Or alternatively, let's make regular bashing even easier! Get rid of astral insanity. (extremely wishful thinking)

And take away the post-astral bash influencing fun?

Hmm we need a toggle-able skill in discipline that drains a nice bit of ego or mana to maintain sanity! Something you wouldn't use during wildnodes!?

Normal hunts are easy to autoscript too, the only variable you can't really forsee is outside interference. Increase incentive for destroying aetherships, increase ship destruction death penalty to the one we get in enemy territory (maybe not during aetherflares if that is possible), create a method to 'scry' ships returning the plane if different, direction if you are on the same plane or dock if it is docked. Disable namechanges on all aetherships (or allow it at a steeper cost, as in 25 credits or the like).

@Lorina: insanity was not brought forward for wild nodes, it was brought forward because people kept draining all astral nodes and the rest complaining about it.

What? Astral insanity is what makes Astral hunting so great! I hate hunting with a passion, but at least the random crap on Astral makes it a little more bearable. That coupled with the unexpected hordes that run out at you make for the most interesting bashing in the game.

Srsly, I like my hunting flava'd crazeh

One possible way to add risk to Aetherbashing while increasing RP chances and general "pay attention" would be this.

With the Gnafia firmly established, they start looking for aetherships draining vortex entries. They have stealth ships that allow them to "beam into" your aethership via a portal and then send a crew in. If you don't defeat them and you all die, they take the ship, empty it's hold, and take it on a joyride for a few days (RL Hours).

PS--do any people hunt the tendrils?

So... an amazingly more annoying version of slivvens?

Delete slivvens, use the Gnafia as replacement. I personally like Gnafia raiding crews better than annoying infestations of aetherspace as tools to check afk-ers, RP-wise.

I also fully support the implementation of Gnafia henchmen as aetherbash NPCs.

Here's the kicker: you have a 25% chance to spawn a Protectorate Guardian instead of a regular gnome!

And Hallifax never aetherhunts again. (Boom!)

@Rivius: Well I don't find astral insanity 'interesting'. Odd take on it but whatever. Once it builds, we stop. Then there's the down time while you attempt to recover sanity. They introduced it for the reasons Anisu stated. While it adds flavor for some...it doesn't make sense when you can hunt for 10+ hours straight on an aethership with less risk, zero-insanity and resources. When did astral ever create the demigod-train you see today?

Would be funny if they added insanity to the Void.

I'm not sure I see the point though. If it's a one-to-one change then it's pointless, if they require us to stop then it's not really just an afk-check but a potential death-trap. And either way it's likely that it will just remain the same, one or more people unlock to kill them off while everyone else continues.

If the spawns start actually forcing people off modules then it seems like the forums will explode when someone eventually has to decide between the ship exploding or the ship being stolen.

I'd rather see fighters introduced instead.

Gnomes, schomes! Introduce insanity in aetherspace and you'll see how quickly aetherbashing comes to an end. Shorter hunts, at least.

Rather than discouraging aetherspace bashing, let's encourage astral bashing. Restore linked astral gold drops!

I agree. That's my point! And less insanity please...

I'm finding it disturbing that I'm wishing lusternia was more like an SWR

Scarlet Weather Rhapsody?

It was just an idea. I don't see Insanity working RP wise in Aetherspace, as the Astral plane (at least what we see of it) is pretty much a corruption of Kethuru.

The Gnome/Gnafia idea came from an old idea that we should have spawnable aetherships you could raid or who attack you--I was curious to see how a boarding party scenario would work (have there every been successful boarding attempts in aetherspace between org ships?) I mean, slivven's are still okay, but they more or less latch onto a module and only attack if attacked, right? I figured they could "beam in" instead, maybe if you're having a lot of luck and this could keep you on your toes.

They damage modules too I believe (been awhile since I last aetherhunted).

Yes, and I believe they get stronger the more damage they do.