Hot Button Issue - Off Grid Boosting

OK this is mainly a response to Poetic Stanziel post about off grid boosting but I will throw my thoughts on it as well.  Now, if you have not taken a look at P.S.'s post please do it now because I will be referencing it.

First off, the problem:  Off-grid boosting provides a significant upper hand to the pilots using them.  It comes in two forms: 1) Off grid boosting usually done in a cloaky unprobable t3 or in large fleet fights a command ship with a cloak that prays no one finds it.  2) Boosting from the insides of a POS force field making the boosting ship completely impervious.

Now the first version I find it a perfectly viable tactic that should be used by solo pilots or fleets of any size.  It has the risk of moving an under tanked and very week T3 thru enemy space and then setting up a boosting spot, and it limits the pilot/fleet to operating in one system unless they want to loose the boost.  Now, the whole unprobable thing should be looked at so that ships can not become unprobable further increasing the risk of T3 boosting. 

The second version on the other hand should be nerfed, nerfed straight out of the game.  Boosting from inside a POS shield is risk free to the booster and only plays a risk to the poor chap you has to set up the POS that is being used as the safe house.  There is one exception to this nerf and that is mining boosting which is only viable in null sec from a Roq in indy mode (I know RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE RISK!!!!) but that is a topic for another time.  Combat boosting should be forced out of the POS and into open space where the actual ship boosting can be taken out.  If you want a booster then your enemy should be able take the booster out and level the playing field.

Poetic Stanziel put out two possible nerfs to the system.  The first, which I will call increasing returns or IS, is simply the smaller the fleet the less bonuses are given out.  Read his post for a full explanation of his system.  I have to respectfully disagree with this idea in the light that it will completely nerf off grid boosting for any small gang warfare.  Small gangs should want the boost, they want the upper hand and they should have it if they invest into it.

His second idea of a "dead zone" around and in POSs is actually a very unique and well thought out.  It will make it so POS boosting cannot happen and it will preemptively nerf sitting right outside of the shields and moving in as soon as shit hits the fan.  The biggest problem with this is that it forces off grid boosting by forcing the aggressor to leave their boost off grid or far away from the POS because the POS will negate their boost as well.  A more complex and harder to implement nerf will be, the boost of ships able to go into the shields are the only one shut off while boost from ships that cannot enter the POS are left alone.  This will leave the defenders at a loss tho and give the aggressors a major upper hand.

A bit more elegant solution would be to make it so that while in the shields boost do not work at all but if outside of the shield and on grid boost only effect those that are also on grid.  This will making boosting out of a POS completely nerfed but boosting by a POS will still work the aggressors/defenders.

So there you have it.  To nerf boosting, or not to nerf boosting that is one of the hot issues in Eve.

Final note, and this is in my comments on P.S. blog, the upcoming POS changes could nerf POS boosting completely if they remove the FF, which I feel they should not, but it may happen.

Zeth