Player Features and Ideas Discussion

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-some nonsense-Again, for the zillionth time, I'm not saying that HML couldn't use a small dps boost, but it would have to come at the cost of losing some range. As they are their dps is inline with he ranges they can achieve.

For the sake of argument, repeat those "tests" but now with rigor/flare rigs.

So I've thought a lot about heavy missiles, currently they are really bad and Difficult to use, RLML or Light Missiles are often used instead of them because Heavy Missiles have incredibly bad application and very low DPS (Compared to other medium LR Turrets), Boosting the statistics of Heavy Missiles won't really do much good though because otherwise they threaten to step on Heavy Assault and Cruise Missiles (Esp because of the new RHML lauchers) and the more I thought about it the more I think that with the current set of parameters balancing Heavy Missiles and making them have actual good interesting game-play attached to them is incredibly difficult. When HMLs were everywhere, they were a very dumb low interaction module that had average DPS and good application with very good range, but since there is no tracking/cap use/different optimal/DPS ranges, they were basically 'Press Button' in terms of the thought of use associated with them. And I understand why CCP made them weaker.

I propose to add the following mechanic to Heavy Missiles;
Heavy Missiles gain %bonus damage+Application based on the time they have spent in the air, the longer the flight time, the more powerful Heavy Missiles become.

I think this would be interesting because it allows you to balance heavy missiles with heavy assault missiles better. (HMLs could have equal or even higher potential damage, although this damage would obviously not manifest in the range where HAMs operate, retaining HAMs as the go-to missile system for brawling, where as HMLs could do equilvilant LR Turret DPS at range, if the missiles spend sufficient time in the air, this would make missiles vs LR Turrets interesting too, HMLs don't sacrifice as much fittings/no cap use/tracking is of a 'lesser' concern, but Heavy Missiles are obviously a delayed weapon where as Turrets are instant, so it could create an interesting dynamic where HMLs have better fittings for damage, but suffer from delayed damage.

This also makes Heavy Missiles an interesting weapon to use, and to fight against, getting on top of a Heavy Missile user will reduce his DPS output, which creates interesting decision making in a fight vs a HML user, it could also be interesting for the HML user to swap to different targets based on their range so that he can do higher potential damage to them. There is also high risk for the highest damage, as shooting someone at the edge of your missile range risks your opponent moving away and evading all the damage all together.

This would also make Missile Flight Time Rigs interesting!

stuff

Well graphed in pyfa the caracal from the earlier example shooting the slasher jumps from 22.5dps to 30.4.

This is with 2 flares and 1 rigor, no drugs or TPs factored. So not even 30% more dps for what is 45% better application through modifiers.

Shooting the stabber base dps 69, plus 2x flare 1 rigor it jumps to 92.2. 33% more dps applied. Again this is 45% more application resulting in 33% more dps. Adding in 2x painters and strong crash you hit 175.5 dps or 38% damage mitigated through the stabber having a 10mn AB II. By comparison the caracal has 718m/s with an AB so you'd want a fairly healthy head start (and probably HG snakes) to keep ahead.

There's lots and lots of variables but the guarantees work out generally to that missiles will apply greatly reduced dps to any target moving over 12% faster than your missile explosion velocity. For reference of the curious, after this break point your dps applied drops faster and faster until it bottoms out at nearly nothing. I think stoicfaux generated a 3d graph of this for the inital RLML remake which showed how missiles function across a broad spectrum of sig and velocities. I might go dig those up.

A lot of problems for missile boats would just evaporate if they had something like Tracking Computers and Tracking enhancers.

Target painters work on the target but only up to a certain range while tracking comps not only potentially increase your optimal range but also work on all ranges, no matter how far your target is away.

Also, just so I understand this right, because usually I don't fly gun boats, how many rig slots does the avaerage Cruiser or BC gunboat have to dedicate for gun rigs to apply viable damage in PVP?

Exactly. There are definitely some edge cases where theorycraft puts HML as the weapon of choice, in reality those situations are either so unlikey, so rare or it will be so fleeting that actually using them is a mistake. There are odd exceptions but that is my general experience, things like the orthrus cope better because the combination of speed and tackle range buys it more time/room to maneover.

They don't need much help, but they need help. The performance is too poor shooting same sized targets to warrant their use for me personally. Even if RLML didn't exist, I'd still use a different weapon if I had any say in it, they just can't keep up with other medium guns (or sentries at HAC level) at any reasonable engagement.