These forums have been archived and are now read-only.

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

Ships & Modules

 
  • Topic is locked indefinitely.
 

Tractor Beams Obsolete?
Author
Previous Topic Next Topic
Bronson Hughes
The Knights of the Blessed Mother of Acceleration
#1 - 2014-05-22 20:47:30 UTC
For most purposes, I've stopped fitting tractor beams, even on tractor beam bonused ships. Mobile tractor units simply overpower them in terms of range, ease of use, and freeing up a high slot. The only exception I can see is frigate-class hulls and other ships with small cargo bays, but I don't think they fit tractor beams all that often often anyways.

Am I missing something? Are shipboard tractor beams really obsolete, or is there some use case in which they are superior to mobile tractor units?

Not trying to start a rant or suggest a change, just making sure my grasp on game mechanics for these modules is current.

Relatively Notorious By Association

My Many Misadventures

I predicted FAUXs
Ralph King-Griffin
New Eden Tech Support
#2 - 2014-05-22 20:53:29 UTC
No they're not, they're invaluable for marauders.
particularly if you are blitzing missions you can cherry pick the mission item/battleship loot and leave everything else.

Murderers of Negotiable Motivations

=]|[=
Kalkoken Inkunen
Doomheim
#3 - 2014-05-22 20:55:49 UTC
Bronson Hughes wrote:
For most purposes, I've stopped fitting tractor beams, even on tractor beam bonused ships. Mobile tractor units simply overpower them in terms of range, ease of use, and freeing up a high slot. The only exception I can see is frigate-class hulls and other ships with small cargo bays, but I don't think they fit tractor beams all that often often anyways.

Am I missing something? Are shipboard tractor beams really obsolete, or is there some use case in which they are superior to mobile tractor units?

Not trying to start a rant or suggest a change, just making sure my grasp on game mechanics for these modules is current.


Tractor beams have their purposes. Fitting them on a Noctis and putting one on a ship to pull in the mission item. Yes you could use a MTU for that but good luck trying to convince it to pull in the one you want first.
Bronson Hughes
The Knights of the Blessed Mother of Acceleration
#4 - 2014-05-22 20:58:45 UTC
Ahh. That's the MTU's weakness: target selection.

Thanks gents. Somehow I flt there was something I was missing and that was it.

Cheers!

Relatively Notorious By Association

My Many Misadventures

I predicted FAUXs
Aerie Evingod
Midwest Miners LLC
#5 - 2014-05-22 22:22:16 UTC
MTU is also only able to do one wreck at a time. Noctis gets a range and velocity bonus to tractor beams.
Paranoid Loyd
#6 - 2014-05-22 22:38:54 UTC  |  Edited by: Paranoid Loyd
Bronson Hughes wrote:
MTU's weakness: target selection.


Well that and they can pretty easily be blown up. Twisted

"There is only one authority in this game, and that my friend is violence. The supreme authority upon which all other authority is derived." ISD Max Trix

Fix the Prospect!
IIshira
School of Applied Knowledge
Caldari State
#7 - 2014-05-22 23:14:27 UTC
Paranoid Loyd wrote:
Bronson Hughes wrote:
MTU's weakness: target selection.


Well that and they can pretty easily be blown up. Twisted

So can a Noctis Twisted
Tengu Grib
Caldari Provisions
Caldari State
#8 - 2014-05-22 23:33:40 UTC
As mentioned the ability to cherry pick wrecks.

As also briefly mentioned, MTU's only handle one wreck at a time. A Noctis can run several and the tractor speed is much much faster. I noctis can clean up all the wrecks in a room very quickly, where as a single MTU will take quite some time to do the same amount of work.

I don't think rats will shoot MTU's though, so there's that.

Rabble Rabble Rabble

Praise James, Supreme Protector of High Sec.
Carniflex
StarHunt
Mordus Angels
#9 - 2014-05-23 08:55:49 UTC
IIshira wrote:
Paranoid Loyd wrote:
Bronson Hughes wrote:
MTU's weakness: target selection.


Well that and they can pretty easily be blown up. Twisted

So can a Noctis Twisted



But that gets CONCORD response. Unlike MTU. And as added bonus, if you have drones out on agressive, they will not flag you for limited engagement when someone shoots your MTU getting your multi billion isk pimped missionmobile blown up.

Here, sanity... niiiice sanity, come to daddy... okay, that's a good sanity... THWONK! GOT the bastard.
Elena Thiesant
The Scope
Gallente Federation
#10 - 2014-05-23 11:57:28 UTC
Carniflex wrote:
And as added bonus, if you have drones out on agressive, they will not flag you for limited engagement when someone shoots your MTU getting your multi billion isk pimped missionmobile blown up.


That was changed months ago. Drones now will not shoot someone who shoots an MTU.
Elmonky
Federal Navy Academy
Gallente Federation
#11 - 2014-05-23 15:10:58 UTC
MTU is scannable providing a fix warp in for anyone wanting to ruin your day.