A suggestion for covert ops

[Cowmando]

First of all I st say that I am not a fan of covert ops at all and if i had my way they would be taken out completely, but this suggestion I think is fair.

My suggestion is two fold, firstly that increased security and inproved covert opping (increased recovery) should be two seperate engineering options so it is possable to covert people back. Secondly I think that the "Network Charting" covert should be reduced to a 5 agent covert so it is possable for a planet to do something about someone constantly opping them if you manage to cvatch whon is doing it. I know some may say it is easy enough to become immune to coverts, which is true but it is a but it is costly to become immune to coverts as both your engineering prioritys and you constructions are valuable. Changeing this will also remove some of the immunity that oppers have, to op people care free.

[Ultimate Newbie]

This has more or less been suggested before, however i personally think that there are enough means by which to retaliate against a covert opper already without having the need to make it harder for people.

[Cowmando]

Tbh i can't really see how that thread or post is relivent to this one. Sure you can get smaller ally mates and stuff to hit people who covert you i am just not that petty or malitious i just want to be able to fight them on a level field when it comes to opping. Currently network charting op is useless and makeing it a 5 agent op would give it a use and i still think that it is unfair that being an opper gives you good op resistance.

[Ultimate Newbie]

Being an opper and having strong resistance to covert ops makes sense. The other side of the coin is that they tend to be vulnerable to 'conventiona;' attacks.

In essense, you are suggesting that covert oppers be nerfed so as to not make them so annoying. My point was that a covert opper's life was hard enough already, given all those other things.

[The Real Arfy]

Originally Posted by Ultimate Newbie

Being an opper and having strong resistance to covert ops makes sense. The other side of the coin is that they tend to be vulnerable to 'conventiona;' attacks.

The other other side of the coin is that they tend not to care about their own planet, and attacking them does absolutely nothing.

[Cowmando]

also oppers tend to be below your bash limit or at leist to small to be worth hitting where as introduceing the ablity to counter covert makes it another for of battle, instead of allowing smaller players to malisiously "bash" bigger players (I know the consept of bashing bigger players is a strange one but i see bashing as hitting people who are helpless to do anything about it). There is currently nothing you can do about it except immuneity which is a very high price to stop the coverts, I know we are supposed to be encorageing smaller players and what i am suggesting does not actually hurt them it just stopps them doing you as much damage. Also attacking oppers conventionally is not going to reduce their opping unless you bash them into oblivion and even then it will only take what 2 days at most to get them full scale opping again.

[DarkHeart]

why are we encouraging smaller players through means of cov opping.

In the long run, that is unbeneficial

same goes to encouraging xp whores to be xp whores

[Ultimate Newbie]

Originally Posted by The Real Arfy

The other other side of the coin is that they tend not to care about their own planet, and attacking them does absolutely nothing.

Destroying security centres will decrease their effectiveness. And it takes time for them to rebuild.

Originally Posted by Cowmando

also oppers tend to be below your bash limit or at leist to small to be worth hitting

This is why, in that other post, i suggested that big players could use a proxy planet to attack the covert opper - ie, you get your good galaxy mate who's just been FC to use his surviving SKs on this guy who keep annoying you. Thus, vengeance is served.

There is currently nothing you can do about it except immuneity which is a very high price to stop the coverts, I know we are supposed to be encorageing smaller players and what i am suggesting does not actually hurt them it just stopps them doing you as much damage. Also attacking oppers conventionally is not going to reduce their opping unless you bash them into oblivion and even then it will only take what 2 days at most to get them full scale opping again.

Oh noes! There isnt anything you can do about it except immunity?! Oh my, that's such a terrible thing, isnt it. How unfortunate you are that you could solve all your covert ops drama just by being immune. You know what sounds like a good solution? Engineering Priority 2 - it'll stop much of the covert ops against you (especially Blackout which is the most troublesome), without being totally immune. Gradually, the covert opper will go elsewhere to a more willing victim.

Frankly, the 'damage' that a covert opper can do to you is quite insigificant. A few ships here and there, a few resources every now and again, maybe a structure or two if they get really lucky and you dont change your engineering. And that's about it. Frankly, you whinge that it 'costs too much' to be immune from covert ops. Well, that's a subjective perspective, as "too much" depends on whom you are talking to. Personally, i would say that there is a risk and reward situation here; work out how much letting him covert op you as he has been doing costs, then work out how much it would cost to be 1) immune, then 2) more difficult. If the cost of letting him continue exceed the cost of immunity, then become immune. If the costs of letting him continue exceed the cost of higher resistance, become more resistant. If the costs of him to continue is less than either, then dont bother at all.

I would have thought that this would have been more obvious rather than letting another form of vengeance to be permitted through the covert op system.