Caldari dropships require skill
Gallente dropships do not.

This verges into hyperbole, as calling any dropships semi-invincible, even an Incubus, just seems like an exaggeration. We've already established that dropships need love, so I think it's kind of counter productive to advocate nerfing one of them.

If a swarm nerf/overhaul happens (which most people I've talked to support) then Incubus' would be truly out of hand.

It seems to me that over 3/4's of ADS called in are Incubus' (Incubi?)

It's certainly the all-round superior dropship, with nearly twice as much durability, and for which it doesn't really sacrifice anything. It might be marginally slower and 'clunkier' than the Python, but not enough to really matter.

I've seen Incubus' take absolute beatings and survive: Forge blast, multiple swarms, AV nades, etc. and they just chug along with hardeners on like nothing's happening.

On top of that Incubus pilots can get away with ramming everyone else out of the sky with no consequence.


That kind of survivability needs to have a drawback, which I feel should be mobility.

I feel the Incubus needs less torque, and slower acceleration, while keeping the same top speed. Not a huge nerf, but enough to bring it on par with the Python

See, I run a Python semi-often and I feel it's arguably 'fine' as it is.

It's great as a hit-and-run vehicle, and knowing when you've overstayed your welcome. That's how an ADS should function.

The Incubus on the other hand is often a semi-invincible flying tank which takes multiple AV users to make it ever consider leaving the area.


The factor nobody seems to be considering is that most people agree swarms need to be nerfed. Swarms are the main deterrent to Dropships. A swarm nerf would render the Incubus downright OP, while making the Python more viable, but still susceptible to Forges etc.

A drop ship should die from 3 proto swarm volleys. Especially considering we only have BASIC tier dropships currently.

Dropships are not meant to be flying tanks.

Incubus needs hate.

Caldari dropships require skill
Gallente dropships do not.

You seem to care very little about your own dropship, but instead look to be on a quest to destroy the other.

If we bring the Incubus down to near or about the Python's level, then all we've acomplished is to make both ADS' suffer.

If we buff one and nerf the other, we've simply flip-floped and remain in the situation we are in now albeit with roles reversed.

But if we simply bring the Python up to the Incubus' level, everybody "wins." Effective hit and run dropship for you, hardened anti-vehicle machine for me, and the AVers can continue to happily shoot us both down.

We can accomplish so much if we stay away from the mentality of "My toy is broken so I'm gonna break his" and instead look at things in a holistic and positive way.

I'd like the point out though that my view on this is actually the most holistic, as I seem to be the only one considering the current (somewhat OP) state of swarms into this.

I agree with the "somewhat" part, as we've already established that a cautious pilot can evade most swarms if he puts thought into it.

So if AV is mostly fine, and you can do reasonably well in your Python, are you advocating for the collision mechanics of armor vehicles to be tweaked? Ramming, colliding, and crashing all keep popping up, which makes me think it's the root of the issue.

If that's the case, then we just circle around to the same question. If we reduce the Incubus to the Python's level of physical durability, we end up with two paper planes instead of one.

In any case, speed comes at a loss of tank and vice-versa. This is how Rattati is shaping dropsuits and it makes sense for vehicles as well. Pythons take way too much collision damage, no arguments there, but it still makes sense to me that a Caldari ship speeding around would take more collision damage than a lumbering Gallente rock.

Or to put it another way, the damage you take from hitting something should at least correlate with the speed you were going and the speed of the thing that hit you. Therefore, it makes sense that Pythons with their faster acceleration would reach top speed much more quickly and punish those that were overzealous with the thrust in confined city spaces.

Whereas the Incubus, because it accelerates so slowly, simply does not reach the speed of the Python in the time it takes to hit a nearby wall, and therefore takes less damage because of it.

All this meaning that yes, piloting a Python should require more care as you flit from one place to another raining speedy death, while the Incubus pilot bumbles around looking for vehicles to hunt, smacking his head as he walks out the door...

So CCP is still using explosive paint on dropships? They must have gotten a hell of a deal on it.

Darth, I find that it doesn't matter what speed the dropships is going with regards the collision. Pythons take tons of damage, even at barely above stationary and Incubi take barely any at full tilt.

You are 100% correct, of course. Not only are Pythons weak in general, they take far to much of a beating from small bumps and scrapes.

I'm not trying to say Caldari collision mechanics are fine, because they clearly are not, but rather that it makes sense to me that they would take slightly more damage from said bumps than their bulky cousin.

The Python is still semi-broken, we're just debating how far the break goes