Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Okay so after thinking it over a bit, I think it would be really cool if we could use two same-sized afterburners at once on the same ship.

It would be similar to using an oversized afterburner, with the following differences:

1. Easier to fit than an oversized afterburner
2. Sacrifices a mid-slot rather than rigs/lows (which are usually sacrificed on oversized afterburner fits because of fitting limitations)
3. Lower top speed than oversized afterburners

Someone else could do the nerd math stuff and figure out the align time problems, but logically there should be no reason why the align time on these dual-prop fits couldn't be balanced. Use your imagination.

The only problem is I'm not a mathematician, and in no way do I understand the technical workings of these things. But I do feel that in some ways (not always) afterburners are sub-optimal compared to MWDs - I mean when it really comes down to spaceship combat in the depth of space, MWDs and kiting are superior to ABs (whether kiting or brawling), and I think that this change would help boost ABs a little bit - they still wouldn't be on quite the same level as MWDs, but they would be more competitive, I think.

The reason why ABs can work well in the game currently is due to the "safety nets" provided by things like stations and stargates - AB setups are very susceptible to being disrupted and controlled from afar by a properly flown MWD ship, but AB ships can hang around in the "kiddy pool", so to speak, by staying on grid of stations and stargates where they may dock or jump if they need to.

In open space, AB setups are kind of sitting ducks, UNLESS you're in an uber-oversized-prop setup with long range projection, in which case an MWD-fitted ship of the same class will still be better suited at straight up combat - it would not have the same fitting constraints as the oversized-AB ship, and because of its MWD it would easily be able to chase down and control it, while having superior tank and damage numbers due to the MWD taking up far less fitting space than an oversized-prop.

Oversized-prop setups, therefore, do not shine at all in terms of 1v1s against an MWD fit ship of the same class, but against other ships of different classes, especially when fighting out numbered and solo, because the oversized-AB is great for gate crashing, escaping camps and just general range control because you don't have to worry about scrams.

The ability to fit and use multiple ABs would give them more of an edge. Looking at some basic numbers right now, a single 1mn AB on a Succubus brings the Succubus's align time from 3.2 seconds to 4.8 seconds. I'm assuming that a second AB would multiply this align time by something (again, I'm not sure exactly how it would work), but whether it would double this current align time from 4.8 seconds to 9.6 while running two ABs, or whether it would be more of an exponential increase, I am not entirely sure - but either way I don't see it as a reason not to add this change - whether the align time would be increased to 9.6 seconds or 14 seconds due to some mathematical concept of which I am unaware, I would support the idea either way because I think it would add a lot of possibilities to AB-fit ships, without breaking the game in any way.

Double AB setups would become a thing. Oversized ABs would still be a thing, but double 1mn ABs would become viable and would operate, presumably, somewhere between the efficacy of an MWD-fit ship and an oversized-prop ship - they would probably have less align time problems than oversized-prop, but also less maximum speed boost as well (again I haven't done the math). They would take up less fitting space than oversized-props, but would also take up more module slots. It would be all about trade-offs, just as the game is meant to be and currently is, but it would add more complexity and fitting choices in terms of AB setups.

Someone else would have to do all the math and technical stuff, but as far as I can tell, with perhaps some tweaks here and there, it would not be game breaking in anyway, it would simply make ABs more viable with more fitting options and would broaden the scope of what is possible in terms of combat and propulsion.

That was multiple MWDs (and probably ABs, too).

I'm talking about bringing back multiple ABs only.

I am sorry but the patchnotes from Revelations 1.0 have [i][mysteriously/i] disappeared from the patchnotes site.

If you can find it, there was a dev-blog with the title "The Need for Speed 2.0" where the why was explained.

https://community.eveonline.com/news/dev-blogs/need-for-speed/

you mean that devblog?

Because EVE is suffering from it's own form of Power Creep dubbed Speed-Creep, that was evident in the introduction of the T3D's.

Speed wins a lot of fights, with your idea, small ships would be impossible to kill. They would just orbit you at 10kms and hold point forever. And AB's don't take a whole lot of fitting space, or cap use. Every one would fit AB's, MWD's would become points because the sig bloom would be worth it.

That's the one.

I actually did explain why ABs are inferior to MWDs but maybe you can't read or something.

You are aware that the MWD has multiple drawbacks like increasing the signature radius significantly and that it can be disabled by a scram? MWDs are often used to get in range, but on small fast ships an AB is usually the better choice if you want to speed tank.