Escort Package: What's the OP cost on this one? -/8/15/-? I presume there isn't a visual indicator of how close 1000 su is for the effect to kick in. 1000 su isn't that far but clumps of a couple of Cruisers in a Destroyer ball will probably effect most of the Destroyers. On its surface, this seems
really powerful because of the range boost. Assuming the Destroyers have ITU, both Destroyers and Cruisers will have Capital-like range when around a parent Capital. You can't squeeze too many ships in 1000 su around the Capital (without getting in each other's way) but whole fleets purposely-built to use this will have a massive range advantage. I guess I'll have to see it in practice.
I'm kind of surprised it doesn't work the other way around: you install Escort Package on the "mothership" and all smaller Cruisers and Destroyers within 1000 su get the buffs. I suppose that centralizes/reduces the OP investment to one ship rather than multiple, making it easier to stack to absurd levels.
+100 to all the QoL additions: ALT transferring inventory being the default is :chef's kiss:
Phase Lance change: It needed something. I'll take the efficiency boost, but I do agree with intrinsic_parity to some degree. The Phase Lance feels like its shots get "wasted" against shields because of the long delay between shots, regardless of efficiency. I know it won't happen, but I sort of wish the Rift Lance and Phase Lance switched their RoF. The Phase Lance (being far more common) could use the faster RoF to make it more general-purpose while the Rift Lance would be this small, highly-effective powerhouse that defies convention.
All Weapon Changes: Light Dual AC being so ludicrously efficient was kind of a no-brainer, so I'm not complaining. Heavy AC and HAG being more efficient is also makes them more competitive within their class. Storm Needler is now the equivalent to - :raises shields: "So you have chosen death" meme. I like the Squall change (they are too hard to kill). Ambivalent to the Locust change. I still don't use the various Laser Missiles to have an opinion on the chose changes. Salamanders being reduced in price is interesting. I figured they were expensive because they were regenerating and they could have dramatic effects on a battle if one happens to hit. Along with Elite Missile Spec, I could see an uptick on Salamander usage. Proximity Mine Launcher getting nerfed was necessary. They are incredibly powerful en masse.
Safety Overrides: I didn't use SO on Monitors but I always knew I could. I can't wait for the SO overhaul
Auxiliary Thrusters: Yay! Three things worked against it: two skills that did the same thing, it was too costly, and because it was too costly, it didn't have an S-mod bonus. The new S-mod bonus is a pretty big relative boost for Capitals, who need all the speed they can get. Paired with new Helmsmanship, a Paragon can be
cruising at like 105 su/sec instead of the 88 of current!
Story stuff: Not much to say except, I can't wait to try it!
As an aside, of all the multitude of changes made last patch, the one that overwhelmingly altered my experience for the better is the ambient music in unexplored star systems. The shift in mood going from hyperspace into an unknown system is jarring and eerie...
precisely what you want. There's a low-level, palpable unease being in the system because of the background noise (or sometimes lack thereof). All this to say, while new ships, skill changes, weapon tweaks, etc. get the headlines, I'm hoping there are more "atmosphere" additions in the future.
