Player Features and Ideas Discussion

It has been discussed numerous times, and I thought consensus was found. Sentry drones are the problem. Hulls only emphasize it. If hulls are not viable (like battlecruisers, for example), they will still be pretty much useless with or without sentry drones. But when you put them on a viable hull (like HAC is this case, or a carrier) - it becomes really OP.

So, lets reconsider the sentries. They have serious advantages over other weapon systems:
- instant damage (no delay like missiles and normal drones);
- very good DPS;
- insane range and tracking;
- dont use cap or charges;
- dont explicitly use fitting slots and PG/CPU.
To counterweight, they have a ~huge~ disadvantage, lets say it aloud:
- drones can be destroyed.

That balance could work - in theory - but in practice it doesnt.
With full skills, your sentry drone sports up to 8k EHP. Ishtar can fit 3 packs, so it's total of 120k EHP in drones! Double as much as the Ishtar itself. And at 1/10th of it's price. Furthermore, it can resupply drones from cargo bay, from POS or station... So shooting drones one-by-one is a really stupid idea. Smartbombs dont work, their area of effect is too small.

The only real counter is stealth bombers. But
1) Many advocate that SBs are OP. True or not - but SBs are a counter for many formats, sentry or not.
2) You cannot have a luxury of support fleet in small to medium warfare.
3) If you field SBs, enemy Ishtars can field anti-bomber support (dictors mainly). You risk to welp the SB squad, Ishars risk to lose drones. Can you call it a fair tradeoff?
4) Lowsec.

Now, CCP Rise, could you answer if my speculations are valid, and if not - why?

i didn't say it can't be a good brawler, just that it would lose its greatest asset too be a second best droneship instead, so actually no its quite sensible comment.

This was a suggestion in another thread that I liked.

Make heavy drones 20m3 and 20 bandwidth
Reduce Ishtar and Vexor Navy Issue bandwidth to 100

This removes the ability of cruiser-sized drone boats to use 5 sentries, and also gives other boats with 100 bandwidth the ability to fly 5 heavies - like the Myrmidon which is IMO a good thing. There's no reason for a smaller more agile ship like the Vexor Navy Issue to have a larger bandwidth than a battlecruiser. Minmatar ships that have odd drone bandwidth like the Scythe (45) would be able to use an extra heavy drone, but I'm not convinced that would be such a bad thing. It seems everyone hates the sentries more than the heavies, so keeping 5 sentries a battlecruiser or larger thing might be a good idea.

If you want to make a brawler of it: give it the corresponding boni. Which means an armor res or armor repair bonus. Your proposed hybrid turret bonus is useless because it hasnt enough cpu and powergrid to support medium turrets. AND it would give boni to two different weapon systems (=nearly useless)

And all the battleships with 100 bandwidth.

http://evenews24.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/zbg9Bbn-1024x702.png

Sentry drones are so well balanced.

Uh, what fail-fits. (the armor ones, cannot tell about the shield-one).
Not even the most crucial thing installed: t2 cloak
do you only roam in big groups??

edit: AND you need skills at V to use most of these fits

You're a moron. Stawman useless arguments.

Guessing you're a troll and I'm just feeding you.

Why is it necessary to fit a cloak? Are you some kind of pussy?

Many have said it, and I'll say it as well: A set of 5 sentries, bonused or not, is battleship class firepower, and very good battleship class firepower at that. If any sub-battleship should be able to carry 5 sentries, it should be an attack battlecruiser, not a HAC. However, I understand that I make a rather dramatic proposal there, and it's unlikely to be implemented, so how about this: Give the Ishtar a 175m3 drone bay (and nerf the VNI down to 150 m3). You get one set of sentries, and a set of mediums or a couple sets of lights. That way, you have to make meaningful choices about what drones you should bring, rather than bringing all of them and swapping them out like ammo types. In addition, it will make sentry killing a potentially viable option, as that DPS cannot be immediately replaced.

this works really well too.


not sure that a 5% speed bonus would be sufficient however, so there's a small range of options that could be used

20% would make heavy drones nicely mobile and enable much better re-targeting capabilities.