Hey Rattati, I dunno how useful this is to your purposes, but I have a buncha practical application testing i did based around the dropship nerfs. If you haven't taken a look, here's the post-nerf stuff.

I'm interested to hear if any of this is useful


@CCP Rattati and ADS drivers.
Test nerds needed.
ADS TTK test Day 1. Ideal conditions to kill Sentinels.
ADS TTK Day 2: Python with small missiles [COMPLETE]
ADS TTK Day 3 Thunderdome Test:

No, none of it is pro-whining, just sharing my findings with the group, as well as my thoughts.

Overall I don't think that the small blaster's poor performance as a pilot weapon on an ADS is the fault of the gun, but the limitations of the platform. But I did notice that in addition for it being insanely hard for dropship pilots to keep on target it overheats INSANELY fast.

Most of the tests me and Resistance did with it had the gun overheating in almost every test run.

Very true Ghazbaran, on the subject, what damage type are small missiles? Very recently Rattati revealed large missiles AND swarms counted as PROJECTILE damage, which completely blew my mind. Can we get the scoop on small missiles, please? Are they also projectile?

I would like to point out one inherent drawback to the missile launcher that we all have "learned to deal with" that I would like to see fixed in the near future somehow. The natural small latency of the game (too negligible to even call lag) creates the effect causing the missile to "spawn" right beside the turret after having fired it. Missiles NEVER seem to fire directly from the turret but rather somewhere around it depending on how the ship is moving. This is the source of the bug that causes gunners to kill themselves in pubs and get banned from factional warfare when they damage their own ship. This occurs when the dropship is moving sideways and the missile is "spawned" inside the ship, firing towards the gunner who pulled the trigger. This is also the biggest difficulty with firing while moving. Most pilot/gunner combos have learned to deal with this and try to stop moving the ship before beginning to fire on the ennemy, which eliminates the effect completely, allowing reliable aim.

[...]

• include a third shield skill that increases regen of shield by 10% just as the third armor skill was included at a 10% value

Part 2:Assault Dropship Skills

[...]
Assault Dropships Skill
- Assault Dropship role bonus: applies to all racial Assault Dropship skills
+2% to small turret damage per level.
[As the previous Assault Dropship skill provided, but more in line with the current Dropsuit skills.]

\- Gallente Assault Dropships:
-5% to small railgun heat build-up and +20% to small blaster splash radius per level.
[Improves the Incubus's ability to apply damage to targets.]]
[...]
\- Caldari Assault Dropships:
+10% splash radius and missile speed to small missile turrets per level.
[Increases the application of the Python's primary weapon against both aerial and ground targets.]
[...]

[...]
I agree that ADS (and NDS) manoeuvrability could do with some modification. Primarily, the issue is that when hit by AV the dropship bucks wildly requiring skill to regain control (depending on how violent the impulse effect is) and can quite often force a retreat after a single hit renders the DS (A or N, regardless) is incapable of steadying long enough to fire, because the next shot is inbound already.
[...]

Getting out of lock range should be the priority, not outrunning the second volley. Outrunning swarms isn't something that should be a thing.

However, the counterpoint to that statement is that I had been hoping CCP would drop the swarm turn rate from 90 to 60, maybe 65/70. Maneuvering should be en route not at the target point. They should also chase the dropship itself not the last place they had direct line of sight then correct.

That way swarms become a skillshot weapon. IE the dropship pilots, tank and LAV drivers can deny you your shot by being skilled.

This makes swarms more useful at the longer lock ranges but problematic to pump rounds into a fast-maneuvering ADS on top of you. In short, a fight ensues rather than a mugging.