Jia Jianyu
Interstellar Geographic Society
Haven.
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Posted - 2014.01.26 10:50:00 -
[1] - Quote
As a character created to make use of the Asteros and Stratios, I was most anxious to see what the SoE battleship involved. Now that we know, I have mixed feelings.
As a roleplayer, I appreciate what is being attempted with the Nestor. The rep bonuses and drone capabilities all conceptually fit the idea of a deep space search and rescue vessel. Should a new search and rescue mission type be introduced later (a combination of exploration, logistics and combat), this ship would excel at it. However, after several years of playing other characters, I recognize that roleplaying is but a small niche in New Eden, and something best left to character bios and chats instead of starship design. The high LP cost of this ship means it will always have a target on it, even in high sec space (like the Stratios after its introduction, but more so), meaning those few with the LP or ISK to spend may own a Nestor, but will never fly it.
The Nestor should keep the exploration bonuses, as that is the unifying characteristic of the SoE vessels. The Stratios and Asteros both had the mix of energy weapons and drones in order to be most self-sufficient during solo exploration. If the idea is for the Nestor to be able to tackle the ghost sites and null sec exploration sites that the Stratios cannot, than purify the design to that end. Remove the rep bonuses and improve its agility or durability (if needed...I can't say if it is), and add an additional bonus for the drones. Perhaps add specialized drone bandwidth that allows the launching of five (or one per level of Gallante battleship) EWAR or logistic drones in addition to the wing of combat drones or sentries to make the Nestor more like the Guardian or a carrier. I also liked the idea of the Nestor having a small craft bay for shuttles or frigates (from the concept art) and someone mentioned a medical bay/clone vat, which would also be in keeping with the SoE concept but also be more practical for deep space exploration.
Yes, all this would require a significant rework. I understand the developers wanting to get the Nestor off Sisi and out to where players can use it and actual feedback can be collected. My fear is with the Nestor's excessive price tag, all that feedback will be in the form of kill-mails (which may actually be to the benefit of all of us looking for a rework).
For the record, I want to fly this ship, and want it to be worth the risk to do so. In its current form, it isn't.
Just my $0.02... |