-What would you like to see future system design focus more on, and why? Some examples: visuals, gameplay, story progression, hazards, treasure hunts, environmental storytelling, etc. In my honest opinion, environmental storytelling was one of the really juicy parts of even the vanilla game that added so much character to systems without there being anything other than a wreck or a selectable object. Patrol 27 in New York was a very clear indicator that the Badlands were deadly. Independence in Omega-41 showed clearly how dangerous a neutron star can be if you're careless. Even in the mod, we had Council wrecks strewn throughout the minefield in Orkney that showed not everyone making it through in one piece. It's since been replaced with a big 'wall', but the same idea stands. There's plenty of empty warzones across Sirius that have no evidence of their conflict: Omicron Delta (Core v Order), Tohoku (Dragons v KNF v Wild), Dublin (It's got wrecks, but given the scale of events there I really feel like there should be more), Omicron Theta (Same deal as with Dublin), among others. These all tie in with story progression, and @Barrier's suggestion of littering fields and space with old objects really drives it home too.
Just more things to grab people's attention. More physical evidence that things are dangerous or caustic, not just a well written infocard.
-What do you think current systems, on average, suffer from the most? Use the above examples. An additional example: Overcrowdedness (lack of barren, dangerous space) can be a valid reason as well. Easily, overcrowdedness. I've always been a massive proponent of the 'Discovery' aspect of the mod, and in the ancient days of 4.86 I used to love just flying around the Taus and looking around at the environment, or taking a hike through the Liberty backwoods in New Hampshire and Alberta. I get that not a lot of story tends to happen in some of these far off systems, but nice quiet backwaters where people can hang out, build a PoB without much interference, or shady backroom business where the Houses can't see them are never a bad thing to have. Alberta was famous for this, same with Omega-49 before Bretonia barged in.
What we have now is alright, but there's almost always a distinct purpose for something in a system, rather than it just being there to add flavor.
-Would you rather the Systems team focused more on reworking existing systems, adding new systems, removing obsolete ones, or a balance of everything? I feel like a balance of everything would work best with the current environment, although with a bit more focus on fleshing out existing systems. Spicing up existing systems with more wrecks, more objects, points of interest, etc. Bringing back older systems should ideally be an endgoal, but I think story's honestly come up with a decent excuse to make their returns all gradual, which helps ensure that any systems that do return get a full makeover to better line up with what we have now.
-Where and how do you think existing systems could be enhanced with environmental storytelling and worldbuilding? Example: How would you make systems like Hamburg, Tau-23, or Hokkaido more interesting? Backwaters in particular tend to have a more defined unlawful presence, which allows for more chaotic worldbuilding, and thus more material to use. However, if we're looking at particularly barren systems:
- Hamburg - Dipping into story territory here, but unlawful bases are a must. Even a gradual construction of some of them would do. A few supply depots around the old Unioner base at Wedel Mining Facility in the Alsterfeld, a few pilgrim liners around Vierlande, maybe, as well as a few wrecks around it showcasing the battle that happened in 831. Wrecks in the Kielfeld as well, military in origin, showcasing the Trier as a clear threat that lurks within.
- Hokkaido - Wrecks of Samura and KNF supply transports throughout the Shiden cloud to represent the GC enforcing their claim to the H-Fuel within. Wrecks inside of the Kyofu to showcase how dangerous crossing the center can be to those unprepared. The system is as war torn as you can get without there being a major story arc attached to it, and it ought to show it. It is the GC's home after all.
- Manchester - Dipping again into story territory here, but another unlawful base could do well. The South Sheffield Field talks about Mollys using it as a staging point, but there's nothing there. A platform to launch those from, or the beginnings of one, would add something to the system's fields, and maybe wrecks of ships that failed to escape both BPA Newgate and Sheffield could add some nice storytelling as well.
Travel times:
-Would you like to see travel times between two regions' hubs increase, decrease, or be kept the same? Example: New York - Omicron Delta. I think the time is alright where it is, although in-house flight times at some points make Houses feel rather small. Maybe more stops along the way, or maybe some stops are a bit wider than others.
-Would you like to see travel times between two regions' most distant points increase, decrease, or be kept the same? Example: Vespucci - Omicron Mu. Same general opinion as before.
-Would you like to see travel times without using trade lanes decrease? How would you do it? Example: A Liberty Rogue inside of Liberty not using trade lanes or jump gates for inRP reasons. In-system jump holes are a definite workaround, either like the New York holes, potentialy off-plane/in a nebula but on-map, or like Coronado's, on-plane by unmarked. Unlawfuls use nebulas and fields extensively, so it only makes sense that they should know the ins and outs of them quite well.
Also see 'one-way jump holes' down below.
System connectivity:
-Do you think systems, on average, have too few, or too many connections? Do you think the concept of having defined activity hub systems per region is good or bad? Before the update, I would have said they were about fine. After the update, there's clearly not enough, but for story reasons it does make some sense.
In general, I think the idea of an activity hub system is pretty good, although I do also think that for some regions (Liberty, Omicrons, Gallia) there should be an effort to try and split a 'hub' between two different areas or systems. This mostly stems from just the sheer size of some regions, and in some cases it happens naturally without dev involvement, but I do like the idea of more lawless regions having 'islands of activity' amidst a sea of open space.
In practice, though, players will tend to make their own 'activity hubs' based on things like docking rights, local factions, and the like (think Freeport 11, Manhattan orbit, Dublin, or Barrier Gate).
-Do you think all systems should have an equal number of connections, instead of sacrificing some over the other? Example: Sidelining Omicron Kappa in favor of Omicron Theta. For connections, I feel like the number of connections a system has should get more refined the closer to a regional hub it gets. New York as a baseline is a very good example, with four (five if you count Alaska) artificial connections and two natural ones. This should contrast with a fringe system like Tau-23, which before the update had two artificial connections and six natural ones. Far flung systems on the edge of civilized space should have plenty of backroads.
Even NPCs tout this: "The only way to really get around is by using the jump holes."
-How much value do you put on connections of a system? Would you be satisfied with a system being sidelined connections-wise, but having importance in another aspect instead such as interesting gameplay or story asset relevance, and why? Example: Dublin, Omicron Pi. It really depends on the context of a system's role. Dead-end systems work well when properly executed; Dublin has its flops, like the stranded Corsair battlecruiser, but overall works well. Likewise, Tau-23 has six connections and works just fine as a transit system that also contains a load of lore. As a rule, I don't think connections should be a bottleneck when it comes to systems development, but should help flesh out the identity of a system itself. California and Texas both influence each others development extensively thanks to that one connection they share. Same with Kyushu and Tau-23.
-Would you like to see a) fewer systems with more connections, or b) more systems with fewer connections? Ideally, a mix of both. A good compromise might be 'one-way jump holes' between some systems that allow for shortcuts without backtracking. Vespucci -> Magellan, but not the other way around. Omicron Theta -> Frankfurt, but not the other way around. Sigma-17 -> Omicron Minor, you get where I'm going with this. Pocket flexibility when routing, as well as situational bottlenecking in a way that makes sense.
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