Ships & Modules

I'm thinking of fitting a Merlin with one TD in the mid slot, but how effective would that be vs ACs? It gives ~ -50% to tracking with the tracking script, so that brings a 150mm Light Autocannon II on a Rifter from ~0.622 to ~0.311 if it has close range ammo (EMP, fusion, et all).

But what does that number mean? I don't have much experience in PvP to be able to tell how effective a Rifter would be with only 0.311 tracking instead of 0.622.

The other option would be to fit the Merlin for range with a web and use the optimal script (which decreases falloff as well as optimal, if I'm not mistaken) and hope I can keep distance on him long enough to chew through him before he chews through me.

Anyone try that?

Make that "track you half perfectly", I think.

Use optimal range script and kite with (dual) web at 9km

You take the tracking * 0,5 then take the result * the second TD which gets a stacking penalty, second mods penalty is 0.8691199806 which ends up being 0,4345599903 slowing or a 0,5654400097 multiplier.
So tracking * 0,5 * 0,5654400097 is the result.

TD's are handy for cutting optimal to either force pilots closer in, provided your weapons are close range and theirs are not. It's also very effective if you can match it with a web to kite and also cut down optimal at the same time. Without the web though you tend not to be able to control range and the TD becomes largely useless.

I realise that may just read as gobbledygook but I'm ill.

The darned forums ate my reply, grrr! Have to type it all over again. Anyway, let's try this again:

Thanks for the replies everyone. I've done some more calculations using the evegeek.com tracking calculator and looks like with two TD's at 2000m I can reduce the tracking of a rifter with 150mm Autocannons that's equipped with short range ammo to a point that he'd only do about a quarter of his optimal damage.

Reason why I'm doing these calculations and asking about the TD is that I came up with a stupid fit that I want to try.

[Merlin, EW Try]
200mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Damage Control II

Cold-Gas I Arcjet Thrusters
J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I
Tracking Disruptor II, Optimal Range Disruption/Tracking Speed Disruption
Tracking Disruptor II, Optimal Range Disruption/Tracking Speed Disruption

Light Ion Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
Light Ion Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
5W Infectious Power System Malfunction
5W Infectious Power System Malfunction

Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Ancillary Current Router I
Small Ancillary Current Router I

The Trimark can be swapped for a shield rig to gain about 50m/s and lose about 100EHP.
Or it can be swapped out for something entirely different, such as a damage mod that will add a tiny amount of DPS, or a TD mod that will make the TD a tiny bit more effective, or better yet I could swap it for aux thrusters to gain some more speed and lose some more EHP.


Now before you cry noob, hear me out. I know I haven't actually flown this yet, and that this is all EFT Warrior-ing while I'm at work, but I'll actually give this a try when I get the chance to play.

The Optimal Script on the TD's will ensure that the Rifter cannot kite me and will have to come in close. Once he gets into scram range his MWD, if he had any, will be turned off. Since I have two TD's on him his falloff will be reduced so much that he'll have to come in under 6km if he wants to actually hurt me. At this point the neuts get to work shutting off any repper and propulsion mods, as well as the webber if he's got one. I know the web takes a very small amount of cap to cycle, but even if it's working it's not going to matter much.
By this point I would have already switched the optimal script to a tracking script, and with the two TD's his autocannons would have a hard time hitting me while my own blasters would be doing nearly full damage. And if he misses a cycle of his web than that quarter of optimal damage would be even less because my trans would shoot up once my AB kicks in. And even less if I manage to get closer.

EFT shows DPS of 72 and EHP of 4405, which is enough DPS to eventually chew through his buffer tank and plenty enough EHP to outlast whatever damage he does manage to land on me.

The whole fit basically relies on me tricking the rifter to get close enough and long enough for me to trap him.

Of course if he's MWD-ing outside of scram range I would never catch him, but with the TD's he wouldn't be able to hurt me either unless he's got arties instead of ACs.

The neut is no web, of course, and if an experienced pilot is quick enough to figure out what's going on he can easily burn away and out of the trap before my neuts disable him, but if he's not than with some manual piloting I think it's possible to get the rifter under my neuts for long enough to disable him.

Like I said I've not actually flown this yet and I don't have much experienced. Have I missed some obvious (or not) glaring flaw in this that I should consider? Has anyone tried something like this?


P.S Why the Rifter? Well it's the most popular pvp frigate and it's also the most versatile. That's why I'm looking for/making interesting and unusual fits to eat rifters without using a destroyer/cruiser/t2 frig hulls.

I posted my reply at the same time you posted yours.

You seem to have put some real thought into this fit. I say go for it! Have fun^^.

Oh common Lady Spank, let him find out by trial and error. Don't kill creativity, that is so boring.

stupid post stealing forum.

2 rockets 2 rails, warp scramble range orbit , have a web or 2

if you find a stupid rifter pilot - you may win. Otherwise merlin is inferior at close range. If you engage at long range he'll warp off, unless it is a duel ofcourse.