This is one of those times that I agree entirely with Jade. An excellently written first post.
Indestructible outposts:
I ran on a campaign to make these destructible in 2008 and won the first CSM with more votes than any other bloc candidate. I told CCP that outpost spam would ruin the feel of 0.0 and by insulating organizations from strategic loss would add to the problem and mean the current winners would be increasingly impossible to dislodge. I got this proposal voted through the CSM only to be told by CCP "sorry we can't do it because nobody understands the code". Now six years on we have a stagnated nullsec full of pointless spammed outposts nobody can do anything about that means it takes 10,000 man days of siege to clear a single region. But still, you talk about making them destructible and the powerful players in 0.0 balk at the idea and warn CCP off.
I remember the campaign well and gave it my support at the time, with a few suggestions to make it more palatable.
We understand that the biggest issue with trying to institute such a change would be the furore from the powerful 0.0. alliances and their backers who have made it into CCP employment. I really think we should try pushing this idea again, but perhaps with some pragmatic compromises to make it more likely to get through.
The modifications I would suggest:
1- Stations should be vulnerable to direct assault, able to render them
'derelict', regardless of system sovereignty or other locally deployed structures.
2- Initial damage would disable station services, as already exists.
3- Further damage, which would take much longer sustained fire, would destroy docking and corp hangar functions, making the station 'derelict'.
4-
Repair would not be possible with ship-mounted shield/armor repair modules. Repair would require investment of minerals and construction products, meaning that the efforts of the attacker equate to an
actual cost to the defender. This gives value to guerrilla warfare and emphasises the need for realistic logistical support to maintain stations.
5- If the station is rendered derelict and essential repairs do not occur within 24hrs, contents of the personal/corp hangars would start to be irretrievably lost (as a %/day). This gives the defender an incentive to fight back to retrieve their assets and will discourage 'docked' warfare. The defender can choose to repair only certain functions, so as to re-enable docking/hangar access, but leave the rest of the station in tatters.
6- No reinforced timer. If the attack occurs in the dead of night, the damage is done. If you cannot defend your space, you cannot have it.
What are your thoughts?