EVE Search - Orbital Bombardment Discussion

Tom Shaftoe wrote:

Claire Voyant wrote:

These are my suggestions for the first iteration of orbital bombardment, based on the idea of finding a minimal working version that is still fully balanced. I do this because I know CCP wants to go slow and there are also technical challenges that need to be considered. I don't want to waste my time designing orbital bombardment version 2.0 until we've seen what version 1.0 is.
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I think it is easy to argue that OB should be somewhat nerfed in the first iteration. It is better to err on the side of caution and have it be too weak or hard to use and have it used too little than to have it be too powerful and used too much.

Quoted to agree except for minor points like "Only in lowsec or null sec." Best post in thread, thus far.

Three comments, regarding Orbital Bombardment's ("OB"), simplicity, timing, and balance:

Simplicity

No one below a Dust commander should have to deal with launch codes. OB should be managed for both Eve and Dust players, as simply as a common ammunition pool. For an Eve player (who is in position over a planet and targeting a Dust battlefield) activating his OB module triggers a transfer of ammunition, from his turrets that are loaded with Small, Medium, Large, or Extra Large OB ammo, to the Dust match. The Dust team commander has his preferences set for what ranks or standings are required to use the OB ammo when it becomes available. Every Dust player, who is skilled and equipped with beacons or targeting lasers and has the appropriate permissions, should be able to call in OB like using any other weapon (as easily as calling in an artillery strike in CoD, or any other FPS.)

Timing

OB timing is driven by the match duration. A cap pilot shouldn't provide multiple volleys in a single 20 minute Dust match; each cap pilot should provide one OB shot per turret, per Dust match. For each cap pilot in orbit, Dust players can anticipate OB hitting somewhere between 10 to 20 minutes into the match, which opens the possibility of completing the Dust objective before an Extra Large OB can complete its warm up (which can also be conceived as a "getting into OB position" timer from when the OB module is activated by a ship at the singular planetary warp in point).

Eve turret size - warm up (before Dust players can use your OB) -OB module duration (like siege duration):
Small turrets - ~2 minute warm up - 3 minute OB module duration,
Medium turrets - ~3 minute warm up - 4 minute OB module duration,
Large turrets - ~6 to 7 minute warm up - 7 to 8 minute OB module duration,
Extra Large turrets - 10 to 15 minute warm up - 12 to 18 minute OB module duration.

Quote:

Evalyn's got great OB skills, so she can provide 3 volleys from her Battleship to her Dust team mates in a 20 minute match. Erik can fly a dread, but his OB skills suck, so that if his weak Dust corpmates are up against a fast Dust team that can achieve their Dust objectives in under 15 minutes, he won't even be able to bring his dread into position to fire on the enemy Dust players before the match ends. Erik brings his BS, so he can get at least 2 volleys in, to help his allied Dust newbs hold out against the Dust Veterans coming to slaughter them.

Balance

As portrayed in the footage we've seen so far, the Extra Large OB should be devastating, rare, but also potentially too late, as the timing above suggests. I only agree with Claire regarding the "no OB in high sec" point in as much as capital ships capable of Extra Large OB would already be prohibited from highsec. Small and medium turret OBs shouldn't be so much more powerful than tank fire within Dust, as to be prohibited in high sec. I'd rather see a standard default concord buff to high sec planetary defenses to keep Large turret OB from being overpowered, than a full prohibition against OB in high sec.

The large turret OB shown at fan fest didn't seem wildly overpowered, but we haven't seen the other side of that coin yet, so its impossible to tell until we see planetary defense/offense.

A small turret OB should be about as damaging as the biggest gun on a Dust player's tank (and firing no more than 1/8th as often as the tank. Medium turret OBs should be about twice as damaging as a tank's main gun. Its the volleying of this damage that can make it useful for breaking choke points toughened by good logistic support.