Firstly, we can all note that this update contains a lot of work. Real work, by engineers and artists.

It doesn't matter if the changes are good, bad or ugly. We pay our subscriptions and we get work from CCP folks in return.

It is a good deal, getting real work for money, so thanks to the CCP team and congrats on having the work ethic.

Second, I hate to say it but the Amarr folks have a legitimate and important point.

Drone boats, and therefore the majority of the Gallente line, are OP.

I say that as a Gallente pilot who flies drone boats and loves them very much. But I like balance better, and I respect the case made by the Amarr folks.

Another way of talking about this issue is to say that Gallente boats are just right, and that turret based weapons systems are under powered.

This is my preferred view, and please bear with me as I explain why.

My last fight was a good one. I was flying an Exeq Navy Issue (cheap blaster boat from hell) with a gank and moderate hull tank fit, and the other guy was flying a stock vexor.

We both had combat SP of around the same levels. It was a pure 1v1 fight, no OGB to my knowledge. We chatted afterwards and the guy has a solid combat pilot mentality.

So he won, and he won handsomely. By the time my hull popped, he still had about 25% armour left.

Why did he win?

The navy issue exeq has 750 dps cold, on paper. It has a fine hull tank. On paper, if it closes range and grabs its enemy, it should melt it real fast. If it gets kited, it has big problems.

Here is the thing: I grabbed him. I closed range right away. I spent the WHOLE FIGHT in range of my guns, with web and scram on him, and I was fitted with dual damage mods and a tracking mod. I went lightish on the hull tank to keep the DPS at face raping levels.

So how did he win?

The answer is pretty simple.

A drone boat does not need to spend power grid on weapons systems, and so it can use the power grid for tank (both speed tank and EHP). Furthermore, drones are faster than most ships and they apply damage over a 50km envelope with NO PILOT INPUT.

I really have to stress that last point. Drones can apply THE SAME damage over a 50Km range with no pilot input. They get to do this and save huge power grid in the process.

Did I mention that you can change your damage type and size instantly, with NO cost to power grid or CPU?

Now look at turret based ships, like the navy issue exeq or the ammar line.

In order to apply damage with turrets, you need to:

1. Use tech 2 ammo with reduced DPS. This is mandatory in order to get a damage application envelope that will keep hitting something that is moderately kitey and not doubled webbed and scrammed.

2. Fit for speed and agility, so that you can pilot so that your DPS actually hits the enemy. Don't worry that this precludes having large armour tanks. You didn't have the powergrid anyway, because you needed that to use your weapon system.

3. Hope that you don't get capped out. Yeah, those blasters and lasers need cap. Unlike drones. So if your enemy has spare top slots and powergrid, maybe because he doesn't mneed them for his weapons system, he might want to neut you and turn off all your weapons. Now, you might fly out of cap range or fit mid slot cap war resist modules, but this will drop your potential DPS and reduce your ability to dictate range.

4. Concentrate on manual piloting. If you want to apply DPS with turrets, you are going to have to learn how to fly. If you just orbit or keep range, your applied DPS is going to drop by half, at best. So, while you arte concentrating on flying to apply DPS, the happy drone boat pilot can concentrate on mitigating DPS. By kiting, by flying to increase transversal, by using all his spare slots and powergrid to tank it up. All he has to do is dodge your theoretical dps until his drones wear you down. And they will, because you can't fly to kite them, or your guns start missing. You can use your web to kill his drones, but he has plenty more and will escape you because you took your web off him.

In other words, turrets get good applied DPS..... never. You work like a cattle dog just to get moderate applied DPS. And you damage type is restricted, so you face huge resists.

Drones, by contrast, get fantastic DPS if the other pilot is preoccupied with, say trying to apply damage of this own.

One way to fix this imbalance would be to nerf drone boats. The other way would be to massively boost the theorectical DPS, and thus the applied DPS, on brawling turret boats.

I don't mind flying a blaster boat weapon platform that will die if it gets kited and needs some pilot skills to grab and hold the enemy.

But it is absurd to fly an advanced navy blaster platform, to engage and grab the enemy, to dictate range, to apply damage the whole fight, and to then lose anyway. By a lot. To an inferior tech one hull!!

If a specialized brawler gets a hold of you, it really should be your ass. Otherwise it isn't a brawler. It is just drone fodder.

The understanding in the player base, across all race profiles, must be, if your drone boat gets grabbed by a specialist short range turret platform, you will most probably die in a hail of fire.