Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Reduce the size of heavy attack drones from the current 25m3 to 15m3 or 20m3, such that they offer more of an incentive to utilize over sentry drones. Bandwidth would remain at 25mbit per heavy drone.

makes sense

While I think this is a good idea lets be honest, heavy drones will still be slow, apply damage poorly compared to sentries, and subject to close ranged and proximity weapons (screening ships/drones and smart bombs). If the object is to make heavies a comparable weapon they need to be able to out perform sentries in some category. Either by being harder hitting, more flexible, or have much more durability.

I would proposed that rather than trying to fit heavies into the space between mediums and sentries CCP should look at fitting heavies into the space between sentries and fighters. Make them use more space, more bandwidth, make them harder hitting, and give them a balance of orbit range and tank that makes them less vulnerable to proximity weapons. That way a domi/geddon/rattler pilot could have the option of deploying sentries and then camping a spot or deploying heavies for an on the run engagement.

And yes I know fighters are broke but that's a debate for another thread.

Supported. This would let them serve in their niche as close-range brawlers. The lower size also means more replacements can be stored in the drone bay, so the risk of loss due to their slow speed is mitigated somewhat. Still won't see use in missions, but adds some interesting options to PvP drone boats.

Fixed that for you. Note that I agree with you, but the difference between pve and pvp uses for them does matter.

They have two uses in missions.

1. They make a small pretty explosion
2. If you are within paint scraping range of another ship they might not die getting to it.

Drones need worked over, and one thing I would like to see is Heavies reduced to 20 bw and m3, with their base speed increased significantly. This would let the few 100 mb ships put out a full flight of heavies, or a short stack of sentries with room for a flight of lights for frigate suppression.

Except that a change like this would also trigger a review and re-balance of all those ships, making this a somewhat pointless objective. If they wanted those ships to field a full flight of Heavies they would have given them 125mb of Bandwidth.

If we're really going to operate under the belief that Heavy Drones are inferior to Sentry Drones in the same way that Light Drones are inferior to Medium Drones, then I suppose I'll agree to support a modest size reduction.

Heavy drones these days really are in need of major improvement, I agree ships like the stratios should be able to field a full flight, even though not capable of fielding 5 sentries, mediums, are about as slow as can be tolerated, and you still need to actively manage them, however they are starting to benefit from the increased hit points being offered by the new ships,
heavies since the drone aggression alterations in PVE are so much a second choice to sentries it is absurd.

So the idea to place them between mediums and sentries, with bandwidth a reasonable incentive , makes a lot of sense but they need to have the ability to get to the target and survive, and not just at very short range.

If they were placed between mediums and sentries regarding damage, with good survivability, and significantly improved speed, good for say up to 50km then they might have a role again.
Theres a hell of a gap between mediums and sentries, and heavies are currently not filling it.

Edit: As i have reread my post , I actually realise that I think heavies should be dropped altogether and replaced with high damage variants of mediums. it would be a far better solution. So medium combat and assault drones.

The heavy drone skill can be renamed to assault drone skill and carried over unchanged.

True, but if you are going to give a heavy all the stats of a medium but with increased damage ability, it makes more sense to make it a new version of the medium combat drone. Much less work for CCP. and the heavy drone can be consigned to history.

I would suggest that the power should be a little less than 4/5 of the power of the applicable sentry drone, to ensure its overall damage when fielding 5, is not more than using sentries, on a ship that can only carry 4 sentries.