As promised in my previous blog, here is a follow-up with more balancing changes for Revelations 2.2.

Starbase Battery Scan Resolutions

Quite simply, the scan resolutions on starbase batteries are way too low. It currently takes more than one minute for a large battery to lock a dreadnought. Propulsion jamming and EW batteries have the same scan resolutions as large batteries, and are generally ineffective against battleships. While we want it to be possible for battleship fleets to attack starbases, the current lock times makes this too easy since they can attack without any risk even if the starbase has been setup specifically with anti battleship batteries. As a result of this evaluation, scan resolutions will be changed as follows:

• Propulsion jamming batteries: 30mm (+20mm)
• EW batteries: 50mm (+40mm)
• Large batteries: 35mm (+25mm)
• Medium batteries: 75mm (+25mm)
• Small batteries: 250mm (no change)

The above changes will allow a battleship enough time to warp out before propulsion jamming batteries lock on (if, for instance, it warps to the wrong moon), yet retain starbase batteries effectiveness when defending against a battleship fleet. Naturally, we will continue monitoring the development to make sure that the batteries perform as intended.

Corpse and Wreck Bumping

Using corpses and wrecks to "warp scramble" ships has been an increasing problem. Unfortunately, improving our physics engine - Destiny - requires resources we don't have for the foreseeable future, so that small objects would the expected, negligible effect on larger objects. Instead corpses and wrecks will be immaterial, ships will pass through them without becoming stuck.

General Balancing Issues

In the next patch we are addressing performance issues with some of the Heavy Assault Ships. The Deimos is somewhat slow for a Heavy Assault Ship and short on power output for blaster setups. Similarly the Muninn and the Zealot have also suffered from fitting issues, so we are improving them as follows:

Deimos:

• 11,000,000kg (-1,000,000kg)
• 205m/s (+35m/s)
• 990mw (+40mw)

Muninn:

• 1160mw (+60mw)

Zealot:

• 320tf (+5tf)
• 1180mw (+90mw)

The CPU on the Armageddon has always been low. For fleet setups this is not normally much of an issue, but for pulse laser setups this is a problem. As the Armageddon specializes in high damage setups, the CPU has been increased:

• 485tf (+35tf)

The Flycatcher is hard to fit and compared to the Heretic it falls a bit short, so the fitting as been improved to allow it to easier fit tech 2 Standard Missile Launchers:

• 265tf (+21tf)
• 56mw (+2mw)

Blockade runners have not been living up to their name as they take too long to align for warp. As a result, their agility modifier has been reduced (which makes them more agile than before). However, deep space transports have not been changed.

• Agility: 0.55 (-0.45)

When scanning for a ship the signal strength is based on the signature radius to sensor strength ratio for the target. Generally there is a 2x increase in this ratio between major ship classes (making larger ships easier to find), but capital ships have very high sensor strengths, making the ratio is less than for battleships. To address this issue the signature radius of capital ships has been significantly increased to fit the progression between frigates, cruisers and battleships. This change naturally also affects tracking, so Dreadnoughts will have an easier time hitting other capital ships while in siege mode, making them better suited as anti-capital ships as originally intended.

The Caldari dreadnought, carrier and mothership lacked CPU for fitting shield tanks, so they have been boosted as follows:

• Phoenix: 875tf (+50tf)
• Chimera: 825tf (+50tf)
• Wyvern: 975tf (+100tf)

Nosferatu Adjustments

The Nosferatu mechanic has finally been fixed on Sisi and can now be tested properly. Nosferatus affect NPCs just like ordinary ships, so it is possible to leech energy from them. However they no longer affect the NPC's chance to repair as they used to, which means that Neutralizers must be used instead if the goal is make the NPCs tank less.

The power needed by Energy Neutralizers has been lowered to be in line with Nosferatus in order to not nerf ships that specialize in draining (rather than leeching) energy. Additionally the Blood Raider ships (Bhaalgorn, Ashimmu and Cruor) have had their bonuses to Nosferatus extended to Energy Neutralizers similar to the Amarr recons. The Curse still performs quite well in small gangs, but the Pilgrim does not, so power output has been increased:

• Pilgrim: 950mw (+100mw)

Khanid mk 2 Adjustments

With the newly implemented Khanid mk 2 changes, it was time to take a look at the short range of Heavy Assault Missiles. Currently they have a range of up to 15km, a huge step down from their longer-range Heavy Missile cousins, not a good trade for the moderate damage increase. Their velocity is in line with rockets, so flight time has been increased instead, allowing them to reach up to 20km.

While the Damnation design followed the Khanid philosophy closely, providing it with a sturdy tank, it was laking in its intended role as a fleet command ship. Even a heavy (active) tank setup breaks quickly when subjected to sufficient firepower and the range of Heavy Assault Missiles combined with the Damnation's slow speed meant that it couldn't effectively project its damage. For these reasons, the Damnation went back to the operating table:

• 5 launchers (+1)
• 4 turrets (no change)
• 475tf (+35tf)
• 1590mw (+80mw)
• 10% bonus to Heavy Assault Missile and Heavy Missile velocity per BC level
• 5% bonus to armor resistances per BC level (no change)
• 10% bonus to armor hit points per CS level
• 3% bonus to Armored Warfare Links per CS level (no change)

While the damage output is indeed quite low even for a command ship, the Damnation can endure extreme punishment by using a monstrous combination of armor plates and hardeners. The Heavy Assault Missile damage bonus has been replaced with a missile velocity bonus, giving the Damnation some much needed range.

Since the Malediction is the Amarr interceptor with the most mid slots, it is quite useful as a tackler. The decreased lock range hindered it in this role, so the lock range and scan resolutions have been changed back to their normal levels.

Finally the cargo capacities on the Khanid ships have been increased (so they have room for missiles) and the number of turret hardpoints have been increased back to normal levels (to ease the transition for pilots who have no missile skills):

• Malediction: 135m3 (no change), turrets: 3
• Vengeance: 210m3 (+75m3), turrets: 3
• Anathema: 190m3 (no change), turrets: 2
• Heretic: 380m3 (+80m3), turrets: 4
• Sacrilege: 615m3 (+165m3), turrets: 4
• Damnation: 645m3 cargo (+295m3), turrets: 4

That's all for this round of balancing changes.