Player Features and Ideas Discussion

I was looking at the Stratios, and while it's a nice concept for an exploration cruiser, the attached price tag means most players (at least those who aren't filthy rich) wouldn't risk taking one out of high-sec and getting blown up. What I think we need is a new line of T2 cruisers that can be manufactured and made more affordable for everyone to use. Recon ships cost about half as much as the Stratios (Recons ~150 mil, Stratios ~300 mil), and hopefully the material requirements for these blueprints could be made a little cheaper, maybe in the 100 mil ballpark range. Here is my idea for a new line of Scout Recon Ships:

Scout Recon ships are designed to penetrate undetected into enemy space and scan their territory. They differ from other recon ships in that they lose their ability to fit cynosural field generators, but gain a 90% reduction in the CPU requirement to fit scan probe launchers. This allows them the ability to fit both a covert ops cloak and an expanded probe launcher so they can launch combat probes.

Compared to their T1 counterparts they have 2 additonal high slots to allow for the cloak and probe launcher, and also have increased drone capabilities for slightly increased firepower. However they don't tank as well, possessing one less low or mid slot.


Amarr Scout Recon: Friar (Tech 2 Omen)
Amarr Cruiser skill bonus: 10% bonus to medium energy capacitor use and 5% bonus to medium energy turret rate of fire
Recon Ships skill bonus: 5% bonus to scan probe strength and 20% reduction in CPU use of cloaking devices per level
Role Bonus: 90% reduction in CPU use of scan probe launchers and may fit covert ops cloaks

5 low slots (omen has 6)
3 med slots
7 high slots (omen has 5)
5 turrets
Drone Bandwidth 75 Mbit/sec (Omen has 40)
Drone Capacity 100 m3 (Omen has 40)


Caldari Scout Recon: Harrier (Tech 2 Caracal)
Caldari Cruiser skill bonus: 5% bonus to rapid light, heavy assault, and heavy missile launcher rate of fire and 10% bonus to light, heavy assault, and heavy missile velocity
Recon Ships skill bonus: 5% bonus to scan probe strength and 20% reduction in CPU use of cloaking devices per level
Role Bonus: 90% reduction in CPU use of scan probe launchers and may fit covert ops cloaks

4 low slots
4 med slots (caracal has 5)
7 high slots (caracal has 5)
5 launchers
Drone Bandwidth 25 Mbit/sec (caracal has 10)
Drone Capacity 25 m3 (caracal has 10)


Minmatar Scout Recon: Kukri (Tech 2 Stabber)
Minmatar Cruiser skill bonus: 5% bonus to medium projectile turret firing speed and 10% bonus to medium projectile turret falloff
Recon Ships skill bonus: 5% bonus to scan probe strength and 20% reduction in CPU use of cloaking devices per level
Role Bonus: 90% reduction in CPU use of scan probe launchers and may fit covert ops cloaks

4 low slots
3 med slots (stabber has 4)
8 high slots (stabber has 6)
2 launchers
4 turrets
Drone Bandwidth 50 Mbit/sec (stabber has 25)
Drone Capacity 50 m3 (stabber has 25)


Gallente Scout Recon: Astraeus (Tech 2 Vexor)
Gallente Cruiser skill bonus: 5% bonus to medium hybrid turret damage and 10% bonus to drone hitpoints and damage
Recon Ships skill bonus: 5% bonus to scan probe strength and 20% reduction in CPU use of cloaking devices per level
Role Bonus: 90% reduction in CPU use of scan probe launchers and may fit covert ops cloaks

4 low slots (vexor has 5)
4 med slots
6 high slots (vexor has 4)
4 turrets
Drone Bandwidth 100 Mbit/sec (vexor has 75)
Drone Capacity 200 m3 (vexor has 125)


^ So that's it. I don't list all of the stats of course since I wouldn't be any good at balancing things like shield/armor/hull and resists and other stuff. If the devs find any merit to this idea they could fill in the gaps. Let me know what you think.

I admit they aren't as nice as the Stratios, but you can't have everything you want. I particularly envy the Stratios analyzer bonuses, but they appear to be an SOE ship thing, and putting them on player-made ships would make SOE ships less unqiue. I think this idea for a covert ops ship that launches combat probes is pretty unique and gives you a way to scout your way through lowsec and wormhole space with less of a chance of getting dropped in on by someone else. Besides there are rigs for analyzers if you want those bonuses anyway.

Yer recons need a look at.....not sure what I think of what you've proposed (currenty recons are also based on the ECM hulls rather than combat cruiser hulls). Combat recons might be interesting though as long as they were very well balanced so as to not be OP - currently the only drone recon to fulfill a role like you've described for most of these is the pilgrim.

-1 then. That is what faction hulls are for.

Can we maybe let CCP get around to rebalancing the Recons we already have before we start saying that new ones are needed?

Bump. Anyone else like this idea? I can't be the only one who wants a new cloaky scout ship.

Existing recons have plenty of room to fit a covert ops cloak and an expanded probe launcher if you don't fit any ewar modules. Swings and roundabouts, space friend. You cannot have a cheap, covert, high DPS, combat-probing T2 cruiser :P