Sim Cognito
Cognito Consortium
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Posted - 2015.12.13 14:42:25 -
[1] - Quote
The Rorqual right now has very little function. It is a very cool concept that had potential back when it was released, but real gameplay and recent changes have rendered it largely obsolete. For me it was always the ultimate industrial mining ship and so it remains, but I can't justify actually using it. I have heard many people's opinions and ideas, and have formulated my own set of proposals. Here we go:
Problems
- The Rorqual is only useful for afkPOS-boosting. No gameplay
- Weak, immobile
- Other functions are either very easily substituted by cheaper and more versatile options or just neglected.
- Huge risk, tiny reward
- Industrial Core is a mess.
- Boosting is too afk/POS friendly.
Proposals
- Introduce Capital Mining Drones, that mine the asteroids and eject their load in specialized containers, eliminating travel time considerations and making Capital Tractor Beams an essential part of Rorqual gameplay (micro-management). The overall output should exceed that of a maxed Hulk.
- Tank and RR. It should be a tough nut to crack and able to RR nearby vessels effectively.
- Rat defense. Committing a Rorqual on the field should mean NPCs are no longer a threat, with a bonused flight of conventional combat drones, that do not replace the Capital Mining Drones. (5+5)
- The Industrial Core is an important part, but not the central aspect of the Rorqual. It retains compression functions (albeit highly buffed to compete with POS module), applies significant tank and RR capabilities, with a set up timer of ~10s and a set down timer of ~10s. What this means is, when the Industrial Core is activated, the ship is vulnerable for 10s, likewise when it is deactivated. There is no "cycle", or mandatory duration, but a set-up/set-down timer.
- Separate boosting bonus and Industrial Core.
- Make boosting to require the ship with the links be on grid.
Commentary, Counterarguments
The ship is a Capital, it's slow, it's expensive, it should be able to do things. It is not supposed to be an ultra-Hulk, but that should not mean it should be incapable of mining. The concept should be "Mining Operation Support Hub", which means it needs to be in the Asteroid Belt, with the miners, fending of NPC rats, ensuring no harm is done to weaker exhumers, all the while boosting mining output and contributing its fair share with Capital Mining Drones.
The Industrial Core works in addition, and not as a central part. Think of the Marauder Bastion: It's an important part, but not the end be all of the ship class. When it's activated, it should enable the compression function, and boost the defense to offset its immobility. The reason I separate the boosting bonus from the Core, is because this creates too many problems: The boosting is indispensable, but you can't commit to an immobile Rorqual in a belt. It's a POS sentence for the ship. A 10 second on/off timer is already more than enough, considering that the ship needs to get to warp speed to leave in the first place. I've died in belts in much less time.
Some will argue that this will flood the market with minerals. I don't think it makes a difference. We're talking about an increase of the equivalent 2-3 Hulks per each active Rorqual in the game, by taking their continued bonuses for granted. Remember, when the Rorqual is actually being flown, those bonuses may no longer be there 24/7, like they are now. It needs an actual pilot, to be in the belt, so the boosts can reach the Exhumers. This means attention, actual play, and not AFK multiboxing. Overall, I think it won't make any difference in mineral production, in fact, it may even hurt it a little.
As for multiboxing, considering that the Capital Mining Drones will involve micro-managing with the Capital Tractor Beams (target-tractor-load to Rorqual/Fleet Hangar for hauler or w/e), not unlike shooting rats in a PVE environment, the Rorqual scales horrible for multi-boxing, and thus there is no risk of massive increases of yields for this type of player. Realistically, a multi-boxer with multiple Hulks and hauling, shouldn't be able to micro-manage more than one Rorqual, if at all.
As for server load (tons of extra cans, tons of extra drones), this can be remedied by imposing special conditions for the containers ejected by the drones (maximum number per drone, short duration). The number of drones is a subject that has been difficult for CCP in the past, but I believe that right now an extra 5 drones per Rorqual should prove to be an obstacle. I insist on the concurrency of combat and mining drones in order to justify the Rorqual being there. Having to recall your mining drones to launch your combat drones whenever an emergency occurs just isn't acceptable for a commitment at the level of a Rorqual. Hopefully this is technically feasible, but the upcoming fighter changes are a good sign.
Quote:
tl;dr mining fighters that eject containers with tractor micro, industrial core on the sidelines, Rorquals in belts, tank, RR, belts rats not a problem, buff compression, on grid boosting, boost bonus separate from industrial core,
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