How many players does your SG have?

Precision Rangers.

Brimming with active people, always more wanting in

The SG I am in has 8 rooms and what I understand is the right equipment needed to undertake raids. The base is continuing to expand at a good rate, although we are now at the stage were expense is getting really serious, ie saving for security 2 square corridor at 3 million.

Given the time it is taking to get bases up and running I am interested to know how many SGs are prepared to actually get an item of power so that they can then be raided and have to replace destroyed equipment? Just losing your generator and computer is going to cost 375k to replace let alone databases, teleports etc

Paragon Girl, lvl 50 Ill./Emp. Controller

[ QUOTE ]

Given the time it is taking to get bases up and running I am interested to know how many SGs are prepared to actually get an item of power so that they can then be raided and have to replace destroyed equipment? Just losing your generator and computer is going to cost 375k to replace let alone databases, teleports etc
Paragon Girl, lvl 50 Ill./Emp. Controller

[/ QUOTE ]

A valid question. I suspect not many. But of course, from my viewpoint, Cryptic obviously wanted base-raiding to be enjoyable only by the privileged few.

[ QUOTE ]
A valid question. I suspect not many. But of course, from my viewpoint, Cryptic obviously wanted base-raiding to be enjoyable only by the priviledged few.

[/ QUOTE ]
Or, more reasonably and slightly more logically than that, they wanted base raids to be a long-term goal, enjoyed by long-term subscribers. I can certainly see where they're coming from - having instantly accessible base-raids with easily replaceable base items, would make the whole experience feel a lot "cheaper". Everyone would have the bigger complexes, raids would become commonplace, within the space of a year everyone would be left with a general sense of ennui.

We're only a couple of months in, and already the larger SGs are starting to buy up the bigger plots and the more expensive base items. Within the space of a year, maybe two, its forseeable that certain SGs will reach a point where they cannot expand any further, and any excess prestige will merely accumulate. At this point, bases will be able to participate in raids and replace any lost items with much less difficulty than they could at this point in time; the cost of replacing these items however, will place an artificial cap on the frequency of raids.

I have my own reservations about base raids, but cost isn't one of the major ones.

Making the assumption of course, that the SG in question is able to hold together for those 1-2 years and keep active membership all the time. That, I suspect, will include only privileged few.
One of our dear friend SGs(relatively large and active) went down after its leaders started walking due to inner quarrels, and couple others merged with Goonies. SGs seem like real life companies, and the assumption that they won't go bankcrupt given enough time..

I acknowledge the goals, Im just not sure about the time-frame. Right now I would be happy if devs increased the SG maximum member count so we could include more alts to the main SG.

[ QUOTE ]
Given the time it is taking to get bases up and running I am interested to know how many SGs are prepared to actually get an item of power so that they can then be raided and have to replace destroyed equipment? Just losing your generator and computer is going to cost 375k to replace let alone databases, teleports etc

[/ QUOTE ]

I think this is a valid point. CoH is a game that gears us around no risk, no loss. You die, you don't lose anything, you just get a little debt, it's a little harder to gain the next thing you want, but not much and you haven't actually lost anything. In PvP you don't even get that.

Introducing a system where by people can buy items that are (in game time) exceptionally expensive to get, and making them very easily losable if you try out a base raid, is going to make a lot of people back away from it.

I think we'll hit a stage where everyone's going to raid "soon". Very few people will be able to defend the basic minimum base you can have to do the trial. Base raids at the lower end of the scale appear to be massively skewed in favour of the attackers. You need an all singing all dancing multi-million prestige base to stand a good chance of defending it. But then you have more to risk losing, so you'll wait a bit longer, until your base is a bit more secure, but then you'll have yet more shiny kit to lose. I've seen this in other games and can't see this one going any other way if the current system is left unchanged.

An element of risk is good, it adds a little excitement, current levels of risk will deter the majority from taking part in base raids in my opinion. Particularly in a game where we are otherwise coddled and protected to the point that for the last year and a half we have been unable to lose anything. This is such a radical turn around I think it could really hamper raids getting off the ground, and certainly prevent them being a regular occurance.