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Gabriella Grey
Onslaught Inc
RISE of LEGION
127
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Posted - 2014.08.20 16:20:00 -
[1] - Quote
The latest changes to installations does add a very good sense of teamwork with vehicle players with infantry across all aspects, which I think was much needed. Whether it's a squad effort to destroy or hack an installation it really is bringing the players together in matches. These are not immediate issues but I am only saying these things because I hope that Dust 514 can continue to improve as a whole rather than in previous updates 1 area is neglected for months without end until there is too many things that need to be reworked that CCP has to do serious major hauls like around December of last year. Be careful CCP Dropships are starting to get displaced now! With player operated vehicles, and anti vehicle weapons, the new turret update is making standard dropships and assault dropships loose their use and purpose. I feel that a flying vehicle should always have more threats on the ground but the issues arise with the dropships themselves. Here are a few deep analysis that Dropship players are experiencing and will come to experience currently in the game.
Standard Dropships:
Standard dropships are too slow for pilots to land or be near the ground to pick up and drop off players. The basic militia forge gun, can destroy easily or nearly kill the best fitted standard dropship. It doesn't need Assault dropship speed and handling, but it does need something better than it currently has to survive. Most would say add more armor, but with standard dropships having a better module load out compared to Assault dropships, I don't really think that is something they need more.
Assault Dropships:
Assault dropships are too squishy, and riddled with many wholes in its operation. The hugest problem with Assault dropships is they really need less modules that are shared with ground vehicles and more of their own. The afterburner is probably the best and most used module for dropships because it is really the only dropship only module out there designed for a vehicle that needs to be in the air. The huge issue that I am finding with assault dropships is 25 million skill points invested into dropship modules, dropships, and small turrets, makes not much to no difference as a dropship with over 30 million skill points invested. Light shields are rarely used alone as previous dropship builds for caldari assault dropships due to the serious need to take more damage when you have been surprised by the enemy. This also proves for Gallente dropships with armor plates that are easily destroyed by forge guns and large rail turrets. Now some may say that being surprised is no excuse, but we are talking about balance in the game. If a forge gunner shoots a HAV once he has enough time to still figure out where the shot came from and decide if he should drive or fight. Dropship's do not have this luxury using light shields because it's only cover is altitude and distance from the attacker on the ground. Be it a forge gun, swarm missiles, or an HAV. Dropships and any future arial vehicle for Dust 514 or Project Legion needs their own special modules, that cater to them. We have yet to see the reintroduction of passive modules, or if there are ever going to be new passive modules that were going to come after December 2013 rework of vehicles. Small turrets just don't work the same in the air as they do on ground vehicles at all, with the exception of Missile turrets. Rail turrets constantly miss fire, or glitch to where when they are reloaded manually then used again they will hit the target but not do damage to the target. small missile turrets biggest issue when equipped on a dropship is they are starting to feel disadvantaged to handling things as effectively the way every other weapon operates. Small turrets can be fixed with perhaps reasonable damage buffs, and splash damage range increased to small turrets when equipped to a dropship, depending on the type of turret. Another effective way is also just giving them their own class of turrets similar to the Large turret is for HAV's and keep small turrets for Logistics dropships, when they are re-introduced, LAV"s, and additional turret support for HAV's. Another serious issue is the optimization fitting skills seem not to work after Level 3 for small turrets, and modules for dropships. This problem can be more so an issue for how PG points, and CPU points are pre-configured I think is the main issue. Currently Assault Dropships can fit 3 turrets, but with an substantial amount of skill points invested they still do not justify the reason to really equip more than one turret on them, due to low shield and armor health points. The module layout as well is a bit faulty. The 3 high, and 1 low, or 1 high, and 3 low layout I think hinders assault dropships with using other modules like scanners, damage modules, and the increased ammo cache modules that were introduced. The main reason is assault dropships are more worried about being able to survive so they can fight rather than using these. Perhaps giving them an extra module slot where depending on the dropships layout, where the 1 slotted module is can introduce more variety to unused modules.
Logistics Dropship?:
I hope soon we will see the return of the true bus of the skies return. What I hope can come back with this dropship is more built in features similar to the CRU, like an built in scanner to go with it. For legion I would love to see logistic vehicles able to supply players like infantry logistics players can with Nano hive supplies, giving the logo dropship its true support purpose.
I hope to hear from more dropship pilots on what they think, and even from CCP on ways we can better help Dust and Project Legion be a better game. I hope my information helps you CCP! 
Always Grey Skies
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Gabriella Grey
Onslaught Inc
RISE of LEGION
130
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Posted - 2014.08.22 13:58:00 -
[2] - Quote
Leeroy Gannarsein wrote:Vulpes Dolosus wrote:Breakin Stuff wrote:Anmol Singh wrote:Breakin Stuff wrote:Shots to kill python with IAFG: 3
Shots to kill Gunnlogi with IAFG: 3
ADS are not too squishy. They are harder to terminate than tanks are by being just as tough and moch faster and more maneuverable.
ADS need a resilience buff like the HMG needs to have its optimal changed to 200m. The sky has no cover and it takes almost 5-6 shots from IAF to kill my 5300 shield with hardener gunnlogi, and that is if I dont 2 shot him with my missiles first. You can go from "Hover" to "out of range" in less time than it takes to fire an assault forge with one module. Don't feed me that "Sky has no cover" crap. This is over exaggerated. First shot comes when hovering. During the time it takes to assess the situation and activate the afterburner and begin to retreat, you've probably moved all of 20m and are about to take the second shot. The forge has a range of 400m and the Python has a max speed of 125m/s (and don't forget acceleration time from hovering). It takes a FULL SPEED Python 3.2sec to out range a forge shot, plenty of time for another shot. The only advantage an ADS has is maneuverability and being a difficult target at longer ranges, but that's against the forgers aim and not game mechanics. Forge has 300m unless something changed in the last couple of months. As far as the whole 'assess the situation' thing? That shouldn't take more than a second to do. You ought to be well on your way by the second shot - if you're not you're not paying attention or flying defensively.
If your in a standard dropship you can understand where a threat is coming from, but usually 9/10 if the first shot hit you, there is little time for you to acquire the speed you need to escape. For flying defensively with an Assault Dropship you should always have a choice as the pilot. Just because a forge gun, swarm launcher, HAV, or LAV is in the area shooting at the dropship doesn't mean that the pilot needs to run every time anti-vehicle or ground vehicles wants them away.
Always Grey Skies
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Gabriella Grey
Onslaught Inc
RISE of LEGION
131
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Posted - 2014.08.23 13:52:00 -
[3] - Quote
CELESTA AUNGM wrote:Salutations, Gabriella. There are a lot of DS players I studied up and followed when I was trying to un-puzzle this floating horse we call a Dropship---but there is only a short list of DS players I consider ACTUALLY SKILLED Dropship players (and long before anything such a type as ADS was introduced)--Gabriella you're one of the names on that list, and your Dropship ability is miles high (um... to a level some of us vets only boast and THINK we've acheived). "You're money's no good at this bar"  And you're point of view is right on the money about Hotfix Charlie. Much as I hate for Dropships to return to becoming the hog of forum discussions (...what, again??), we do need to keep a player path open where people who choose to dabble in Dropships can see how vulnerable they are, and have a reason to skill up SOMEWAY that makes further use valuable to them. Note, I am NOT quite ready to agree that the STANDARD DS needs improving. There's an argument to be made that WEAKNESS and LIMITATION is a wake-up message for the player to skill better modules for it, or graduate up into the better variants of the vehicle (the same argument made for limiting Public Matches to encourage migration into FW stuff).  I would prefer the STANDARD model stay disturbingly limited and squishy, as an obvious doorway towards immediately better variants (not just an ADS, but noticeably mid-PG/CPU variations in the transport models, leading up to Logi- types)  But if the PG/CPU differences between our models aren't widened, we won't perceive there are ANY true variants at all (besides nose-gun and non-nose)... In THIS situation, yes Gabriella, I reluctantly agree with your interest that STANDARD dropship model be improved a bit.
Thanks Celesta, I am very happy my post were able to help you in keeping your floating horse alive and dangerous to enemy players! I agree with you that we need more tiers of dropships, though I am worried CCP may not come out with any tiered vehicles, but if they do then yes I agree with you. I would like to see better tier dropships in Assault versions and the logistics ones with better performance, slot layouts, and PG/CPU, according to the dropship variant. Then it would be great to see a decrease in the amount of module slots available to the standard dropships with a decrease in PG/CPU for those variants, and a price drop that goes down further.
Always Grey Skies
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