TL;DR: Only certain internals should be "Combat Rated", and capable of taking SCBs/HRPs/Shields/etc
The Problem
It's clear to pretty much everyone that the power of ships whose every internal slot is given over to combat modules such as SCBs (shield cell banks) or HRPs (hull reinforcement packages) far exceeds that of a ship who has any space given over to quality of life or money-making modules such as Fuel Scoops, discovery scanners, cargo racks or vehicle hangars. Lets compare two Asps, one
outfitted for a bit of everything, capable of completing missions, travelling, light combat and hauling cargo, and another
purely outfitted for combat
The former has a total HP of 291 shields + 735 hull, for a total of 1026 HP
The latter has a total HP of 234 shields + 2095 hull, for a total of 2329 HP, more than double that of the other ship!
You can do similar comparisons for other ships, and the outcome is the same. A pure combat outfit vastly exceeds the combat-capable multipurpose ship by a vast margin.
So what?
Now you might be thinking, what's wrong with this? Surely a combat-focused vessel should have an edge over those who diversify?
And I would agree: BUT the issue is a matter of scale. Getting an edge in combat is one thing, but having a 2x or more HP advantage over even combat-leaning multipurpose ships simply makes the combat fit ship practically impossible to defeat.
Add into the mix that the combat fit ship is likely to use specialised PvP weapons such as Railguns and may be in a wing, and the overall effect is that
fighting back is impossible: your only option is to run away
Here is a list of the negative impacts:
- Speccing your multipurpose ship to be better in combat is pointless. What's the use in fitting of fitting weapons or armoured bulkheads when you don't have a shot at winning anyway?
- It drives people who might enjoy Open into Solo. Since you have no chance of winning a PvP encounter, Open simply looks more and more like a deathtrap where gankers prey on the helpless with no chance of fighting back. Solo, while less "interesting", feels safer and "fairer" because NPCs don't stack combat internals
- It inconveniences PvP players. If you want to fight other CMDRs, you can't run, say, a decent size fuel scoop and expect to win, because it cuts so deeply into your eHP. So every time you want to move a ship, you must re-outfit for travel, jump to your location, find a decent outfitting station and re-outfit for combat. It makes getting around even more of a chore.
- It leads to less interesting, meaningful fights and emergent content. Since attacking a non-PvP ship is so one sided, it relegates interesting fights to pre-arranged duels between PvP ships, not vibrant emergent gameplay where fighting is random, desperate, close and brutal
- It limits future ship balancing. FDev now have to make every Multipurpose or trade ship have awful base stats: otherwise their ability to stack combat internals would make them severely OP (See cobra IV, Keelback, Viper IV). Conversely, all new Combat ships have to have lots of internals to be competitive in combat, and thus must be given awful jump ranges to avoid them being OP at trading (see Corvette)
- It devalues base stats and makes certain ship's downsides irrelevant. The Gunship may have a great base hull, but that's pointless when your base hull is but a fraction of your total HP. Meanwhile ships like the FAS can overcome their awful shield capacity and mediocre hull strength simply by stacking HRPs, making it an agile, tanky all-rounder with zero weaknesses
What's the solution? And how does the Orca come into this?
Now, I know what you're thinking. We've had conversations like this before, and a solution hasn't come up. Changing SCBs and buffing HRPs only lead to the current unsatisfactory situation. (As an aside, many people are keen to lay the state of the "Silent Running" PvP meta at my feet due to my vocal criticism of SCBs: but I was never in favour of a HRP buff to the extent that we saw, and the SCB "nerf" did not match my preferred solution)
The solution is not simply to nerf Combat internals such as SCBs or HRPs. All that would serve to do is either not enough to fix the problems or make them utterly irrelevant.
The problem with Combat Internals is not their power but their stackability.
The fundamental issue is that every single internal slot on every single ship can take them, which is what needs changing.
This can be fixed by drawing inspiration from the Orca. The Orca has 2 internal slots which can only take Cargo racks or HRPs, supposedly to represent the areas of the ship that could not fit complicated electronic modules. Why not take this system and apply it to other ships in a slightly different way?
The Solution: Combat Rated vs Utility Rated internals
Every ship is different, and as such it would make sense that some ships internals are better suited to combat modules than others.
A Class 6 slot on the cheap, hulking Type 7 should not always have the same capabilities as a class 6 slot on the Federal Corvette!
Similarly, certain internal slots on the same ship should not be equal in capacity. There would be no utility or sense in stuffing every inch of a Python with solid metal, but strategically located reinforced points would benefit from an increase in armour beyond bulkheads, or would have the necessary electronics and capabilities for fitting a shield generator or SCB.
This should be represented by having 2 different designations of internal:
C for Combat rated (can fit combat-focused internals such as SCBs, shields, HRPs or interdictors in addition to standard internals)
U for Utility rated (Cannot fit combat-focused internals such as SCBs, shields, HRPs or interdictors, but can still fit Fuel Scoops, Fuel tanks, Refineries, Cargo racks, etc etc.)
How would this work in practice?
Let' go back to the example of the Asp. The Asp currently has internals of 6/5/3/3/3/2/2, each of which can fit any module. Under the rated internals systems, they would be given a rating based on their capability, becoming 6U/5C/3C/3U/3U/2C/2U
For our Multipurpose Asp, this changes nothing. They still are able to keep their current build, and have the option to swap out an internal here and there for added defensive capability.
Our PvP Asp now finds that no longer can they simply fill every slot with combat modules, and now have some choices to make. They could put a class 6 fuel scoop to get around easier, add some cargo and hatch breakers to try a spot of piracy now and then, add a discovery scanner or a vehicle hangar to take planetary missions now and then, and overall have a ship that's better at having fun in, while maintaining a significant edge over non-combat focused ships (it still has 30% more armour!).
Of course, this is just an example, and ships might have a higher or lower proportion of combat rated versus utility rated internals: but the beauty of this system is it allows Frontier an easy way of balancing on a ship-by-ship basis rather than, as we've seen previously, having "winners" and "losers" from broad buffs or nerfs to every internal.
Overall, this system would:
- Lead to more interesting choices for Combat pilots beyond combat: Do I fit a fuel scoop to get around faster, or a cargo rack to take smuggling missions every now and then?
- Encourage close, interesting and spontaneous PvP: With the gulf between combat and non-combat fit ships slighter, combat can become less seal-clubby
- Conveniences and makes for more varied gameplay for min-maxers. No longer will you have to pass up that juicy mission or floating cargo because you're waiting for the enemy wing to instance with you. Nor will you have to reoutfit and shuttle about 4 times every time you head to a CG. If you sometimes fancy a relaxing drive on planets in between wing fights, you don't have to worry about fitting a vehicle bay
- Allows dynamic, smart and precise ship balancing: Gunship underwhelming in combat? Advances in internal wiring systems allows for more combat rated internals. FAS OP? Part shortage means that the class 3 slot is longer capable of supporting combat internals
- Makes lesser-used modules more viable: Want to try an AFMU, or hatch-breakers as a targetting aid, or deploying biowaste as a distraction in combat? Now you don't have to sacrifice 20% of your eHP compared to the enemy
- Makes NPCs/police more of a credible threat for experienced min-maxing pilots: No longer will you be able to watch netflix while fighting Elite Anacondas. Now you'll have to rely on skill rather than simply having 10x the health of them.
Overall I feel like this suggestion would be incredibly healthy for combat, PvP, and the game in general. What do you think?
