These forums have been archived and are now read-only.

The new forums are live and can be found at https://forums.eveonline.com/

Player Features and Ideas Discussion

 
  • Topic is locked indefinitely.
 

Interceptor fleet are not fun at all

Author
Jurgen Strottenpotten
Love Squad
#81 - 2014-04-16 07:48:55 UTC  |  Edited by: Jurgen Strottenpotten
Luwc wrote:
- Find max 20man ceptor roam on Intel Channel
- No_ECM.jpg
- Fit pure tanky frig killer [cheap] i.e. Caracal, Stabber, Rupture, Thorax
- Welp into inty fleet. Kill two , loose one
- Isk and killwar won.
- Howtokillinties.jpg


You forgot to add, "also know how to fly them." Here's what happened to the last frig killer composition who didn't know how to fight. And of course, regarding whether the inty gangs don't take fights, they do. Sometimes those fights escalate. Seriously speaking, if you can field fleets like the cfc fleets above, but can't come out as a winner, you're doing something horribly wrong.
Sean Parisi
Blackrise Vanguard
#82 - 2014-04-16 08:02:29 UTC
Arazu. Curse. Lachesis. Maulus, Celestis, Rapier. These are the solutions to your issue. Oh yeah - armageddon
PUIU
Republic Military School
Minmatar Republic
#83 - 2014-04-16 09:01:59 UTC  |  Edited by: PUIU
Cardano Firesnake wrote:
They roam across all systems in total (near total) impunity they engage lone targets and run if something able to kill them arrive.

Are you actually crying that our 5 guys don't fight your 50-man defense fleet? Please note that when there are somewhat even odds, like the ones linked above, we grant you your fights. There's been plenty of fights between your response fleets and our inty gangs.

Cardano Firesnake wrote:
It is nearly impossible to protect your SOV against these fleets. It is as boring as afk cloakers to hunt.

Yes, next thing those 5-man gangs start to do is take your sov.

Cardano Firesnake wrote:
Where is the fun?

Ask any interceptor pilot and they can tell you. In a Goon fashion, I'd like to say that it's not our job to provide you fun, but to provide us fun.

Cardano Firesnake wrote:
I always thought that each type of fleet should have an appropriate response.

Pretty ironic coming from a goon.

Cardano Firesnake wrote:
But as for the AFK cloakers the only appropriate response is docking or moving away...

Did it ever cross your mind that maybe that's what we want? Please don't give us the pleasure of thinking that we achieved that.
Burneddi
Avanto
Hole Control
#84 - 2014-04-16 09:45:13 UTC
Have you Goonswarm bears ever been to Providence? I mean in a roaming gang, not in a blob doctrine. If you were, you might realise it's entirely possible to defeat roaming ceptor gangs.

They tend to have dozens-strong defense fleets with instalocking stuff on standby even if there's no one roaming their space. When someone does show up their ratters get alerted of it through intel channels or local intel, and generally stop dying to the gang, while their defence fleets corners the roamers into some pocket and camps them there. If you're in "uncatchable" ceptors they'll still chase you around, and if you catch anything they're going to show up and help them.

They rat in easier-to-catch stuff than just Vexor Navy Issues and Ishtars, too, yet don't turn to the forums to cry for nerfs when they do get killed. Truly they're a great example of how to maintain your space empire.


As for "uncatchable" ceptors being OP, they're not. They were nerfed once already to prevent the hulls from easily gaining 2sec align without implants/gimping their fit too much. Nowadays anyone flying one has taken enough steps to achieve it that they've definitely earned their beans.
Tchulen
Trumpets and Bookmarks
#85 - 2014-04-16 09:57:15 UTC
Cardano Firesnake wrote:
The idea of a scout able to pass though hostile barrages and tackle something seemed really cool.

But in fact we see now only fleets of inties.

They roam across all systems in total (near total) impunity they engage lone targets and run if something able to kill them arrive.

If the goal was to find a way to reduce farming, I think there was other options.

It is nearly impossible to protect your SOV against these fleets. It is as boring as afk cloakers to hunt.

In large enough quantities to threaten your sov, a few smart bombing battleships would kill a lot of them. In small enough numbers that smart bombing battleships aren't much use they won't be threatening sov. You're being sensationalist with that sov statement which undermines your entire argument.

They are annoying, I grant you, but there are counters to inties as has been explained elsewhere in this and most other anti-inti threads. We've fought inti gangs a lot. We have to reship into specific anti-inti fits in order to have a chance of catching them but once you can catch them they die so easily it's silly. It's the catching that's the trick. Usually we kill a few on each engagement then they run and reengage and we kill some more etc. Eventually they realise they're losing and leave. You've just got to play smart.

Cardano Firesnake wrote:
Where is the fun?

If the inti gang comes across people like you I guess the fun is entirely one sided as they do hit and run after hit and run and watch their targets whining on the forums about how CCP need to fix something that they can't think around even though most others have already figured out ways to combat the tactic. If they come across others, the fun can be on the other foot. Fun is what you make it. Claiming that something isn't fun for you specifically and so it needs to change indicates a lack of comprehension on your part, not necessarily an issue with the game itself.

Cardano Firesnake wrote:
I always thought that each type of fleet should have an appropriate response. But as for the AFK cloakers the only appropriate response is docking or moving away...

I don't see the point.

EDIT: Heavy dictors bubble should be able to catch nullified ships... Perharps with a special script.

Again, it seems the issue here is a lack of understanding on your part rather than an issue with the game. The situation you're discussing has very little to do with AFK cloaky campers in as much as there are definite tactics to fight interceptors whereas there are no game mechanics that allow you to fight cloaky campers. There really doesn't need to be any more counter to interceptors than there already is.
Tung Yoggi
University of Caille
#86 - 2014-04-16 09:59:22 UTC
lrn2rat
Burneddi
Avanto
Hole Control
#87 - 2014-04-16 10:35:11 UTC
Tchulen wrote:
In large enough quantities to threaten your sov, a few smart bombing battleships would kill a lot of them. In small enough numbers that smart bombing battleships aren't much use they won't be threatening sov. You're being sensationalist with that sov statement which undermines your entire argument.

His argument actually isn't "They're here to kill our ihubs", it's "This space has OUR name on it and these people are in here and we don't want them here, so they shouldn't be allowed to be here and we shouldn't have to go through all this effort to remove them", which is a common fallacy made by sov empires.
Tchulen
Trumpets and Bookmarks
#88 - 2014-04-16 10:42:28 UTC
Burneddi wrote:
Tchulen wrote:
In large enough quantities to threaten your sov, a few smart bombing battleships would kill a lot of them. In small enough numbers that smart bombing battleships aren't much use they won't be threatening sov. You're being sensationalist with that sov statement which undermines your entire argument.

His argument actually isn't "They're here to kill our ihubs", it's "This space has OUR name on it and these people are in here and we don't want them here, so they shouldn't be allowed to be here and we shouldn't have to go through all this effort to remove them", which is a common fallacy made by sov empires.


Lol I figured that was the case but was giving him the benefit of the doubt considering there were multiple potential interpretations for what he wrote.

You're quite correct. If he meant what you said he's talking out of his posterior. If you can't defend your space it's only your space in name.
Burneddi
Avanto
Hole Control
#89 - 2014-04-16 11:20:58 UTC
Diivil wrote:
A single 2.0s align time interceptor has no problems of killing stuff like Ishtar/VNI ratters which are popular enough that probably 30-40 die every day in Deklein.

Peaceful ratting realm attacked by interceptor.

Truly it's a travesty that people can't AFK rat in drone cruisers anymore and have to instead actually pay attention to the game. What has Eve become?

In all seriousness, solokilling ratters is nothing new. It existed well before ceptor buffs, people used to solo ratting battleships in Thrashers. Then rat AI changes made it more difficult to do in something like the Thrasher, and dropping 50 bubbles on ratting system gates made it nigh impossible to actually catch anything since having to burn out of the bubbles gave even the slowest of ratters plenty of time to alt-tab back to the game, notice there's someone in local and warp out.

If you don't want to be soloed by a ceptor, how about you rat in less crappy ships? An assault frigate will probably wreck any ceptor 1v1 and doesn't cost much to lose, and is also nimble enough to align and warp out before you get pointed, so maybe Mr. Risk-averse should try those. Alternatively you could fit some omnitank on your AFK droneboats instead of leaving a gaping resist hole and not get shrekt instantly. Or rat in sniping ships, be far away from the anomaly warp-in point and take a few pot shots at anyone landing in your anom before warping out.

There's so many ways not to die to roaming ceptor gangs, but instead of using them you're sitting here whining about how you can't beat them by camping gates and ratting in Afktars.
Cardano Firesnake
Fire Bullet Inc
#90 - 2014-04-16 11:25:06 UTC
Happy to see the subject have some echoes in minds.

I am sure that flying a fleet of interceptors is funny. The problem is that it is so easy that there is nothing else now.

It is true that as my favorite gameplay is hunting intruders in Goon SOV, the interceptor fleets are a problem to me more than for ather players.

It doesn't change the fact that it could be cool to have a response for this type of fleet.

I like the Idea of the Heavy Dictor script because the Dictor alone will not be able to catch the interceptors. But in a synergy with fast ships it will be interestening.

Posted - 2010.07.01 11:24:00 - [4] Erase learning skills, remap all SP. That's all.

Burneddi
Avanto
Hole Control
#91 - 2014-04-16 11:38:25 UTC
Cardano Firesnake wrote:
I am sure that flying a fleet of interceptors is funny. The problem is that it is so easy that there is nothing else now.

No, the problem is that every other way of roaming is so hard that there's nothing else now.

If not for ceptor nullification, roaming gangs would be nigh dead. You might see some nullified roaming T3 cruisers with depots and alternate fittings in their cargo so that they can refit according to whatever they need, but that's about it. Bubbles give the home team such a ridicilous advantage for their defence that any non-nullified roaming gang will inevitably end up getting blobbed and camped sooner or later, probably sooner.

This isn't just guesswork either, that actually happens practically 100% of the time you go roaming in non-nullified ships: just yesterday when roaming through Branch in Talwars we got blobbed by a bigger fleet than us flying a hard counter who then proceeded to camp us into a pocket. Thankfully a gang of neutral wormholers happened to pass by and helped us out.

Ceptors can be nerfed as soon as other forms of roaming are buffed, or home defense blobs are nerfed.
Tchulen
Trumpets and Bookmarks
#92 - 2014-04-16 11:43:23 UTC
Cardano Firesnake wrote:
The problem is that it is so easy that there is nothing else now.

If this is true in your space it's because you've never actually countered any of the interceptor fleets who cause you and your corp/alliance/coalition trouble. Trust me, you start bloodying their noses and they'll try other ships but whilst they feel like they're invincible in interceptor fleets they'll simply keep using interceptor fleets.

Cardano Firesnake wrote:
It is true that as my favorite gameplay is hunting intruders in Goon SOV, the interceptor fleets are a problem to me more than for ather players.
Well, it seems that most of the complaints I read about interceptors come from Goons. I guess they're a problem for Goons more than anyone else. I wouldn't like to state the reason for that but one theory is that Goons aren't all that good at thinking of ways around problems having become accustomed to CCP changing game mechanics when they whine loudly enough.

Cardano Firesnake wrote:
It doesn't change the fact that it could be cool to have a response for this type of fleet.
It also doesn't change the fact that there are already counters to it in the game which you and your compatriots seem incapable of using.

Cardano Firesnake wrote:
I like the Idea of the Heavy Dictor script because the Dictor alone will not be able to catch the interceptors. But in a synergy with fast ships it will be interestening.
I like the fact that interceptors can, you know, intercept. I like the fact that they're a great counter to large numbers of mindless drone-like people. I like the fact that you've actually got to work at catching them. I like the fact that they allow for excellent scouting specifically because they're hard to catch. Whilst I don't have a problem with the Goons, I do love the fact that it's them that seem to have a problem with it, or more accurately their ratting carebears Blink
Tchulen
Trumpets and Bookmarks
#93 - 2014-04-16 11:48:18 UTC
Burneddi wrote:
Cardano Firesnake wrote:
I am sure that flying a fleet of interceptors is funny. The problem is that it is so easy that there is nothing else now.

No, the problem is that every other way of roaming is so hard that there's nothing else now.

If not for ceptor nullification, roaming gangs would be nigh dead. You might see some nullified roaming T3 cruisers with depots and alternate fittings in their cargo so that they can refit according to whatever they need, but that's about it. Bubbles give the home team such a ridicilous advantage for their defence that any non-nullified roaming gang will inevitably end up getting blobbed and camped sooner or later, probably sooner.

This isn't just guesswork either, that actually happens practically 100% of the time you go roaming in non-nullified ships: just yesterday when roaming through Branch in Talwars we got blobbed by a bigger fleet than us flying a hard counter who then proceeded to camp us into a pocket. Thankfully a gang of neutral wormholers happened to pass by and helped us out.

Ceptors can be nerfed as soon as other forms of roaming are buffed, or home defense blobs are nerfed.

That's a real shame. It must suck to be where you are. We regularly see fleets of lots of different ships. Interceptor fleets are not massively common but then that's probably because they get butchered and/or driven off when they come round our way Lol

We very rarely ever go out in interceptor fleets either. We get loads of fun fleets in without the need to only use interceptors. I guess it all depends on your FCs and roaming areas.

BTW - corebloodbrothers for CSM for all those that want a more vibrant and fun nullsec and an even hand where high sec is concerned.
Tung Yoggi
University of Caille
#94 - 2014-04-16 11:49:49 UTC
Cardano Firesnake wrote:
Happy to see the subject have some echoes in minds.

I am sure that flying a fleet of interceptors is funny. The problem is that it is so easy that there is nothing else now.


You forgot to say "in Deklein". And this wouldn't even be true.

Cardano Firesnake wrote:
It is true that as my favorite gameplay is hunting intruders in Goon SOV, the interceptor fleets are a problem to me more than for ather players.


Please try to adapt before rushing to forums, advocating for your own niche gameplay, for a change that will affect the whole game. This seems incredibly narrow-minded to me, I'm sorry.

Cardano Firesnake wrote:
It doesn't change the fact that it could be cool to have a response for this type of fleet.


There are tons of possible responses, what do you really want ? Some way to reliably kill interceptors most of the time, like a instalock setup ? Seems to me that the issue is not ceptors fleets, but <2sec align time ceptors you can hardly catch at gates.

Inty fleets are an issue to ratters, if you encounter them often in Deklein, it's because the systems are packed with ratters, some of them priding on being afk while ratting. If suddenly people start to have interceptors counters in their hangars, and pay attention to local channels, what would happen ? It's highly possible that players will think twice before gimping their capabilities by flying 90 DPS, 4k ehp ships.


Rivr Luzade
Coreli Corporation
Pandemic Legion
#95 - 2014-04-16 11:50:35 UTC
Cardano Firesnake wrote:
Happy to see the subject have some echoes in minds.

I am sure that flying a fleet of interceptors is funny. The problem is that it is so easy that there is nothing else now.

It is true that as my favorite gameplay is hunting intruders in Goon SOV, the interceptor fleets are a problem to me more than for ather players.

It doesn't change the fact that it could be cool to have a response for this type of fleet.

I like the Idea of the Heavy Dictor script because the Dictor alone will not be able to catch the interceptors. But in a synergy with fast ships it will be interestening.


I am not sure where you live, but in Syndicate there are still lots of other options flying around, ranging from Assault Frigate fleets, to T1/2 Cruiser fleets and even the occasional BS fleet or solo PVPer. If those options don't drop by in your space, then you should maybe have a look at your responses and attitude towards these fleet setups. Or are you going to ignore what Burneddi just said? Blink

Ceptors have enough counters, they don't need more. What is needed, however, is a reduction in complacency and feeling entitled to a different treatment in the game.

UI Improvement Collective

My ridicule, heavy criticism and general pale outlook about your or CCP's ideas is nothing but an encouragement to prove me wrong. Give it a try.

Burneddi
Avanto
Hole Control
#96 - 2014-04-16 11:59:50 UTC  |  Edited by: Burneddi
Tchulen wrote:
That's a real shame. It must suck to be where you are.

Well, it does depend on where you go, sure. Residents in some areas are less anal about people being in "their space" and don't tend to blob them 100:1, but people who like having peaceful ratting realms usually also like blobbing any intruders.

Don't get me wrong, I don't really mind it at all. Active defense of your space is great. However, the way bubbles work makes small gang roaming really difficult when you're going to be fighting outnumbered. When every system has guaranteed easy chokepoints at gates, and you have easy ways of camping those with bubbles, the odds are quite heavily stacked in the defender's favour and performing "hit-and-run" operations becomes quite tricky.

Interceptor gangs weren't born from ceptors being overpowered, they were born out of necessity. There is no other good counter for home defense blobs bubble camping you in. As I said before, I don't hate bubbles, and on medium to large fleet scale they're a great mechanic, but against individuals and small gangs they're very unfair, and thus roaming ceptors fill a very necessary niche.
Diivil
Magellanic Itg
Goonswarm Federation
#97 - 2014-04-16 12:44:02 UTC
So many people have said how Provi block easily deals with these 2.0s interceptors so I checked on that. Turns out they don't. What a surprise.

Out of the last 350 interceptor kills in Providence there were only a bare handful of 2.0s interceptor losses and around half of those were stuff like Stilettos so clearly Providence is very different when compared to Deklein in this regard.

Oh and how many smartbombing kills were there in Providence within those 350 kills? Almost none at all. it makes sense because that tactic is not an effective one since they can be passed so easily with bookmark packs and because 2.0s interceptors are not flown in Providence then why even try?

This is the reason why I so rarely post on this forum or any other Eve related forum except gf.com of course. Most people either straight out lie or don't know what they are talking about or are unwilling to do basic research to find out if they are right. All of this can clearly be seen in this very thread.


Many of you are also still arguing how active defending of your space against roaming gangs should not be able to actually defend your space. This is totally bizarre to me. I hold sov in this region. My fellow goons live in this region. Am I truly not "allowed" to stop roaming gangs that come to my sov space?


And ratters died by the thousands before these interceptors came along. Deklein and whatever region Test happened hold at the time were farmed day and night by anything from Thrashers to stealth bombers to whatever else. I had absolutely no problems with that. All of those can be combated with active defending of your space and they chose not to do that at the time. This is not the case with 2.0s interceptors as they can only be caught if they make a mistake. Your own skill doesn't matter when fighting these because they have 100% control of every single engagement. It blows my mind how many of you just don't realise what being in control of engagements actually means in game. You can't counter 2.0s interceptor with stuff like Cruisers, AFs, insta locking camps because the interceptors can choose to engage or not. If you look even remotely threatening they can simply ignore you and there is not a single damn thing you can do about it. That is the problem with these gangs.

I do agree that bubbles on gate as a passive defense is annoying and that's why I also, like many others in this thread, suggested that an active counter to nullification. Be it a special DIC/HIC bubble or a time limited mobile structure. Active defending of your space should be able to deal with roaming gangs.
Rivr Luzade
Coreli Corporation
Pandemic Legion
#98 - 2014-04-16 13:03:30 UTC
Ceptors can be combated with actively defending of your space.

UI Improvement Collective

My ridicule, heavy criticism and general pale outlook about your or CCP's ideas is nothing but an encouragement to prove me wrong. Give it a try.

Tchulen
Trumpets and Bookmarks
#99 - 2014-04-16 13:06:37 UTC
Diivil wrote:
So many people have said how Provi block easily deals with these 2.0s interceptors so I checked on that. Turns out they don't. What a surprise.


You obviously can't read. I didn't say anything of the sort. I said that we didn't have a problem with interceptor gangs. I certainly didn't state that we kill <2.0s interceptors with ease nor did I say we slaughter >2.0s interceptor gangs. What I did say is we kill interceptor gangs that come to Provi and we do. In each engagement with each fleet we kill a few at most but we persist in engaging and chasing them which, in the long run, makes it less fun for them so they don't keep doing it.

Diivil wrote:
Many of you are also still arguing how active defending of your space against roaming gangs should not be able to actually defend your space. This is totally bizarre to me. I hold sov in this region. My fellow goons live in this region. Am I truly not "allowed" to stop roaming gangs that come to my sov space?
lol, what? That only just about makes sense. In answer to your last question, only if you can. If you can't then no. Just because you have sov it doesn't mean you actually control the space unless you control it. As many have said, this isn't as much of a problem as you and other goons seem to be making out it is but hell, whining to CCP to change things because you can't use skill and tactics like others do has served you well in the past so go right on whining. You never know, CCP might listen to you this time as well. Lol


Jaric Taron
The Khaleph
#100 - 2014-04-16 14:56:25 UTC
In lieu of the problems some sov-holding entities seem to be having with small marauding gangs of 60-dps interceptors and afk cloakers, i propose the following changes.

Remove cov-op cloaks - the ability to warp cloaked is way too overpowered.

Remove nullification, including the T3 Sub-systems - I personally just can't seem to catch things immune to bubbles. That means that the mechanic it is broken.

I also propose that the ability to make bookmarks on the same grid as a gate should be removed, and please remove subcap safe log off in space while we're at it. The fact that subcaps disappear from space when logged off means i can't probe them down.

Also, no ship flown by a pilot in a non-sov alliance should be able to choose when, where, what and how to fight in SOV-Nullsec.

Actually, I don't think any ship should be able to initiate warp when on grid with a SOV holding alliance member while flying in their SOV, regardless if pointed or not. It's simply too unbalanced in favor of small roaming gangs and solo pvp pilots.

TCUs should also act as a system cynojammer, including covert cyno.

If we can't have any of these changes, can we at least get some CONCORD equivalent to SOV-Nullsec, the cost of maintaining this NPC police could be added to the SOV bill?

The lower the system security status, the faster the NPC police respond.

If we could get this into the winter expansion, it'd be great!

Also nerf all the things plz
k, thx




Anyway!

As already stated by several people in this thread, there are counters, even to 2 second interceptors.
Just because your camps can't lock them on gates, doesn't mean there aren't ways to catch or kill them within a system.