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While I love JTL, I’d like to see more GCW in it. Here is my proposal for zone control of space sectors. Each faction station would be made attackable for a 2 hour period, every other day. Faction stations will tell members when the opposing stations are attackable so raids may be planned. Each station will report on all sectors, you’ll see why in a bit. These station would be heavily armed, and defended by NPCs during their vulnerable time. They would need to be significantly stronger than the current Freedom Station and Star Destroyer are currently. My vision would be 8-10 B-wings (or equivalent Imp ships) needed to take one down. There would be no blind spots, every angle would need to be at least double covered by turbo lasers. And you would have to be overt to attack it. I don’t want someone sitting in a blind spot plucking away at it for 2 hours like they do with the SD in deep space!

All the sectors start out at Stage 0, that is where they are now. A successful destruction of one of the faction stations would lead to Stage III control. Each vulnerable cycle that passes without an attempt on the station would lower the Control Stage by one. Any attempt on the controlling station would keep the stage the same until the next cycle, unless the station gets below to 25% condition but is not destroyed, then it would go up by one control stage. Here is a breakdown of the stages:

Control Stage III – Having just taken the sector, the controlling faction clamps down hard. All opposing faction members are stopped in the sector. They have a choice of going overt or paying a fine (1000 credits for no PvP). Either way they must make a 5-6Km run to a safe hyperspace waypoint. Upon reaching this point they auto hyperspace, with no countdown, to their destination (unless there is another controlled sector in the way). There is no opposing faction station, members of the non-controlling faction must declare in another sector before entering the sector to fly overt in the sector. The station gives duty missions that give an extra 5% xp bonus (similar to ground grouping) and a 10% better chance of a loot drop. Players with ground smuggler skills get a chance to avoid the scan, novice smugglers get a 10% chance, masters a 50% chance, the bonus comes from the underworld tree.

Control Stage II – Feeling like they control the sector, the controlling faction loosens their grip a bit. All opposing faction members have a 50% chance of being stopped. A successful roll allows you to hyper through the sector unimpeded. Failing the roll gives the same concequences as Stage III. There is still no opposing faction station in the sector. The station gives duty missions that give an extra 5% xp bonus (similar to ground grouping) and a 10% better chance of a loot drop. Players with ground smuggler skills get a chance to avoid the scan, novice smugglers get a 20% chance, masters a 75% chance, the bonus comes from the underworld tree.

Control Stage I– Reassured of their control they now stand down their forces. Opposing faction members face a 20% chance roll. A successful roll allows passage unimpeded through the sector. Failing the roll gives the same concequences as Stage III. A Nebulon B frigate of the opposing faction is placed where their faction station resided. Opposing faction members can now declare at this location. The station gives duty missions that give an extra 5% xp bonus (similar to ground grouping) and a 10% better chance of a loot drop. Players with ground smuggler skills get a chance to avoid the scan, novice smugglers get a 50% chance, masters a 100% chance, the bonus comes from the underworld tree.

Control Stage 0 – Sectors as they are now, 2 faction stations, no one is stopped on hyper jumps through the sector.

During Control Stage I the controlling faction can attack the Nebulon B, if they succeed and destroy it the Control Stage is raised back up to Control Stage II. If their attempt fails, then the sector returns to Control Stage 0. The nebulon would be about two thirds as tough as one of the stations.

The one area I had difficulty with is what to do about the NPC craft defending during the vulnerable times. I don’t want Tier V craft harassing new players in the Tatooine system, but I don’t want them to be just cannon fodder for the Tier IV and Aces I see doing a station attack either. My current idea is multiple waves, each composed of 6 fighters, when the station goes vulnerable they are Tier I, once they are all destroyed the next wave is Tier II and so on until it is Tier V after Tier V. There would be the occasional Nova or Decimator. Each station would have 20 waves, once they are gone it is entirely up to players to defend. This should keep the newbs from getting squashed as soon as the station goes vulnerable. Once the station is no longer vulnerable then all the craft hyper out.

I think this is pretty balanced, being stopped in a sector wouldn’t be any worse than the standard interplanetary shuttle system, so I don’t think people would be too upset about it. You are not forced into PvP, you can pay a miniscule fine to the controlling faction instead. Hyperspace jumps would be figured out just like the standard interplanetary shuttle sytem. For example Lok to Endor would require passing through Naboo space. Leave some comments and lets see if we can build this into something to get attention.

edit - added duty missions with bonuses and smuggler stuff. A note on smugglers, Only the pilot with smuggler skills get the bonus, anyone else on the ship they are piloting recieve the same treatment, if the smuggler rolls a pass, then the ship goes by, including all passengers. If a ground group is using the travel option each pilot will roll, but they will get a modifer from the smuggler, one half of the smugglers modifier. This will simulate the controlling faction only doing quick checks of groups going by.

Message Edited by sumner on 12-22-2004 04:57 AM

My origianl idea was that the you would be pulled out of planet to planet hyperspace jumps, the multi zone ones like lok to dantooine. This annoyance would be the reward for controling a sector. If you controlled it, you could hyper through it uninterupted, if not, it would be more like taking the standard shuttle, multiple stops. I like your zone of control idea, maybe we pull everyone out of hyperspace within a 4Km zone of the controlling station, you'd then have to fly out of that zone before you could continue on your trip. With my idea, using only advanced zones wouldn't work since they are all dead end routes. Think of the annoyance if you were a rebel and had to stop in corellian space every time you went by it because the Empire controlled it. I think that would be enough to get people together to launch an attack on the station.

I do like the bonuses also, that is great idea. Instead of just being a place to go overt, the faction stations now give duty missions. these missions get a 5% bonus to xp and a 10% better chance of a loot drop. I also like the smuggler idea, but since you can't be within 600m of a ship while hyperspacing (loading), I think it should just be for pilots with smuggler skills, lets thropw the poor guys a bone! I'll add these into my orginal