Duality is just down for now. Buckingham is running some other code, not sure what exactly to tell you the truth. I am working to get Duality back up for this weekend.

Trust me the different public test servers is kind of a new thing for us internally as well and keeping track of it is a pain. :/

You will get it , just let us know when it is ready and we will be more than willing to test this. This can be a massive game change as it will affect ships, tactics, and the way the game is played in groups. Lets just slow down a little and get it right and then we all can have fun.

I would also like to apologize for my original post, I was very upset and should never have posted at that time.

Will there be any changes in the drone UI for this patch? So that us drone boat pilots at least have better feedback when our little buddies are being harassed?

Would be nice if:

• the "Drones in local space" folder automatically expanded when we launched drones so that we can see their HP,
• the "Drones in bay" folder and subfolders were automatically closed to reduce clutter and the scrolling required within the drones window.

So far in our testing this change has not hurt either of those two groups.

Drone users:
I flew a Dominix into Angel Extravaganza, I began with taking aggro, then I launched light drones to kill off the frigates. While my light drones were out the frigates switched their fire to them, but I dispatched them quickly enough that it was of no concern. Then I switched to heavies and moved on. The whole mission maybe took me a few minutes longer, but based on how long the overall mission took it was not that much of a change. I didn't lose a drone through out it either. So if our "nerf" to drone users is that they have to pay more attention to the game and interact with it, well we can live with that.

Fleets:
I ran a mission dual boxing a logi ship and a DPS ship. My DPS ship carried some logi drones, and my logi ship carried DPS drones. I had to pay some more attention to what was going on, but my logi ship had enough buffer to survive every encounter when paired with a few logi drones. The nice thing is that because the logi ship did not need to run its reps the whole mission, as my DPS ship was not always the target, I could change the fit to be less cap stable and add more buffer/resistance.

Both of these groups will have to change and adapt to the new gameplay, but so long as they put a bit of effort into they can more than easily come up with a new plan that works just as well.

So why are you asking for feedback when you have already done your own testing and believe that your recent abomination is wonderful?

This will be a disaster for me, and all the drone boat pilots.
It does not matter how much we scream, because you and all the null sec zealots are saying "this is wonderful".

]Not that we can test this while the server is down, but you could atleast test it before going off on another rant. You have no idea how it's going to work yet, so you can't say it will be a disaster. My ship progression was vexor, myrm, domi then rattler, so I'm hardly indifferent to the changes, but can atleast wait until it's tested.

Both of these groups will have to change and adapt to the new gameplay, but so long as they put a bit of effort into they can more than easily come up with a new plan that works just as well.

....and they don't move. So if you're 1km outside scoop range they'll die.

Wrong, they do move, albeit very slowly, that means you A: only deploy them when your speed is 0 an B: you keep a constant eye on them, or a repper.

Pretty sure they don't move, they don't even list a speed on their info. Overall though, I'd think sentries would be the easiest of the drones to use with the changes, as you're more likely to be near them to recall them.

CCP FoxFour-- I notice you haven't responded to people's questions regarding player ships attacking ratters in sites. Will the NPCs aggro the attacking player?

If this is the case it will need to be changed, seeing as the types of ship that are typically capable of getting a tackle on a ratter (covops, bombers, interdictors, inties, etc) are generally extremely fragile and will not be able to deal with incoming dps from both the rats and the ratter. It's already extremely difficult to grab ratters before they can warp out to a safe location, please don't make it even harder.

The balance on this issue is something we are discussing internally and still play testing. I have not responded because we are still not 100% sure if we want to change anything and if so what. :)

The balance on this issue is something we are discussing internally and still play testing. I have not responded because we are still not 100% sure if we want to change anything and if so what. :)

Pretty sure they don't move, they don't even list a speed on their info. Overall though, I'd think sentries would be the easiest of the drones to use with the changes, as you're more likely to be near them to recall them.

Is it looking like duality is going to be up for further testing this weekend?

This is good to know. I have on my plate testing the higher end plexes with a carrier this week. I will look into what exactly makes the NPC hate fighters so much more than drones, and drones in general when you are in a carrier. Shall attempt to get back to you ASAP.

Thank you very much for the feedback. :)

Foxfour is full of awesome

This the right track, CCP <3

That's what we like to hear :)

Null sec ganks of people running PvE content. This does have an effect on that no doubt. To be honest yes this means you will no longer be able to do this solo in a stealth bomber. I however just tested it and was able to tank six frigate NPC in my nemesis long enough for another character to jump into the system and warp 73au. I might be wrong but with the amount of EWAR that comes from frigates, and their hatred of drones, most people usually shoot them first when running these. The cruisers and BS never even looked at my Nemesis while I ganked the Raven. I also made sure the Raven was only running local tank so as not to generate any extra threat. If you want to be able to gank these guys solo, then yes it is going to mean you will need to bring something bigger. If there are a lot of frigate NPC on the field, well that will be difficult. We have accepted that as OK.