Remove HRPs and/or SCBs?

[Julio Montega]

Ahoy lads,
just wanting to check how the forum feels about this.

As i see it HRPs and SCBs are just boosting up the hitpoints of ships,
elongating combat, splitting ships even further apart, to the point single loadout becoming
the go-to.

Speed and maneuvering becomes less important along with piloting skill,
when you get the tools to slug it out.

Even traders get further split apart, being not able to effectively fight back
with their maximized cargo loadouts, since their weapons do not deal enough damage
to drive off the attacker.

Do not forget, the perception of NPC difficulty and capability
does shift a lot, when you use the modules, since you may just be able to simply ignore
them or generally obliterate them and wings without any need for thinking.

What is your take on this?

 

[SushiCW]

They're doing some awkward things to PvP, but are fine for PvE.

Traders aren't currently in any position to fight back anyway, they just don't have the firepower to hurt their attackers faster than they're being hurt. HRPs and SCBs can, however, buy a trader a few precious seconds while they charge FSD to escape.

EDIT:
I voted "keep" but I think that HRPs in particular need some reworking. SCBs are mostly OK.

 

[EUS]

Voted other, remove the trifecta; SCB, SB, and HRP, or none.

 

[Alexander the Grape]

Yeah, they should go ideally. Just too hard to balance, anything will be an awkward compromise. Give us freedom to let our combat ships also be capable of other stuff

 

[Julio Montega]

Voted other, remove the trifecta; SCB, SB, and HRP, or none.

Aye forgot shield boosters,
but are they really so bad?
The FDL surely can field 6 of 'em with the pp buff (which was a really bad choice),
but they at last cost a great deal of energy to run 'em.
I always thought of the FDL as a speedy fighter with strong shields
and maneuvering, while keeping a lightweight paperhull.

 

[Cliffson]

I'd like to see some more restriction on them so that its actually a choice for traders to take some and put up a fight or none and run as the stacking situation just makes any combat fit ship too superior to bother.

I quite like scbs post 1.5 changes as the turn on time makes stacking less effective and tgere is a trade off with hs vs boosters. And the power requirements limit weapon choice.

That said i wouldn't cry if they were removed but do think thered need to be a buff to base armour and shields especially on small ships to keel them relevant as more than stepping stones.

Edit, oh and anyone who says it diesn't impact pve clearly hasnt tried shooting a viper 4 in a combat zone.

 

[edgar]

Voted other, remove the trifecta; SCB, SB, and HRP, or none.

Shouldn't you also include the Mirrored / Military Hulls there?

 

[tawittle]

frontier has already put it into game, HRP and SCB are both relatively balanced (this statement is based on the fact that shield and stealth builds are both viable in pvp), and people are asking for them to be removed altogether. This is the kind of toxic attitude that will destroy the game.

All players are on equal footing, this current patch has been out for 5 months, and the meta has shifted back from stealth to shields builds over those 5 months. The current balance is literally FINE and a huge update is in the works so what is the purpose of this thread other to bait replies on a topic that we have already have 15 threads on? Voted other, because this thread sucks.

 

[EUS]

Shouldn't you also include the Mirrored / Military Hulls there?

Nope, IMHO it's an actual complete ship retrofit (unlike the other 3) that costs more than a few credits, and come in multiple personalities.

 

[SushiCW]

Nope, IMHO it's an actual complete ship retrofit (unlike the other 3) that costs more than a few credits, and come in multiple personalities.

The armored hull variants also have much saner protection vs weight ratios than HRPs give you. Best of all, those ratios can be (and are) different from ship to ship.

 

[Midian27]

Remove them? Lol no. Adjust them? Probably.

 

[Julio Montega]

The armored hull variants also have much saner protection vs weight ratios than HRPs give you. Best of all, those ratios can be (and are) different from ship to ship.

I would welcome to see a "stealth bulkhead" of some sorts,
cutting in protection increasing heat dissipation and heat capacity while running silent,
with additional coolant systems.

Edit:
That is without any magical HP increase modules you simply can plaster into your ship.

 

[Ziljan]

SCBs have already been sufficiently nerfed. HRPs should be nerfed as well a bit. Not much, but just enough to give people in PVP options.

 

[Majinvash]

Terrible poll options.

All pointless until the new engineer bits come out and we start the buff / nerf circle a new.

Majinvash
The Voice of Open

 

[CMDR Corlas]

I voted keep, although I think more needs to be done to create penalties for (or just prevent) HRP stacking. An HRP or two, and they seem like they are in a good place, although I think something needs to be done with them in relation to bulkheads.

 

[Brimstone]

The recent buff to hull reinforcements did some funny things to NPC's, most notably in conflict zones. I'm sort of open to a slight nerf on them, or at least a change to how many NPC's can stack, but I don't want it to negatively affect the players who rely on stacking HRPs.

I think shield cells are mostly in a good place now.

 

[Ziljan]

I noticed that too. Conflict Zones are even more work these days. And hitting modules seems to matter more than ever.

 

[Brimstone]

I noticed that too. Conflict Zones are even more work these days. And hitting modules seems to matter more than ever.

Definitely. Military grade armor plus how ever many HRPs they have, it takes much longer to take them down now.

 

[Julio Montega]

I noticed that too. Conflict Zones are even more work these days. And hitting modules seems to matter more than ever.

With what i heard and read on the railgun engineer mod, i might tend to agree with SCBs being fine.
The heat buildup really is fine, being able to just put on a ot of heatsinks to counter that again?
If they'd be utility thatd be more ok i guess, plus they'd be able to be "shot off".

All these defensive module additions did require FD to put in a lot of work on these new mechanics,
while hardcore traders still stick to max cargo hold, unless they go rares of low quantity.
I'd rather have the stuff removed and FD focus on features long being on the papers:
Player distress calls
Better and more immersive missions (the upcoming change is a step but i doubt a big one)
Gas giant scooping
and so on

I really hope HRP and SCB is a "test" like overtuned weapons were,
so that engineers become a crucial part of the game, adding effects of those modules
to existing basic defenses (shields / bulkheads).
Prismatic shields as an example are like a basic shield with built in boosters,
bi-weaves are tuned shields to faster recharge by optimizing the shieldcaps.
That is ok, plain stacking not.

 

[Ralph Rodriguez]

HRP's should have a much bigger weight/agility penalty imo