Arla Sarain
58
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Posted - 2014.07.25 10:01:00 -
[1] - Quote
When I considered EVE, the thing that caught my eye the most was the combat system, in that it wasn't strictly a copy of the typical korean/eastern MMO where you'd click on a target press /attack and watch your dood wind up the same animation. You could actually pilot your way into an advantageous position and practice good flying habits.
This is not so much a whine thread as it is an observation and feedback. Please discuss and tell me if you can relate to my conclusions or you believe the issue is elsewhere
Also, I mostly fly frigates so these observations are relative to them, although as I understand everything is proportional and the situation is likely similar for cruisers and above.
Tracking/signature tanking is not a practical strategy
This may sound ambiguous and vague, unfortunately this is as specific as it can get. The reality is that the issues of sig tanking are largely a culmination of a long list of "small things" that together add up and make it a less desirable (not impossible) strategy:
- Angular velocity is stuck near 0.5 rad/s. Even typical fast and agile frigate speeds do not reach higher than that at 500m orbits (Elliptical orbit will be touched on later)
- Most close range turret tracking are pretty high relative to the angular velocity that one can expect
- Tracking bonuses on hulls are very high, usually being 35%. Tracking rigs are uncommon as is (due it not being really difficult to track). The tracking bonuses devalue those rigs even further, as even tier 3 guns can track well (Neutrons get 0.44)
- Kite tanking requires 1 tackling module.
- Close range brawling, tracking or not, requires 2 tackling modules (scram and web) or else you just get scram kited.
- Due to tracking numbers being so high, sig tanking practically makes a TD compulsory.
- Due to the several points above, sig tanking totals to 3 required medium slots (TD, web, scram), on the same rack where prop mods are compulsory.
- Most other solutions to sig tanking are largely exotic, with overly exaggerated bonuses. Warfare links alone could free up a midslot (TD) for a large variety of ships attempting to do this. Even the pirate implant set doesn't reach that much, but is still desirable. Boosters can have a profound effect when added together with the previous 2.
- The strategy is relatively easy to counter by approaching your opponent, reducing the angular velocities relative to both of you.
- Doing this in fleet is asking for a lot of pain due to having maintain high angular velocities over a large amount of ships.
Elliptical orbit
You can reach angular speeds higher than 0.5 rad/s by flying approach->orbit. This usually reaches 1 rad/s and may even exceed it. However, should you decide to stay in range you need to go back. All in all it adds up to you moving at 1rad/s a few short moments, then staying at the low 0.3 or less for quite some period, as you decelerate, turn and accelerate again, giving your opponent plenty time to land easy shots on you.
Grey area in speed tanking between 2km and 14km
At 2km you can still get orbit velocities high enough to speed tank, even whilst being webbed. At 14km you are generally out of range of anything that can slow you down so you can safely kite.
But in between the two you can't orbit fast enough, or burn quick enough to kite. You are limited to scram kiting. This may seem like balanced design decision - a natural progression. Orbit tanking -> scram kite -> point kite. But the reality is that the outcome is generally determined by who was able to pack the most speed mods and has guns that can reach far enough. Seems a bit bland to me.
Hopefully now you can identify why people don't want to go through the headache of getting a ship that can do this. Individually these points may not seem like an issue. But having to essentially commit 4 midlslots to this strategy instead of the simpler 2 for kiting makes it uncommon. Choices that relieve the pressure on your fitting slot count (implants, links, boosters) are out of reach for relatively new people.
All of these essentially put sig tanking into the ground. This is not even mentioning how common drones and missiles are in the current meta - completely throwing this out of the window.
To make it a more attractive choice doesn't require any challenging solutions, but is not a matter of changing one thing. Additionally, the sig reduction modules could get reintroduced. I am familiar with the issues that circulated when these were present. I get the impression that the issue was largely due to the current over exaggerated bonuses from other sources, and stacking all of it would reduce sig so much it broke things. This can be circumvented by "simply" playing around with numbers.
That is all. You can expect specific solutions in proceeding replies should there be interest in the subject.
P.S. Wanted to be an ass and wait till CCP comes back from vacation in August to catch their attention. But what the hell, it's not like anything will change. |