What is the POINT with Nav Beacons??? Can FD Improve on them perhaps

[Snarfbuckle]

Ok, I agree that they are Nav Beacons and apparently needed to navigate/jump to a star or help calculations or something.

Or now, since we can explore systems that lacks said nav buoys. So perhaps it's a communication satellite, could make sense.

But what the hell does everyone and their grandma DO there.

-There are always ships there for no reason
-Wanted people seems to have their local watering hole there for everyone to shoot (seems suicidal to me)
-TRADERS stop with their escorts there (WHY? Makes no sense)

FD, please do something LOGICAL with them. Hell, let's be extreme.

-Make ALL jumps land in normal space after a jump within 10 kilometers of the Nav Beacon (see, now it's an actual navigation beacon)
-Add option to OVERRIDE landing at Nav beacon costing a little wear and tear on the ship as you force the drive to remain in Frameshift
-Jumping to systems with no Nav Beacon takes SLIGHTLY less fuel due to less precise navigation demand (boost for explorers perhaps)
-Add a small space loading dock
-Make said dock well protected (no firing within 5 kilometers of Nav Beacon)
-Add a CRAPLOAD of NPC traffic to said beacon area since this is THE arrival HUB for the system.
-Add the supertankers/container ships from Elite II to be the regular transports using said HUB.
-Add MISSIONS for doing stuff at nav beacons.

What's the effect of the above?

-Wanted people and pirates now have a REASON to be there, to raid incoming traffic
-Law enforcement and blockades now have a reason to be there too in order to stop the above
-Elite becomes slightly more dangerous (High wake to another system is still possible)
-It would add a little more LIFE to systems
-Adds more tactical options to entering a system
-In-system transport missions (BULK) between Station-Supertankers is now an option

Optional additions

-Add Nav Beacons to OTHER stars within a system and players can choose which one they want to land at (in this case I would suggest removing the override option to remain in Frameshift since it would be too easy otherwise.)

 

[Thetele]

Nav beacons are from time there was no plans for super cruise to be in Elite dangerous. And in beta it gave place to fight before interdictions were possible. Also some say that if system have nav beacon then you can´t buy exploration data or scan it as system data is already given to you

 

[Vasious]

After the above is taken into consideration about pre-SC design, and since we can see the Star Ports and outposts in systems we don't have maps for it was assumed that is what the Nav Beacons provide, but doesn't explain all the traffic about them, unless they are the Galactic equivalent of a truck stop

 

[bamber]

There are two posts for this - Siad it in the other one
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Nav Beacons hold the data for where Stations and planets/moons etc are at the moment so your onboard computer can track onto them quickly - without a nav beacon you need a discovery scanner to find them

I live near a major commercial port - outside the port is a series of Buoys - incoming ships stop there rather than entering the port so they don't have to pay charges can keep the crew together and can access the local TV.
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In my mind I see no difference - ships are "taking a break" without entering port - the fact that the jurisdiction is a bit loose is more to do with the "wild west" nature of the galaxy at the moment more than anything

This lot aren't coming in or leaving port - they are moored outside.

Spoiler

 

[MadDogMurdock]

Actually, why not have them doing what they apparently do - giving out the info about where the stations are - but if you want that info, then you have to drop into the Nav Beacon and communicate with it.

Finding stations could still be possible without this info if you get close enough to them - maybe 1,000ls like the fixed instances of the Salvageable Wreckage that the Antares Search CG used.

 

[kpmop]

Actually, why not have them doing what they apparently do - giving out the info about where the stations are - but if you want that info, then you have to drop into the Nav Beacon and communicate with it.
...

Tweaking your suggestion: leave it as is with system info but allow cmdrs to drop in and get trade prices for each station in the system - it would save traders having to dock to check prices and add some opportunities for piracy especially in anarchy systems etc.

 

[Ixnatifual]

It's just placeholder design from Beta that needs to be finished.

 

[Mr_sukebe]

Agreed with the OP.

My opinions are:
- They should be the default jump location for all ships going into a system and I believe that there should be a fine for NOT jumping into a system using it's Nav beacon (assuming it's working). For some systems, even make the player "wanted until scanned"
- Players should have the OPTION to just to a system and ignore the Nav beacon (assuming it's working). This mechanic will be needed in systems without. In that case, have the player spawn a random distance from the sun, e.g. 10LS to 100LS, to simulate them jumping using imprecise data (but with contingency built in to avoid the star). Right now, this is just a minor hindrance, but what happens when the Thargoids arrive. Imagine your fleet jumps into a system and is strewn around all over the place
- Let the players blow up Nav beacons, but make them stronger first
- Introduce a new type of mission to "seed" Nav beacons into a system that doesn't have one or to introduce a new one. Something else for our explorers to do. For that we should give them a serious weight, e.g. 10 tons, but could be built in a suitably sized ship
- Assign "ownership" to Nav beacons and give them security access. What I mean by that is to have a primary system one. Then allow a faction to introduce their own which requires alignment to a faction, group or in the future military power. Again, this is back to the Thargoids. Imagine that we could seed "Human" Nav beacons in scout ships into an enemy system to allow planned attacks. The enemy spend part of their time trying to knock them out and all would of course be true to reverse.

I see benefits for both military work and also normal play. For one thing, the cops would have better control over systems and it would be a justification as to how I can jump into a system only to find a cop directly behind me (as some interdictions presently work).

 

[K-Rose]

I agree with OP's suggestions, it would be a nice immersive addition to the game, and the suggestion of being able to interact to get trade information on the stations in the system.

 

[Drelthar]

What would have made sense, is if you dropped into the nav beacon in NORMAL space after hyper jumping. That would explain all the traffic, as pirates would sit there in wait for people to jump in, police would be there to protect people entering the system, bounty hunters would be there to kill the pirates, and traders would be popping in from other systems with their goods.

As you come out of hyperspace into super cruise, it's just weird that loads of ships are around nav beacons as they do nothing.

It might be ok I guess, if you could only GET the system information, by dropping into the nav beacon and getting within range of it's broadcast, though really, that would be odd considering communications in ED, though, they are pretty inconsistent with that anyway.

 

[Snarfbuckle]

What would have made sense, is if you dropped into the nav beacon in NORMAL space after hyper jumping.

Exactly. That way the Nav Beacon would actually be that - a navigation beacon for incoming ships. Add the ability to gain current station prices from said Beacon would make trading a lot more interesting as well since we would not be forced to go to a station and check.

There is a LOT FD could do with those beacons.

 

[Surround]

I agree with op. I want more life and meaning for navs!! High security systems could even have turrets ptrotecting the area or even a small outpost!!

 

[Muzz UK]

Used to go to nav beacons in beta never bother now. Yes they need fixing, cleaning up or improving whatever you say! I'd like to see several nav beacons in systems maybe they could be a place with restricted markets, dodgy traders or somewhere to go to dump stuff or hire NPC's as wingmen. They could be used for a lot of things but I don't really think they are any good when you can go to signal source or res sites for bounties and missions targets don't spawn there.