Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Assuming the current T1 and T2 frigs are for non-combat. They can handle all non-combat sites: T1 = high/low. T2 = all.

Would it be fair to assume that the SoE are combat related and fall into specific roles?

Frigate = high sec. Some low sec with good skills.
Cruiser = low-sec and some null-sec with good skills.
BS = Null-sec and WH space?

I mention the BS because of the place holder people found in the data base. That would make it a 'full line' of exploration ships. How do you balance exploration for each of the target areas? I am thinking some behind the scenes updates to exploration would be needed to smooth out the roles for all these ships.

Very cool looking ships. I am now debating going into Amarr hulls to fly one of these. non-combat exploration has never interested me. Combat exploration? That is a different animal.

Since Sisters are best at exploring, those ships MUST have the best exploring. And since Sisters do not like shooting people, those ships MUST NOT have primary combat capabilities. It was said that those ships are all about self-defense. Well give them the self-defense than. Give them ability to disable their pursuers in different ways, with electronics and speed.
Defender missiles could be used here with some interesting mechanics, like attacking and disabling ships which attacking Sisters ship. But, I guess good old style: "Let's add a ship, I don't know what for, but let's add it" is the most liked by CCP.

There's some good core ideas in this, self defence does not need to be passive though, It would suit the Sisters philosophy to give a bloody nose to anyone that dared interfere with their primary role of exploration NOTE PRIMARY ROLE.
Pve is also a nice addition and hidden combat sites has the possibility to add to it, particularly if part of the result of a successful clearance opened up more than isk or loot. Possibly lore or an exploration themed escalation. Or a special data or relic site, assuming it is not prevented from doing that role.I agree more emphasis on self defence and less on PvP would be good, but the loudest on the forum would absolutely explode at you for daring to suggest such a thing.......

I can see that an atmosphere of highly confrontational, argumentative shouting that is the nature of this forum easily gets in the way of being clear.

I am observing that currently in the game CCP does not provide a solid, middle tier option for combat based exploration. These ships appear to me to be intended for that role. That is why they do not step on the hacking based exploration specialty by having a high bonus to virus strength or cohesion. If they have the same +10 my Helios has, why would I use the Helios? This isn't about players but rather CCP filling out all the play styles with options and variants without invalidating previous work.

1) Of course players want exploration combat ships, not just hacking. Thus, these ships to give them what they want.
2) Of course players want to do all kinds of sites. CCP does not appear to want you to have 1 ship that does all of exploration. That's not dissimilar to, say, mining. You have mining ships and hauling ships, not one ship that does both.
3) These ships aren't only for exploration combat. They specialize in that. It would invalidate the significance of other ships if they did all jobs better. They aren't better than a tricked out T3 at beating combat sites as is either.
4) What is an "exploration" ship? You could just put exploration modules (scanner, hacker) on a Battleship and go. CCP signals to the players a ship is an "exploration" ship by putting hacking game bonuses on it.
5) Yes... if you want to do hacking as your primary focus, you'll only need the things I mentioned to excel.

The real complaints here should be about wormhole data and relic sites and gas sites - which have both rats and hacking. That's the bit that you'll still need a T3 for, the highest end of exploration.

It's not much of an assumption. They can't punch their way out of a wet paper bag. They're frigs for goodness sake.



That would be my guess too.

No really, the issue is that people assume CCP have assigned a fixed role and just posting it to the forum for a slugfest. They have asked for constructive ideas, not for people to assume that what they believe is what CCP Have decided.After 75 pages and over 1500 posts of struggling peoples patience is a little frazzled

What you say here is very sensible, understandably I don't agree with you on the hacking side as i see it as an equally important part. But you make some very good points.

+5 base, with +1 virus strength per level of Cov Ops skill

That would be a reasonable compromise perhaps.

Tying the virus strength to the covert ops skill would be an excellent idea please see post 1382

I agree; the point should be for these ships that they have a unique Sister-related mechanic, rather than just a different mix of standard mechanics. With the arguments going on concerning where they fit in the exploration world, better than frigs, worse than T3s and covops, though with different bonuses... That should not be the point. They should be unique, different than just a conglomeration of other race's specialties; or, at least, those features should not be the main aspect.