The big change here is that Interdiction mines have three changes:

1- Will no longer pierce shields.

2- Damage increased from 330 to 520.

3- Final tier (right) decreased from 30% boost to 20% boost

This is a really big deal- it changes the normal pair of mines from on shotting a scout to dealing hull damage (seismic) and dealing 520 shield damage (assuming you have shields). The powerful snare and turnsnare remain unchanged.

There are OTHER changes:

1- It appears to this reader that Fortress shield is losing the -0.3 shield strength (the "your shields are passively 70% as strong as they should be"). This is a pretty nice change.

2- Fortress shield is switching from +100% shield during fortress mode to +130% mode during fortress.

This is a rather decent set of buffs to what is currently the worst component in the game. I don't exactly think this will make anyone want to hold still for even a couple seconds- but on live, after talents, crew and large reactor, a ship running around with fortress shield on but not active has:

70% base + 20% reactor +10% crew = 100% of base (additive)

And you can turn the shield on for:

70% base + 20% reactor +10% crew + 100% fortress + 20% talent = 220%

And post changes:

100% base + 20% reactor + 10% crew = 130% of base

And you can turn on the shield for:

100% base + 20% reactor + 10% crew + 130% fortress + 20% talent = 280%

I don't know if I'll recommend or run this, but I know that doing so will actually give you a defensive bonus, whereas on live this shield is a huge trap.

I am very excited for this change

Another change, this one to feedback shield:

Feedback shield will no longer trigger on railguns.

I really don't get what the story here is, or why this shield needs to be nerfed. Feedback shield is a default component, and it's already bad. I will say that the ability to use it as a naked ship when duelling a geared ship (something I've been doing a bit) has been one of the few funny uses of it. It just seems odd to see it nerfed.

Interdiction missile had a description added, and the new imperial bomber had part of the descriptive text cleared about how it is bad at dogfighting, keeping the rest of it.

Mmh... I was not partisan of turning bypassing mines into classic mines, but it should at least make things a bit more viable. At least they didn't choose to turn all mines into insane chunks of damage like it has been proposed.

Feedback Shield change surprises me as well. I don't see a reason for it.

Fortress Shield change is welcomed. The root was itself a noticeable drawbacks for a potentially strong effect (and the malus nullified the strong aspect, while keeping the root drawback)

Now, I hope they'll reconsider the malus on Quick-charge shield too. Granted it gives more than a shielding priority (strength -> regen) but also a bit of engine efficiency, but the 30% is really a lot. 20% would be more appropriate in my opinion.

No word on Interdiction Missile and Ion Rail snare duration ? I don't see them keep their duration this long...

Interdiction Mine is neat, now (if I'm pressed to take a node) I can just slam into opposing mines on my Flashfire and quickly 4-shot bombers with BLC. Cool. Doesn't change much of my playstyle when it comes to bomber vs. bomber action or bomber vs. anything else. I don't really think it needed this nerf (evasion scouts should be terrified of these bombers) but I'm ok with it either way.

Fortress Shield changes were nice but I wish they'd add something neat and interesting to it. It doesn't feel worthwhile alongside Distortion Field. Distortion Field missile break needs to be removed/changed for other shield options to even feel viable. Why there are engine components (Rotational Thrusters, etc.) that still don't provide missile breaks when DF does is beyond me.

Feedback nerf is retarded. This thing needs a buff. Bottom line, I want every component to be a viable and interesting option. Right now, there's a few that just outclass everything else.

Honestly, here's the best part of the PTS patch. Need.

The feedback shield change seems odd. I don't think they should do it, or do anything but add power to the move- not damage, but something.

No, obviously if there was something on snare I would have included it. I'm looking forward to that change personally- it's going hand in hand with the reactor disruption nerf.

So, if I'm reading this right, the interdiction mine is going to become sort of a like a weak concussion mine....with no shield piercing but still has the slow-down effect.

Think there could be a strong argument for concussion mines > interdiction after 2.8.

Interdiction change good.

Fortress change good but irrelevant; sitting still = dead. Additionally provides 0 defensive bonus versus very real threat of slug railgun shield piercing.

Feedback change ***?

So, if I'm reading this right, the interdiction mine is going to become sort of a like a weak concussion mine....with no shield piercing but still has the slow-down effect.

 

Think there could be a strong argument for concussion mines > interdiction after 2.8.

It's not just a slow, it's a 50% penalty to speed *and* turning, and it lasts for 20 seconds. That's still really powerful, and pretty much makes an enemy a sitting duck for your allies. At least now there is maybe a reason to take Concussions, instead of Interdictions being the only choice (and Concussions were never underpowered, they were just overshadowed by Interdictions).

While seismic + interdiction meshed together in a positive way to pose a threat to all lightly armored / evasion based craft, I don't think it was originally intended to be a premier damage option, but rather a damage / effect hybrid.

The shield piercing which was a nice benefit in its original incarnation allowed for massive shield piercing potential for bombers when combined with other things. Intended or not this became the goto for all Male Bombers. Sounds like its getting the "BR treatment", I hope the result is the same: a more dynamic variety of options.

The Dev's seem to be keen on keeping shield piercing in check, it seems to go through a lot of development passes (implementation, then rollback or removal)

(thumbs up) At any rate I am excited about this change, it means that scouts have a chance to get within 3000 meters of a bomber and survive. I am a little worried that it might allow us too much close contact, but in all honesty interdiction is still scary in its PTS form, as are pure damage combos with mines.

Smart bombers will still be lethal, just a little less so than currently.

/////

Feedback shield - *** were they thinking. This thing needs buffs not a nerf. With reduced mobility on GS the least they could do is do a proper pass on their defensive abilities.

Fortress Shield - This is a welcome change, its not enough but at least they are looking at it. I have always thought that for FS to be a competitive option it would have to grant something like 500% shields for the duration + rrrrreeeeeeeeggggggggeeeeennnnn =) if your going to stand still expect to get shot A LOT, you need a lot of protection.

IMO - I think they need to retract the feedback nerf, then mull around a buff for it. After that I think they need to look at fortress and contemplate some large scale buffs (even if just for testing purposes) my .02

Honestly, I'm not sure how relevant the fortress shield changes are going to be, it still locks you in position allowing scouts/strikes to consistently DPS, not to mention bombers can just ignore this with seismic mines. Also consider that LLCs fully upgraded do 1425 dps at 500m to shields, admittedly it may cause LLCs to fall into meta, being slightly superior to the 1225 dps to shields at 500m that quads presents. Overall +130% isn't going to reduce the average kill time enough to justify being locked into place. IF they reduced the duration in which you were locked, I can see it mattering.

All this being said, I'd love to see more shield management tools added to the game. Evasion shouldn't be the only defense mechanism worth looking at.

While seismic + interdiction meshed together in a positive way to pose a threat to all lightly armored / evasion based craft, I don't think it was originally intended to be a premier damage option, but rather a damage / effect hybrid.

 

The shield piercing which was a nice benefit in its original incarnation allowed for massive shield piercing potential for bombers when combined with other things. Intended or not this became the goto for all Male Bombers. Sounds like its getting the "BR treatment", I hope the result is the same: a more dynamic variety of options.

 

The Dev's seem to be keen on keeping shield piercing in check, it seems to go through a lot of development passes (implementation, then rollback or removal)

 

(thumbs up) At any rate I am excited about this change, it means that scouts have a chance to get within 3000 meters of a bomber and survive. I am a little worried that it might allow us too much close contact, but in all honesty interdiction is still scary in its PTS form, as are pure damage combos with mines.

 

Smart bombers will still be lethal, just a little less so than currently.

I think it will also help improve strikers ability to handle bombers without having to be built specifically to counter mines with charged plating. Overall I think it will help the game by making it so bombers can still lock down a sat but they won't be able to as easily force defenders to flee or die

It's not just a slow, it's a 50% penalty to speed *and* turning, and it lasts for 20 seconds.

If you don't reduce the angular speed (called "turning rate") at the same time than the linear speed (just called "speed") you're changing the ship's behavior resulting in sharper turns. In this regard, reducing both at the same time results in performing a true slow : the ship behaves like usual beside it's doing it X% slower.

(and Concussions were never underpowered, they were just overshadowed by Interdictions).

Absolutely

Just did a little math, considering that you are locked into place with fortress shields for 30 seconds, you have to able to weigh that time spent against how long it may take you to be killed in that time. All upgrades considered, large reactor, crew skill and maxed out fortress shields, your hp per shield arc is approximately 5083 while active. Considering most gunships I know will only shoot in power to weapons mode and consider shots taken outside of that mode to be a waste of time. We can safely say there is an effective shield hp of 10166 on either side.

The maximum possible DPS you can do to this is a range of 2074.2625 - 2654.76 - 3113 with LLCs at close range, blaster overcharge and concentrated fire. (The range is depending upon RNG, 2074.2625 is if you have no crits and 2654.76 is what you will most often see on average and 3113 is if every single shot crits, highly unlikely though slightly higher likelihood than 0 crits.) So what we'll end up seeing is a 4 second reaction time to hit deactivate fortress and start moving at the most extreme fringe case, average unbuffed quad/llcs at max range will take just over 11 seconds. The problem that still persists though is that this removes a missile lockbreak from gunships. Which leaves gunships surprisingly vulnerable to proton carrying strike fighters.

Overall I think this is surprisingly fair and balanced. If the meta moves in this direction I think we'll see a lot more reason for strikes to carry proton and scouts being a lot less effective against gunships than they currently are.

considering that you are locked into place with fortress shields for 30 seconds, you have to able to weigh that time spent against how long it may take you to be killed in that time.

To clarify, you are not 'locked' in place for 30 seconds. You are free to move whenever you want, but doing so will remove the buff that Fortress Shield gives you.

Considering most gunships I know will only shoot in power to weapons mode and consider shots taken outside of that mode to be a waste of time.

I wouldn't put it this way. I will fire with power to engines if I am coming off of a full blaster pool and a low engine pool. And the T3 of fortress gives 30% blaster regen while active - that would provide some room to divert power to shields. Hmmm.

I wouldn't put it this way. I will fire with power to engines if I am coming off of a full blaster pool and a low engine pool. And the T3 of fortress gives 30% blaster regen while active - that would provide some room to divert power to shields. Hmmm.

Not to mention when upgraded it has the Same CD as Barrel Roll. Think about this people . Still Feedback is now a little to weak, and Distortion has always been to strong.

I will fire with power to engines if I am coming off of a full blaster pool and a low engine pool.

You can switch power options while you're charging up a shot. So if you're really desperate for engine power, you can charge up a railgun shot, switch power to weapons, fire shot, and switch right back to engines again.

You always want to fire a railgun with power set to weapons. Always. Unless it doesn't provide a damage boost like it does to normal laser cannon weapons, in which case I have no idea what I'm talking about.

You can switch power options while you're charging up a shot. So if you're really desperate for engine power, you can charge up a railgun shot, switch power to weapons, fire shot, and switch right back to engines again.

 

You always want to fire a railgun with power set to weapons. Always. Unless it doesn't provide a damage boost like it does to normal laser cannon weapons, in which case I have no idea what I'm talking about.

Got it in one.

Unless it doesn't provide a damage boost like it does to normal laser cannon weapons, in which case I have no idea what I'm talking about.

Dude, how would you even not know this? Without range variable damage and armor to consider, you should be super used to seeing "1600" or "1760" every time you release a full charge slug railgun, and it should be literally no big deal to try it with different power settings.

Dude, how would you even not know this? Without range variable damage and armor to consider, you should be super used to seeing "1600" or "1760" every time you release a full charge slug railgun, and it should be literally no big deal to try it with different power settings.

I honestly don't pay attention to the numbers that much when I play.

But if you're saying it's either 1600 or 1760, that means the 10% buff DOES apply.

Which means...I was right. Kuci was wrong. And you are mocking me for no reason apparently?

your hp per shield arc is approximately 5083 while active.

Base shield on a gunship: 1700 per arc.

Large reactor adds 340 per arc.

Crewmember adds 170 per arc.

This means that you will be flying around with 2210 on each arc with the new fortress shield.

When you press the button, it will add 150% of base- 2550- to each side.

This means you will have 4760. If you press F2, you'll have a max of 5100- that's the best it'll get- on each side. If you press F1 or F3, you'll have 4590 on each side.

Considering most gunships I know will only shoot in power to weapons mode and consider shots taken outside of that mode to be a waste of time. We can safely say there is an effective shield hp of 10166 on either side.

Where do you get these numbers?

Overall I think this is surprisingly fair and balanced. If the meta moves in this direction I think we'll see a lot more reason for strikes to carry proton and scouts being a lot less effective against gunships than they currently are.

Fortress might actually provide a second or two of shields, unlike live where they are chewed through in less than a second by serious burst builds. It's a substantial buff.

Not to mention when upgraded it has the Same CD as Barrel Roll. Think about this people . Still Feedback is now a little to weak, and Distortion has always been to strong.

Feedback is too weak period. I dunno why they even did the change they did.

The problem with feedback- and the reason I don't spend much time harping on it- is because it's such a bad design that I don't think it has a good way out.

Does feedback shield punish you from attacking a gunship? Do you have another way to deal with him?

How much damage would need to be done for this to matter? How much damage to punish a strike?

If the damage is meant to be supplemental, what's the point in most cases? If you shoot a scout with slug on his way in and put up feedback, he can and will kill himself on it, if he is dumb. But that's a very specific situation- you hit the scout really hard, AND he keeps shooting you. If he evades your incoming fire, you don't even hurt him at all. It doesn't help against other gunships, bombers, or strikes, all of whom laugh at a few hundred points of shield damage that they have to opt into by hitting you with the buff active.

Anyway. This takes it from a bad default option to a bad default option. Bad scouts will still die to it, bad gunships will no longer, and in any event after like two games you never see it again.

I honestly don't pay attention to the numbers that much when I play.

 

But if you're saying it's either 1600 or 1760, that means the 10% buff DOES apply.

 

Which means...I was right. Kuci was wrong. And you are mocking me for no reason apparently?

1760 is with the +10% damage talent.

changing the power level of weapons only affects primary weapon damage.

railguns are secondary weapons.

Feedback is too weak period. I dunno why they even did the change they did.

 

 

The problem with feedback- and the reason I don't spend much time harping on it- is because it's such a bad design that I don't think it has a good way out.

 

Does feedback shield punish you from attacking a gunship? Do you have another way to deal with him?

 

How much damage would need to be done for this to matter? How much damage to punish a strike?

 

 

If the damage is meant to be supplemental, what's the point in most cases? If you shoot a scout with slug on his way in and put up feedback, he can and will kill himself on it, if he is dumb. But that's a very specific situation- you hit the scout really hard, AND he keeps shooting you. If he evades your incoming fire, you don't even hurt him at all. It doesn't help against other gunships, bombers, or strikes, all of whom laugh at a few hundred points of shield damage that they have to opt into by hitting you with the buff active.

 

Anyway. This takes it from a bad default option to a bad default option. Bad scouts will still die to it, bad gunships will no longer, and in any event after like two games you never see it again.

well what if Feedback did 600 damage for every hit you landed on it for its duration.... then it would be a sufficient defense/ offense.

Fortress Shield changes were nice but I wish they'd add something neat and interesting to it. It doesn't feel worthwhile alongside Distortion Field. Distortion Field missile break needs to be removed/changed for other shield options to even feel viable. Why there are engine components (Rotational Thrusters, etc.) that still don't provide missile breaks when DF does is beyond me.

Wouldn't remove distortion fields missile break but would give other components a missile break. Especially on strike fighters.

[