since Dan didn't seem to like that idea, i floated another one in legion that got a laugh and so i decided to post it here.

in the last major changes to Exotica from 2012:

1. currently Exotica's contested debuff applies to the planet's defense.
"Contested : Total Defense and Attack -99.99%"
"The contested stacking debuff on Exotica has increased from -5% per day, to -20% per day."

2. meanwhile, the Exotica's Influence applies to the legion's base production:
"Grants the ability Exotica's Influence - adds to base production: 1% + 1% for each 24 hours (down from 4 hours) that the planet has been controlled (up to a max of 10%)"

3. and "You may not guard Exotica if you were disabled by a player in the last hour."

my suggestions:

1. instead of granting the debuff only to the planetary defense, have the debuff also apply to any defending guards. this will lead to the guards being hit for damage cap at maximum debuff, both targeting from Exotica or from the battle tab.

2. in return, have the Exotica's Influence production boost continue to apply the 1% for the legion base, but have the additional boost only apply to any defending guards - 1% for each 24 hours guarded up to a maximum of 10%.

3. extend the guarding restriction after being disabled from 1 hour to 8 hours. include disables from gemini cannons and NPCs if not already included.

definitely an improvement

Seems complicated. Given that it's basically the same 3-5 ships all day, every day, just limit the number of hours per day/week any one ship can guard Exotica. Boom. Problem solved.

You don't need to be very strong to be unkillable while online, even when being hit at cap. You just need a stable Internet connection and a steady stream of repair nanos. Debuffing ships, especially ones that don't really do much but sit on Exotica all day really won't change anything.

it was already complicated with the last set of major changes in 2012. since the coding is already in place, my suggestions just tweaked what is already there. giving the extra x% bonuses to those actually guarding the planet for an extended period of time makes more sense than giving the entire legion more than the basic 1% bonus.

allowing any guard to be hit at cap AND extending the restriction to 8 hours means more chances for taking down a guarding ship as a group action via Exotica AND the battle tab. yes, if they are online, they won't go down .. but if they are afk .. they will be blocked from re.guarding for 8 hours, giving more opportunity for attackers to focus on the next guard. so instead of trying to down every guard in 1 hour .. you have a bit more time for the concentrated team effort that any Exotica attempt now requires.

I like the idea, but knowing Dan don't do anything we are all talking and debating for nothing...

lol