Player Features and Ideas Discussion

This is a great suggestion, and might make balancing these variables easier, instead of tying them together.

Pity you cant really use firewall in highsec.

What is ECM for 10 points bob?

Indeed, delayed DPS has been an issue that makes missile boats suffer from so much...

Perhaps a rework of the available t2 missile types in conjunction with an ammo bay for all ships size appropriately for their given hulls ammo type would make things more viable?

A baseline t1 ammo type (for the purposes of showing relative stats) with 10 application 10 damage and 10 range. CN ammo would be 10a 11d 10r.

T2 fury would be 9a 14d 5r ( I'm shooting at something big, real close )
T2 precision would be 14a 9d 5r ( I'm shooting at something small, real close)

The close range missiles t2 advantage lies in doing more damage/application in exchange for their reduced range, just like turret ammo types that allow for far more power at significantly closer ranges. With the requirement that you change ammo if your opponent moves out of range.

Then there would be a corresponding pair of longer ranged damage and precision missiles...

T2 "siege" would be 8a 12d 15r ( I'm shooting at something big, far away )
T2 "sniper" would be 12a 8d 15r ( I'm shooting at something small, far away )

The longer range missiles net no application/damage, because their t2 advantage over t1 is in their greater range. But with a selectable lean for damage or application, there will be situations for each.

Because of the increase in potential range from t2 ammo, the base ranges of missile systems will have to be reduce considerably.

max level lights should hit 25 km with t1 ammo. This means that with close range ammo, lights can kite just outside web/scram range and hit for higher damage. With opponents having piloting options for slingshoting them into tackle range, but can still hit out to long point range with t1, free of slingshot into web risk. With sniper ammo bringing them back up to their ranges now, with appropriate performance.

Max level heavies should reach 45km. That means they can kite t2 bonus'd points free of tackle with t1 or bring themselves into BS neut range with close range high damage ammo. Or snipe from 65 as they do now. (Give or take) with about the same performance as CN Missiles if you choose the appropriate damage or precision missiles for the situation.

Max level cruise missiles should reach 80km. With high dps still beyond bonus point range, or snipe from 120 as they do now (give or take) with about CN performance.

This obviously would stretch to rockets/ham/torp, making missile ships carry huge numbers of variable missile types. The player skill then comes not from piloting your turrets into place for your ammo, but picking targets and ammo on the fly to maximize your ships performance. A stealth buff to the jackdaws reload bonus, since ammo switching would become very important.

You just shoot drones apparently. Assuming you stand still so they can't exploit their dumb tracking bollocks and land 3 wreckings shots after the first 2 high quality hits.

Make drones missiles and exclude them from the 150% - 300% random damage!

Missiles must have been OP for CCP to decide to nerf them again.

so, if you didn't want to suffer poor application and fit more than one application rig; you now have to sacrifice a low or mid slot in order to get the same application stats you have now?

Less actually, since the mids and rigs are stacked against each other, and the fact these new mods do not represent the same application value rigs have, basically you get nothing out of using the new mods and there probably will never be a reason to use them, unless you going for some super long range missile ship or something.

On the plus side, since a MGC II w/Prec script is essentially a Rigor I + Flare I, you can now trade a mid slot to get two rig slots back.


Who exactly benefits from all this?
* Fits that use one flare/rigor rig and don't have the CPU/mid free for MGCs are unaffected.
* Fits that use multiple TPs and no rigor/flare rigs are getting buffed slightly (MGC doesn't stack with TPs.)
* Long range (sniping) missile fits that ran TPs in deep fallout will probably benefit from MGCs.
* PvE fits that run with three Rigor rigs are nerfed (and will need to replace one of those Rigors with a Flare to minimize stacking penalty.)
* Fits that need missile range over applied damage will benefit assuming they can fit enough MGC/MGEs without gimping themselves.

Personal Whinging:
My "One Shot Non-Elite NPC Cruisers in Missions Using Fury Cruise Missiles" 4 TP + 2xRigor Golem still cannot replace the Rigor rigs for Warp speed rigs. But to be fair, it does see a tiny improvement in efficiency by swapping one TP for an MGCII w/Prec script.


tl;dr - An entire missile balance package that maybe ships like the Typhoon can take advantage of, and even that is somewhat debatable.


/grumble