[Discuss] Make scans free

[Goatsemaster]

This would stimulate the game by allowing smaller alliances to compete with less of a disadvantage, make the game easier for scanners (and thus (hopefully) increasing the number of scanners).

The research/construction requirements would still form an advantage/disadvantage balance with ships, travel tech and hct, but the difference between haves and have-nots would be lowered.

[Kal]

tbh i'd prefer to get rid of research and constructions for scans rather than their costs

[Appocomaster]

I'd prefer to separate tech trees, primary/ secondary ones.
free scans would decrease numbers of scanners - no resources would be used up, so less people are needed to scan, it's only activity based. everyone would do either covert op + scan or a normal planet then going for the scan tree and a few amps to scan those without distorters.

getting rid of scan researches and constructions means a complete rethink of how the scan system works. it'd mean jumpgate scans and news scans were available immediately, and that you couldn't build distorters to stop being scanned. it'd only be chance / planet value related, which I think would make the system far worse than current.

[Banned]

Originally Posted by Appocomaster

getting rid of scan researches and constructions means a complete rethink of how the scan system works. it'd mean jumpgate scans and news scans were available immediately

I'm with you so far...

and that you couldn't build distorters to stop being scanned

...but what?

[Appocomaster]

Originally Posted by Kal

tbh i'd prefer to get rid of research and constructions for scans rather than their costs

Originally Posted by Appocomaster

and that you couldn't build distorters to stop being scanned. it'd only be chance / planet value related, which I think would make the system far worse than current.

Originally Posted by Banned

I'm with you so far...

...but what?

[Kal]

what i'd like is for scan technology to become avaliable for all at specifc points over the round.

I think i'd get rid of amps, but maybe keep distorters and do something like:

scan succeeds if a scan cost multiplier is greater than the number of distorers.

e.g. if someone has 5 distorters, to scan them u need to pay 6* as much as you would normally.


I think this would make a galaxy fund more useful
maybe the MoW has the power to use galaxy fund to do scans?

could also add an alliance fund and have an officlal alliance position which allows scans using the alliance fund

the crucial thing is that it removes the need for dedicated scan planets as anyone can do the scans if they have the resources which should balence out the game between the bigger and smaller alliances.

[MAdnRisKy]

an alliance tax for a pooled fund to do scans?

it has a lot of implications though..... bigger alliances doing better because of higher funds, and increasing the expotential growth factor....

removes the need for scan planets though

[Banned]

Originally Posted by Appocomaster

.

Oh right, when he said constructions I naturally assumed he was smoking crack. Sorry.

[Rc mayhem]

Originally Posted by ******master

This would stimulate the game by allowing smaller alliances to compete with less of a disadvantage, make the game easier for scanners (and thus (hopefully) increasing the number of scanners).

Erm, Fcrew who are currently the lowest ranked alliances manage to have enough scanners so that there is always a scan so I dont think we would be effected any more than large alliances

[Banned]

Originally Posted by Rc mayhem

Erm, Fcrew who are currently the lowest ranked alliances manage to have enough scanners so that there is always a scan so I dont think we would be effected any more than large alliances

Let's not generalize, shall we?

[Cayl]

Really I think that scan planets add something to the game, and that is a way for a paying planet to play and be useful to his alliance without having to play a military game.

For instance, last round I was able to be available for PM's at work, but couldn't devote time to researching targets, couldn't be arsed to wake up in the middle of the night, and so forth. I like to believe that I was still of some use to 1up, I had fun, and Jolt got their credit for my planet.

[Cochese]

Originally Posted by Cayl

Really I think that scan planets add something to the game, and that is a way for a paying planet to play and be useful to his alliance without having to play a military game.

For instance, last round I was able to be available for PM's at work, but couldn't devote time to researching targets, couldn't be arsed to wake up in the middle of the night, and so forth. I like to believe that I was still of some use to 1up, I had fun, and Jolt got their credit for my planet.

Same goes for me r10, 10.5, and 11--and this round, although to a lesser extent.

[Goafer LX]

i've got a good idea.... why not just leave the scan system how it is?
if its not broke, don't fix it
i don't see a problem!
if someone is losing resources because their a scanner boost em with the gal fund (i think having an alliance fund is a good idea, but not for this purpose specifically)

[Loz]

I agree with Kal that I would rather see the research go than the cost - it takes such a stupidly long time to get fleet scans.

[Banned]

Originally Posted by Cayl

Really I think that scan planets add something to the game

I agree, and my way makes it possible to be a resource to planets that need to do other researches early on, while it makes it possible for small planets to scan actively without bankrupting themselves.

[Appocomaster]

Originally Posted by Loz

I agree with Kal that I would rather see the research go than the cost - it takes such a stupidly long time to get fleet scans.

I think that scans should take longer to get, not less time to get. Unless you want to make the whollllle round launch, scan, recall. launch, scan, recall. yawn. yawn. etc. etc.

[Alessio]

Making scans free......
I havent read all of it but I think with free scans the inactives wont stand a chance anymore..

People recalling eta 8 when def appears and resending..
just as long till the other goes to bed or his ally is out of defence..


owyeah btw, dont make scan research times shorter plz... researching keeps teh boredom away

[Alessio]

btw big allies have the same crap scanners as small allies.. at least thats my experience

[Ultimate Newbie]

I liked the idea of primary and secondary research, mentioned somewhere above. It would kinda depend on how exactly it was implemented, but i see three options:

1) Declare certain branches of the tech tree either Primary or Secondary research branches. Eg: Ships, ETA, Roids would be Primary with Scans, Covert Ops, Core Resources and Infrastructure as Secondary. On your research page, you have an area for Primary and Secondary research so you can do two in parallel.

The bad part about this is that it obviously significantly decreases the time it takes to complete the whole tech tree, and would also significantly increase the proliferation of Covert Ops (which at present i am loathing, as there is someone out there in the universe randomly covert opping me and has somehow managed to get through every time - GRR!! [if this is you, kindly stop. thx] ).

Which brings up idea #2:
The same as 1, however the secondary research takes 50% or 100% or some other factor longer to complete - as it is secondary research it doesnt have the same priority accorded to it. This will still mean tech tree is finished faster (obviously), but the aforementioned problems would occurr to a far lesser extent, and it is still far more useful than the current system.

And extention of idea 2 is one that i like most as a strategy person, though i fear it could be abused and more testing would have to be done, but anyway:
3) Have option 2, but secondary research can be directed towards your primary research. ie, you are doing only 1 research item at a time with all of your research resources, thus reducing the time it takes (further) to do a primary (or secondary) research. (Does that make sense?).

anyway, food for thought.

[noah02]

as long as we dont go back to buying scans to use them and wait whatever many ticks to get them then i am uo for anything to try.