One of the most striking things to newcomers in EVE Online is how transparent it tends to be, by the developers towards the players, when it comes to changes in the mechanics and settings that govern the game.
These changes are mostly reflected in the Singularity test servers weeks before they hit the main Tranquility one and can be accessed by analyzing the data dumps and available API points.
The latest of these updates show retrospective changes to the way faction structures work their reinforcement cycles.
Starting on May 26th, new mechanics will be introduced for the way player-owned structures deal with the power cycles, which results from not properly keeping said structures fueled.
Currently, if a citadel runs out of fuel, it enters into a low power mode, which “saves” would-be attackers the trouble of having to grind through one reinforcement timer, from the original three.
A month ago, what was announced was the introduction of an additional power state, the “Abandoned State.” From the official CCP Dev Blog:
In the update, structures will transition from Low Power to the new Abandoned state if they have not been refueled after seven days from the initial low power state.
The abandoned state has three considerable caveats, which simplified they read as:
There will be no reinforcement timers, which means an attacker can grind through it in a single sitting.
There won’t be tethering services emanating from the structure, making defensive staging harder from the citadel.
Asset safety will not be available for the assets within the structure, with plenty “loot pinata” potential.
The data shown yesterday implies that the legacy nullsec Stations a.k.a. Faction structures will be devoid of this new “abandoned” state:
| TypeID, Group, & Name | Singularity_Previous | Singularity_Next | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| 47512 – ‘Moreau’ Fortizar (Citadel) |
Role Bonus:
|
Role Bonus:
|
Role Bonus: 25% bonus to all structure combat rig effects 35% reduction in all service module fuel consumption 10% reduction in time requirements for manufacturing and science jobs 2% reduction in ISK requirements for manufacturing and science jobs 1% bonus to refining yield for all variants of Ore and Ice 20% bonus to the rate of fire and capacitor consumption of Standup Burst Projectors and Guided Bomb Launchers While this structure has at least one online service module it enters full power mode and will gain increased shield and armor hitpoints and an extra reinforcement cycle. This structure is able to maintain a low-power state indefinitely, and so will not lapse to into an abandoned state. |
| 47513 – ‘Draccous’ Fortizar (Citadel) |
Role Bonus:
|
Role Bonus:
|
Role Bonus: 25% bonus to all structure combat rig effects 25% reduction in citadel and engineering service module fuel consumption 15% reduction in time requirements for manufacturing jobs 3% reduction in ISK requirements for manufacturing jobs 20% bonus to the rate of fire and capacitor consumption of Standup Burst Projectors and Guided Bomb Launchers While this structure has at least one online service module it enters full power mode and will gain increased shield and armor hitpoints and an extra reinforcement cycle. This structure is able to maintain a low-power state indefinitely, and so will not lapse to into an abandoned state. |
| 47514 – ‘Horizon’ Fortizar (Citadel) |
Role Bonus:
|
Role Bonus:
|
Role Bonus: 25% bonus to all structure combat rig effects 25% reduction in citadel and engineering service module fuel consumption 15% reduction in time requirements for science jobs 3% reduction in ISK requirements for science jobs 20% bonus to the rate of fire and capacitor consumption of Standup Burst Projectors and Guided Bomb Launchers While this structure has at least one online service module it enters full power mode and will gain increased shield and armor hitpoints and an extra reinforcement cycle. This structure is able to maintain a low-power state indefinitely, and so will not lapse to into an abandoned state. |
| 47515 – ‘Marginis’ Fortizar (Citadel) |
Role Bonus:
|
Role Bonus:
|
Role Bonus: 25% bonus to all structure combat rig effects 50% reduction in all service module fuel consumption 20% bonus to the rate of fire and capacitor consumption of Standup Burst Projectors and Guided Bomb Launchers While this structure has at least one online service module it enters full power mode and will gain increased shield and armor hitpoints and an extra reinforcement cycle. This structure is able to maintain a low-power state indefinitely, and so will not lapse to into an abandoned state. |
| 47516 – ‘Prometheus’ Fortizar (Citadel) |
Role Bonus:
|
Role Bonus:
|
Role Bonus: 25% bonus to all structure combat rig effects 25% reduction in citadel and reprocessing service module fuel consumption 2% bonus to refining yield for all variants of Ore and Ice 20% bonus to the rate of fire and capacitor consumption of Standup Burst Projectors and Guided Bomb Launchers While this structure has at least one online service module it enters full power mode and will gain increased shield and armor hitpoints and an extra reinforcement cycle. This structure is able to maintain a low-power state indefinitely, and so will not lapse to into an abandoned state. |
| 52693 – Dazh Liminality Locus (Destructible Effect Beacon) |
Misc bonus:
|
Misc bonus:
|
Misc bonus: 25% bonus to 25% bonus to missile explosion velocity 30% penalty to warp speed 50% bonus to mining speed 25% bonus to remote shield boost 30% penalty to warp speed 50% penalty to maximum locked targets |
| 54332 – State Stellar Observatory (Destructible Effect Beacon) |
Misc bonus:
|
Misc bonus:
|
Misc bonus: 10% bonus to shield capacity 10% bonus to ECM range |
| 54333 – Federal Stellar Observatory (Destructible Effect Beacon) |
Misc bonus:
|
Misc bonus:
|
Misc bonus: 10% bonus to armor 1+ bonus to warp scramble strength |
Some capsuleers have commented on how these changes aim to protect the assets of players who have left the game before the outposts -> faction fortizar transition. It makes a lot of sense, especially knowing the hoarding behavior of many null-sec players.
Others have also mentioned that the move is an attempt to protect the integrity of the game since singularity experimentation has shown an insane number of items being dropped from the destruction of these stations, many of which contain decades-old caches of ships, ammo, and other goodies.
It takes no effort to see the avalanche of petitions that would come out from long returning players who find their asset-time capsules ravaged without a trace.
Despite the exceptions for the almost priceless legacy stations, this is a good moment to remind everyone to keep their citadels properly fueled, because the incoming structure purge is going to be one of biblical proportions.
This is especially true in wormhole space, where the “disposable” nature of most structures and the commonalities of w-space living makes running low-power structure a kind of a business-as-usual endeavor.
As for the long-lost capsuleers who have their assets stored in these former null-sec stations, they can be assured their assets are secured… for now.
