Ships & Modules

If you think the Drake was some hidden gem out there in a world of ignorance waiting to be dusted off, you're quite delusional.

The Drake wasn't used in the oldschool Sniping paradigm because it was too short-ranged and not fast enough to make up for that. The Drake wasn't used in the oldschool Nano paradigm because it simply wasn't fast enough, despite having the advantage of the missile system which was extremely powerful in that setting (rfr. nano-era Crow, proto-Sacrilege etc). In the RRBS paradigm it couldn't tank DD's or break the chain (moderate-reliable damage didn't have the same appeal as in later gank-buffer-logi).

A number of changes popularized it, from the nano-nerf (making it quite sufficient as fire-support in the early post-nano kiting era) to the probing-buff (that changed the sniping paradigm into mobile sniping, where the Drake is quite sufficient between cost-mobility-reach and damage), to the bomber-revamp, to the rigs-buff (where all of a sudden the price difference to a BS became quite distinguishable), especially up until the point when BS insurance got buffed and evened out things a bit again. The Drake began to thrive in the early sniper-HAC and gank-logi era, and for a long time thereafter - most popular concepts have been BC counters (which have been alright up until ridiculous scale, where the environment dictate more than individual piloting).

It's not like some genius woke up one day and said "guys, you're all doing it wrong".

As far as the Drake go, the only nerf it needs (and i'm going to infer this in more of the post-december CSM minute discussion about them) is a nerf to insurance - since any ship at any level of reasonable overall performance being essentially free to fly is a cancer on this game. You can't grief or murder 'free', the way Mittens imply it. I already mentioned the BS insurance buff, it made sense at the time, in comparson to the BC as they were winning ground. In hindsight though it's becomming glaringly obvious that the BS should not have had an insurance buff - the BC should have had an insurance nerf.

The Drakes problem isn't it's performance - i could easily think of closer to ten counters off the top of my head. People don't fly it for it's impressive performance, they fly it thanks to easily stackable mechanics to a large fleet that don't hurt you the least should you lose it in it's entirety. That's the only real problem with the ship.

If BC and BS got a hefty price-balance overhaul, then the discussion about supercapital profileration would actually make sense. Now it's all a political mess. I like alot of what the Goons are about in this game, but when lobbying for a game where you want as many people flying ships that cost nothing in the greater scheme of things become a reality - then numbers is the only commodity in the game. That's a bad thing for the game as a whole, and why horrible overpowered supercapitals continue to be a balancing factor. Supers are OP, numbers are OP. Nerf the blob, fixing the game (along Mittens' line of thought) become credible.

There is no change this game is in more dire need of than a nerf to grazing enough sheep on a pasture to ruin it's environment. The Drake and the issues revolving around it relate to that problem, and that alone. At smaller scales, all the other BC have redeeming factors that are simply overlooked at 'blob'.

Enyo.

Will 100MB/s bandwith and extra 25m3 dronebay on Myrm obsolete Ishtar?

The Enyo buff seems quite nice to me :>
Thinking about dual prop + small rep + full rack of electrons + small nos makes me happy in my pants ^^. Still kinda missing a fourth my on my Diemost :<

/me has two whines.
1. Vexor Navy Issue has only a 100m3 drone bay for a 100m3 drone bandwidth - no flexibility.
2. Exeqeror Navy Issue received no speed boost in the Crucible patch. It would have been great for it to pick up the +5 speed since it's a blaster boat. (Same with Celestis)

I feel better now.

I could bet my money you'll say exactly the same in another 6 months and probably in a year from now.

Let's hope some day CCP makes some expansion about hybrids rebalance and does some small but important changes on hybrid boats.

Ho w8 !

Funny you mentioned about how Alara could turn it to how OP Minnie is.. Stereotypes didnt become stereotypes if they werent true.

You see more minnie ships in use than about everything else.. They are the fastest ships, smallest sig radius, awesome dps, the highest alpha ships in game. Did i mention the most versatile, easiest fitting as well.

Minnie pretty much has the best ship in every class except for t3 in which they are a close 2nd to caldari.

Hmmm, i wonder why people are calling for nerfs, even minnie pilots brag about it.