James Baboli wrote:Joe Risalo wrote:Barrogh Habalu wrote:Market Wizard wrote:So you consider the extra 12 or more days to train BC to 5 the same as training cruiser to 5? Which only looks at doing one, training for all four races would increase the time to train to about two months extra. Yea that's the same training time
You don't have to change prerequisites. BCs required cruiser to be trained first, I don't see why we can't pretend for a moment that T3 BC should have a cruiser for prerequisite too. Yes, that's inconsistent with T3Ds and T2 ships, but in the end, who cares?
doing so means strategics are easier to balance...
I also feel that doing so would break the current cruiser meta through the use of t3, which could be countered by BS's and other BC's...
Right now, the biggest strength of t3 cruisers is that they can do everything a BC can do (if not a BS), but can do in a cruiser sized hull with cruiser stats.
Which says they have CBC/BS stats mixed with cruiser stats and all of it wound up in this lovely little ball of 1024 possible combinations of subsystems (4^5) per T3. So, with that in mind, almost every possibility for balancing them is going to require the stats come well down somewhere, and by keeping the high points of the DPS and tank subsystems is not the right way to do it in my mind. Give each t3 a set of 4 lines of subsystems which harmonize particularly well. Make those 4 lines of subsystems fairly obviously supposed to go together, and make them overlap as little as possible. Scanning subsytem goes with cov ops subsystem goes with nullified subsystem goes with [lowest signature defense] subsytem goes with good projection for a WH data/relic site running machine. Then, with these lines of fairly well harmonized subsystems, balance the resulting role to be appropriate. Now a T3 has 4 overarching roles which are somewhat limiting, but you can still mix and match subsystems until you find what you in particular want out of your t3, while the 4 roles (including the reconish subsystem mix and a HAC-like subsystem line) are all balanced to be competative with but not overshadow t2 in those 4 roles.
A t3 gets bonuses equal to that of a cov-ops, as far as exploration, but can do so with nullification, significant dps, and significant tank on top of it.
They can put out fleet boosts as well as a command, but with more tank, dps, and do so in a cruiser sized hull.
They can pull out just under BS class DPS, with BS class tank, BS class projection (in some cases), and do so with a cruiser sized hull.
They are as powerful as a stratios at exploration, but do so with nullification.
Anything a t3 can do is as powerful as a t2, but with more versatility, survivability, and utility, all at the same time.
The only area where a t3 is balanced in comparison to a t2 is logistics.
Making them a BC sized hull brings them much more in line with one quick change.
This makes it much easier to balance the sub systems, as the only ones which will need to be balanced are those focused on specialization.
Their tank and dps is fine when you consider them a BC hull.