Tuesday, June 16, 2009

New location = new perspective on some ships

Seppuku has moved into 0.0 space for an extended period of time. Living here is very different from living in Empire in many, many ways (logistics, log off spots, logistics, tactics, logistics, intel... Oh, and did I mention logistics?).

Not the least among those differences is the value/utility that I see in certain ships & weapons systems.

Normal disclaimers apply: The opinions expressed here are mine & mine alone. I don't speak for anyone else. Your mileage may vary. Consult your physician if you experience... well, you know.. ;)

Here are a few items that I have a greater appreciation for:

Stealth Bombers

Bomb launchers turn this from a so-so battleship attack platform in Empire to a nasty, nasty gate camp crasher in null sec. A co-ordinated flight of 4 or 5 can pass out large helpings of hurt with near impunity.

Blockade Runners

Their speed in Empire is their main plus, but in null sec, the ability to provide stealthy logistics support is a huge advantage. I wish I could fly one with both my main and my alt.

Gunnery Support Skills

Early on in Eve, I started down the path of training to fly a T2 rail fit Rokh. The idea of sniping at insane ranges was the draw and now, as I start to cross train other races and other weapons, having those support skills nearly maxed makes it much less painful to start flying, say a T2 fit Zealot.

F10 & Statistics

I'm spending way more time looking at the statistical displays in map mode than I ever did in Empire.

A few things that are more 'meh' in null sec compared to Empire:

Missile Boats

And by extention, sadly, most Caldari ships. As far as I can see, the underlying reason is simply flight time. Darrell Royal might say "Three things can happen when you shoot missiles and two of them are not so good for you." (Your missile hits or by the time your missile arrives your target has already popped from the focused fire of your gang or by the time your missile arrives your target has left.)

Battleships

Not saying that they are not useful, but they are no longer the top of the food chain.

Haulers

Targets, really. That's about it. ;P

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Welcome to 0.0 my friend! If you need any help or advice, drop me a line. I've been here for over two years and can tell you that safespots and bookmarks are your best friends.

Shirrath said...

Here's my take:

<3 Blockade Runners. I make most of my money with one. With a scout, it's nigh-impossible to catch.

Gunnery support: Must-have. Your enemies are going to dish out every single point of damage they can get their hands to, and you need to keep pace.

Battleships: The main workhorse of 0.0. They aren't anything to write home about and die by the dozen, but they're always needed. They tend to travel in packs.

Haulers: Mining support ships, good for only warping between the pos/station and the belt. Real hauling is done by carriers, jump freighters and blockade runners in that order.

Dee Carson said...

Good point on the bookmarks & safespots, xiphos. I hadn't really thought of them because, being a recon pilot in Empire, I already made extensive use of tactical station/gate bookmarks, safespots, undock insta's and pounce/perches. I'll add that topic to my list of things to talk about. THX - DC

Anonymous said...

Hey Dee...not as if you've never been to 0.0 but you hit on two of my largest pet peeves.
1) missile boats just do not do well in 0.0
2) logistics activities are made 10X harder than they need to be
( in terms of the sheer amount needed for this thankless and VERY important job)

Media said...

Great eye opener to an empire noob with future 0.0 desires, Dee. I think I'll adjust my training plan, and move some things up to a higher priority. Miss you on this side, will catch up to you when I can bankroll my own logistics. And of course I monitor this blog so keep this kind of thing coming, o sensei, lol. =)