As it is at the moment, when outfitting a ship for combat, there are two main options regarding the type of hardpoint mount for guns - fixed or not.
There is a skill vs. damage trade off, which seems fair. Fixed require the most skill and do the most damage, gimbaled are 'easier' to use (the target still needs to be kept directly in front) and do less damage, turreted weapons are the easiest of all to use and so, do the least damage.
That's in an ideal world. However, in my opinion there are two issues - hardpoint placement / crosshair convergence and chaff.
In certain ships (Clipper being a prime example), fixed weapons simply don't work as the hardpoints are too far apart and point straight forward. This could so easily be fixed, in most cases, by having fixed weapons angled inwards slightly. They could all converge at the same point 1.5km away, for example (possibly even user defined), with the small amount of tracking they currently have allowing the convergence spot to adjust closer or further. This would not affect the amount of skill required to effectively use fixed weapons, it would only serve to make them viable on more hulls.
On such a ship, in a PVE situation, it's not an issue... simply pick gimbaled weapons, take the hit to damage output and crack on! The problem is with PVP (when I say PVP, I mean two sides who each want to fight, not someone attacking a hauler) and chaff.
Let's take the Clipper again (although it's also relevant to some other ships, such as the Cobra). We already know we can't use fixed weapons, so we use gimbaled. However, most ships set up for PVP fit a chaff, which holds 10 charges, lasts several seconds and effectively renders your gimbaled weapons entirely useless (yes, your target can be unlocked, allowing your gimbaled weapon to fire straight ahead, but we're still left with the original convergence problem). This, in turn, renders some ships (ships which should be good combat vessels) unusable in 'serious' PVP.
The chaff issue would vanish if the convergence problem was sorted. I mean, seriously... even WW2 planes had guns which were aimed at a set point in front of themselves! This is the year 33XX!
I know that right now, this is just how it is, and I know there are work-arounds and alternatives, but things can and have changed since launch and personally, this is something I'd like to see 'fixed' (and it's so simple)!
There is a skill vs. damage trade off, which seems fair. Fixed require the most skill and do the most damage, gimbaled are 'easier' to use (the target still needs to be kept directly in front) and do less damage, turreted weapons are the easiest of all to use and so, do the least damage.
That's in an ideal world. However, in my opinion there are two issues - hardpoint placement / crosshair convergence and chaff.
In certain ships (Clipper being a prime example), fixed weapons simply don't work as the hardpoints are too far apart and point straight forward. This could so easily be fixed, in most cases, by having fixed weapons angled inwards slightly. They could all converge at the same point 1.5km away, for example (possibly even user defined), with the small amount of tracking they currently have allowing the convergence spot to adjust closer or further. This would not affect the amount of skill required to effectively use fixed weapons, it would only serve to make them viable on more hulls.
On such a ship, in a PVE situation, it's not an issue... simply pick gimbaled weapons, take the hit to damage output and crack on! The problem is with PVP (when I say PVP, I mean two sides who each want to fight, not someone attacking a hauler) and chaff.
Let's take the Clipper again (although it's also relevant to some other ships, such as the Cobra). We already know we can't use fixed weapons, so we use gimbaled. However, most ships set up for PVP fit a chaff, which holds 10 charges, lasts several seconds and effectively renders your gimbaled weapons entirely useless (yes, your target can be unlocked, allowing your gimbaled weapon to fire straight ahead, but we're still left with the original convergence problem). This, in turn, renders some ships (ships which should be good combat vessels) unusable in 'serious' PVP.
The chaff issue would vanish if the convergence problem was sorted. I mean, seriously... even WW2 planes had guns which were aimed at a set point in front of themselves! This is the year 33XX!
I know that right now, this is just how it is, and I know there are work-arounds and alternatives, but things can and have changed since launch and personally, this is something I'd like to see 'fixed' (and it's so simple)!
