Greetings spacefriends.

Those of you who have read the CSM minutes (You've read the CSM minutes, right?) will already know that we have a modest package of Black Ops tweaks in the pipeline that didn't quite make it into Retribution 1.0. These changes are meant to reduce some of the difficulties using Black Ops battleships for covert bridging, and hopefully open up some more options for those of you who are or will be involved in covert gameplay. This is not the big Black Ops rebalance, and we here at CCP do not consider Black Ops "done" after these changes. We are putting these tweaks out now since it may be a while before we can get to the full Black Ops rebalance and we don't want to leave them in their current state in the meantime.

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)

These changes will not be in the current Sisi build but should be in the build after that so you can start playing with them. We're aiming to have the changes out in Retribution 1.1 on February 12th.

Let us know what you think of the proposed changes in this thread.

:Edit: Also apparently Two Step is getting close to me in likes so you should all like this post. Takk. :Edit:

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)

These changes will not be in the current Sisi build but should be in the build after that so you can start playing with them. We're aiming to have the changes out in Retribution 1.1 on February 12th.

Let us know what you think of the proposed changes in this thread.

:Edit: Also apparently Two Step is getting close to me in likes so you should all like this post. Takk. :Edit:

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)

Greetings spacefriends.

Those of you who have read the CSM minutes (You've read the CSM minutes, right?) will already know that we have a modest package of Black Ops tweaks in the pipeline that didn't quite make it into Retribution 1.0. These changes are meant to reduce some of the difficulties using Black Ops battleships for covert bridging, and hopefully open up some more options for those of you who are or will be involved in covert gameplay. This is not the big Black Ops rebalance, and we here at CCP do not consider Black Ops "done" after these changes. We are putting these tweaks out now since it may be a while before we can get to the full Black Ops rebalance and we don't want to leave them in their current state in the meantime.

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)

These changes will not be in the current Sisi build but should be in the build after that so you can start playing with them. We're aiming to have the changes out in Retribution 1.1 on February 12th.

Let us know what you think of the proposed changes in this thread.

:Edit: Also apparently Two Step is getting close to me in likes so you should all like this post. Takk. :Edit:

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 ?




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.

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.

Hey all. Quick related update now that I'm finished some backend refactoring work that opened up those 'options' I was so cryptic about earlier:

We have also refactored the methods used to limit older modules to certain ships. Most of the ships changed by this will simply have a more clear description (Can fit module X rather than -99% CPU to module X) but there are two gameplay improvements this change allowed us to make:

• Change the CPU requirements of Covops cloaks to 100 and change the bonus on coverts, recons and blockade runners to "-20% CPU needed for cloaks per level". This means that cloaks will use the same CPU at level 5 (0) but the CPU use at lower levels is less crippling, making the use of these ships at less than level 4-5 more viable.


• Open up the use of Covert Cynosural Field Generators on any Strategic Cruiser that has the Covert Reconfiguration subsystem fitted, as well as on Blockade Runners. This means that the availability of covert cynos is consistent and simple. If you can jump through the bridge you can light the cyno.


• As a more neutral side effect that is still worth noting: the Combat and Attack Battlecruisers, as well as the Blockade Runners and Deep Space Transports, will now be in separate groups. This means anyone with custom overviews will need to add the new Attack Battlecruiser group and the new Blockade Runner group to their list of groups that show up on the overview. The default overviews will be adjusted automatically.

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)

:Update Jan 21st:
We have also refactored the methods used to limit older modules to certain ships. Most of the ships changed by this will simply have a more clear description (Can fit module X rather than -99% CPU to module X) but there are two gameplay improvements this change allowed us to make:

• Change the CPU requirements of Covops cloaks to 100 and change the bonus on coverts, recons and blockade runners to "-20% CPU needed for cloaks per level". This means that cloaks will use the same CPU at level 5 (0) but the CPU use at lower levels is less crippling, making the use of these ships at less than level 4-5 more viable.
• Open up the use of Covert Cynosural Field Generators on any Strategic Cruiser that has the Covert Reconfiguration subsystem fitted, as well as on Blockade Runners. This means that the availability of covert cynos is consistent and simple. If you can jump through the bridge you can light the cyno.
• As a more neutral side effect that is still worth noting: the Combat and Attack Battlecruisers, as well as the Blockade Runners and Deep Space Transports, will now be in separate groups. This means anyone with custom overviews will need to add the new Attack Battlecruiser group and the new Blockade Runner group to their list of groups that show up on the overview. The default overviews will be adjusted automatically.