Alright, I'm just throwing this together so feel free to destroy any gaps in my design.
The current resource system is a fail. Cool. Everyone wants the old ANT system back. I say not exactly. There are advantages to the current resource system.
1. Different types of resources help to segregate the type of play. Max's, MBT's, and ESF's taking from different pools is a good thing. It allows players to feel free to play an alternative style without making them sacrifice their favorite. It also makes it so 1 person can't use all his resources to keep pulling ground vehicles.
2. It keeps player from playing the blame game. If you take from a common empire pool, then everyone blames the noobs for wasting resources and keeps the faction from dividing.
3. It sets the framework for territories to provide direct resource gain.
So I propose we try and keep these advantages while switching back to the ANT system with the following framework.
1. Everyone has an individual pool that limits your ability to pull certain types of assets (vehicle timer only work for 1 vehicle and not an entire class of vehicles). This limits the "noob factor" and minimizes the damage that bad players can do.
2. NTU's (old school resources) are held at individual bases and power base systems.
3. Specially loaded Sunderers and Galaxies can act as the new ANTs and shuttle in more NTU's from the warpgate or nearby source (be creative). They can move NTUs between vehicle for the purposes of supply lines.
4. Facilities will NOT go neutral when NTU's run out. Empty facilities can be refilled and rearmed by owner.
5. NTU's can be stolen from enemy bases. This allows "easier" resupply or preemptive sabotage. Infiltrators can also drain (into Valhalla/the garbage) NTU's from a hostile base (maybe... could be a bad idea...).
6. Smaller bases have NTU's but with a smaller storage capacity.
7. Newly capped bases will quickly(ish) auto-fill 1 time after capture. This is so people don't have to sit too long and wait for ANTs to refill before they can press on. People are impatient and we have to work with that.
With this system, you can basically have 2 overlapping resource systems allowing bases to have more intrinsic value (ie. possible NTU bank and generate personal resources) and consequently, more metagame. As a bonus, it also give stuff for small outfits to do.
**NOTE: The correlation between spawning and NTU's is open to research.
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