' Wrote:I took on 7 snubs a few weeks ago in my dread. If you know your ship, and its weaknesses, you can maul 3 bombers in a dread. Most now use Novas, and with a pair a flaks? novas are useless. Also SNAC's need to come in close now, so with turret steer, and basics i have put them down to a tick of armour, or killed them 1 pass. The only really hard think to fight IMO with a dread is now a pair a cruisers with Light mortars. As they can snipe, and keep at range till you get warn down.
Well if you are über skilled and/or your opponent sucks. True, the flak works wonder vs the nova, but there's a cooldown on it, that can be used to the bombers' advantage if they work in unison and time their novas. Generally speaking a cap rarely comes out on the winning side vs. 3 average/skilled bombers (even though turret steering is a major buff). The pirate captain to fear (the trigger happy over-aggressive one) also tends to be the less competent one.
One good thing I noticed about the new rule set already is that you can now shut up base-hugging verbally abusive traders/smugglers/pirates, as cruiser pulses lowers a shield to less than 50% before the insult-shouting trader/smuggler/pirate can quickdock. All in all a very nice addition, as I for one was growing a little bit tired of system-wide constant insults by someone/something overly protected by a rule set. Could imagine some lawfuls would feel the same.
Yesterdays pirate encounter: reasonable demand by a pirate Destroyer for 1 million credits (carried a Kamome load of oxygen.)
Conclusion: Cruiser piracy not so effective. I could dodge and kite him long enough for bomber support to arrive and mop it up.
I can however imagine that a larger less mobile transport would be in trouble, but what really svaved me was the thruster speed difference. Once you put a little bit of distance between you and him, it's a safe run home.
Note: piracy attempted at a gate and the destroyer was alone.
' Wrote:I can however imagine that a larger less mobile transport would be in trouble, but what really svaved me was the thruster speed difference. Once you put a little bit of distance between you and him, it's a safe run home.
Kamome is a transport, and has the same 139/140 afterburner speed as cruisers. Thruster duration would make a difference--if your Kamome had an enhanced thruster and the cruiser had a capital thruster, you'd thrust for longer and beat him on distance.
Kamome is also pretty nimble, and should be able to dodge capital ship weapons fire pretty well with a +1k gap (800 m/s means 1.3 seconds for weapon fire to reach you at that distance). So dodge for a bit then the thruster duration kicks in.
Neither of those are true for heavy cargo ship that uses cap thrusters because of nova bombers. Those cant avoid anything and will run out of afterburner at the same distance.
' Wrote:Well if you are über skilled and/or your opponent sucks. True, the flak works wonder vs the nova, but there's a cooldown on it, that can be used to the bombers' advantage if they work in unison and time their novas. Generally speaking a cap rarely comes out on the winning side vs. 3 average/skilled bombers (even though turret steering is a major buff). The pirate captain to fear (the trigger happy over-aggressive one) also tends to be the less competent one.
There is no cool down on flaks mate. I can fire them none stop without making a dent in my powercore. Also 1 flak can, and will turn away multiple Nova's. I am not an uber pilot, but i do know how to use my weapons effectively. 1 flak per side/4 basics/4 secondaries/2 mortars/1 missile.
Like mentioned above, a lone cruiser/BS is not an issue to transports. A transport is faster, so Thrust away until you can hit cruise. Just do not sit still when you spot one. 1 disrupts lane? Thrust away, or try cruising before it closes to weapons range.
I just noticed something concerning transports who are smugglers or pirates.
For them the problem they may have with this rules is not really the fact that now it's cap ships that can stop them. A single bomber can blow up a transport rather easy... not much difference by which one you get stopped. The problem is the fact that now there are more ships in general (before it was fighters + bombers, now its fighters+bombers+caps) that can stop them, since there are and were a lot lawful caps (a lot of which are owned by noobs) flying around.
So I think higher radar range detectability for caps would do more for ballance than a pirate cap nerf alone would. I still think a slight pirate cap nerf would serve RP and to an extent ballance issues.
' Wrote:I just noticed something concerning transports who are smugglers or pirates.
For them the problem they may have with this rules is not really the fact that now it's cap ships that can stop them. A single bomber can blow up a transport rather easy... not much difference by which one you get stopped. The problem is the fact that now there are more ships in general (before it was fighters + bombers, now its fighters+bombers+caps) that can stop them, since there are and were a lot lawful caps (a lot of which are owned by noobs) flying around.
So I think higher radar range detectability for caps would do more for ballance than a pirate cap nerf alone would. I still think a slight pirate cap nerf would serve RP and to an extent ballance issues.
Yeah no more OORP "you can't shoot me, you cap, i transport " BS. Sorry, but i just do not feel any concern for pirates over this. To many lolwut Ptrans over the years abusing the system have made me not care for their rights anymore. I feel no remorse duel mortaring a Ptrans full of cardi. I do not think any re-balance is needed. If you were using Caps cannot shoot trans rule for protection, and now get mauled by caps? Well to dam bad. Caps are easy to avoid, and get away from.
You must lack skill. So far my Salvager/Ptran/Shire/ZBT/Gallic train/Uruz, and ALG hauler have got away from caps. Some lawful, some not lawful. You can outrun in Thrust, and if they cruise to catch up, they got no guns, and you again get out of range before they can fire. It really is not that hard. Just run ahead until you can cruise, or get to TL. upon exiting TL, shoot it behind you, and that gets you another 5-6K. Only time hard to get away from a cap is if they got multiple caps, or fighter escorts. And i am sorry, but caps or not multiple ships was always a loss for a solo transport.