Deep Space Redux; Objective-Based Space PvP Invasion

Rework Deep Space into a scheduled, objective-based PvP invasion with separate preparation, defense, and assault phases.

Scheduled battles and zone resets​

• Establish published battle times similar to ground invasions and existing Space Battles. Due to the smaller nature of the Space Community a weekly weekend battle would likely be best. This allows larger participation and planning.
• Reset the zone shortly before each battle, such as after a previous victory against either capital objective.
• Use the reset period to provide fresh spawns and allow players time to enter the zone, organize groups, and prepare their ships.
• Make the Freedom Station and Imperial Star Destroyer subsystems vulnerable only during designated assault windows during the invasion/battle timeframe.

Defense phase​

During the defense phase, the capital objectives and their subsystems would remain invulnerable. Guns would be vulnerable like normal.

Players would earn Victory Points by:

• Destroying enemy players within 3,000 meters of their faction’s station or Star Destroyer.
• Defeating hostile defensive guns and other designated combat targets.
• Protecting their faction’s capital objective until the assault phase begins.

Each qualifying defensive gun destroyed could award GCW points and five Deep Space tokens. Double for player kills.

Assault phase​

During the assault phase, Freedom Station and Imperial Star Destroyer subsystems would become vulnerable.

Players would earn contribution through:

• Destroying objective defenses.
• Destroying guns attached to or protecting the objectives.
• Damaging or destroying capital-ship subsystems.
• Defeating enemy players.
• Defending friendly attackers and the capital objective.

Subsystem health should be reviewed and rebalanced so objectives require a coordinated assault. No critical subsystem should be vulnerable to being destroyed in a single hit.

PvP incentives​

To reflect the additional danger of fighting in Deep Space:

• Player kills should award twice the normal GCW points.
• Player kills should award twice the normal token payout available from regular Space Battles.
• Rewards should be high enough to establish Deep Space as the premier high-risk, high-reward space PvP activity.

Appropriate safeguards should be included to prevent repetitive kill trading or farming between the same players.

Victory and participation rewards​

The winning faction should receive a component crate similar to convoy rewards. Its quality or contents could scale according to meaningful participation.

Scaling should consider:

• The number of active participants on both factions.
• Whether both factions were present and actively fighting.
• Individual contribution throughout the event. (No afk rewards)

The final victory reward should be zone-wide for eligible participants. Defenders should be rewarded as meaningfully as attackers rather than requiring everyone to damage the final objective. Crate of Components Rewards for winning side only. No particpation trophies. GCW points and tokens for all.

Gunships and POB ships should not receive a reward penalty. These ships support group play and should be encouraged in an event built around coordinated faction warfare.

Wishlist: construction phase​

An addition of a system for a pre-battle construction phase. During this phase, players would donate mined asteroid resources to strengthen their faction’s defenses for the upcoming battle.

Resource thresholds could unlock temporary static or NPC defenses such as:

• Additional POB ships
• Corvettes
• Imperial Lancer-class frigates
• Rebel Nebulon-B frigates
• Additional gun emplacements or fighter patrols

These defenses should last only for the associated battle and reset afterward, preventing one faction from accumulating a permanent advantage.
This provides a more meaningful use for asteroid mining as well as increasing the difficulty of the battle.

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This proposal builds on content and faction objectives that already exist instead of requiring an entirely new battleground. Deep Space already has the right setting for large-scale space PvP; scheduled phases, balanced objectives, and competitive rewards would give players a reason to use it. Beyond the very limited use now. Returning it to the original goal of a major space pvp zone.

Predictable battle times would help pilots organize squadrons and ensure that opposing factions arrive at the same time. Separating defense and assault phases would create a clearer battle flow, prevent objectives from being rushed before opposition can assemble, and give both attackers and defenders meaningful roles.

Zone-wide eligibility would address a common objective-based reward problem: support pilots and defenders often contribute to victory without landing the final hits. Rewarding verified participation would recognize escorts, interceptors, defensive pilots, POB crews, and gunship groups alongside direct objective attackers.

Scaling rewards based on active participation from both factions would encourage real competition instead of uncontested farming. Enhanced PvP rewards would also make the increased risk worthwhile and establish Deep Space as the space equivalent of a ground GCW invasion.

The optional construction phase would give space miners and resource-focused players a direct role in the Galactic Civil War. It would connect the space economy, resource gathering, group logistics, and PvP without making noncombat participation mandatory.

Overall, Deep Space Redux would provide pilots with a repeatable endgame activity, encourage faction coordination and group ship play, and revive an iconic zone as the large-scale space PvP battleground it was originally intended to be.

The motivation behind this suggestion is to revive Deep Space as a meaningful endgame PvP zone. It was originally designed around large-scale conflict between players while defending/attack the Imperial Star Destroyer or Freedom Station, but its current mechanics, balance, and rewards do not encourage organized or sustained battles.

Space PvP currently lacks a high-risk, high-reward factional event comparable to the ground GCW invasions. Turning Deep Space into a scheduled, phased battle would give pilots a predictable reason to organize, reward both attackers and defenders, encourage group ships and coordinated play, and make better use of an iconic but underused area.