I think that...

This is a very bad idea, and for multiple reasons.

You're buffing some ships because "nobody uses them".
What's the point ? What's the goal ?

1) The hotdrop mechanisms need to be nerfed, not to be accessible to any peasant (hem). At the moment, it is limited to some BlOps pilots (which are few, and have strong limitations like the range problem you're trying to resolve) and the titan pilots, which dedicated training (2 years), isks (75B) and money (founding the account) to allow them to hotdrop.
I don't want to see the PVP in EVE restricted to hotdrops. I want to see fleets, I want to see roams. Ambushed and bombed while moving. Delayed by bubbles.
And what is hotdropping atm ? The planning ? Someone owning a bridging ship that will never be at risk, a few scouts with cynos (most of the time, only one) and 10 to 250 guys next to the bridging ship, fapping over furry **** or waiting for a jabber ping. Only the scout is doing some effort. Nobody else.
The action itself ? "Drop on them, we're 5x their number, otherwise we wouldnt try it, anyway they won't fight back". Fascinating.

2) The short range of the BlOp bridge was a good thing. If you wanted to hotdropped someone, you had to move in their vicinity. You're almost doubling that range. From a tactical tool, it's becoming a strategic weapon. You can cover a whole region. So far for the "delicate behind-the-enemy-lines ships"... No more dedicated for a particular target. A lot harder to be spotted since the titan bridge range is roughly ~11 jumps, where a current BlOp must hide withing ~5 jumps of its target.

3) You're increasing the fuel bay, because bridging more people at once is better, right ? Sorry but it may be time to stop making ships that are scaling linearly. Yes, the so-called "blob". A BlOp can bridge a few recons and bombers ; it's fine. Do you think that bridging 20 recons with a single ship is a good idea ?

4) You're also reducing the fuel consumption. It helps bridging more people (see point 3) and reduces the hotdrop price. It should be the other way ! You have complete intel of the targeted fleet ; you're gonna ambushed them, for a mere million isks in fuel ? Hotdropping is already lacking some :effort: and risk, and you want to make it cheap(er).

5) The range bonus is a nice buff to the viators, cranes and co, basically making them like tiny jump freighters. Because EVE Online needs more easy logistics that don't even use gates and cannot be catch (unless the pilot is making major mistakes). When was the last time that a major 00 alliance had its supply lines significantly disrupted ?

6) Do you really thing that BlOps are under-used because of the range and some fuel problems ? Flash news : you're wrong. You need 2 years of training to pilot one. Their bridging role is done by titans, because instead of using a bomber/recon/cloaky T3 fleet (which has weaknesses), you can use cheaper and more efficient ships like BCs. Will this patch change anything about that ? No. Maybe you should check again the skill requirements to fly one. Maybe you should give them a bonus that makes them something else than a POS module. Example : BlOps have a 30s delay before being listed in the local channel. It would make them excellent for highsec, lowsec and 00 areas. Or some kind of "bubble", allowing people to catch ratting nyxes in a cyno jammed system.

7) Why are you buffing the hotdrop part ? Hey, I can answer that for you : because catching people is becoming harder and harder, thanks to the intel channels, the local and the dscan. You should work on that.




I am disappointed. BlOps need some love, but not on the bridge part. And I would like to play EVE Online : roaming behind the enemy lines, not Cyno Online : fapping while waiting inside a forcefield. Thanks.

None of this will be a surprise to you avid minute-readers, but for everyone else here's what we have planned:

• Increase the base jump range of all Black Ops ships to 3.5 light years (equal to that of Titans)
• Reduce the mass multipler used for Covert Jump Portal fuel costs from 0.00000018 to 0.000000135 (Reduces the fuel cost of covert bridges by 25%)
• Increase the fuel bay on all Black Ops to 1250m3 (25% increase)