EVE New Citizens Q&A

So, I know that missile damage is based on many factors, two of which are the speed of your target and their sig radius.

When shooting smaller ships (like frigates) through medium ships (destroyers, cruisers), is it better to move slower, allowing the ship to keep pace with you and move slower, or is it better to move faster, forcing them to use their MWD and bloom their sig out?

Which would be the better way to apply the damage from Heavy Assault Missiles? Is there an easy way to figure this out on my own? I see that there's a missile damage application algorithm that I can find on Google, but... it seems kinda complex, and I'm not sure if my math skills are up to snuff. My math is only trained to II, I think >_>

Thanks in advance!

Editing to add that I'm asking about PvE. I know that there are a lot more things to take into account for PvP (and in general), but I was just curious about it in PvE since you can predict and force when rats will use their MWD.

http://go-dl1.eve-files.com/media/corp/knof/eve_missiles.swf

I just linked that a day or two ago in another post. It has sliders that help you determine damage reduction from the various factors. You will still have to do math but it simplifies it for you.

Note that in Eve there are no simple answers like in some other games. I remember when I used to play WoW and you could go to eliteistjerks.com and find out exactly the best gear or best rotation etc.... Nothing like that exists for Eve. It's not because no one is smart enough to figure it out but because there are too many factor that play into stuff to Ever say X is better than Y.

Eve is more of a rock, paper scissors game in some ways. Also piloting style figures a lot more into this game than other games that I've played. Not to mention that sometimes you can win by doing the exact "wrong" thing just because no one would expect you to do so.

I am aware that you are just looking for a simple answer. This game just does not work that way. Also keep in mind that pilots are aware that their MWD is going to blow up their sig radius and greatly increase incoming damage and you can not typically force a pilot to do anything. You can try to trick him into doing something and sometimes it will work but sometimes he'll know your hand before you play it.

I'm just coming off of a 15 hour day at work so take this advice with a grain of salt. A rested and caffeinated version of me might have better advice.

What you really want to look at to answer this question is the microwarpdrive module attributes.

A T2 50mn MWD gets 510% velocity bonus (before skills) and a 500% sig radius penalty (not affected by skills). So theoretically, even without any skills, you can mitigate a slight amount of damage when going max speed with a MWD active. With skills this improves and you will mitigate a bit more.

In practice, it depends. You can land a very good hit on a target right after they activate their MWD but before they have time to build up speed for example....or if they have to make sharp turns which will slow them down without affecting their sig.

Another interesting case (and probably the most practical to think about and use) is when the target is webbed or painted. If you look at the missile damage formula here you will see it is split into three parts, with the minimum part chosen to modify the damage.

****At this point I started typing out a very long explanation, but then I changed my mind and made you this flowchart to help you understand the math:

EVE Missile Damage Application


If some other vet could check over it that would be cool. It's late and I'm tired...

Yes - webs work on rats. It will definitely increase your application. Generally webs are a better choice than TP if you don't mind being close enough to use them, because they naturally provide a bigger bonus.

Sorry making the flowchart took so long I didn't see your edit so I had it geared toward PVP. I'm not sure the rats follow exactly the same mechanics as player ships, as far as their sig bloom etc, but using a web or TP will definitely improve your damage application.

Psssst...guys, use caldari navy hams for smaller targets, their aplication is considerably better than T1 or T2