For brave souls - a small update

[Aeqvinox]

Turret steering is a considerable buff to turretboats, especially against snubcraft as it gives you the ability to evade and aim effectively at the same time, which with current GB vs. Snub balance would turn into something rather silly soon as people figure out how to use the steering properly.

Wrong. PM me, grab a bomber, meet me in space. I'll show you magic, without turret steering, and i promise you you've never seen anything like this before.

The only thing that the turret steering will contribute to gb vs snub fights will be an easy-to-learn technique for everyone, but it will be inferior. Mainly because to use all the ship maneuvering controls in turret view you will need 10 to 12 keys for that in one place, and you can't use alt/shift/ctrl + key combo.

I'm not saying this will be worthless. I'm saying that it will be easily accessible, in contrary to the current way of flying boats by skilled players, which is rather difficult to learn (not to mention, to figure out on your own).

Even GB vs. GB is effected by this. Some gunboats have crazy firing arcs (Imperator, Bottlenose, Tridente, etc) that can only be used at its full potential with turret steering, while other GBs have a more limited arcs (Berserker, Heimdall, Storm, etc). And turret steering effects both of these cases more than you might notice in the first glance.

So, let's put it this way: Gunboats are being rebalanced in .86 for one main reason - Turret steering. So causing a total chaos with tossing in that one problematic feature before the actual rebalance is done is not really unlikely.

Or if even that is unclear, let me put it like this: I've seen a full-Basic AU8 Bottlenose using turret steering solo a CAU8 Tridente and a CAU6 Hacker GS (Both of which were above-average GB pilots) in a 1v2 and cruise away with 180 nanos left. Of course, if the Dente & GS pilots both had steering as well, it wouldn't be that easy for the Bottlenose pilot, but that is how much a simple feature like turret steering effects GB balance in general.

Long story short, this is the wrong approach to the whole thing.

Gb vs gb will always be a battle of numbers*. Skill is secondary, unless it's a pro vs newbie duel.

Implementing turret steering for everyone won't have enough impact on gb vs gb fights [and i say this from my own rich experience] to justify a "rebalance" (nerf).

A gunboat is the easiest combat ship to destroy. Period.


*Numbers: stats, hardpoints, weapons.
The scenario which you portrayed in your example is highly unlikely, there must've been other circumstances which you failed to present.


PS. If i tell you that i teach all my faction members how to fly gunboats like a pro, will this be a reason to "rebalance" something ?