Player Features and Ideas Discussion

In response to the OP, there are a lot of potential roles available for new ships in EVE. The unfortunate part, is that current selection has to be balanced to make them more suitable to a specific role; and this requires making it so any attempt to change that role, is going to require wasting fittings and gimping it for serving that role.

The higher up the chain you go with any ship class in EVE; the harder it should be for them to do anything but fit a distinctive role. Maybe this requires penalizing certain fittings when applied to ships to bring about real balance; done by creating a list of inappropriate fittings for a specific ship, and applying a broad spectrum penalty to the use of those fittings. It might help a lot; but I'd like to see it be easier than that.

First and foremost, all ships need to be brought up imo. The reason for this, is because earlier access ships suffer greatly for their inability, and couldn't possibly be nerfed any more than they already are, without being permanently retired to the scrapyard by the vast majority of the playerbase. Many are already useless; how do you make them more useless, to justify nerfing something that is supposed to be mor powerful, down to their level. It's absurd.

Also, cheap ships are cheap, and fittings of almost any kind are not. Many not so good meta items cost more than 10 times as much as good Tech 2 items which are meta 5. That boils down to skill availability, rather than to effectiveness as it should. Much of the reason for this, is that these items are not manufactured by the playerbase. That's the first problem.

I'm almost of the opinion at this moment, (maybe even fully for the moment), that any Meta 5 and over module or ship, should require the ability to use Tech 2 Meta 5.

So we have rediculously cost effective hulls, and Fittings which-even at a T1 level-add up to more than the value of that hull. Unless you fit the underpowered T1; why would you fly it. Most don't, and move up the ladder; with exception to somewhat exceptional T1 Hulls.

To provide for ships fitting their roles well, we have to reconsider the base design, (please try to remember, this is only my opinion); and adjust it to fit the role we imagine for it, and consider it best suited for as befits the intent of the manufacturer.

First step:

Frigates should be fast and agile. They are? Well, actually, they only seem to be; they should be faster. Why?

They need to have the ability to control range and quickly move through a fleet. All hulls should have the ability to fill their role without a propulsion mod; and do it much better with one, as befits their nature.

For us, Frigates are fighters. Fast and agile, and capable of approaching the enemy swiftly; engaging their frontline forces without hesitation, while easily avoiding the ones behind.

Destroyer are small of course, and much like frigates in some regard, but should be slower, while retaining only marginally less agility. These are the troops which wade in after the Frigates, and lay waste to the remaining opposition, or tackle their heavier hitters like themselves to protect the retreat of those fighters.

Cruisers are and advancement on both these classes; moving up the foodchain, and providing heavier hitting, more sustainable DPS. They should be able to move in quickly to engage not only the frontline Frigates and Destroyers, but the ones behind.

BattleCruisers follow, providing leadership and directing the fight at this level; slow, and more ponderous than the Curisers, but capable of sustaining much more DPS, and dealing out death and destruction to any who get close enough. These are the death dealers; capable of engaging even battleships when needed.

Battleships are of course, the final warriors in this dance of death and destruction; bringing up the rear, they can project force across even the frontlines, and strike into the heart of the enemies ranks. Bringing down Battle Cruisers and other Battleships like themselves; and falling in turn, as the tide of war turns down.

Others may be intended for the sole purpose of hunting enemies within their ranks; warriors who get through their front ranks and rush into their midst. These will be the ones that crush smaller ships more easily than their brethren, but at much closer ranges; unable to strike out into the heart of battle, they find themselves hunting only for tasty morsels brave enough and unwary.

Tech 2 variants are of course, intended to fill more specialized roles and positions; maybe not always in the front lines of major battles, but often in the precursors or aftermaths. Sometimes solo, or running in small gangs; they can perform special operations, logistics, or provide a much needed flanking maneuver to turn the tide of a larger battle.

/end diatribe.

tl;dr: There is no tl;dr.

edit: Battle ships need the biggest buff. Currently they are barely adequate in their role, and that is just the T1s. Their should also maybe be more ships in this class; but I'll leave that for another time. Point is, if the rest are brought up to make them more practical and better suited to fill their individual roles; Battleships will be easily outclassed by more than just Battle Cruisers.

I think this idea needs a lot of rethinking. I'd argue it at this time, but don't really feel like it; that doesn't mean I don't think some semblance of it has value.

Light Carrier:
Can fly a wing of Fighters, while being able to fit a battery of Medium Guns. They'd be based off of the current Blackops hull. Require Command Ships and a relevant warfare link

Line Battleship:
Think a Rokh, Maelstorm, etc. as a dedicated fleet combatant. They're meaty, they're slow as hell, and they bring a LOT of firepower to the table. Require HAC IV as their "Entry skill." They mount six Big Guns.