Re: Front-Shield Conversion
Chalk me up as one who uses it primarily as a QoL mod. I appreciate the usefulness of Omni Shields in "oh crap!" moments but, in general, I prefer the stability of good coverage Front Shields. The shield upkeep reduction was nice but not the primary reason I used it (not to mention that FSC cost more than Stabilized Shields, anyway). My favorite use-case was on an Aurora, as it gave 360 degree coverage and reduced the fairly pricey upkeep.
I admit that FSC was essentially Accelerated Shields and Stabilized Shields "in one" but you were also giving up pin-point shield flexibility, which can be a big deal. The AI definitely prefers Omni-Shields in my experience. I don't think I ever put FSC on non-player ships. As a side-grade option, I think FSC is fine with the new changes but you're paying for that QoL preference.
Other stuffs:
Something must have happened to the Eagle if playtesting is reverting the most important change: speed. I was excited to try the faster Eagle because that was my #1 complaint. I figured the 18 DP would be the first thing to go if it needed walked back but I didn't expect the speed change. I'm sure the meta game has changed with new weapons and hullmod options but it being nearly "too strong" at 20 DP is kind of surprising.
Apogee change is actually quite a shock. It's still in a hardpoint and the Large and Medium won't really converge but that's a lot more potential firepower vs. current.
I imagine the Converted Hangar change will be polarizing, either due to disrupting the status quo, or because DP costs can be considered one of the key stats in shipbuilding, especially as you push up against the 240 limit.
I'm ambivalent about the Drover changes. I saw the tweet and I'm still...underwhelmed(?)...by the B-deck idea. The reason I pick a Drover over a Condor is because the fighters on a Drover are superior to those on a Condor on a 1:1 basis. You can field more fighters with the ship system and get more DPS. It's the same reason I pick a Heron over a Mora in some cases. So, the Drover's ability to restore its Replacement Rate once just doesn't strike me as suitable replacement to Reserve Deployment. If you go 2x Bomber, it seems to me that that B-Deck perk could get used up toward the beginning of a fight and then you just have a 2-deck carrier with Active Flare Launchers for the remainder. Or, if you go 2x Fighter and don't see a ton of losses, you may never even get down to 50%. It just doesn't strike me as 40% better than a Condor if all you want is more flight decks. The B-Deck is a great idea, just not as a replacement for Reserve Deployment. Of course, I need to try it before complaining too much.
"Medusa: adjusted misaligned engine nozzle" - truly the unheralded diamond in the rough.
