I have to admit I certainly felt the DPS drop on Tuesday with my protorps (using a pike w/ clusters and protorps), and aside from my general rustiness (I need to seriously get back in the saddle, as I kept making timing mistakes and generally am behind on the situational awareness), I feel that part of it is because protorps now are quite effective tools for killing targets, but have terrible DPS. So I found myself instinctively relying on them more than usual, using them as primary missile as opposed to my old way of doing things (which was to rely more on guns, as well as using clusters to force the missile break and following up with a protorp, which was quite effective vs gunships). Instead, I now found myself hunting mainly with protorps... this generally led to plenty of kills but much lower DPS. All in all, I'm quite satisfied with the changes, though haven't been able to play enough to really nail down what would work best for me (definitely investigating protorps+concussions though on my pike, and thinking of picking up my clarion for bomber heavy domination matches).

Subtle. I'm actually glad to hear you absolutely certainly not confirm that playtesting was involved. I'm very glad to see the devs taking GSF so seriously. Though I hope you can forgive some of us us for being somewhat cynical, after seeing our favourite game mode languish in neglect for so many years. Either way, this is wonderful to hear, and it's great to see so many fixes and improvements done. As for the torpedoes, I haven't followed the data mines in a while, so that explains that.

I must be blind, I looked at both weapon's changes, and there's nothing about lock being unbreakable. Is this perhaps some tooltip in game? Please help out this doddering old man by quoting the text in question.

I'm not sure I see what the problem is... was there a change to make protorps unbreakable? The one change that I'm aware of is that Distortion Field no longer works on missiles post-launch. Engine breaks will still work as before against any missiles.

Do you mean that Torpedo locks can still be broken by distortion field AFTER they have been launched?

Very nice analysis, Rama. Definitely a lot of implications here. One thing that I am very excited about, speaking as a specialized Strike pilot (albeit a very rusty one), is that the various buffs and changes suddenly make a whole lot of different builds at least _potentially_ viable. So while I'm sure things will soon settle into a new meta, it looks like there will be at least _some_ flexibility in builds that won't totally cripple your effectiveness. At the very least, it looks players who don't necessarily want to play at top tier competitive levels will have a lot more options to play with while still remaining contributing members of their teams.

I wouldn't be surprised if all those buffs overshot the mark a little, quite frankly. I used to do fairly well in my Pike back in the day (one of the few who did, mind you), and these upgrades are anything but subtle... not that I'm complaining mind you. I'm sure some further adjustment will be necessary to properly balance things, once we get used to the new meta, but this definitely will make the Strike fighters useful in their own right, and it still maintains the uniqueness of the Scouts (still more mobility, and definitely still leading in the burst damage department). All in all, what we're seeing here is the Devs listening to our suggestions, and making an honest effort in fixing this awesome gameplay mode. It is, at the very least, a very encouraging change. Can't wait for the new map.

I didn't ask for this... But those changes look mighty fine. Too bad by now I'm so rusty I'll probably get nothing out of all the buffs to my beloved Pike. That being said, the changes are so extensive that it'll probably be a while before we have a new handle on the new meta, and learn what needs further adjustment (wouldn't be surprised if the buffs overshot the mark a bit, for example).

I do wish they'd communicate the changes... but my hope is they will pay close attention to our reaction and make necessary adjustments to ensure there is proper balance between the various class types. There's no way they will nail everything in a single round of changes, so follow ups will be necessary.

Oh my. GSF changes... I thought this day would never come. Time to re-sub.

To be fair, you can still have a lot of fun AND success in a Strike fighter. I certainly have. And there's something to be said for succeeding against the odds.

Concerning the idea of reviving Strike Night... I think that the ultimate goal of the balance changes would be to make it so there's no longer any need for Strike Nights, and make it so we have a more even distribution of ship classes at the competitive level. ::goes back to hugging his Pike plushie::

I believe it was specifically stated they have no plans for new modes or maps, very sadly. GSF just isn't generating enough revenue for it, I would imagine. Which, of course, means the onus is on us to popularize GSF and incite more players to try out that neat GSF button they see on their GUI... and not drive them away when they try it. Ironically, I think one of the best things that could happen to Strike fighters is precisely the addition of a new mode which rewards multi-role capabilities. Best example would be an assault mode that requires the use of protorps to destroy objectives. This would not only make strikes more useful, but would also improve protorp-capable bombers and gunships. That said, I certainly won't complain if Strikes are made more capable dogfighters.

Very well said. It captures the classic space sim gameplay, rather than relying on "special" abilities (burst CDs, sniping, or minelaying). Also, I love using protorps on my Pike... and the rep players get to enjoy fighters that look like X-wings. They deserve to be competitive on that argument alone!

Personally I like them all, though probably the best way to introduce the global "class" changes would be gradually: slowly phasing in each change to avoid overshooting the mark and turning GSF into a strike-fest (though keeping in mind that it WILL turn into a Strike fest for a while the moment any improvements are made... but things should balance out as people return to their favourite class in due time). After all, let's not forget that it IS possible to excel in a Strike, so any upgrade should be fairly gradual. Beyond pure balance changes, I think the best thing that could happen to strikes would be a new game mode that makes Protorps significant, such an assault mode that requires destroying hardened objectives (thereby making a multi-role starfighter actually useful). Either way, I certainly hope the devs follow through with this discussion. It would certainly help breathe new life into GSF. Thank you.