Welp with me getting back into the swing of things, I figured it was time to try out the Rorq.
Cool changes. Definitely better than way back when.
But … why are excavators not fighters? As it stands they are the largest barrier to entry. I get it … special drones, etc. But it seems to me that CCP is missing out on some engaging game-play here.
From a “lore” perspective … wouldn’t the rogue drones modify light fighters into mining drones and heavy fighters (or w/e fighter bombers are now) into haulers? I mean its easier to retrofit a bigger platform than making a blivet collector, right?
In doing this, we can also reverse engineer the tech into faction mining fighters for the LP store. Racial bonuses to ice mining for the preferred ice, racial resistances, fun stuff like that.
Rorq could have 3 bays, one for haulers, two for miners. Standard carrier loadout.
Orca … might be able to get away with 2? 1 hauler, 1 miner.
Now the only thing is … can we load drones into fighter bays? Personally I don’t see why not. Throw 5 hammerheads in a tube and launch. Do away with the drone UI on capitals. The risk vs reward is better, having to use more drones on the field. Tailor/nerf bonuses accordingly.
The triple CASB nerf has done a lot to bring Rorqs into better balance. I think the idea of treating excavators more like fighters is interesting, but to be honest, unless you really have a lot of isk to burn and don’t care about dead excavators, it’s generally a bad idea to completely go AFK when you’re mining. Rats, especially Dreads, have a tendency to do bad things to Rorq drones. So do WH gangs and Olmeca Gold. So you can’t completely ignore your screens when you’re mining unless you’re asking to lose stuff.
Thanks. Hopefully CCP can have a look at it. I full well realize the cost of excavators is intended. This would just reward active involvement. (Afterburner button for fighters on exi’s anyone?)
Only people who don’t own a rorqual say they should require more input to use and require more nerfs. The time, isk, and resources put into simply building a Rorqual and it’s drones is offset by how powerful it is. If you don’t want to put forth the time and effort to obtain one yourself, hush. If you want to be able to kill them easily because you don’t want someone else to have them, with cheap small ships, hush. Capital ships shouldn’t be able to be taken down easily by small gangs. You want a rorqual dead, you better be prepared to work for it. Stop being lazy. And yes, as others have put out, Excavators are slow and ponderous and simply paying attention to your ship, even if it doesn’t require constant manipulating (That’s just dumb), is a requirement for using them, if you don’t want them booshed or bombed, that is. Given how easy it is to take out a Rorqual’s drones, that alone means the ship needs no nerfing. After all, there’s no point in killing the Rorqual if you take out the drones it uses.