Clearly you didn't read my post or you would have saw:

>> Even after reaggroing everything and launching them again, the same thing would happen.

I've been using drone boats in missions for years. I know how the aggro system works. You do realize CCP changed mission AI right?

From the patch notes:

>> Sleeper AI has been added to mission and belt NPCs.

Drones die ridiculously fast now. I know their HP haven't been changed or anything, but with the new AI they get targeted en masse by rats and can die in just a few seconds.

For example, I was doing the mission Damsel in Distress with my Rattlesnake. I have maxed out drones skills and Gallente BS V. So my drones get a bunch more hit points. I put out 5x Ogre IIs and was targetting the Battleships that were orbiting me at around 3-4k. The cruisers / battlecruisers would target an Ogre II and within a few seconds it would be into structure. I was watching them like a hawk, and was able to pull them in before they died... but if they had been further than say 4k from my ship? Dead Ogres.

Even after reaggroing everything and launching them again, the same thing would happen.

This is insane. Drones are pretty much worthless against NPCs now in higher level missions or content with a lot of rats.

I understand that we want to get away from the AFK drone boat style, but fully maxed out HP Ogre IIs dying in seconds is ridiculous.

I propose that CCP reduce damage to Drones from NPCs by 95%. This way no HP changes will affect PvP. Also this way you still can't AFK as your drones will still get popped. But it will give durability to drones such that they can be useful again for attacking targets over a longer range from your ship, and a careful player will be able to micro them back and forth to the ship.

Also it would be nice to have some sort of self repairing ability to repair drones armor / hull once inside your drone bay.

Drones die ridiculously fast now. I know their HP haven't been changed or anything, but with the new AI they get targeted en masse by rats and can die in just a few seconds.

For example, I was doing the mission Damsel in Distress with my Rattlesnake. I have maxed out drones skills and Gallente BS V. So my drones get a bunch more hit points. I put out 5x Ogre IIs and was targetting the Battleships that were orbiting me at around 3-4k. The cruisers / battlecruisers would target an Ogre II and within a few seconds it would be into structure. I was watching them like a hawk, and was able to pull them in before they died... but if they had been further than say 4k from my ship? Dead Ogres.

Even after reaggroing everything and launching them again, the same thing would happen.

This is insane. Drones are pretty much worthless against NPCs now in higher level missions or content with a lot of rats.

I understand that we want to get away from the AFK drone boat style, but fully maxed out HP Ogre IIs dying in seconds is ridiculous.

I propose that CCP reduce damage to Drones from NPCs by 95%. This way no HP changes will affect PvP. Also this way you still can't AFK as your drones will still get popped. But it will give durability to drones such that they can be useful again for attacking targets over a longer range from your ship, and a careful player will be able to micro them back and forth to the ship.

Also it would be nice to have some sort of self repairing ability to repair drones armor / hull once inside your drone bay.

What patch notes don't tell you:

EXPANSION ABOUT NERFS, Because Missiles were ok for 6 years now but now they're overpowered.

a.) PVE

1. All missile ships are now obsolete (very low range and decreased damage)
2. All Drone ships are now obsolete due to new AI (your drones get targeted as soon as you deploy them)
3. All ships that rely on drones for protection against frigates are obsolete
4. NPC's tracking disruptor now affects optimal range and falloff instead of just optimal range, which makes 800mm's minmatar ships obsolete in pve.
5. All npc complexes and ark missions are now insanely hard to do, you can't use drones
6. There are only few ships that can save you from mission if you loose all of your drones and get stuck (scrambled with npc agression).
7. New meta 9 - 14 drone modules are obsolete for pve, since ai will always shoot your drones.
8. If you use marauders or other ships for guristas missions you'll get perma jammed, there's nothing you can do since you can't use drones.

b). PVP
1. All Heavy Missile ships are now obsolete
2. Drake is worst battlecruiser for pvp
3. Hurricane got nerfed so it is kinda useless now
4. Tengu now sucks compared to other t-3's
5. Very hard to gank someone ratting in low sec or 0.0 with stealth bombers or frigate since npc's will switch targets

CCP has been wanting people to get away from Soloing Level 4's, I think, and this is one of the changes. Granted, it does hurt a lot of PVE, I know in Null doing sites is more difficult due to this as well.

8. If you use marauders or other ships for guristas missions you'll get perma jammed, there's nothing you can do since you can't use drones.

Shouldn't the ECM compensation skills make you less likely to get jammed in the first place?

Shouldn't the ECM compensation skills make you less likely to get jammed in the first place?

I can't wait to get into my vengeance and try out those rocket nerfs.

Use drone HP rigs.

Nerf bats=best bats. You can hit all you want, cause some tears, and no one bruises so you can't get in trouble.

I haven't tried/even really read the missile nerfs since they don't really effect me, should look into it though... I will say it seems a lot of ship types are getting hit hard with this, and hope CCP sees this and the effect it is having.

I mean sure some other ships use the much cried about Heavy Missiles, but those are the big ones. Unless chaps are still ratting in Caracals.

"but then I won't be cap stable!!!!"

All those tears are so delicious CCP. Good job with expansion.

3. Hurricane got nerfed so it is kinda useless now

What patch notes don't tell you:

EXPANSION ABOUT NERFS, Because Missiles were ok for 6 years now but now they're overpowered.

a.) PVE

1. All missile ships are now obsolete (very low range and decreased damage)
2. All Drone ships are now obsolete due to new AI (your drones get targeted as soon as you deploy them)
3. All ships that rely on drones for protection against frigates are obsolete
4. NPC's tracking disruptor now affects optimal range and falloff instead of just optimal range, which makes 800mm's minmatar ships obsolete in pve.
5. All npc complexes and ark missions are now insanely hard to do, you can't use drones
6. There are only few ships that can save you from mission if you loose all of your drones and get stuck (scrambled with npc agression).
7. New meta 9 - 14 drone modules are obsolete for pve, since ai will always shoot your drones.
8. If you use marauders or other ships for guristas missions you'll get perma jammed, there's nothing you can do since you can't use drones.

b). PVP
1. All Heavy Missile ships are now obsolete
2. Drake is worst battlecruiser for pvp
3. Hurricane got nerfed so it is kinda useless now
4. Tengu now sucks compared to other t-3's
5. Very hard to gank someone ratting in low sec or 0.0 with stealth bombers or frigate since npc's will switch targets

Here's an idea:

Stop AFK running Missions

Stop Using drones



The AI on bucky when I was running tests with a Domi was fine, they rarely aggro'd drones and when I noticed that they had lost lock on me, I just re-called them, waited a few seconds, and re-deployed.

+1

It is a bit rediculous at the minute, try running level 5s, fighters dieing also in seconds as 20 BS and 20 BC instantly target and unleash hell, the frigates scramming and webbing them mean you've no chance to recall them so they die.

I really hope CCP reconsiders this and allows us to use drones/fighters in missions again.

All those tears are so delicious CCP. Good job with expansion.

I was doing the mission.

Top tip - switch ships.

Agreed. Don't like losing drones? Instead of whining on here, spend a few days to train into something else that isn't a droneboat.

All the new players who have put all their skillpoints into Drones and Gallente are just going to love that bit of advice.

sentries

All the new players who have put all their skillpoints into Drones and Gallente are just going to love that bit of advice.
It is just terrible fail to make a complete race of ships mostly useless at missions in one go.
Most other ships that rely on drones to take out frigates are useless as well.

So CCP basically says, stop solo L4 mission or GTFO. This has overshot the get-rid-of-AFK-missioning by a mile.
Adjusting PVE mechanics dramatically but NOT adjusting missions to compensate is just terrible. I suspect a lot of casual highsec players will just say **** it play something else instead.

I partially agree, my issue is how fast cruisers change target to drones.
sometimes it's nearly instant and you can risk having to recall and put out drones 4 to 6 times, before you can focus down anything without interruption.

This change is putting a HUGE nerf on all drone based ratting platforms, like sentry carriers..

So no more AFK drone boats in missions - any mission runner we come across (well, except bots) will be ass-in-chair, hands-on-keyboard!

I AM SO HAPPY!

stop ridng the d*ck of the lame non-excuse of its to stop afking people doing missions its nothing of the sort its forcing people to buy PLEX and nerf the incomes from level 4's thats it no more no less no matter how creative you get looking for lame excuses trying to justify a very lame ninja nerf.

stop ridng the d*ck of the lame non-excuse of its to stop afking people doing missions its nothing of the sort its forcing people to buy PLEX and nerf the incomes from level 4's thats it no more no less no matter how creative you get looking for lame excuses trying to justify a very lame ninja nerf.

Please learn some punctuation, and stop concocting silly conspiracy theories. Also, stop complaining about the game being too hard and either bugger off, or learn to play. Seriously, pick one. Everyone that's been on here threatening to unsub, it's time to **** or get off the pot. Leave the game and never come back, or get back in there and get your **** together. You want hard? You really
don't know what hard is, and CCP seems to think it's time you learned.

good luck trying to shoot anything with sentrys within 4km range......

+1

It is a bit rediculous at the minute, try running level 5s, fighters dieing also in seconds as 20 BS and 20 BC instantly target and unleash hell, the frigates scramming and webbing them mean you've no chance to recall them so they die.

I really hope CCP reconsiders this and allows us to use drones/fighters in missions again.

does anyone know why they changed the rat ai?

So the missions have gotten a more challenging AI and all everyone does is whine? Challenge makes a better game..

To me it simply sounds like its more like PvP now, in that of course the AI is going to target vulnerable assets..

Making something challenging makes indeed a better game. However, making something more tedious doesn not.

Yes, and getting ganked in PvP by 20 ships when you warp in somewhere is sooo much fun...
If they want missions to be more like PvP, they should design new missions and make those use the new AI, while letting the old missions keep the old AI and phasing out the old missions as soon as they have enough new/redesigned ones.

A relatively quick fix would be to lower drones in price, and give droneboats extra drone space (buth not bandwith), so they can used as ammunition.

Yes, and getting ganked in PvP by 20 ships when you warp in somewhere is sooo much fun....

"2. If you literally only ever relied on drones to complete a mission you were doing it wrong anyway."

So they weren't a primary weapon system?

"fyi people who run wspace sites have dealt with this for 3 years and they seem to be getting by ok "

Their content was designed from the ground up with this AI in mind. Missions were not.

"2. If you literally only ever relied on drones to complete a mission you were doing it wrong anyway."

So they weren't a primary weapon system?

"fyi people who run wspace sites have dealt with this for 3 years and they seem to be getting by ok "

Their content was designed from the ground up with this AI in mind. Missions were not.

good luck trying to shoot anything with sentrys within 4km range......

does anyone know why they changed the rat ai?

Waaaaa drones are useless now.

[
Making something challenging makes indeed a better game. However, making something more tedious doesn not.

i am ... i have already cancelled the subs on my 3 accounts so far cos of it.

just imagine the financial loss to CCP and to the ingame economy, there are a lot of mission runners who chosen to do this for their game time fun time. you know the ones some are very quick to brand losers (l2p noobs) and treat them with complete disgust ...

less subs means less money in the pot for CCP to keep you playing doing what people like you do for their funtime.

oooh doesn't bare thinking about does it?

CCP has been wanting people to get away from Soloing Level 4's, I think, and this is one of the changes. Granted, it does hurt a lot of PVE, I know in Null doing sites is more difficult due to this as well. Also, there is a 'bug' I've seen mentioned that CCP knows about and is working around for this, I won't give details but its there if you search.

Reidar

It only hurts people that have as primary income missionrunning
-> less money -> less money for pew pew in PvP -> less PvP -> better?

making all missions more difficult will also improve the economy by separating the wheat from the chaff, so to speak - players like yourself that want easy mode and stomp their feet when they don't get their way will disappear (hopefully) which will, again, reduce the massive isk generation that's been taking place lately in high sec.

...and those people then get an incentive to look beyond their little hub for that additional cash.

-> less money -> looks for new avenues for making money -> more competition in other areas -> same money -> more PvP of all kinds, more variation in ISK-making -> better.

"Adapt"

Love the one word troll answers. This would sort of be the equivalent of a new feature being added to guns that they overheat and become worthless after about 10 seconds. Then I troll your post and say "adapt". LOL

The only thing that changed you can't use drone boats now, which discriminats Gallente race hard.

The main problem for the ecenomy are Bots and "those who buy cheap and sell high".

Lets see...

PvE:

1. Golem, Raven, any ship that uses HAM's or Rockets. These all just got a nice buff making them far from useless.
2. If you literally only ever relied on drones to complete a mission you were doing it wrong anyway.
3. See above.
4. Don't fly anymore so can't comment.
5. Oh noes, things aren't easy peasy ISK printers now? That's a shame. How about you adapt?
6. As with numbers 2 and 3. You seem to be stuck in a logic loop at this point.
7. AI always shot at your drones, now they do it a little more. Drones mods are still effective, please adapt.
8. I don't even...How about not accepting the mission? Or I don't know.......take someone with you!! Would you like your nose wiped as well as your hand held?

As for the PvP side of things I am less knowledgeable and therefore not qualified to make definitive statements. But considering your "Facts" I don't think I can do any worse.

1. This is called rebalancing. People used FOTM, it gets balanced, people switch to new FOTM and so on. See a pattern?
2. See above.
3. Please qualify your assertion with some actual facts. I fly the Hurricane and it seems to work just fine for me. Adapt.
4. This is just a stupid comment. I also fly a maxed out HAMgu, believe me, it is far from useless.
5. Awww, you mean you might have to work for your kills now? That's a crying shame.....


In summation, it appears you have no idea what game you are playing.

...and those people then get an incentive to look beyond their little hub for that additional cash.

-> less money -> looks for new avenues for making money -> more competition in other areas -> same money -> more PvP of all kinds, more variation in ISK-making -> better.

Additionally, if you think CCP is going to have any financial problems from the teeny few people unsubbing who probably use plex on their accounts anyway due to far-too-much isk generation from level 4 missions... well, let's just say there's a reason the tantrum posts like yours have not been addressed by the devs.

Agreed. Don't like losing drones? Instead of whining on here, spend a few days to train into something else that isn't a droneboat.

Everyone needs to stop whining. "Boo hoo you nerfed my virtual internet videogame spaceship." Oh well, poor you, actually having to work for virtual spaceship game money now.

All BattleShips use drones to some degree. This change doesn't just effect drone boats.

If you use gun boat or missile boat your still going to have issues.

I've been using a gun boat and had 2 sets of T2 light drones with maxed skills wiped out almost instantaneously.

I'm already learning how to approach these missions in different ways, so as I don't have to use drones at all or rarely have to. But what is the point in that, it's just a waste of my skill set as well an extinction of a once viable weapon. There's also instances where you simply can not do without drones, such as when you're pinned down by spider web drones or a frig in close orbit which as you scrammed. Good luck getting out of the latter situation without drones...

Everyone needs to stop whining. "Boo hoo you nerfed my virtual internet videogame spaceship." Oh well, poor you, actually having to work for virtual spaceship game money now.

The main problem for the ecenomy are Bots and "those who buy cheap and sell high".
80% of missions runners are solo/casual players who enjoy shooting things.

Uh someone had to pay real money for that plex at some point. The rest of your post was about as coherent...

Let the npc bash your ship first, then use armor repping or shield boosting, it will make enmity on your ship. Then use your drones.

I thought this is rule 101 in mmo games. Just like Tank and Healers, where healers get aggro when they heal the tank on npc.

Are you sure about that?

So far only the PvP'ers welcome this because it HELPS them in some way by forcing mission runners to get involved on other more risky stuff.

I'm not running L4's yet, BUT this means I will have to cross train into something else now. He will be useless for the next month or so.

So in that month that I can't play I need to train skills, but I can't unsub because I need to train skills to be able to play the game. Notice my dilemma?

I dont really care for PvP, i like the game idea of internet space ships but not that much to invest my entire free time into grinding isk for ships.

Some of us like to play casuals, if the only type of player accepted by the game community is a pvp addicted basement dweller then I do not wish to be a part of that community.

Yes.
PLEX don't come into being without the expenditure of cash.

No-one plays the game for free -- at best, they play on someone else's dollar, but it is never free. All non-trial accounts are paid for. Period.

if you're the type of person that insists that people who like to engage in combat with real intelligence (ie other players) as opposed to grinding away on the AI must be "addicted basement dwellers", then you're probably not all that welcome here anyway.

Yet you were the one posting earlier in the thread (page 3) that said the game would be better without casuals and good riddance to them...
Sorry to pop your soapbubble, but without us casuals the game would very likely be dead. So stop acting so elitist.

Sort of goes the other way around as well but for some funny reason that is always neglected. EVE is still first and foremost a MMO and a sandbox such, so just as much as you want those "elitist" players to accept your "casual" style of playing, you must also accept their style of gameplay which involves you possibly getting ganked, forced into PvP etc etc.

All sides kinda needs to learn to accept this or alternatively head to whichever direction Hello Kitty Online is at.

you might be doing it wrong. Adapt?
Don't use ogre 2s at the start?

FYI, the mission runners soloing level 4 and generating immense amounts of isk are a PROBLEM for the economy,[..]

Troll to Reality Translator:

"Adapt" = "Conform. Become a cookie-cutter Drake/Tengu pilot like everyone else."

"switch your ship setup to buff drone hp" = "I've never actually used drones and don't realize how absurd this statement is. But I never having no idea what I'm talking about stop me from talking anyway. Just fit drone durability rigs and... umm, y'know, that other module. There is another module, right? Whatever, go buy a Drake/Tengu you pleb."

"No more AFK boat!!!" = "Although I've never actually been a drone captain, I still chose believe all of the ridiculous myths that my friends told me about them. Can we go back to whining about the HAM nerf now?"

"Now you can't solo anymore! This is intended by CCP!" = "Now you have to solo in a Drake/Tengu. This is intended by CCP!"

"switch to guns / missiles" = "Seriously, why is anyone not soloing L4s in a Drakes/Tengus?"

Actually without mission runners prices on Meta4 stuff will be very high, because no one will be supplying markets with them.

All those tears are so delicious CCP. Good job with expansion.

So far only the PvP'ers welcome this because it HELPS them in some way by forcing mission runners to get involved on other more risky stuff.

My point is this, I'm a new player, my mission running alt has ALL his skills dumped into drones. I'm not running L4's yet, BUT this means I will have to cross train into something else now. He will be useless for the next month or so. So in that month that I can't play I need to train skills, but I can't unsub because I need to train skills to be able to play the game. Notice my dilemma?

It's already kind of boring as a new player while I wait for skills to complete to get some basic funcionality now I have my last 2 months of training on that guy wasted, so thanks.

My ratting alt has max drone skills, I'm not delighted I'm now going to have to dock up his boat until the drone UI gets buffed. However; practically speaking you'll have to bounce to a new setup or spend all day raging. CCP aren't going to change this for a while, so do something else.

the isk isn't even that good from soloing L4s.

WOOOW - Not that I want to turn this into a WH pissing contest, I but forget how easy kSpace has (HAD) it sometimes.
Drones STILL kick ass, the difference now is your management of them and the combat space.

AKA situational awareness... much less autopilot.

With this and the new crimewatch tears..
AWESOME JOB CCP

So this means that AFK missioning is dead.... what's the problem?

For example, I was doing the mission Damsel in Distress with my Rattlesnake. I have maxed out drones skills and Gallente BS V. So my drones get a bunch more hit points. I put out 5x Ogre IIs and was targetting the Battleships that were orbiting me at around 3-4k. The cruisers / battlecruisers would target an Ogre II and within a few seconds it would be into structure. I was watching them like a hawk, and was able to pull them in before they died... but if they had been further than say 4k from my ship? Dead Ogres.

Wormhole pve has been this way for 3 years...and I seem to recall that even back then they wanted to expand the new AI to every npc.

So congrats on protesting a change that's been 3 years in the making. Maybe you could look up wormhole fits and adapt them to lvl4's.

I switched to Hobi IIs in my Rattler and used them to focus on the BCs/cruisers/frigates and used my Torps (or Cruises depending on mission) to focus on the Battleships. I had no issue running like 3 level 4s last night and didn't really have any losses - you can stuff 80 Hobis in the Rattler's drone bay.

Wormhole pve has been this way for 3 years...and I seem to recall that even back then they wanted to expand the new AI to every npc.

So congrats on protesting a change that's been 3 years in the making. Maybe you could look up wormhole fits and adapt them to lvl4's.

What patch notes don't tell you:

EXPANSION ABOUT NERFS, Because Missiles were ok for 6 years now but now they're overpowered.

a.) PVE

1. All missile ships are now obsolete (very low range and decreased damage)
2. All Drone ships are now obsolete due to new AI (your drones get targeted as soon as you deploy them)
3. All ships that rely on drones for protection against frigates are obsolete
4. NPC's tracking disruptor now affects optimal range and falloff instead of just optimal range, which makes 800mm's minmatar ships obsolete in pve.
5. All npc complexes and ark missions are now insanely hard to do, you can't use drones
6. There are only few ships that can save you from mission if you loose all of your drones and get stuck (scrambled with npc agression).
7. New meta 9 - 14 drone modules are obsolete for pve, since ai will always shoot your drones.
8. If you use marauders or other ships for guristas missions you'll get perma jammed, there's nothing you can do since you can't use drones.

b). PVP
1. All Heavy Missile ships are now obsolete
2. Drake is worst battlecruiser for pvp
3. Hurricane got nerfed so it is kinda useless now
4. Tengu now sucks compared to other t-3's
5. Very hard to gank someone ratting in low sec or 0.0 with stealth bombers or frigate since npc's will switch targets

FoF missiles on lvl5 actually mean something now.

Sigh, someone else that doesn't get the big picture.

Wormholes and Incursions work because they were built from scratch to work the way they do. Missions and complexes weren't. Show my the wormhole site that STARTS with 35 npc ships on the field when you warp in. Show me the wormhole anom with 13 tacking npc frigs at warp in.

What some of us suggested CCP do was fix the drone user interface and revamp missions to have fewer but more powerful rats like wormholes and incursions 1st THEN bring on the new AI. We got new AI 1st that is making Sansha and Blood Raider NPC space (for an example ) and many many other missions and complexes so annoying as to almost be undoable.

in null sec this means the frigless Forsaken hubs and like anoms are going to get WAY more crowded than they have ever been, and those things spew isk unlike anoms with frigs that slow isk making down. If you see a bunch of inflation next quarter, blame those damn npcs lol.

You mean like the kite fit HML Tengu they just nerfed?
CCP's war on their own content won't slow down because of silly little things like players.

A friend and I just ran what must have been about twenty level four missions. We had no issues in completing them. We were in Domis.

god bless the "cancel subscription" button ...

has anyone tried RR'ing drones once they're aggroed? could act as a nice drone tank if done properly.

Wormhole pve has been this way for 3 years...and I seem to recall that even back then they wanted to expand the new AI to every npc.

So congrats on protesting a change that's been 3 years in the making. Maybe you could look up wormhole fits and adapt them to lvl4's.

WH PvE had up to 35 ships insta-aggroing you, starting at 2000 meters and possibly with webbing + cruise towers?

That's new to me.

Question, do sleepers tend to do as much damping, jamming and tracking disruption as mission rats? Also, it's worth noting that sleepers don't have the sig based AI which makes drones the top of the menu for NPC frigates at last check.

Should I remember you what a BC sized Sleeper can do to your team?

Should I remember you what a BC sized Sleeper can do to your team?

-shoot A:check
-rep buddy Sleeper:check
-neut B:check
-disrupt C:check

Not sure if this is still happening but at some point or at least in some sites the same rat could also on top top of the list above, web someone else and do other nasty stuff not sure about since makes a long time I haven't been there.

So no, lvl4 rats can't and don't ever do all of this at the same and individually, except for some frigates webbing/disrupting/shoot but are less than a problem.

Should I remember you what a BC sized Sleeper can do to your team?

-shoot A:check
-rep buddy Sleeper:check
-neut B:check
-disrupt C:check

Not sure if this is still happening but at some point or at least in some sites the same rat could also on top top of the list above, web someone else and do other nasty stuff not sure about since makes a long time I haven't been there.

So no, lvl4 rats can't and don't ever do all of this at the same and individually, except for some frigates webbing/disrupting/shoot but are less than a problem.

So no, lvl4 rats can't and don't ever do all of this at the same and individually, except for some frigates webbing/disrupting/shoot but are less than a problem.

NPC should have Defenders missiles too I guess

Are you sure about that? People don't pay $20 for a plex (which is $5 more than a one month sub and does the same thing) to fund their account. If people are using plex to extend their count, they are buying it in game with isk, not real money, hence how some people actually play the game for free. The only people who buy isk with real money are those that are selling it in game for isk to people that want to use it to extend their sub for free, paying isk instead of real money.

Do you understand how it works now, or shall I teach you how to use a calculator? If people are buying isk off the eve store for $5 more than a one month sub to extend their sub, then they have already failed at eve.

Instead of shooting at rocks now I shoot at my drones :P I think sleepers are way easier than some LVL 4 rooms

This is a HUGE wtf for me. This game is supposed to be a sandbox. If I want to carebear it up in empire then that is what I am paying CCP for. Nearly losing my expensive marauder simply because my drones all die before one little frigate gets popped is BS.

remote repprer on your ship perma repping one of your drones, so the aggro stays on you? Or do mission NPC not prioritize the remote rep like sleepers do?

Nearly losing my expensive marauder simply because my drones all die before one little frigate gets popped is BS.

.....

In short. Fix this or I'll say shut up and take my money to a different game company.

Few things:

1.) "Sandbox" just means "ruleset and/or tools without defined objective", not "do whatever you want to do". There's a lot of confusion about that.

2.) Tools and rules change.

3.) Do not fly an expensive Marauder you cannot afford to lose because of one little frigate. Or anything else for that matter.

4.) If any of the above are unsatisfactory, you really are better off giving your money to someone else. Griping about it while still paying will make no impression whatsoever. Leaving won't really make an impression either, but at least you'll be free of the hassle.

Maybe they should nerf what you do for fun so that the game is no longer enjoyable for you.

If they do, I'll be gone. Anyone who pays to be annoyed is an idiot.

All of my points are facts of life in EVE, it's the intent of the design. I'm not poking at you or telling you to like it, or HTFU or any of the other usual snide comments. It's just the truth.

I think the drone changes are pretty lame, and like most features around here didn't get nearly enough testing before they were implemented. It's the way things go.

In all seriousness, there's enough to EVE that you can probably find something else you'll enjoy. But if you can't tolerate those four facts, hanging around is just setting yourself up for bitter and endless disappointment.

Isn't that basically griping without griping though? I love the game enough that I WANT the devs to see that I am displeased with the direction they are taking...

If they do, I'll be gone. Anyone who pays to be annoyed is an idiot.

All of my points are facts of life in EVE, it's the intent of the design. I'm not poking at you or telling you to like it, or HTFU or any of the other usual snide comments. It's just the truth.

I think the drone changes are pretty lame, and like most features around here didn't get nearly enough testing before they were implemented. It's the way things go.

In all seriousness, there's enough to EVE that you can probably find something else you'll enjoy. But if you can't tolerate those four facts, hanging around is just setting yourself up for bitter and endless disappointment.

Or ok let the AI shoot drones as they currently do but then buff drones shield, armor and hull so they have chance to survive if they are targetet, and also force the same rules for the NPC ships it really cant be that a ship with large turrets can hit small drones with 100% chance if the drones are orbiting this ship.

Yeah, they seem a lot weaker now, but it's probably just that they're getting hit a lot more. Some of those rat BS pilots have outrageous tracking skills apparently.

Yes and thats one of the problems.
I always dont know if i should cry or not if a company tells me they make the AI smarter and then only make the AI cheat like hell.

Making a AI harder also works without letting the AI cheat. MAke them harder giving the NPC Ships a higher shield reload rate, little bit more shield and armor HP sure. But not giving the AI a tracking speed on a BS thats better then the players tracking speed on a cruiser.
Sure the AI can be little bit bettter also with tracking and scuh things, but let the AI play the game with same basic rules then the player. Dont give the AI Godlike Powers and Skills.
Ok drones get more damage now fine, then boost the shield, armor and hull poinst of the drones to make it equal again, CCP said they wanna boost the AI , ok fine they uhm "did it" , but now drones have nearly 0 chance to survive if a NPC start shooting at them.
So drones must become more HP to have a chance to survive this, also the AI need to be set to the same limitations the player has.

Currently the AI has nearly a 100% hit chance on everything and thats something that cant work