Petition to remove Long Range Frigate entirely and replace it with something useful.

Currently, there’s very little reason to ever choose a Long Range Frigate. They’ve been broken to the point of being laughable for months now and none of the patches have improved them in the slightest.

Typically, when creating a class, you have to balance three fundamental attributes: durability, speed and damage. Usually, a class will have a bit of two but be weak in the third, or be very capable in one and mostly weak in the others. A scout will have a lot of speed but little durability or damage. A tanky defense class will have tons of durability but little damage and very poor speed. An offensive class will have a lot of damage and speed but poor durability, or a lot of damage and durability but be very slow, or TONS of damage but very little durability and speed; the prototypical “glass cannon”. The Long Range Frigate, however, seems to be poor in all three. It’s all glass and no cannon.

It’s largely the slowest frigate class in the game, typically being slower even than the Guard frigates. It has the lowest amount of hull and shields of any of the frigate classes by far, barely more than a fighter. And it’s damage - the one thing that it’s supposed to excel in - is outshined by an Engineer!

For example, my T2 Hydra with Mk III blue Beam Cannons and a Mk III Xenon Lamp deals 1885 dmg/s with it’s main weapons. With the same weapon and munitions equipped, my T2 Hydra 2 (Engineer) deals 1257 dmg/s. “But 1885 dmg/s is more than 1257 dmg/s,” you say! But when you factor in the extra damage from the Engineer’s Combat Drones (537x2 dmg/s), my Hydra 2 is actually dealing 2331 dmg/s…446 dmg/s more than the offense-oriented Long Range Frigate, and in addition it gets nearly 15000 additional survivability, better speed and support abilities that are massively beneficial to the entire team. “But what about the Long Range Frigate’s special ability,” you say. “Surely that dishes out damage like no other!” That same Hydra’s Disintegrator shot augmented with a Mk III blue main weapon deals 5839 damage every 3 seconds. An impressive amount of damage for a single shot, but it translates into only 1946 dmg/s, barely more than if it were simply using it’s main weapon normally and still 385 dmg/s less than the Engineer while providing no additional benefit whatsoever to your team. And in case anyone was wondering, the Jericho LRFs are in even worse shape with a special ability that deals a pathetic 615 dmg/s albeit with a bit more utility and the ability to hit multiple targets.

The one seeming saving grace granted to Long Range Frigates with the latest patch is that they and they alone are capable of deploying minefields. However, they’re pretty much the least capable of deploying them effectively as the very role of a Long Range Frigate necessitates being away from the action (and away from the all-important beacons that could most benefit from their mines) and mines themselves were nerfed such that they now disappear after 45 seconds whether they are triggered or not…with a 3 minute cooldown between reapplications.

The solution, of course, can’t be to simply increase the damage of their special abilities. Before you know it, LRFs would be one-shotting everything smaller than a frigate. Rather, I would like to see the Long Range Frigate retooled entirely into something more appealing to fly and more beneficial to your team’s goals. Something suited to supporting the frontline, with speed and durability comparable to an Engineer. So below are a couple of my ideas.

Option #1: Fix it.

Keep the Long Range Frigate as it currently is, but increase it’s speed to the level of an Engineer and give it comparable survivability. Take the Engineer’s Warp Gate module (Engineers have the excellent new Static Barrier to replace it anyway) and give it to the Long Range Frigate, allowing it to actually reach good vantage points in time to support beacon captures and benefit the team instead of just spawn camping while everyone shouts obscenities at them for not helping.

Option #2: Replace it.

Here’s where it gets a little more fun. I have an idea for what I think would be an interesting replacement for the Long Range Frigate, but feel free to add your own ideas. With that, I present…

MISSILE SUPPORT

Special Ability: Phoenix Barrage

[1]When triggered, launches 5 barrages of swarming Phoenix missiles at all enemy ships in a 1750m radius, dealing 5383 thermal damage (assuming Mk III weapon) over 3sec. Damage scales with the main weapon’s level. (Essentially like an Octopus missile combined with a Pulsar module.)

Energy Consumption: 128en.

Recharge: 60sec.

[2]When activated, launches a barrage of guided Phoenix missiles, dealing 8327 thermal damage (assuming Mk III weapon) to all enemy ships painted by the player within 4000m. Damage scales with main weapon’s level. (A special HUD would be activated and painting targets would be achieved by moving your targeting reticle over them briefly. You would have a period of 5sec to paint as many targets as possible before the weapon automatically fires, making it a primarily forward-firing weapon.)

Energy Consumption: 128en.

Recharge: 60sec.

MISSILE AMMUNITION

Cruise Missile

Torpedo

Octopus

Nuke

(Give Minelayer to Guard)

CLASS MODULES (assuming Mk III)

Guidance Control Suite: Increases all allied ship’s missile maneuvering speed in a 3400m radius, as well as your own by 50%.

Energy consumption per second: 18en/s.

Recharge: 3sec.

Accelerated Auto-Loader: Reduces cartridge reloading speed on missile munitions by 90sec.

Energy Consumption: 90en.

Recharge: 120sec.

Keep IR Pulsar and EM Scattering Field as is.

Well +1 to buff LR to make them something useful, they are just sweet candies, when you see a lonely LR you can’t just ignore it, you go there and you kill him in seconds, their low mobility and their low shield/hull just make them blow in seconds, minefields are useless against mid-long range weapons, and the systems to “cloak” them are also uselees because they are damn frigates and they are slow, it’s too easy to hit them. And now with the new weapons… Sharpnel and Singularity cannon are just a nightmare xD

 

I have the best LR in the T3 the Empire premium one and it’s pretty cool, but I’m forced to buy a shield regen, hull regen and nanocomposite coating to make him tanky against those greedy interceptors who want a 1v1 fight, leaving me with 1 slot for a tachyon charge. I found that the repair kit and shield booster are way better to survive than the damn IR pulsar or EM scattering field.

 

It’s also funny that I’m killing more with the Coil Mortar than with the sniper, you know, on tier 3 command ships can just ignore you (ofc same with guards and engis) and interceptors are kinda fast, I’m a pretty decent sniper but even with that I’m killing like x3 ships when they try to 1v1 me or just using coil mortar… 

 

I think they deserve a buff because the IR pulsar/ em scattering field are just weak.

 

 

I don’t even use anymore my Ira Deus because those anti missile guards, I feel just useless with that ship. 

 

I would like to see some module who let you reload faster on Empire LR and a module who let you fire several missiles (dealing the same dmg as the actual missile, but instead of 1, for example, 5-8 missiles so guards can’t just xxxx you)

 

And imo they also deserve a buff to their hull/shields, I would even accept a hull buf on Emp and shield buff on Jericho.

Keep IR Pulsar and EM Scattering Field as is. 

 

EM Scattering Field is not that good when they can track your aiming laser or missiles easily. Especially on higher Tier.

Once they lock onto you, you are dead, they don’t need locking on a Giant Stationary Brick to hit it.

 

And actually the other modules are not very good either, almost useless.

 

I use shield + hull regen + resistence on my LRF too.

I think the special modules of LRFs could use a little more… utility. Before 8.0, I recall Warden sniper frig disintegrators being able to burn the target’s energy upon hit. Maybe we could use more of something like that, except with a bit more variety. Perhaps a charge/missile for slowing and a charge/missile for disabling?

 

Also, seconding the sniper warp gate. I’m losing the will to use it as Engy as it is, cooldown’s too long.

Ya I been griping about this one.  The Legion one isnt very good, but at least it does “SOMETHING”.  The jericho ones (with the guided torpedos) are beyond broken.  No exageration, if you choose a guided torpedo ship you just removed yourself from your team and gave the enemy a numbers advantage.

 

I’m cool with them just replacing LRF’s with something else.

 

I’d also be cool with making Guided Torpedo’s impossible or extremely difficult to shoot down.

 

I guess I’d be okay if the guided torpedo split into a mirv so *some* damage would go thru (of course, then damage would have to be tweaked)

 

But in their current state, they are just a newbie-trap or something you troll your own team with.  No one succeeds with a guided torpedo LRF in a normal random battle with an appropriate number of human opponents.

They are beast in capable hands but too narrow in scope on how it can contribute.

You can argue this and that but comparing it to Guards and Engineers, relatively LRFs are useless.

 

I say replace them.

 

Missile boat, drone carrier whatever. Stargem can even use the same ship models and not make new ones lol.

They are beast in capable hands

I would argue that they aren’t really a beast in anyone’s hands, unless your definition of a beast is getting a handful of isolated kills before the other team stops ignoring you and someone finally decides to make the trek out to kill you. Once someone gets it in their head to ruin an LRFs day, there’s not really much the LRF can do to stop them without support; and that just ties up even more of your team if they’re sitting around protecting a player that really isn’t contributing in a meaningful way.

I’m having some fun on my LRF now, stick with my Engy or Guard teammates, attack or defend objectives from afar, switch to snipe mode to take out a exposed LRF or a fighter/inty going in a straight line (Which are rare, I only use disintegrator a few times a match). Finally find a use for my 6 turrets now.

 

And when someone comes, we cover each other quite well, and my mines work well in that situation.

I got a new ship idea how do you guys think?: My spaceship would name… Cruzzer a frigate with a class name Torrent.

 

Special Module: Missile Rain

Special Module Description: Shoots 10 Unguided missiles at the enemy, if all the missiles hit the ship it would deal about 10000 damage, 1 missile = 1107 damage.

Missile range is 3500m

Missile Speed is 380m/s 

 

Ship Stats:

 

HULL: 9291 SHIELD: 9133

Speed: 145m/s   HULL Regeneration: 27pts/sec SHIELD Regeneration: 125pts/sec

Reverse Speed 40m/s

Strafe: 56m/s

Acceleraton 13m/s

 

Kinetic Resistance: 0pts

EM Resistance: 25pts

Thermal Resistance: 30pts

 

ENERGY: 687pts

Regen (Max) 75pts/sec

 

Sensor Range: 6500m

Target Lock Time:1 sec

 

After Burners (Only Speed): 51m/s

After Burners Speed (And the normal ship speed): 196m/s

After Burners Energy Use: 72en/s

Roll: 31deg/sec

Pitch: 38deg/sec

 

Ship Description: An Unique ship class, when using Missile Rain you can see ship opens his holes and fires all the 10 missiles at ONCE, The Missiles can go in random sides maybe 1 to the left and maybe 1 to the right. A very good helper for defending beacons.

(Give Minelayer to Guard)

I read this in a quick skimming, and didn’t even bother reading it.

Minelayers on engies and guard were half the reason frigballs existed in the first place! And you want to bring that back?!

The point of a Guard is to guard and mines are an area denial weapon. They make absolutely no sense on Long Range Frigates, especially as gimped as they are now. If it would simply cause problems then just remove them from the game entirely, but they go completely to waste as they are.

People who bought premium LRFs might not be happy… but then again, I don’t recall knowing anyone who was very happy after buying premium LRFs.

The point of a Guard is to guard and mines are an area denial weapon. They make absolutely no sense on Long Range Frigates, especially as gimped as they are now. If it would simply cause problems then just remove them from the game entirely, but they go completely to waste as they are.

They are not a waste right now. LRF need em to fend off interceptors. Guards got enough to fight off interceptors.

If their purpose is to fend off Interceptors, then they’re very poor at it. Even the newly close-range-only weapons of the Interceptors have enough range to easily avoid a minefield unless you’re fighting a complete rookie who tries to fly right up your backside and stays there. At best, it’s a “screw you” weapon against CovOps with Plasma Arc that might take the attacker out along with the LRF, but very very rarely have I ever seen an LRF deploy them successfully. Hell, I’d take a standard short-range guided missile over a minefield for defense on my LRFs any day.

Never mind the fact that most LRF’s will start running away from the minefield they just dropped when they start getting hit.

People who bought premium LRFs might not be happy… but then again, I don’t recall knowing anyone who was very happy after buying premium LRFs.

Gaijin could just refund the standards of any premium LRF purchased. It’s not like they haven’t changed or removed premium equipment in the past along with a standards refund. I’m sure some people would complain, but some people always complain.

LRF kick xxxx in realistic mode… I see lots of people using them and I recently had the highest score in one match with my Jerico LRF

even though my team lost and I only had the one ship spawn because nobody killed me until I was the last person :frowning:

 

but I think they are doing a good enough job finding uses for the LRG’s

plus they are good in PVE also

LRF kick xxxx in realistic mode… I see lots of people using them and I recently had the highest score in one match with my Jerico LRF

even though my team lost and I only had the one ship spawn because nobody killed me until I was the last person :frowning:

So basically, everyone ignored you until you were the only ship left and then your team lost. Not exactly a glowing recommendation for Long Range Frigates, in my book. I would wager that much of your high score came from using your torpedo to destroy the drones at each of the enemy beacons?

Well I did what could be done in the LRF, my team sucked either way but I was able to deal with those that came at me. I moved around the map and so in the end was was the hardest target to kill and I was thus the last

 

you can twist it how you would like but I feel the LRF are much better this patch then they have been the last two patches. They are worth keeping in your hanger if you know what you are doing with them.

 

the last match I just had was a captain match. a LRF and a healer went to the top of the map and caused all kinds of havok on the enemy. Created a diversion that the enemy couldnt ignore. They kept sending people up to take them out and those people would just walk into a spider trap

Looks like someone needs to learn how to play with LRFs.