Best Of

I've thought of three different options for how the HETE contracts can be handled.

My initial idea was simply an increase in annual upkeep. This would be something like 25k per contracted guard per year. This way, there's a constant drain for having respawning guards, but it's not something that raiders have control over as far as 'camping' guards and causing continual mounting drains every time they feel like it. 

The second idea would be an annual drain like the first, except each guard death increases the premium of the contract for that year, up to some sort of cap. This could go up to 25k per contracted guard like in the first idea, or further if that's deemed fair. The idea here would similarly be that there's a constant drain for having respawning guards, but it gets more expensive the more action they see in a given year.

The third idea would be to implement the suggested 5k per guard death, but not charge the faction immediately. Instead, the amount would accumulate and be charged on the first of the following year, giving the faction ample time to budget for whatever costs they might have incurred for the year.

For all three ideas, it would be helpful to have some sort of command to view what the faction's current dues will be for the year, something as simple as FACTION GUARD DUES.

Personally, my preference is still the first option. I feel like the cost really shouldn't be something that raiders should be able to heavily influence, if at all. There should definitely be a cost for security, but there shouldn't be a situation where raiders are just clearing guards off-hours with the intent of costing the faction. Guards should be an obstacle in the way of a real objective, and factions shouldn't be penalized for not having defenders to come fight alongside their guards.

If the problem with guards as an obstacle is that they're too strong, then they can be appropriately adjusted down. However, if the problem is that a singular person wants through them, they can already pay for temporary faction anonymity through FRAY contracts. An individual that has earned enemy status to a faction shouldn't expect to be able to walk around that faction's immediate territory (their main station and their capital city) without paying some kind of cost. Voidgates and PTPs already exist to allow for enemies to access bashing areas (past the level 20 range, anyway) and caches, and you can still get to the homeworld stations to clone there.