[Pyrophred]

People have suggested they want mobile roids for some reason. The devs dont like it because its complicated to make mobile structures.

Why not make Pures NPCs? You could have your mobile roids as another type of mobs and make it subject to its own rules.

Copper Roid
Shields: 0
Speed: 5
Armor: equal to the amount of ore in the roid

How it interacts with radar might be tricky

[ELPIRATA]

Not only that, imagine coordinating their moves and to make sure they dont hit a noob....

ELP

[Wild_Bill]

I'm sure it would be challenging both to code the feature of moving asteroid(s) or whole belts of them, but I still think it would be awesome! No more static mining, alt-tabbing and doing something else for 15-20 minutes, then come back, rinse and repeat until full. A moving roid, even if only slightly in motion, would require almost as much attention to mine as circle-mining does. If you stayed steady, then the roid would either move away from you, or possibly move into you (low v collision damage?). If different roids moved at different speeds, some slow, some faster, it would get even more exciting. Imagine having you ship caught between two giant roids...(grind, *pop*, crunch...pod ride!). How embarassing would that be? For a noob or a vet? Also when roids collided, you could get the roids smashing into smaller and smaller debris, perhaps exposing different ore after each collision? Complicated though.

Think also, no more rotacol locations for your "favorite roids). None of this "Oh, let's see, I need semi ore today" (checks either private list or MyRotacol directories) "Okay, here we go". Instead it would be a case of "well, last week it was *here*" so 6 days x 0.0256d per hour x 24 = 36d and it was moving x-y-z... so it should be *there*!". But in that 6 day period, it was struck by another asteroid which changed it's velocity and vector to something else... and each mining trip becomes a hunt. Yes, much more work. Yes, heightened danger of roid collisions for inattentive miners. But I still think it could be a lot of fun. You could even use fast. manueverable ships (scouts or rangers or LF) to scout out roids locations and provide security for you. Or not. I just think it would add to the complexities and dynamics of the game. Right now, other than pirates or flux, what's exciting or dangerous about mining? If the roids moved, even with only a very slight motion...or if you had to find them each time you went out...

As to roid locations constantly changing, I just don't know how difficult that would be to program for each sector. Heck for that matter I would be in favor of static roid fields, but with moving belts of special (either pures or extra-large roids of various kinds) making a stately progression across the sectors sort of like storms do now, but much, much slower! Then again, what if these 'roid belts moved out beyond the 100,000d limit? A reason to deep space. A purpose for small fast scouts to search for and locate the wandering asteroid belts or meteor fields? A new 3rd party program calculating where these roid/meteors are at any particular time or date.

What if... a couple of times per year, these asteroid swarms/belts etc were to actually pass through station sector space? What if there was a massive FM to move these roids or to protect the station, or repair the station after a swarm/belt had passed through? Now if you wish to RP damage to stations or structures... (no wait, that violates one of my basic principles of structural damage to permanent structures...no it doesn't! This would be a result of game mechanics, even if it happened to MY POS!) Still interesting. Doubt they'll do it though. Anyone know of any game that does using moving roids or meteors, etc?

[Edict]

The game Beyond The Red Line (Battlestar Galactica) built on the space sim Freelancer has roids that move and can be shot. BTRL is still in open source development.

[Chaser]

I mined a lot in different games, and I never saw moving roids, but that would definately change the way things are done.What if not all roids moved, just a few "Rouge" roids that flew through the sectors from time to time, they could be fast ,moving deathraps and made of exotic ores rarely seen. The chase, the mining and the chance that you'd get smashed or caught by someone else while trying to keep up or maybe it hits another roid, and bounces off...not even the second roid would have to move, but it would change the direction of the "special"...in limited editions like that, it could be done without a big rewrite I think, maybe a dev will see this and respond.

[Istanbul]

what does a red asteroid have to do with anything? (I know, you meant rogue)

[Ambrosius]

Originally Posted by Chaser

What if not all roids moved, just a few ["Rogue"] roids that flew through the sectors from time to time, they could be fast ,moving deathraps and made of exotic ores rarely seen. The chase, the mining and the chance that you'd get smashed or caught by someone else while trying to keep up or maybe it hits another roid, and bounces off...not even the second roid would have to move, but it would change the direction of the "special"...in limited editions like that, it could be done without a big rewrite I think, maybe a dev will see this and respond.

This is a very cool idea. I think there would be a number of problems if all roids were bodies in motion, but having Comets (i.e. your "rogues") randomly run through space would be a great way to add interest, skill requirement and (a little) danger to mining. They could probably be "controlled" similar to the AI flux, pirates, etc.

To kick it up a notch further:

1. Comet path through each sector should be random
2. If a Comet hits a standard roid, there is BIG explosion and LOTS of pure roids sprinkles through sector as a result.
3. If a Comet hits a POS, building or Station
   • POS - serious damage
   • Building - significant sdamage
   • Station - some damage
4. And as mentioned before, it it hits a ship . . . activate LifePod!

I had the Comet idea on the JGCentral brainstorming WIKI before, but have updated it with the collision ideas.

As a side note, it would be exceptionally cool if, as part of the development process, there were alternate building, station, POS models showing obvious damage (and, perhaps, repair team activity) to be substituted after appropriate in-game or storyline events.

[Wild_Bill]

sounds good to me.

[Chaser]

I like it..and the idea has a lot of merit as we all saw, with just one rock per sector in perhaps an hour, the programing wouldnt be so bad..and thanks for the spell correction, its the thought that counts...lol

[Penguiness]

I read once that Josh had implemented moving roids as a test, and they were even planned for episode 2.

[ELPIRATA]

I dont remember where.. but I also remember some ND dev said that perhaps a moving roid could be treated as an AI NPC of sorts, targetable... looks as a roid, moves in straight path... perhaps is possible.

[God_Damage]

I like the idea of the single, straight-path, moving roid. Multiple or "belts" moving is just way too ambitious and would definitely up the minimum requirement for RAM.