Player Features and Ideas Discussion

I would like to discuss the mobility (or lack thereof) of our beloved, OP and long range automated sidekicks.

We've all been there, 70km off our sentries trying to figure if warping out and back would be faster than slowboating. We have also experienced the dreaded slight slowboat juuuust far enough to scoop four and leave one 0.5 km too far. Finally, we have all attempted to burn at our broskis in the heat of battle and managed to save three while dooming the last two to the wretched enemy cargoholds. In any case, should sentries receive some sort of mobility buff? I will list a couple ideas with their pros and cons, feel free to contribute your opinion.

In order of most extreme to subtle;

1. Move like heavy drones for positioning, in any direction or send to orbit "x", player or object
PROS
- Easy positioning, running away and scooping.
- Easier time keeping target at optimal.
CONS
- Tracking issues while moving.
- Probably too OP, especially since lots of people already find the hulls mainly using them to be needing nerfs.
- Would probably need to get their HPs nerfed hard to balance.

2. Able to move like heavy drones only if recalled and command can not be cancelled, stationary otherwise
PROS
- Easier to scoop at the end of a fight.
- Easier to swap in the middle of a fight instead of abandoning.
CONS
- Could possibly be abused by abandoning drones, otherwise ship is committed with no DPS until they are scooped or you warp out.
- The argument "I am an expert on game balance and they are balanced to be stationary in the first place".

3. Orbit owner's ship only
PROS
- Could be balanced by the lack of MWDs, meaning they become stationary if you pull too much range using your own.
- Makes slowboating and being able to scoop while aligned possible.
- Makes scooping stationary sentries easier simply by getting in the vicinity close enough.
CONS
- Another command needs to be added if you want them to be stationary right away.
- Difficult to "kite away" the DPS of enemy sentries.

4. Only slowboat back if scoop command is given less than "x" (5, 10, w/e...) kms away
PROS
- Easier to scoop sentries without affecting game balance much.
CONS
- ??? "Sentries never have and never will move because... Reasons" argument.

Here we go!

Nope. Not the worst idea, but like Iain Cariaba said, use heavies if you want your drones to have engines strapped to their asses. If you choose to use sentries, either stay with them and loose some maneuverability or burn away and maintain active maneuverability at the risk of loosing them if you need to bail/swap drones/etc. now rather than later.

Just use heavies? We don't want invincible sentry guns that sit +70km out and kills everything and then easily scooped to safety, way too overpowered.

No, hang around where you drop your drones, abandon them and go back later to pick them up or do not use sentries. Based on situation any or all of these represent the only options you need.

And yes OP I am a drones pilot and to be honest we do not need the additional hate this would bring about.

If this was for PvE only, I'd support it. The problem with the idea comes with PvP. It might work if sentries orbited around the player's ship but didn't fire as long as you were moving. But you'd need drawbacks like that to make the idea viable.




Heavies are slow and would consistently miss Godzilla.

No.

Sentries are already pretty powerful certain class of ships.

Ok, what makes them so powerful?

They don't need adjusted, just use heavies.

In fact, heavies do more damage than sentries and have better tracking at closer ranges. The only down side to using heavies vs. sentries is the travel time of heavies.

Just to **** everyone off.

30 second anchor time before Sentries can shoot. 30 second unanchor before they can move again.

This means that Sentries can't be scooped in a hurry if they start taking heat.

Of course you don't. People with bad ideas never see their ideas as bad.