Ships & Modules

I don't think any kind of hybrid changes would be enough to make people from Echelon Rising actually shoot at people.

But jesus, remove the tracking penalty from void already.

This. They removed the tracking penalty from a bunch of the other t2 short range ammo, why not the one on the weapon system everyone's dying to see buffed?

Maybe reduce range selection and add explosive dmg to some ammo. After all projectiles and railguns arent that different, they both fire slugs at high velocities. Turret signature resolution modifier perhaps, could be difficult to balance though.

Is CCP given any though of looking at T1 hybrid ammo?

it's CCP we're talking about

Here's a crazy thought. Imagine a game where the stats of Blasters and Autocannons were swapped. Minmatar had the high damage knife weapon. Gallente were fighting from falloff distance with large drone bays in support as well as heavy armour. Visual graphics, audio effects, and cap useage were swapped. Autocannons would be a "very primitive weapon system capable of high damage but only from close range" while Blasters would be spray and pray pew pew. I'm not suggesting we do this - but just imagine.

We would not be having any of this discussion about Blasters. Noone would doubt Minmatar's ability to actually get in range and apply that damage. We would not be discussing 'more tracking' or 'more damage' or more anything for that matter. Small, fast ships equipped with short range weapons and an inferior tank. Some Drones. Do I commit to go in or run? Versus slower, armoured ships with large drone bays and significant range. It would be - (gasp) - balanced.

Now this would appeal to a new person entering the game but not to older players who trained for a completely different experience. My point is this: If you have the shortest range weapon system in the game you should have the fastest ships. Period. End of story. Attach whatever caveats to that you'd like - such as less agility. Until the Gallente can actually go faster then FOTY Minmatar boosting blasters won't help.

Well, I don't need to imagine. There's already a faction cruiser that gives some insight on this subject (minus overwhelming damage). How this armour plated faction cruiser set-up interacts with other ships and setups in our current enviroment. Would suggest a increase in velocity and a slight increase in damage isn't enough.

This cruiser is able to do; 500 damage per second, cruising @ 1,735 meters a second and has 43,000 effective hit points. It's damage projection is limited to under 10,000 meters. It does all this with a 1600mm armor plate. Said cruiser has one advantage over most armor tanked ships and that's high mobility. (It's better able to avoid engagements (gate camp for pretty much).)

However, It's limited to engaging close range. So, even a armour tanked Omen Navy Issue by comparison. Would be better @ dealing with numbers, even though it has a velocity of around 1300 meters a second (1600mm armour plate). So, no destroying orbiting frigates @ range and most effective guerilla tactics are not viable. In fact, engaging multiple frigates with-in this cruisers optimal range wouldn't be very effective (even though this ship has insane tracking).

The ship has to commit to a engagement, which cancels it's mobility advantage (what does it matter if you can't increase survivability?). My target selection is marginal and all the benifits of running away means nothing. Now, that I have to commit to apply damage. Unless I can micro warp drive out of scram range, while being engaged by multiple ships (gank/blob/ecm). (Stabber Fleet Issue)!?


Also, there's already a setup for the Mrymidon that has large defense and high damage output; 800 damage per second, 60,000 effective hit points and cruising around @ 1355 meters a second. You'd think there would be more of these around wouldn't you? I've flown said setup with blasters and autocannons. The setup has been around since the changes to stasis webifier (2009) and It's suppior to the shield-Brutix in every way. Only a Hurricane has more mobility (not much difference). Although, this setup has higher velocity than most other shield battlecruiser setups. I've had trouble with shield-Harbingers running away long enough for my defense advantage to be worth nothing. Drakes that are, 300 meters a second slower, are able to do the same and even if they cant. Still not a one sided engagement (even having 300 damage per second advantage). I'm not able to deal with frigates using warp disruptors @ range, bar drones (which is slow and often destroyed). This setup has most of the advatages of a shield-Hurricane, with regards to getting the f0ck out.

However, all the velocity here and there amounts to nothing when you have to commit to a engagement. You have no options once commited, but you have high damage and large defense (never seems enough to me). Only one thing could help it's survivablity (damage projection) and something else that CCP would never do (1000 - 1500 damage per second Brutix and Myrmidons, with tank (lol)). Now! Range would increase it's survivabilty and it does with a autocannon setup. Even though you give up mobility, by fitting 2 tracking enhancers. Your target selection increases and the ships survivablity.

With that said! I know no-one, who flys Gallente and who are good. Who have issues catching ships (including myself). It's everything else that can go wrong quickly (ecm, neut, gank/blob) that's the issue and if that's the case. Then it has everything to do with close-range pvp. I can use many examples and you can figure this out on your own by using these ships and setups. Even Minmatar ships when focused for close range suffer in our current enviroment. Either way, with higher velocity or damage (Serpentis). Once I commit to a engagement all I can do is shoot and hope this is not a trap or he's alone (and I never play this game thinking a pilot is alone or this is not a trap). So, all I could hope for is that I destroy one ship, while losing my own...


Close range pvp makes alot more sense in pvp and not in pvppp, which is what you have to deal with currently.

the only change i would make to hybrid ammo is make caldari faction charges do more kinetik damage like 70% kin and gallente charges do more thermal damage.