Gramtar
GoonFleet
GoonSwarm
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Posted - 2009.09.16 09:01:00 -
[1]
Greyscale, What is(are) the role(s) of Dreads after Dominion?
Today, they're good at two things: Shooting large towers and stationary capital ships. They are sometimes used as bait in an attempt to get a capital fight. When you say we'll be seeing less of capitals in Dominion that gives me cause for concern.
1) From another blog, it appears MS and Titans are being re-tasked as capital killers
2) Dreads aren't typically used to siege one tower (unless it's an R64 or has an active CSAA). They're used when you need to shoot multiple towers.
3) The vast majority of capital fights occur when POS are exiting reinforced mode.
So, by my understanding, whatever the new sov claiming device/tower/whatever thing is, it has to have enough HP to not just warrant, but nearly require dreads to shoot it. If it doesn't, if say it's as weak as one unhardened large POS today, alliances and coalitions that can field 200-300 pilots will simply take the thing out with BS. No dreads means no capital fights (see #3 above).
Contrary to this is the goal that smaller alliances should be able to start up in 0.0. You either need Dreads (each of which does about 10x damage of a dps fit T2 BS) or you don't. If you don't and smaller alliances and gangs can substantially affect the sov map, no one will use dreads and you will have no capital ship fights.
My suggestion is to get away from using nomenclature like "prescriptive" and "descriptive" to describe the sov holding/taking mechanism, and get down to brass tacks. You need dreads or you don't. You can take sov with a 75 man subcap fleet in your primetime or you can't. It's when I read goals that seem to be at odds with each other that I get confused and worried about the direction you're taking.
For everyone that hates the mind numbing slog of POS shooting, let me remind you there is one worse thing in EVE - POS repping.
A subject near and dear to my heart is risk vs. reward between highsec mission running and lowsec/nullsec ratting and mission running. I agree you shouldn't "nerf empire mission runners", but understand the alternative is to significantly boost nullsec activities, and especially the most casual two - ratting and mining.
Grayscale, in your mind, how many ratters can a good truesec system with 10 belts support today?* How many should it be able to support post-Dominion? In what manner can it be upgraded and at what cost? Is the upgrade only available to members of the alliance that hold sov or is it available to everyone? Is the upgrade permanent, like something added to an outpost or conquerable station, or can it be temporary? Can hostiles disrupt the upgrade and if so what compliment of ships for period of time be required to do so?
I mention ratting because it's the only 0.0 activity common in player sov space that can be as casual as highsec mission running. Log in, warp somewhere, shoot some npc's, collect bounties and loot, and log out when you feel like it. Any solution to improve 0.0 has to include this, or offer high quality agent missions from 0.0 outposts and stations.
Lastly, how does your goal of increasing 0.0 population density (that seems to be one so if I'm wrong please clarify) relate to macro ratters/miners/ aka "farmers"? It's pretty easy to go overboard with this goal. If space holding alliances need 1 person ratting 23/7 per system for income, most are going to at least consider renting out space to the less than noble players in EVE.
* - the correct answer is one.
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