Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Hello everyone! Today I'm bringing you a set of tweaks to some T1 frigates and cruisers that we are planning to release in Rubicon 1.3. Nothing that revolutionizes the core roles of the ships, but hopefully these changes will go a small way to further increasing the number of good options when flying these accessible ships.

I'll give some blurbs for each set of ships, but one thing you'll see throughout these changes is a slight shift for the mass/speed pattern surrounding some Amarrian ships. We're trying something new with these ships and although the results are somewhat subtle and can be a bit hard for newer players to understand, we hope that it will be a pattern we can weave into the Amarrian lineup as a bit of a subtheme.
Basically it's taking ships that fit the heavy armor plated pattern of the Amarrian race and increasing their mass quite a bit, with significant buffs to speed and agility to compensate. The end result is ships that have similar align time as before, and similar speed with their prop mod on. The big advantage is that they will essentially feel less negative effects to their agility and speed from fitting plates. We'll see how people like it. Like I said it's a bit subtle but it should be a noticeable improvement if you know what to look for.
The important thing to remember with the mass additions to the Amarrian ships is that thanks to the counterbalancing adjustments to agility and base speed, the change will result in a slight buff for most normal usage.


Combat Frigs:
Couple of changes here. The Punisher is getting the new Amarrian high mass pattern, as well as some small buffs to cap recharge and fitting. The Kestrel will be getting a mobility buff. The Breacher is seeing its missile damage bonus changed into RoF (which means higher dps) and getting some more speed at the cost of agility. The Rifter is getting a very significant bonus change, swapping its old SPT tracking bonus (which was/is extremely common among minmatar frigates) for a 10% falloff bonus that will give it much improved projection with both autocannons and artillery.

PUNISHER:
+2 PWG
+3 CPU
-20s Cap Recharge Time
+25 m/s velocity
+143000 mass
-0.45 inertia
+1 sensor strength

KESTREL:
+5 m/s velocity
-50000 mass

RIFTER:
Removed +7.5% Small Projectile Turret tracking bonus
Added +10% Small Projectile Turret falloff bonus
+10 m/s velocity
+0.01 inertia

BREACHER:
Removed +5% missile damage bonus
Added -5% missile RoF bonus
+2 PWG
+10 m/s velocity
+0.02 inertia

Support Frigates:
Besides the Inquisitor getting the high mass high speed treatment, we're also making a few changes to this class as a whole. We're adding more base cap (but slowing down cap recharge rates to compensate) and adding more base speed to the whole class (with lower agility to compensate). Part of the original idea behind these ships was to make their downside a fairly low agility, to reward skilled piloting. These changes help push them farther in that direction.

INQUISITOR:
+50 Capacitor
+25s Cap Recharge Time
+95 m/s velocity
-0.05 inertia
+160000 mass

BANTAM:
+30 Capacitor
+15s Cap Recharge Time
+70 m/s velocity
+0.35 inertia

NAVITAS:
+35 Capacitor
+17.5s Cap Recharge Time
+80 m/s velocity
+0.35 inertia

BURST:
+30 Capacitor
+15s Cap Recharge Time
+80 m/s velocity
+0.35 inertia


Cruisers:
The Augoror, Maller and Omen are getting the Amarr increased mass increased speed treatment, and there are also several other minor tweaks here and there.

AUGOROR:
+25 m/s velocity
-0.12 inertia
+2140000 mass

OSPREY:
+10 m/s
+0.02 inertia
-130000 mass

MALLER:
+10 m/s velocity
-0.044 inertia
+1100000 mass

MOA:
+200 shields
-100 hull
+50 capacitor
+15s cap recharge time
-220000 mass

VEXOR:
-10 m/s velocity
+0.03 inertia
-210000 mass

OMEN:
+25 m/s velocity
-0.08 inertia
+1950000 mass

CARACAL:
+0.01 inertia

Thanks for reading, and we look forward to your feedback.

why do the amarr get the plate changes ? i always thought that the gallente were the closerange brawlers

Yum, those Moas look nice.

I think you'll find that the increase in dps will be significant enough to more than balance out the more common reloads.

Oh more speedy frigates!
and I'll mourn for the poor Vexor and Caracal...

How will the changes affect the Vexor? Will it be the opposite of what you are doing with amarr ships, thus making plates slow it down furthere?

What does "Cap Recharge Time" mean?

time to completely fill the capacitor. those numbers are very wrong, fyi.

The punisher needed a bit more grid. I'm glad to see it get it. I like the Rifter change. It will definitely need a web now- shield Rifter is dead. Shrug.

The DPS increase is tiny: 105.26% vs 105.00%

I don't think that 0.26% extra damage over time is going to swing any fights. What is relevent is that the Breacher will get it's extra volley in more often.