Warfare & Tactics

Fozzie was on Declarations of War podcast episode 58. Here is a transcript from 8m45s regarding links in the context of Odyssey 1.1 and beyond. Did people miss this? Don't care? Resigned to links going on grid? Happy about links going on grid?

Fozzie: This is not the last change we'll be making to gang links. What you’re seeing is very similar to what we did with tech, a change in preparation for a bigger change.

AK: Are you at liberty to say in what direction that change will be? Or is it something that affects links tangentially?

Fozzie: You're gonna need to have them on grid. So that's a very non-tangential change.

… (some rubbish from the presenters )

Fozzie: The changes we made to the strength of links are quite light in [Odyssey] 1.1 and in a lot of ways there’s actually significant buffs. The reduction in price of the mindlink is huge, … the ability to fit them much more easily (we’ve cut their powergrid in half) and all of that combines to mean that you’re going to get more bonuses from the same number of ships than you were before.

Fozzie: The biggest nerf we made was not to the module itself – it was the fact that you can no longer use it inside a POS forcefield. And that’s one of the big first steps we’re making toward getting all of these ships that are providing an effect on the battle into some kind of danger.

AK: When they come on the field are you considering making further changes to the ships themselves to provide more mobility options for command ships?

Fozzie: We’re gonna be making a lot of changes as we go with them. I’m pretty happy with the mobility of command ships. It would be nice someday to add a smaller ship that is capable of providing links than the ones we have. At the moment the strategic cruiser is the most agile ship you can possibly bring links with. Having something smaller you can bring with a faster fleet would be nice. But I don’t think we’re going to be making command ships themselves any more agile.

AK: A new destroyer would be interesting, a tech 2 destroyer that could fit some kind of command thing would be interesting.

Fozzie: I’m definitely not able to promise anything but that’s the kind of thing that could very well happen someday.

-break

And here is a relevant thread that proposed such destroyers a little while ago that you may like to support (or otherwise):

https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&find=unread&t=284733

It wouldn't surprise me. There is already alot less OGB shenanigans goin on in FW.

I use links because when attacking targets with links it's silly not too especially in entrenched home systems. When they go on grid I'll be a happy man.

However.... Plexes will heat up heavily if dessies get a command module. You get in the plex first you are pretty much guarenteed to have boosts safe and untouchable while attackers are going to have to protect theirs on a hostile warp in.

I hope the modules have a range instead of just being 'on grid'. Dessies being proportionally smaller ranged with their boosts than BC/T3 boosters.

To paraphrase CCP Helmar...

This is one of those times that we are going to look more at what CCP does than at what they say.

Ehh

Did you post in the wrong thread, Killz

The movement to links going on grid will affect small gang/ solo pvp both negatively and positively. The idea of kestrels with links killing all kinds of frigates is of course aggregating. However when you are soloing in cruisers or higher you seldom get a "1v1 fair and honorable" fight. It's links that allows solo cruisers to close the gap of advantages between them and the larger group they are almost always forced to fight.

Regardless if links move on grid or not I will continue to play the solo cruiser game. I just think moving them on grid will affect this game style the most negatively and will be interesting to see how it turns out if and when it does happen. Might have to go back to some kind of nano bc with a link right on the ship.

Some will say that if you're linked then you're not solo anymore.
Might as well get a wing of fighter drone from a nearby carrier, though this will be more obvious to your opponent.

I like the idea of range limited link, fit the risk vs reward spirit of the game.