I noticed that most ships out there, regardless of size or class, usually take the TCD when picking a disruptor, mainly for the fact that it has such a large blast radius and can stop just about anything. Unfortunately this thing, designed to hit transports, is a bit too good at hitting fighters, and few people have the incentive to mount other disruptors like mosquitoes (though I have been seeing more as of late). I feel like fighters should be able to avoid TCDs but not the smaller and faster disruptors which were designed to get fighters in the first place.
I guess the thing is... should TCDs be as effective against fighters as they are now? Should their use be primarily against larger craft? And if so... how does that get implemented? Do we give it a fire delay, energy usage?
Lower turning rate for TCD?
First though, we need to confirm the problem really exists as I use both TCD and MCD on my fighters.
TCDs are only (partly) effective at catching running fighters (when the TCDs themselves arent lagging or get bugged). In fighter PvP, TCDs are pretty useless.
Dont really see a reason to nerf them.
I use Mosquitoes on fighters and Train CDs on bombers, gunboats, etc.
And, maybe instead of nerfing TCD, the Enh. CMs should be buffed. I have never managed to escape from a CD while using Enh. CMs. They are just useless.
slower speed and lower turning rate would work
I guess my point is that right now TCDs can do everything you want a disruptor to do.
Fighters cannot escape from them, their blast radius is too big compared to the amount of amount of room needed to successfully use your countermeasures. Sure their turning is a bit buggy, but if you can get a clear line of sight to your target it will likely do what you want it to do, whether that is disabling their E-kill or killing their cruise or blowing up mines, the TCD will do that and it will still disable larger ships.
It is hard enough for TCD to stop a fleeing VHF that has CMs on auto and know when to change the direction of flight when player count on server nears 200. On majority of cases TCD only succeeds when target is at 3k, that is, when TCD explodes on its own at the end of its lifetime and catches the target in its blast.
Mosquito has some chance to hit the target before that.
' Wrote:I use Mosquitoes on fighters and Train CDs on bombers, gunboats, etc.
And, maybe instead of nerfing TCD, the Enh. CMs should be buffed. I have never managed to escape from a CD while using Enh. CMs. They are just useless.
CMs work fine as long as you are cruising.
I've not used MCD too much, I pretty much always get a TCD.
I have heard that the MCD already performs noticeably better. The thing is, many fighters are pretty much obligated to take the TCD because they need the ability to stop transports. Pirates, privateers, navy, police all need to be able to stop their target/lawbreaker. This requirement by and large already precludes the use of a MR, so I'm not sure making the TCD only viable against transports is a good idea.
Unless, snubs in general gain a (extra in case of Gladiator) dedicated CD slot. Want to stop all vessels? Need a TCD and MCD. Or, pick CD and take the MR.
A large problem may be just getting this to work (unless you can do something with shield types so you can't TCD a fighter with shields up). Even with the extra blast radius the TCD is iffy at times against transports. I can't help but think a firing delay or turning nerf wouldn't case them to "glancing" hit that does nothing even more often.
But, if you wanted to try this out. I would say add a firing delay and up the speed so the time to target at a range of say 1 k is the same. Below that the TCD would be much slower due to the delay, and at longer ranges it would actually be faster. This would make the MCD the combat CD and the TCD the stop someone fleeing CD.
Energy usage is a bad idea imho. LFs got the cruise speed boost so they could intercept and have the smallest cores. Also, removing the ability to cruise, e-kill and fire a CD makes the extra cruise speed a bit useless for interdiction.
' Wrote:(unless you can do something with shield types so you can't TCD a fighter with shields up).
That's ridiculous at best. Why ? You wouldn't be able to stop fleeing fighters in a chase or any other situation.