Was sitting around thinking just now about multi-slot modules. Aka modules that could be fitted in either mid or low slots or mid and high slots or even a combination of all three.
Just wanted to see what sort of modules people might ever want see, or never see, made available for these.
This is more a discussion thread than an actual game idea so yes it is in the right place.
I figure that though the balancing might be problematic it might actually be an interesting way to give some modules a bit more flare, usage or life. Mostly in the mid/low slot swapping. As atm shield tankers cant fit mid slot items without sacrificing tank and armor cant fit low slots without sacrificing tank. Now this in itself is a good trade off and not the entire point for me. It is more along the lines of there are underused modules that might get used more if they had a bit more versatility with regard to slot placements.
Modules like guns/missiles or nuets/nos I would never want to have multiple slot layouts.
Or even ships designed specifically with multi-slot layouts allowed as a ship bonus in some way.
Im sure therell be a lot of hate for this but Ill toss it out as “chumming” the waters for you sharks anyway.
She’s not talking about the penalty as much as she’s talking about being able to use, for example, ships that only have 2 mid slots, for PVP by installing a low-slot warp disruptor, low-slot webber, and low-slot prop module.
See, instead of multi-slot modules, CCP could just add low-slot equivalent of mid-slot modules, and viceversa.
But the problem is this: by itself, a low-slot warp disruptor doesn’t need to be any more or less powerful than a mid-slot warp disruptor; other than the low slot fitting, the module isn’t special in any way.
However, ships that have “nice” slot layouts are like that on purpose. Ships that are “versatile” are like that on purpose. In both cases, CCP has balanced the versatility or the slot layouts against other ships, and your suggestion would force them to do another balance pass and NERF most ships. Because low-slot PVP modules or mid-slot damage enhancers or whatever, would make A LOT MORE ships versatile, with the versatility added on top of great DPS or excellent energy drains or whatever. Think of a versatile Blackbird, or Bhaalgorn, or similar; now they don’t just ECM or neut, now they’re versatile too on top of that.
The balance of ships in EVE is what it is, and CCP’s already trying to make all ships “good” at something, so IMO your idea would screw that up to the point where they have to tiericide everything all over again, which would be a lot of work for no reason.
There are already ample modules with lowslot/highslot AND rig versions and they already allow you to free up midslots for tackle or application mods. eg cap recharger, cap relay, cap control rig.
Multi-slot module reads to me as if the module takes up multiple slots, either those of different levels, or of the same type.
I could see a place for interesting modules that crosses slot levels, like a drone package that takes up a High, Medium, and a Low to give some unique bonus (hanger space maybe??).
The only module that might work as a “fit anywhere” module, or as a “here are some low slot equivalents” would be warp disruptor and warp scrambler, IMO. Because they are [I]mandatory[/I] PVP modules, and a few ships have only 2 mid slots.
But even then, people looking to PVP will bring ships that can tackle. So, really, this option would only boost “unexpected” PVP, like, for example, mission runners, where they never fit points because they need all the mid slots for their PVE shield tank. This option would allow them to maybe fit a low point in their PVE ship, and maybe tackle wreck thieves or other suspects, perhaps increasing the likelihood of PVP happening. But it’s such a niche scenario that it’s pretty much not worth the development and balance effort.
thats true but its just the playstyle of the ship
like a navy slicer it only has 2 mids
but still manages just fine for pvp
just gotta manage your cap more carefully but thats just playing in the limitations of the hull
Well, I could conceivably see of a category of hybrid versions of modules that buff weapon or base ship stats, where a hybrid tracking module would function as a tracking enhancer (passive module) when fit in a low slot, as a tracking computer in the mid (an active module), and a remote tracking enhancer when placed in a high slot (a targeted active module).
A hybrid sensor module could function as a signal amplifier in a low slot, a sebo when in the mid, and a remote sebo when fit to a high slot.
They could retain the ability to load scripts regardless of slot location.
Could be interesting/useful for some types of modules.
Thanx for the replies and yes this was the general idea. I realize that due to balance there wouldnt be a lot of modules that would even warrant such a buff. It infringes a lot on the T3 idea of versatility but in a more module related sense rather than the subsystems. Being able to apply some of these sort of modules to underused ships might be a good way going forward for CCP to introduce some rebalancing for some of the ships still left to rebalance or in the future even of previously rebalanced ships.
Thanx for the good feedback and conversation.
The main thing I liked the most was the point/scram. Though I have often wondered if this should be an standard option for ships. Where a minimal point/scram, like a civilian version, would be omnipresent on ALL hulls regardless of having one fit and fitting one would give more range or scram strengths. Yet being able to move some modules around at times would make some very nifty niche fits.
I must admit I enjoy off the wall fits. I still remember taking out an MWD drake to take on small ships many years ago in like 2008 sometime long before drakes where a “thing.”
It’s harder to balance things by changing modules, vs. just changing the ships in question. They’ll have much fewer side-effects if they add an extra mid slot to all the ships that have only 2, than if they try to “fix the issue” by introducing low slot points/scrams. For example: freighters have low slots, and granted they wouldn’t have the CPU to fit a low slot point, but the point stands that unintended ships would get unintended capabilities.
For “omnipresent point,” they could make the act of acquiring a target lock also apply a single point. But I think they want the default behavior to be “anyone can get away unless tackled” rather than “nobody can get away unless warp core stabbed.” Omnipresent disruptor would just make the WCS a mandatory module.
If they ever make anything like this “multi-slot” modules then the only reasonable way for them to do this is treat them like a subsystem is on a T3C.
I like the idea of adding other function though, like additional drone bay as a sacrifice of slots, or maybe cargo space for the paper-thin tanked haulers. But you could expand this multi-slot/subsystem further. If it were ever to be fair, it would probably need to be limited to one of the subsystem-like modules.
One problem with modules that take up more than one slot simutaneously would be heat damage. How would that be resolved? This would be especially interesting if the mod took up slots in different groups.
As for mods that use one slot but could go in say a mid or low… There would have to be drawbacks. Like if you had a variable slot Ballistic control, it should have less benefit than the normal low slot only module. But then why would you use it?
One could also go the other way like the ancillarys where you add strength in return for limited time, major or at least increased heat damage to both racks, etc.
There would have to be some advantage and it would have to be balanced for time duration, or some other way that would limit its usage like heat or removal of other slots. IE a mid slot item that would normally be a low slot item that would remove a high slot item or do 100% more heat damage to both mid and low slots or just 200% to a low slot or entire rack.
Or it could come in the form of additional and high capacitor draw like the ancillaries do now after the paste/cap booster chargers are gone. By having them use a form of ammo it would limit the time usable as well.
Interesting idea. I’d say for balance reasons reserve it for newer modules, or a select few modules selected to host alternate slot variants. I also like the idea of modules which take up multiple slots. I do like the idea of a high slot warp disruptor(low prolly really bad for balance tbh).
The only module I could see this being usable for is a damage control. Because it affects shield, armor, and hull tanks giving it some flexibility in where to stick it could make some more unconventional fits viable.
For example, being able to take a traditionally shield tanked ship with a lot of mids and freeing up a low to in order to make an armor tank more viable. (Although it would still mean competing with damage mods)
There are low slot mods that help with a shield tank. But afaik there are no mid slot mods that buff an armor tank. Making a dcu equip able to both (but keeping the only 1 of them restriction) could help balance that.
Hell no. The current fitting system is one of the most interesting parts of Eve, and there are lots of ships that can be fit in many different ways. The trade offs and compromises of the different hulls due to their slot arrangements is a big part of what makes them interesting.
Flexibility is great, but there should be a limit; because there comes a point where too much flexibility ends with everything essentially being the same.
If you want more mid slot modules, we have ships for that.
If you want more low slot modules, we have ships for that.
If you want flexibility, it is already out there for you.
