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[kalaratiri]

And finally, the last late one.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Laozi

For Odyssey 1.1. we're going to be taking a swing at aspects of our warfare link features, as well as rebalancing command ships. We believe that the package of changes we've put together will be a significant step forward for the game, but it's definitely not the end of iteration on these features.

For years one of the most hotly discussed issues surrounding warfare links is their ability to apply bonuses to fleet members anywhere in the same solar system. We will not be changing this aspect of the feature in Odyssey 1.1. There are some serious technical hurdles to adjusting this aspect of the features, which are being worked on as we speak but for which we are not currently ready to announce an ETA.

What we will be changing for 1.1 is:

• The strength of the bonuses provided by Warfare links
• The way that skills, ship bonuses and implants affect the strength of warfare bonuses
• The specific types of bonuses provided by the Information Warfare mindlink and Information Wafare: Sensor Integrity warfare link
• The method by which mindlink implants can be obtained
• The fitting requirements of warfare link modules, and their use within starbase forcefields
• Many aspects of Command Ship balance, including what bonuses they receive to warfare link strength
• The base rep amount of all armor repairers and most shield boosters

I'm going to split our changes into three threads for 1.1 and one for a discussion of graphical model changes that will not be implemented in 1.1. but may come later this year. This thread will cover the changes to warfare link modules, bonuses, and effects, including the changes to mindlinks and strategic cruiser Warfare Processor subsystems.

The other threads are (hyperlinks to come):
Command Ship Balancing
Local armor and shield rep changes
Command Ship model changes

Let's start with some changes to the warfare link modules themselves:

• Warfare links (other than mining links) can no longer be activated inside a starbase forcefield

People can still orbit just outside the forcefield I know, but they will at least have to keep an eye on that character so it's an improvement.

• Powergrid need of all warfare links modules decreased by 100.

This goes alongside the balance changes to command ships, battlecruisers and strategic cruisers. We want to be able to balance a ship's fittings such that fitting choices allow people different tradeoffs for the choice of what to do with their unbonused "utility" highslots. Some may want to leave it empty or go with a small neut, some may want to fit a gang link for 100 or 110 pwg, some may want to go with a medium neut at 175 pwg. All of those choices provide different benefits and will require different sacrifices.


Quick mention of the changes to Strategic Cruiser Warfare Processor subsystems:

The Warfare Processors will now provide a 2% increase in the strength of warfare links per level of their racial defensive subsystem skill. They will also now provide bonuses to three different types of gang links:

• Loki: Siege, Armored, Skirmish
• Proteus: Armored, Skirmish, Information
• Tengu: Siege, Skirmish, Information
• Legion: Armored, Skirmish, Information

Next we'll cover the changes to the link bonuses themselves.
In 1.1 some links will be getting reductions in their maximum possible strength (although none of them are dropping below the maximum levels that were possible before the introduction of Strategic cruisers and Tech Two links). We are also smoothing out the advancement path for gang boosting gameplay, making the base links stronger and reducing the effect of the modifiers on that strength. This will make the training path for gang boosting more of a slope and less of a cliff.

Our changes to the modifiers to warfare link strength are:

• The four Warfare Specialist skill bonus changed from the current 100% bonus per level (after the first level) to 20% bonus per level.
• Mindlink bonus reduced from +50% to +25%
• T3 Warfare processor subsystem bonus changed to 2% per level. Command Ship link bonuses changed to a static 15% bonus. Orcas and Active Core Rorquals keep their 3% and 10% bonuses respectively.

And below you will find the changes to the base strength of each warfare link, including the maximum available boost (with all skills and the mindlink and maximum ship bonuses) both before and after the patch.

All defensive (Siege and Armored) links:
T1: 4.8%
T2: 6%
Max bonus per link with all modifiers: 25.9%
Former max bonus: 35%

Information Warfare: Electronic Superiority bonuses to ECM and Target Painters:
T1: 6.4%
T2: 8%
Max bonus per link with all modifiers: 34.5%
Former max bonus: 35%

Information Warfare: Electronic Superiority bonuses to Tracking Disruptors and Sensor Damps:
T1: 4%
T2: 5%
Max bonus per link with all modifiers: 21.5%
Former max bonus: 21%

Information Warfare: Recon Operation:
T1: 6.4%
T2: 8%
Max bonus per link with all modifiers: 34.5%
Former max bonus: 35%

Information Warfare: Sensor Integrity:
T1: 9.6%
T2: 12%
Max bonus per link with all modifiers: 51.75%
Former max bonus: 53%

Skirmish Warfare: Evasive Maneuvers:
T1: 6.4%
T2: 8%
Max bonus per link with all modifiers: 34.5%
Former max bonus: 35%

Skirmish Warfare: Interdiction Maneuvers:
T1: 7.2%
T2: 9%
Max bonus per link with all modifiers: 38.8%
Former max bonus: 53%

Skirmish Warfare: Rapid Deployment:
T1: 5.6%
T2: 7%
Max bonus per link with all modifiers: 30.2%
Former max bonus: 35%

Mining Foreman: Laser Optimization and Harvester Capacitor
T1: 5%
T2: 7.5%
Max bonus per link with all modifiers: 42.2%
Former max bonus: 42.2%

Mining Foreman: Field Enhancement
T1: 13.6%
T2: 17%
Max bonus per link with all modifiers: 95.7%
Former max bonus: 95%


We are also making some changes to the specific bonuses from the Information Warfare Skill, Information Warfare Mindlink and the Information Warfare: Sensor Integrity link:

• The Info Warfare skill and mindlink will now give a bonus to scan resolution instead of lock range
• Information Warfare: Sensor Integrity link will provide its bonus to both sensor strength and lock range.

We are planning to extend the bonuses from the defensive gang links to local capital repair modules.

And finally we're making some significant changes to the availability of mindlink implants:

• Adding normal T2 mindlinks (including mining mindlinks) to the Concord LP store for 20,000 Concord LP and 20m isk (~60-80m final product sale price).
• Adding Navy Mindlinks with the 25% bonus to two different disciplines at once (matching racial command ship bonuses) to the normal racial LP stores at 150,000 LP and 50m isk (~200m isk final product sale price).

Links at the top lead to the threads for Command Ship and local repair module changes, and we're very interested to hear your feedback on these changes in the thread below.

Gaawd formatting /o\

[Alain Colcer]

as i said on FHC, omfg! gallente backbone is now complete (coupled with CS changes)

i won't care about off-grid boosting with these changes tbh.

[Lyn Farel]

Links will be less powerful than before ?

[Alain Colcer]

yes they will be slightly less powerful.....but a nerf was needed

[Lyn Farel]

What was so powerful ?

[kalaratiri]

What was so powerful ?

It was particularly evident in armour and skirmish links. T2 points with an unheated range of 33km, webs unheated at 15km. And T1 ships with all 70%+ resists and RR that cycles half as fast.

It got to the point that if you didn't have links while the other side did, you may as well not engage as they're going to flatten you.

[Katrina Oniseki]

It won't be until on-grid boosting is mandatory that the wound will heal. Until that happens, the 'outside POS bubble' thing is just a band-aid and won't do much.

[kalaratiri]

If you want some idea as to how strongly people feel about links, this thread might provide insight. Although, it is Failheap so there might be slightly more rage than average in there.

[Lyn Farel]

What was so powerful ?

It was particularly evident in armour and skirmish links. T2 points with an unheated range of 33km, webs unheated at 15km. And T1 ships with all 70%+ resists and RR that cycles half as fast.

It got to the point that if you didn't have links while the other side did, you may as well not engage as they're going to flatten you.

Never really noticed that when I was still pvping. Maybe doctrines have changed in the meantime though. vOv

But I believe you, I don't feel especially anything on this. Maybe links have become too powerful when they decided to introduce ASBs and AARs, and new resist mods. Bad design. If they feel that is the way to fix it by nerfing them accordingly, why not. By experience, nerfing something is never good for the meta since the simple fact that something gets nerfed make people stop using it. It's not only an Eve thing, it's something present on most games with a meta behind.

Like Kat said, until they make on grid boosting mandatory, it's mostly pointless. These mechanics ruin everything. Especially solo pvp btw.

I don't understand 2 things :

- Why links do not behave like any remote mod, with an optimal and a targeting mechanic. Make them powerful instead of nerfing them, maybe even boost them up, but bind them to targeting : the commandship would have to actually target the guy to apply it's (powerful) bonuses. Would make commandships more common in fleets as you would need more of them the same way you need logis. At the same time, increases the power of coordination and teamplay. Believing that somehow FC will always fly in commandships is foolish. FCing skills are not linked to ingame mechanics.

- Why it takes them AGES (years) to make ongrid boosting mandatory, at least. Smells like an alt boosting lobby or something.

[Aelisha Montenagre]

Make links AOE  to prevent gridfu and we're golden, I think.  It;d give us something more than 't2 just gives better boosts' as well, as an extended AOE range would be a good benefit.

[Morwen Lagann]

They've already stated multiple times that AOE is not happening. Too much server load with all the constant range checks.

[Lyn Farel]

And yet they do it with HICs and bubbles and forcefields.

[Morwen Lagann]

When you consider how many more things that ganglinks have an effect on - and I don't mean just stats, you can have upwards of 250 people in a full fleet - it's a hell of a lot more intensive than a HIC, bubble or POS shield.

[orange]

- Why links do not behave like any remote mod, with an optimal and a targeting mechanic. Make them powerful instead of nerfing them, maybe even boost them up, but bind them to targeting : the commandship would have to actually target the guy to apply it's (powerful) bonuses. Would make commandships more common in fleets as you would need more of them the same way you need logis.

This seems like a good idea to introduce additional logistics type ships.   There are already modules like the Remote Sensor Booster and Tracking Link that lack a ship with a direct bonus to them.  It would seem "straightforward" to either add some more modules and an entire line of ships that provides electronic logistics support, beyond the shield/armor-cap support of the current line of logistics ships.  Essentially, anti-EW ships.

This being said, I don't think these should be Commandships.

Believing that somehow FC will always fly in commandships is foolish. FCing skills are not linked to ingame mechanics.

However, if the intent from CCP is that Combat Battlecruisers and by extension the Commandships should be the preferred ships for an FC, then they should focus on those ships being just that.    At this point, CCP should know the kinds of things FCs look for in their choice of ship (ability to survive generally) by now.

Creating battlefield choice should help shake up tactics used.  For example, if it was "normal" for an FC to fly a Combat Battlecruiser/Commandship, due to the ship-types resiliency, opposing FCs are left with choices in well balanced fleets.  Do they go after an enemy's Logistical Support, Electronic Warfare, or Commanding vessel in order to slip the battle in their favor?  It may be faster to first take a chuck out of the logi support, but the extra pressure on the suspect FC and having him drop out might cause the enemy to become disorganized much faster.

In really big fights, spies abound and FCs tend to be well known, they get primaried first currently.

However, ganglinks do not necessarily need to be tied to who the FC is, however, I think CCP should spend some time on creating a solid supporting skill path for those who like to Command.

When you consider how many more things that ganglinks have an effect on - and I don't mean just stats, you can have upwards of 250 people in a full fleet - it's a hell of a lot more intensive than a HIC, bubble or POS shield.

That in itself is a question worth evaluating.  Should the Fleet Commander position (in the Fleet Hierarchy) actually supply significant bonuses to the fleet as a whole? What about the Wing Commander?  Or should Squadron Commanders be the focus of where these ganglinks reside?

Would doing this change how fleets fly or would it all still be one big circle?

[Lyn Farel]

When you consider how many more things that ganglinks have an effect on - and I don't mean just stats, you can have upwards of 250 people in a full fleet - it's a hell of a lot more intensive than a HIC, bubble or POS shield.

Why is that different ? A bubble or especially a HIC - which is as mobile as a commandship if not more - also apply a radius-ed effect to other people. Only the essence of the effect is different.

And I am pretty sure what is costly is the constant pathfind-like check they have to run in real time continuously. I'm also pretty sure that people use more bubbles than commandships in fleets as well. For now...

To me the excuse sounds clunky, but I can understand that they do not want more of that stuff around since they maybe know how stressful it is for the servers already.