Player Features and Ideas Discussion

TL;DR - Ditch Caldari kinetic-specific damage bonuses.

Caldari is continually the only race still relegated to kinetic-specific missile damage bonuses for many of its hulls. This is not the case for any other race, who typically receive generic damage bonuses that apply to any type. With few exceptions, Caldari ships don't even rank in the Top 10 picks for any specific hull size or category. So this is a simple and straightforward petition:

• Nighthawk receives 7.5% bonus to Heavy Assault and Heavy Missile Damage
• Drake receives 10% bonus to Heavy Missile and Heavy Assault Damage
• Tengu receives 5% bonus to Missile Damage on the Accelerated Ejection Bay
• Cerberus receives 5% bonus to Missile Damage
• Onyx receives 5% bonus to Missile Damage
• Osprey Navy receives a 10% bonus to Missile Damage
• Corax receives 5% bonus to Light Missile and Rocket Damage
• Hawk receives 10% bonus to Missile Damage
• Buzzard receives 5% bonus to Missile Damage
• Crow receives 10% bonus to Missile Damage
• Hookbill Navy receives 20% bonus to Missile Damage
• Condor receives 10% bonus to Light Missile and Rocket Damage

I think that's it. Oh, I missed one...

• Phoenix receives 5% bonus to Missile Damage

Actually, only the minmatar get a bonus to all types of damage.

Amarr only get em/thermal bonuses, gallente only get kin/therm. Yes, they both get drones, but you're either using thermal for nearly everything pve, or getting laughed at for using a drone carrier in pvp.

Drone carriers are doing VERY well in PVP atm. But even they only use therm or explosive.

What does that even mean? You're asking for a race to no-longer be reliant on one damage type. I am asking you what the other three races, all of which are reliant on one or two damage types, would get to balance the scales.

What do gunnery ammunition bonuses have to do with kinetic-specific bonuses? About as much bearing as the price of Fedos in Jita. But since you specifically asked... Gallente have drones which can apply multiple damage types, and have a comparable number of hybrid-only hulls to the Caldari... Minmatar can apply any damage type with projectiles, missiles or drones... The only race that is somewhat hamstrung is the Amarr, and I'm not entirely sure how to address that beyond expanding the number of missile ships or giving them some additional ammunition (neither of which I'm opposed to).

So...the vast majority of caldari hulls should have true damage type selection with no drawbacks whatsoever, wheras the only other race that can come close is minmatarr using faction ammo...(You do know that T2 projectile ammo is all explosive/kinetic, right? And drones can be shot down fairly easily...) And the reason for this is...?

I'm not coming up with a rpoposal though, that's not what this thread is about. It's about the discussion of YOUR proposal, so coming back with 'Well you say somethign better then' is kind of worthless.

Caldari hulls have drones, and they have gunboats too. And drones, outside of sentries, kind of suck in PVP anyway.

T2 ammo has it's niche, and if rage missiles were available in all flavours on all caldari hulls, guess what kind of ammo would get used in them in PVP?

Hell, you can already use any damage type in a caldari missile hull, you just don't get the bonus. Gallente and Amarr are locked on EM/Therm, they cannot do another damage type with thier guns.



If you want the damage type restriction removed, either propose buffs to the other guys to make up for it, or propose a different drawback.

I don't have to... Missiles are already at a disadvantage, otherwise they'd be dominating fleet actions and kill mails. I mean, everyone uses Phoenix dreadnaughts...


I know, right? Those Caldari droneships are a real menace!

That is true until you take a look at projectile t2 ammo, which doesn't get the flexibility of t2 missile ammo.

To be fair, not *all* Amarr boats are laser. There are a number of them that use predominantly drones (which can use any) or missiles. Specifically, the Vengeance, Malediction, Heretic, Sacrilege, Legion (with Assault Optimization), and Damnation all primarily use and receive bonuses to missile damage. In addition, the Magnate, Anathema, Dragoon, Arbitrator, Curse, Prophecy, and Armageddon all have at least as many launcher hardpoints as turrets, and receive no specific bonuses to any turrets (and all of them except the Magnate and Anathema instead receive bonuses to drones). I'm intentionally excluding the Purifier, as it's obviously irrelevant.

That's a fair amount of missile-oriented ships, and not a single one of them has an EM focus (the Purifier being the only Amarr ship that has an EM exclusive bonus). Minmatar are the same way, the only ship of theirs that has an explosive-specific launcher bonus is the Hound.

So yes, every single race has a secondary option for weapon systems that allow omni damage types on a fair number of their hulls. Minmatar have that innately with faction ammo on projectiles, as well as their non-typed missile bonuses. Gallente have drones. Amarr have missiles and drones. Caldari...have hybrids, which allow thermal in addition to their base kinetic, that's it.

Basically, it just flat makes sense to remove the restriction to kinetic damage.