One issue I've had with the implementation of the Thargoid threat is how walled off they are from everything else in the game-- you have to deliberately seek them out, and that's after outfitting your ship with weapons that only work well against Thargoids and then waiting for the right NHSS to spawn.
Another major issue is how even when a system is being threatened by Thargoids, there's no real evidence of it aside from the type of USS's that spawn. Again, it's all so walled off and simply doesn't flow together, in my opinion.
I suggest that systems under attack by Thargoids become "blockaded" by them! When warping to a system infested with Thargoids, a player has a RNG chance at being immediately hyperdicted.
Once hyperdicted or not, the player can run or fight, with the goal of beating the blockade one way or another. The player would be trying to get to the stations in the system, which also have an Interceptor and Scouts guarding the entrance. A player runs or fights off the Thargoid(s), then travels to the station, and somehow gets past the Thargoid guarding the entrance.
So the Blockade would have two "checkpoints"-- one when entering the system (where a hyperdiction has a strong chance of occurring, but doesn't always happen... they can't catch everyone, after all), and then another checkpoint with the Thargoids attacking everything outside of a station. There could also be a much lower chance of a hyperdiction when LEAVING the station/system, but I think making that one rare could be a nice stressful surprise since a player might think they're in the clear after roaring past the Thargoid blockading the station only to have to deal with one more attack.
To encourage players to take part in this, these systems under siege would pay a lot for various supplies, and passengers in the stations would pay a lot to be taken out of there. There could also be a bonus for those who kill the Scouts and Interceptors, which all would give many players a REASON to deal with the Thargoids plus a mix of different styles of gameplay. And the feeling of an actual threat that fundamentally changes the dynamics of a system!
Neighboring systems could also have missions heading to the blockaded system, such as a faction trying to get supplies to allies, or perhaps a criminal wanting to hitch a ride to make a killing on the black market at the besieged station, passenger missions bringing a group of soldiers to help out, etc etc.
To avoid newer players accidentally visiting a system being blockaded by Thargoids and getting immediately destroyed, the player can get a "WARNING: Xeno Activity Reported" (or however ya wanna put it) once the FSD is spooling up so that players can decide not to travel to the system if they wanna avoid it.
Interceptors and Scouts guarding stations and attacking everyone who enters or leaves would be a lot of fun, as would not knowing whether or not you'll be hyperdicted upon entry into a system. Players could coordinate with some fighting the Thargoids outside the station while others run the blockade, and it'd be a really fun challenge that gets everyone involved and working together.
Once an Interceptor is killed, there's a few minutes of peace before another one warps in.
I've mostly ignored stuff to do with the Thargoids, even though I've unlocked Guardian equipment and engineered ships to deal with Thargoids "some day" and all that sort of stuff-- I personally haven't been given a reason to interact with them aside from some peaceful ogling, even though they're a very impressive and well done creation. My problem is with the mechanics of HOW and WHY we should interact with them, and I think Frontier could make it a much more meaningful experience by "just" tweaking the scenarios and providing proper motivation for it all.
Either way, I hope Frontier can manage to interweave the Thargoid menace with the daily "normal" gameplay of Elite, so we can have surprising and unexpected adventures that flow seamlessly from one moment to the next.
Another major issue is how even when a system is being threatened by Thargoids, there's no real evidence of it aside from the type of USS's that spawn. Again, it's all so walled off and simply doesn't flow together, in my opinion.
I suggest that systems under attack by Thargoids become "blockaded" by them! When warping to a system infested with Thargoids, a player has a RNG chance at being immediately hyperdicted.
Once hyperdicted or not, the player can run or fight, with the goal of beating the blockade one way or another. The player would be trying to get to the stations in the system, which also have an Interceptor and Scouts guarding the entrance. A player runs or fights off the Thargoid(s), then travels to the station, and somehow gets past the Thargoid guarding the entrance.
So the Blockade would have two "checkpoints"-- one when entering the system (where a hyperdiction has a strong chance of occurring, but doesn't always happen... they can't catch everyone, after all), and then another checkpoint with the Thargoids attacking everything outside of a station. There could also be a much lower chance of a hyperdiction when LEAVING the station/system, but I think making that one rare could be a nice stressful surprise since a player might think they're in the clear after roaring past the Thargoid blockading the station only to have to deal with one more attack.
To encourage players to take part in this, these systems under siege would pay a lot for various supplies, and passengers in the stations would pay a lot to be taken out of there. There could also be a bonus for those who kill the Scouts and Interceptors, which all would give many players a REASON to deal with the Thargoids plus a mix of different styles of gameplay. And the feeling of an actual threat that fundamentally changes the dynamics of a system!
Neighboring systems could also have missions heading to the blockaded system, such as a faction trying to get supplies to allies, or perhaps a criminal wanting to hitch a ride to make a killing on the black market at the besieged station, passenger missions bringing a group of soldiers to help out, etc etc.
To avoid newer players accidentally visiting a system being blockaded by Thargoids and getting immediately destroyed, the player can get a "WARNING: Xeno Activity Reported" (or however ya wanna put it) once the FSD is spooling up so that players can decide not to travel to the system if they wanna avoid it.
Interceptors and Scouts guarding stations and attacking everyone who enters or leaves would be a lot of fun, as would not knowing whether or not you'll be hyperdicted upon entry into a system. Players could coordinate with some fighting the Thargoids outside the station while others run the blockade, and it'd be a really fun challenge that gets everyone involved and working together.
Once an Interceptor is killed, there's a few minutes of peace before another one warps in.
I've mostly ignored stuff to do with the Thargoids, even though I've unlocked Guardian equipment and engineered ships to deal with Thargoids "some day" and all that sort of stuff-- I personally haven't been given a reason to interact with them aside from some peaceful ogling, even though they're a very impressive and well done creation. My problem is with the mechanics of HOW and WHY we should interact with them, and I think Frontier could make it a much more meaningful experience by "just" tweaking the scenarios and providing proper motivation for it all.
Either way, I hope Frontier can manage to interweave the Thargoid menace with the daily "normal" gameplay of Elite, so we can have surprising and unexpected adventures that flow seamlessly from one moment to the next.