Second Cerberus
Villore Sec Ops
Gallente Federation
38
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Posted - 2012.10.28 22:37:00 -
[1] - Quote
I have used dropships extensively in the last 3 builds, but spend alot of time in logistics grinding for the SP and ISK to fund the skills and ships. In all 3 builds, there has been zero way to realistically make a living as a dropship pilot moving troops around the field. Even with corps, that hasn't really changed. This is because the LAV provides excellent point to point transportation and droplinks are cheap and effective.
My current ship is 511,000 ISK and I have about 2 million SP invested in ship skills. About 2/3 of these skills don't translate into anything useful when I'm ground pounding so it is a risk/reward investment. None of this info is to brag/whine, just putting it out there as everyone encounters dropships on the field but not as many may have tried to skill into it.
When I call in a ship, I have no weapons I control (unlike tankers) and require at least one skilled gunner to make any points. Literally. Unless my gunner kills someone, I make zero points.
To add constructively to this thread, I would argue three points:
1. Missiles are a little OP right now. This applies to missiles on all platforms, including tanks and LAV's. This is not just a dropship problem. Granted I have invested 2 million points to get a decent ship, but I only have 100K invested in missiles and can access the AT-1 which is 420 HP direct and 240 splash. Turret Op bonuses get it close to 450 HP.
2. Where was it said that Swarms were designed for dropships? Seriously, I'm asking because I don't know. I find them very effective against LAV's and tanks. They are great on LAV's because they are pretty easy to hit even at full speed and good against tanks because you can usually shoot from cover. I can tell you that swarms are quite harassing in a dropship. They won't OHK, but if you are not flying near top speed to evade they can hit you. (fact: if a DS is at full horizontal speed it is losing altitude which means you can't circle at full speed indefinitely)
3. The impact physics from swarms and forges on ships is still ridiculous. If LAV's shared these physics they should be flipped and rolled a half dozens times. Whatever else, the physics for impact on a vehicle or ship should be the same and right now they are not.
Hope this adds to the discussion, because I would like to see some changes in future builds that improve the DS role.
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