There are currently many Frigate players who use Empire and Jericho frigates and just sit at spawn and camp with sniper abilities instead of supporting the team or taking objectives. Frigates as the heaviest armoured and armed should be on the front lines, not sitting at the back.
I think any ability that makes players stand still to use should be reworked into either a fire and forget weapon (in the case of Jericho frigates) or a offensive/defensive/support ability.
Currently the Jericho guided missile is heavily tied into contracts and achievements so it would be difficult to remove, but I think it would be more effective as a short ranged fire and forget cruise missile. Reworking it into a cruise missile with 4-6km range that can be fired like an ordinary guided missile would allow Jericho frigates to still be able to fire off their missiles AND allow them to move around and support their team in close proximity.
For the Empire Frigate I think an ability similar to overdrive would be a good idea, more specifically a short duration buff that applies a DOT burn to the target applied with the main weapon (eg. 4000dmg over 10 seconds). For Legion Frigates this ability would upgrade to an energy burn plus damage dot, and for warden frigates it would become a resistance reduction dot plus burn.
These changes would stop frigates from camping in the back and not joining in the fight and put them in the front lines where they should be, supporting the team and taking objectives.
It does take some time to get used to the fact that snipers in this game isn’t lightly tanked things that are helpless when getting ganged up at close range. The problem is not stop frigates from sniping, but to make the frigates more useful for the team. For example, actions that contribute toward the objective should yield more points than they do now compare to the points you get form just killing an enemy ship.
It does take some time to get used to the fact that snipers in this game isn’t lightly tanked things that are helpless when getting ganged up at close range. The problem is not stop frigates from sniping, but to make the frigates more useful for the team. For example, actions that contribute toward the objective should yield more points than they do now compare to the points you get form just killing an enemy ship.
They will still camp.
Only way to make them stop camping is to take away any means to do so.
Cestia it might have escaped your notice, but frigate teams who camp tend to lose Domination and Detonation matches. This current tendency to camp carried over from T1 and T2, but once people start realising that they are losing more than winning by doing this, it will correct itself, just wait a bit.
Cestia it might have escaped your notice, but frigate teams who camp tend to lose Domination and Detonation matches. This current tendency to camp carried over from T1 and T2, but once people start realising that they are losing more than winning by doing this, it will correct itself, just wait a bit.
But that still leaves me, a frigate player who doesn’t camp, on the front lines with a useless special ability.
Cestia it might have escaped your notice, but frigate teams who camp tend to lose Domination and Detonation matches. This current tendency to camp carried over from T1 and T2, but once people start realising that they are losing more than winning by doing this, it will correct itself, just wait a bit.
Also jericho torpedo is fine as it is since it deals low dmg compared to a long incapacitation time for the main frigate. This is still viable without camping tho as I often use my jericho near beacons without a problem
But that still leaves me, a frigate player who doesn’t camp, on the front lines with a useless special ability.
it isn’t useless as it allows for a lot of flexibility. And I mean you still have the bestest (I know it’s not a word) hull or shield in the world.
But that still leaves me, a frigate player who doesn’t camp, on the front lines with a useless special ability.
You’re doing it wrong.
If you feel that Sniping or Torp’s are “useless” because you’re on the front line then you are not really using them to their potential. I am in and out of snipe mode so often in fights. I love my Hydra 2 as it allows me to equip Pulse Lasers(short range weapon and high DPS) because I’m not going to lack a long range weapon to engage people as my special does that for me.
I don’t think people realize the awesomeness that gives to Sniper Frigates and Torpedo can be used the same way. You should always be looking forward after defending a beacon, ect, for possible frail targets to snipe in the distance to give you team fighting an advantage or to weaken enemies who are coming to attack you before they arrive.
I just don’t get why the long range frigs don’t do their job from the nodes you can still snipe from there and then you are also giving your team the active mods you bring to the table.
I find the Acid Hydra to be an amazing defender and support vessels, though too slow for going for the objective in detonation, it can be equipped with modules to hop around the battlefield to defend bomb planting sites or beacons, and it also allows your team to do the same; well depending on placement. I only use the abilities when trying to reach out and harass enemies. But I mainly use its main weapons and explosives. Going into battle or just waiting for an enemy to get close near an objective is more effective than just using the sniping ability flat out. I can’t say the same for tech 1 ships as in that tier the ships effectiveness is more determined by their ability than their modules.
Sniping should be a viable option. Right now I think the problem is that being a front line frigate sucks. Their slow speed just makes them the first target for everyone which negates any armor/shield advantage they have. .
Sniping should be a viable option. Right now I think the problem is that being a front line frigate sucks. Their slow speed just makes them the first target for everyone which negates any armor/shield advantage they have. .
easy answer: don’t go alone
It does take some time to get used to the fact that snipers in this game isn’t lightly tanked things that are helpless when getting ganged up at close range. The problem is not stop frigates from sniping, but to make the frigates more useful for the team. For example, actions that contribute toward the objective should yield more points than they do now compare to the points you get form just killing an enemy ship.
And points don’t matter for them, as they do not contribute towards your rewards at the end of the match (or at least it is such a small bonus that I never actually saw a bonus there).
Cestia it might have escaped your notice, but frigate teams who camp tend to lose Domination and Detonation matches. This current tendency to camp carried over from T1 and T2, but once people start realising that they are losing more than winning by doing this, it will correct itself, just wait a bit.
And again, they don’t care as much, as they often have a small to no repair bill. 90k for a win but perhaps lost 3 ships for 30k vs. 60k without any repair?
And points don’t matter for them, as they do not contribute towards your rewards at the end of the match (or at least it is such a small bonus that I never actually saw a bonus there).
And again, they don’t care as much, as they often have a small to no repair bill. 90k for a win but perhaps lost 3 ships for 30k vs. 60k without any repair?
Points seem to matter for experience and loyalty reward as well as being important in corporation ratings
Everyone cares if they loose as a) no looting (which means about 30-60k on average less and no chance to get greens/purples.
b) psychological effect common to the human mind
The biggest problem I have with frigates is they’re not glass cannons, but heavily armored cannons capable of dealing an immense amount of damage both in close quarters and long range. Sure, after a certain point they suffer a CBQ penalty but by that point they’ve either killed you, or one of your partners which can effectively neutralize your attack. For an effecient frigate kill at least TWO fighters are required. Sure, a single can do it or even an interceptor, but this can take a while and often is so time consuming you are killed by respawns since they spawn almost on top of where a frigate is sitting. If you’re going to give frigates such a powerful special ability you have to do one of two things, make them glass cannons or increase the time between reloading of a special ability which significantly limits their desire to just “camp” without penalty.
My suggestions for creating a glass cannon would be to give interceptors the “sniping” abilities and entirely revamping the frigate abilities. Since frigates, I feel, should be primarily objective defending or/and front line cruisers depending upon the objective, this ability should be replaced with something more “tanky” or close quarters. Possible some sort of thermal/energy/kinetic shotgun or fire and forget missile with a significant cooldown. This close quarter special ability would require frigates to get more into a fight or defend an objective to get kills than for them to just sit a a spawn point or on an asteroid.
Or, increase the time between “sniping” abilities for Empire and Jericho frigates. Say, a 45 second and 2 minute cooldown respectively? This just entirely removes the urge to snipe as it makes obtaining kills this way utterly useless. Some people will try this, but they’ll quickly lose interest and start to merge towards the front line or defending an objective, while it still keeps it a fairly viable option to weaken an inbound threat now and again.
These are just rough ideas and obviously thouse who play Frigates will say “No way” while those who play against Frigates will mostly agree. Either way, Frigates are entirely OP right now for most objectives. It is the “sniping” ability itself that makes is OP and not much more.
As for those who say a team of Frigates sniping won’t win a battle. You’re right they won’t, but when do you fight an entire team of frigates? It’s the two or 3 Frigates sitting back sniping you to Hull/Death before you even make 6km on them or spamming missiles on an objective that makes them rediculous to play against.
First post so going to guess your T1 pilot.
Long range frigs powers get weaker the higher the tier you go, and the really good frig pilots of those two races don’t spawn camp anymore and play more and more like the fed pilots and more support then pure range.
If you head to a frig head on you should be instagib by the long range skills. Sneak up on the snipers its really easy most of them have huge blind spots and tunnel vision.
oh and glass cannon interceptors+nukes 
First post so going to guess your T1 pilot.
Long range frigs powers get weaker the higher the tier you go, and the really good frig pilots of those two races don’t spawn camp anymore and play more and more like the fed pilots and more support then pure range.
If you head to a frig head on you should be instagib by the long range skills. Sneak up on the snipers its really easy most of them have huge blind spots and tunnel vision.
oh and glass cannon interceptors+nukes
I’m in T3 btw, almost T4.
I’ve just stopped being a useful member of the team and just sit back and camp. Why should I pay a 50k repair bill when I can get the same results as a passive sniper.
Sad but true.
I’m in T3 btw, almost T4.
I’ve just stopped being a useful member of the team and just sit back and camp. Why should I pay a 50k repair bill when I can get the same results as a passive sniper.
Sad but true.
I’m not even sure what exactly I should answer to this statement oo. Just uhm lol?
I use my Cerberus(and previously Hydra2) in and out of sniper mode… to be honest I find the best thing about sniping to be the fact it draws interceptors to me like flies 
RAWR SMARTBOMB… you have to understand main line battleship theory, they are supposed to be the heavy hitters and take punishment more than any others… you don’t like a frigate providing strategic kill power against you bomb carrier? roll a fighter, an interceptor will most likely just die to smartbombs. To be honest, I split my time to probably 70% brawling/objective capturing to maybe 30% of the time in sniper mode…
You know you can tank the damage when you get up to the tech 2 faction ships. Two thermal resist buffs, hull or shield could actually greatly cut back on the damage you take, other passive modules such as the Emergency shield can get you out of a tight spot in an interceptor. Being one who uses an acid hydra and will eventually move up to the tech 3 one, I think my primary weapon does more damage then my sniping ability, and I use lasers.
What I feel is weird as someone that plays only fed frigs is tank wise the other two frigs could be doing what I do and do the short range support, but also reach out and touch someone so it seems to be a waste.
I mean when I guard a node I can see the enemies but can’t do anything but call out and buff team but if I was the other frigs I could be guarding and helping my teammates at the same time.