to eliminate the blind aspect. For the most part these mini-games manipulate the RNG odds - they do not make available items that have no chance at all of showing up in a given area.
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