CCP Tallest has released a dev-blog about planned changes to hybrid guns and gallente ships. As far as I like the proposed changes to hybrid turrets, boosting all ships speed/agility is not really a good idea. But first, let’s have a look at the hybrid guns boost:
Lowering CPU requirements, making hybrid guns easier to fit
- XL Turrets: -5 CPU
- L Turrets: -3 CPU
- M Turrets: -2 CPU
- S Turrets: -1 CPU
75mm Railguns will not be changed – they have already very low CPU requirements
Reducing PG requirements, making hybrid guns easier to fit
- All hybrid turrets: -12% Powergrid usage
Light Electron Blasters, Light Ion Blasters, 125mm Railguns, 75mm Railguns will not be changed – their PG is already very low
Less Capacitor use
- All hybrid turrets: -30% capacitor use
Tracking Speed Increase:
- +20% to Blaster Tracking speed
XL Blasters are already in line with other XL guns, so they will not receive any tracking speed boost.
Railguns
- +10% to Railgun Damage modifier
XL Railguns are already in line with other XL guns, so they will not receive any damage boost.
Tech II Ammo
- Javelin (all sizes): Removed cap penalty
- Javelin, Gleam and Quake (all sizes): Removed tracking speed penalty, added 25% tracking speed bonus
- Hail (all sizes): Removed falloff penalty
The above was expected to be honest. Amarr and lasers got a boost back in 2008, when Gallente and hybrids should have been boosted as well. Hybrids will now be easier to fit (if only that &#^&$% ship had more PG, I could put some Rolled Tungsten on), will have better tracking (2fast4you… to track), and Railguns will finally pack quite a punch.
What I don’t feel necessary is the ship speed boost proposed in the second part of the blog. Gallente ships are already pretty fast, and there is no reason to bring them in line with minmatar ships. Amarr boats are rather slow, shouldn’t their speed be boosted as well? One of the possible byproducts of boosting I see is better speedtank on an Ishtar for example, while the decreased inertia modifier will also affect align times besides the ability to orbit the target at a very tight range. I would only change speed and inertia modifier on dedicated blasterboats, leaving all the other Gallente ships the way they are.