Amraa Nelee
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Posted - 2005.11.10 04:52:00 -
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Why are Stealth Bombers unpopular compard to Interceptors and Assaults?
One of the things that is missing in the bombers is flexability. Lets take the manticore for instance. Its not a souped up Kestrel like we would want it to be. That's not what it is, so Kestrel fans that want a tech 2 Kestrel can't rejoyce like say.... Merlin fans... who have 2 choices!
Agreed that the target locking delays should go as planned in the patch. You have to have that or the ship can't do its job. Personally, I don't think that they should be able to cloak while warping because that totally kills the reasons to have a regular covert ops ship (buzzard in this example). Though I did like someone's idea on cloaking after entering warp so you can go in unannounced. That would be nice.
But forget all that for a moment and lets talk about the ship itself.
Why do we love the Kestrel? Its FLEXIBLE! People love ships that can be reasonably successful no matter the situation that you put it in (the thorax for insance). Yes we love the specialized ships too, but we don't fly them as much and nobody wonders why. With the Kestrel you can fight with it and do excellent damage but its not an uber fighter, you can do small trade and hauling runs but its not an indy, you can tackle with it but its no interceptor. But the Manticore? Its a one trick pony.
EVE has already said they are surprised the Bombers are not more popular. Okay lets look at the down sides.
1) Its frusterating to warp in. So leave the "cloak while warping" out of the equation and give them the ability to warp the same distances as a Kestrel. That's no bid deal and is the same as a Kestrel with a cloaking device.
2) You can't carry anything with it. So increase the cargo bay. Its can't cloak when warping so its really no better for a sneak hauler than a Badger with a cloak. I mean... why not?
3) Cruise missiles. Okay great, but suddenly missiles suck in EVE so nobody cares about cruise missiles. DON'T take off the missiles, then it wouldn't be a kestrel. But DO make the ship more flexible. Give it 5 high slots and 4 missiles hardpoints. But DON'T allow it to fit more than 3 cruise missiles (MAX), that would be too Uber. But what if you want to use standard launchers, you should be able to use the same amount as the Kestrel! Also, what's wrong with giving it the ability to mount 3 ASSAULT LAUNCHERS instead of the cruise launchers! That would be an incredibly flexible ship, but no more powerful than the cruise version because its just as specialized and you have to get a LOT closer which is risky. Or even the abilty to mount a single torpedo launcher?
I mean, how popular would a Manticore be if it could mount...
3 Assault Launchers & 1 Standard
3 Cruise Launchers (MAX!)
2 Cruise Launchers & 1 Assault
2 Cruise Launchers & 2 Standard
4 Standard Launchers
1 Torpedo launcher & 2 Standard Launchers
and no... that's not all the possibilities because these are EVE players we are talking about. They will figure something else out! (Post if you have an idea!)
I think that its not about the cool things that this or that ship can do. Its about how much we love the ships. I still have the first non newb ship that I ever bought, a Condor. When I want to go tech 2 with that I have the Crow and man what a step up! I used to fly merlins all the time and boy when I got a Harpy I was fat dumb and happy.
But the mighty Kestrel? THE MOST POPULAR SHIP IN EVE? Its tech II equivalent is not a kestrel at all. Who mourns for the Kestrel?
The stats on who is flying what tell the story far better than I could. I hope that the designers of EVE take this plea seriously, as Frigates are the most fun ships to fly in EVE.
Safe skies to you all.
-Am
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