Yes, but that isn't going to remain the case. Like I said, CCP Remnant made a post about a month back where he said they're "unsatisfied with the current state of Light AV vs Vehicles".

As well, that's a bit of an exaggeration. I've so far lost 3 Pythons to some really good AV players luring me down to lower altitude, and then using the kinetic impact of multiple Swarm launchers to throw me into buildings or hills.

So you crashed...

Well they never die though. They can be tanked pretty well and can hide behind the altitude ceiling, so in effect they have a built-in redline capability - to me that should cost money.

Edit: and they are much harder for infantry to hide from than from tanks.

So you crashed...

As an assault dropship pilot allow me to correct a few things. They do die, quite often, and not just to rails either but to forge guns and combined swarm launcher efforts. They can be tanked somewhat but not to the degree of a tank, trust me I have max fitting skills For shields and turrets. If you want to fit a tank you have to give up your side turrets, something that I personally won't do. I think the dropships true power lies in its troop carrying capacity and gunner firepower which requires a lot of skill and experience to pull off.

Its true dropships can retreat to the flight ceiling, though keep in mind that's just like an infantry or tank player. The dropships typical operating height is 80-100m at 200m you can barley see anything. When a dropship is 200m up its not a threat to ground forces, the most threatening force would be those jumping out of the dropship. So yes we can fly high up, but we loose any sort of effectiveness by running to that altitude.

The dropship is the most versatile vehicle in dust, it can transport troops quickly above ground and the assault variant has decent fire power. However it costs far more than a tank, and forge guns are still very much a threat. Prototype rail guns can one shot a python, and they cost a couple hundred thousand less than a prototype fit dropship. Keep in mind that dropship pilots don't get paid much, even if they do their job of transport the points aren't very much. My python usually requires 2-3 games of work to earn back, and I have to be doing well to earn that 230k a game which means flying through heavily contested skies hoping I don't get OHK flying to C. Its very stressful and I have spent well over 300mil isk on dropships.

@ the OP, I agree dropships and especially assault dropships should cost less, more than the standard but not more, or much more than a proto fit tank. Every pilot could breath a bit easier and have a little bit of cash in their pockets and a few dropships to fly.
Lately I have been restocking 15 of my cheaper dropships at a time. This costs roughly 9.7mil. If I can't make that isk back With 15 dropships then I'm in the red. Unfortunately there were quite a few redline rail tanks one day and I ended up 3mil short, that's 3 or 4 dropships I can't restock. I'm lucky to break even on a good day, I don't want to talk about my bad days....

@numnutz, so at 650k ISK a pop you must be putting some fairly decent gear on your dropship, that you use in pubs. Like say running a proto drop suit in pubs, infantry expect to lose ISK under those conditions and so should you.

@numnutz, so at 650k ISK a pop you must be putting some fairly decent gear on your dropship, that you use in pubs. Like say running a proto drop suit in pubs, infantry expect to lose ISK under those conditions and so should you.

More than you can even earn in one match?

Also, realize that running the vehicle without such gear guarantees that you'll lose it to AV. Complex Hardeners are almost a necessity, especially for a Python pilot.

I hear you man, but if you want to run a drop ship with the equivalent power to a proto suit then expect to lose money, it's a pub match, 2 proto drop suit deaths puts you negative ISK. I mean seriously, sounds like you just want to use a proto dropship to stomp pubs and never die. You are starting to sound like a tanker.

I hear you man, but if you want to run a drop ship with the equivalent power to a proto suit then expect to lose money, it's a pub match, 2 proto drop suit deaths puts you negative ISK. I mean seriously, sounds like you just want to use a proto dropship to stomp pubs and never die. You are starting to sound like a tanker.

Look champ 'proto' when used in relation to vehicles means modules and weapons.

If you want the power then f*cking pay for it, or get on the ground and risk your KDR like everyone else.

@numnutz, so at 650k ISK a pop you must be putting some fairly decent gear on your dropship, that you use in pubs. Like say running a proto drop suit in pubs, infantry expect to lose ISK under those conditions and so should you.

Show me on the clone where the assault dropship touched you.

They need to stay expensive in order to prevent spam.

Case and point, tanks.

Becuase good Assult dropship pilots are really common
Its the biggest SP/Skill ( And Isk wich is a problem) sink in the game of course its gotto be powerful
spamming such a thing is really hard
There is no militia Ass Dropship
+1 on reducing price to about 90k

No sh!t bro. Every dropship I bring onto the field I expect to loose, I learned that a long time ago. Its probably the only thing that has kept me sane. The difference between a prototype suit and a prototype dropship is this, a basic suit can still be effective with a basic weapon. A python requires atleast adv level equipment just to survive, and you have to survive if you want to make isk, because if you loose one dropship a game you will go bankrupt by the end of the week. My 15 pythons must last me a minimum of 30 games for me to break even and that's if me and my crew are top of the boards every game.

They don't have to be as cheap as tanks, but they shouldn't cost so much more. Have you ever tried being a gunner on a python? I fit prototype turrets because when we come in on a run we have little time to get kills and get out, I need as much fire as I can so I'm not sitting in one place for a rail or forge. The gunners I have flown with for months can predict the motion of my dropship and place the shots they need to for us to get out. Blueberry gunners can barley kill 2 guys in the time my gunner's would kill or suppress 5. Adv turrets are still good but for those who are dedicated dropship pilots, that couple percentages make the difference between life and sudden death.

From what I have learned, I fly the best dropship I can so there is a better chance of it coming back, even if the chance is very low. If I just fit my pythons with std and adv mods and turrets it would still cost me 400k or up, only it would be shot down a lot easier by av. If one or two of my proto fit pythons come back then they might survive two and then I have paid it off. The better equipment allows me to stay in the fight for 10 more seconds before I have to leave, that's a potential 3 kills, no man left behind, or distraction for my team, potentially more isk which I sorely need. If I'm not in the fight, or doing something useful then I'm making scraps, prototype gear is the only ones that are really effective for dropships. That is if your a dedicated pilot and your dropship is how you make money. Most of my sp is in dropships 7 or 8 mil. So my dropship is my money maker, but its also my isk sink. If it wasn't so much of a sink then I might have one or two dropships extra and can restock my suits without dipping into the money for dropships.

And that's cool man, but like EVERYONE ELSE if you want to run proto in pubs expect to lose money. I'm sorry that advanced is not good enough for you, take it up with CCP. But don't whine about cost effectiveness in pubs while running a pro to fit out.

150k would be fine and balanced

It's not the dropship, the point of my discussion is when rail tanks are nerfed there will be nothing left to take them out. so why do they deserve a price reduction?

@NK Scout, i was having a discussion with Numnutz, and he only uses proto fittings on his assault dropship in pubs. I am of the opinion that if thats what you want to run then it's going to be ISK risky. He seems to break even though so i guess he's pretty good at it.

You can't balance a proto fitted dropship to be cost effective in pubs, it's ridiculous.

And that's cool man, but like EVERYONE ELSE if you want to run proto in pubs expect to lose money. I'm sorry that advanced is not good enough for you, take it up with CCP. But don't whine about cost effectiveness in pubs while running a pro to fit out.

@NK Scout, i was having a discussion with Numnutz, and he only uses proto fittings on his assault dropship in pubs. I am of the opinion that if thats what you want to run then it's going to be ISK risky. He seems to break even though so i guess he's pretty good at it.

You can't balance a proto fitted dropship to be cost effective in pubs, it's ridiculous.

Well I don't know how to explain it to you any more clearly than I just did But I'll try anyway. Assault dropships are expensive before you fit anything on it, be it milita, std, adv, or pro. In a dust where milita rail tanks and wiki forge guns can OHK you, if your bringing anything less than proto on a python your going to loose a lot of isk, PC especially where av players know how to counter a dropship, FW where you don't make any isk back, or pub matches where most players not involved in PC play where all kinds of sh!t can happen, your going to be scraping by if your lucky, and buddy that's pretty ******* lucky.

TL;DR dropships need prototype gear to survive. They need to survive at least one game to make any isk.

Fair enough guys you have convinced me, make them cheaper, but there has to be a counter besides a rail tank. If AV is not buffed then things are going to be in a terrible state.

I have knocked off a few with my forge gun but it's hardly reliable against a good pilot with a 2.5- 3 sec charge time. These kills are mostly guys that don't move after the first hit, who knows why not.

I just got my back up a bit because the sentiments you guys were putting across were very similar to pre 1.7 tank threads and look what happened.

Any way thanks for the discussion. i'm out.

2 or 3 games, isk payouts are around 170k