hello,

Recently CCP posted in their Hotfix charlie post that skill stacking was a bug. Any true vehicle user knows that skill stacking has always been a game mchanic and was not a bug at all. Back when turret operation used to give 2% to damage, it was ideal for pilot/driver and the gunner to both have skills maxed out.

Currently there has been a witch hunt going on about ADS pilots and gunners stacking skills but the reality of the situation is that these are rarely seen in matches. Out of every 3 matches I see 1 ADS with a gunner. Even so, Having a gunner is only beneficial because they can stack. The loss of tank involved in having a gunner, specially in the python, is only justifiable by the fact that the team can get in, deal damage and get out. Even truer now that the incubus damage profiles got switched to take on full swarm damage 80/120 and can be challenged even by militia swarms.

On top of it all, for the stacking to be truly as dangerous as many of the "bug removal advocates" say, both pilots need to be maxed out and even then, the DPS output is just enough to compete with similar weapon systems taking into consideration the drawbacks involved with reducing the tank on an ADS. With an investment of 2.4 million SP each (4.8 combined), the same as getting a proto suit, stacking existence is justified by SP to entry and isk to entry barrier that only the most dedicated pilots and gunners are willing to achieve; which consequently, aren't many.

The sentiment of the forums does not reflect the reality of gameplay. This mechanic which was never considered a bug until now, is not as detrimental to the game as some threads might suggest. The evidence is in game. It's not something everyone does, it's something with a high entry barrier and CCP should do some digging around before they put the bug label on a mechanic that has existed and was iterated upon when the developers chose which skills stack and which don't.