Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Let’s face it the Phoenix is a rubbish Dreadnaught. It always has been and needs a lot of love. However, instead of the normal cries that the missiles need to be faster etc
How about the following ideas.

Scrap the current Citadel torpedoes and replace rename them to function as per these ideas.

Suggestion 1

Let them fire capital ECM missiles. That’s what Caldari do after all. These should affect ALL capital ships they hit. Say something along the lines of a 10 second reduction of that ECM type.
Would probably make sense to have these setup so that 3 missiles (The number of launchers on a Phoenix) would provide sufficient ECM to shut down an un-boosted super. Although there primary target would probably be other Dreads or Titans. Due to drones/fighters not being affected by the loss of a target lock.

Suggestion 2

Missiles with specific none physical damage effects that shuts down a specific function of the enemy capital/super. Something along these lines

Neutralisation Missile (ALA Void but targeted) (Amarr Variant)

This missile type should neutralise a significant portion of energy in the targeted capital. Unable to warp out/delays “Doomsday” reactivation

Lock breaker Missile (ALA Lock breaker)(Caldari Variant)

This missile would cause the targeted unit to drop all of its locks.
No delay on re-targeting. They would mess up the spider tank setup if not paying attention.

Fighter scrambler missile (Gallente Variant)

This is specifically an anti Carrier/Super missile that upon detonation confuses the host capitals electronics into sending out a recall order to its drones, or causes them to be disconnected from the host capital/assist unit. Reconnect works as normal or have a delay that would be suitable.

Surge missile (Minmatar Variant)

Not sure what to think of within Minmatar lore but here goes with a bit of a whacky idea.
This missile is more of a rescue attempt device. The missile contains a special fuel rod that upon hitting a target supercharges its fuel coils into activating and propelling the capital at 500% normal speed in whatever direction it is pointed for a period of time, says 5-10 seconds.
This could be used on units to propel them out of bubbles or to separate an individual unit out of a group for escape or destruction by a gang. Like a lion pack hunting.

Summary

It would probably make sense to have these setup the same as suggestion 1 so that 3 missiles (Number of launchers on a Phoenix) would be required to have the full effect on a capital. i.e. 1 missile does 1/3 of the effect to shut down an un-boosted super.

These missiles would not need to be fast and could remain at their current speed levels. They would also have ZERO effect on anything less than a Capital ship.

Why

This would give the Phoenix a use in fleets and also keep them as primary as most caldari ECM ships are anyway so they probably would not an overpowering effect. However, the FC would need to take into account of the fact that an enemy might have a few of them to screw his plans up Instead of the normal Dreads = DPS period!!!!

Because those aren't overpowered at all.

[TROLL]
Any time a Phoenix dies, it needs to explode in a great ball of flame, and then a new one spawns with a random fit.
[/TROLL]

I think these suggestions would create more problems than they solve.

ninja OP suggestion/feature:

Allow Phoenix a unique role bonus: Can be reprocessed at POS

Sounds OP. We should give it a 2 min reload time to make it fun and dynamic. Decision-making, sandbox, marketing whatever.

It's not just the speed of the missiles, it's the fact that you can firewall them.

Rapid Cruise Missile Launcher could go ways for making the Phoenix fit the best anti-subcap dread, but missiles have general issues that haven't been addressed in a long, long time.

It's the weapons they use that are terrible.

There was a reason why the Naglfar got it's missile turrets removed.

It's not the main problem, in fact it's barely a problem at all.

Citadel torps are affected by GMP, even though Fozzie said they wouldn't be, so explosion radius is 1500 m. This takes % damage against the full-speed Archon from 50% to 67%. This still doesn't sound great, but remember that triaged/sieged caps don't tend to move much, and others can be webbed. The problem is readily surmountable.

The real problem with the Phoenix is even if it did full damage to that Archon, there still wouldn't be a reason to use it, because its damage and projection are simply too low, relative to Moros and Naglfar. Dreads are fairly simple creatures and can be analysed in terms of role and environment:

Anticapital: go Moros for raw DPS, Naglfar for burst tank, capless weapons and damage type selection. No reason to fly a Phoenix, apart from the amazing nano-Phoenix.

Anti-structure: go Moros for raw DPS, Naglfar for damage type selection and Revelation to go AFK. No reason to fly a Phoenix.

Blapping: go Moros for raw DPS, Naglfar for damage type selection and Phoenix to make life difficult for yourself.

Fleet: don't go Phoenix because of delayed damage and firewalls.

Small gang (e.g. WH): don't go Phoenix because of lack of flexibility - it's incompetent at the blap role and has no advantage at anticapital work.

To make the Phoenix usable it's no use fiddling with explosion velocity. You've got to give it an environment in which it shines. Really, you can immediately exclude “fleet” because of delayed damage and firewalls, which boils down the environments above to two - anticapital and blapping in non-large fleets. However, the nature of missiles means that the borderline between "effective" and "lol 150k unavoidable volleys" blap Phoenix is rather narrow.

That forces the Phoenix into a narrow anticapital/structure role. Fine - but to be used here it needs a damage advantage over the Moros and Naglfar commensurate with its inflexibility and disadvantage at the blap game. In short, the only plausible role for the Phoenix is killing capitals, and to be used in that role this it needs a LOT more raw damage. A hefty nerf to Moros optimal would also go down well, and help the Rev too.

Not really. It's possible, sure, but we're talking about needing Ragnorak bonuses, links, X-Instinct, Snakes, a fancy AB and overdrives. Not exactly a realistic fit.