CCP Games, the developers of EVE Online, have announced a new feature for their famous sci-fi game. It will soon be available for testing, but for now, the entire community is not convinced of its effectiveness.
What is this feature? The feature is called “Frigate Escape Bay” and allows players to store a frigate in their battleship. This is extremely useful for space battles and skirmishes.
If a battleship is destroyed, the pilot escapes in an unarmed escape pod, which is easy prey. With the new feature, you will directly board the frigate instead of the escape pod.
You can fully equip and store the frigate ready for combat beforehand. However, it cannot have special abilities such as cloaking or faster means of movement. The feature will be implemented on the test servers on Monday, February 24.
Feature sounds good, but receives criticism
What is it good for? You will have the chance to take revenge for your lost battleship with the Frigate Escape Bay – or to escape a bit more safely.
With the lighter, more agile frigate, you can either try to take the opponent’s battleship as well, or you use your maneuverability to escape. This probably provides little comfort for the loss of especially expensive ships, but could lead to satisfaction.
The developers state that the idea is to “shake up the battleship meta a bit.” Some players already see the benefits:
- Nathan Galbadia writes: “I think this makes fleet battles much more interesting. ‘I destroyed his battleship, but now he’s repairing his mates.'”
- Nana Skalski shares a similar view: “As far as balance in PvP is concerned: If people use fleets of battleships, they are immediately in the fight after their main ship is destroyed. They could then fill the support role, dampening the opponents’ sensors or providing logistical support for friends.”
- Sen Isu simply finds: “I don’t know how this will work, but holy shit, I think it’s a really cool idea.”
This is being criticized: However, the feature is not only perceived positively. Some players see disadvantages and even express their opinions in very direct terms:
- QuakeGod believes: “This is… stupid […] All that will happen is that you will not only lose your battleship but also the frigate. I mean, if you are already so outnumbered that your battleship is destroyed, the little frigate won’t save you anymore.”
- Ugren Okaski doubts: “What’s next, battleship escape bay for supers?”
The corresponding thread in the forum has now over 300 replies. It has recently become common for the EVE community to quarrel over features. There have also been many differing opinions on the Drifter event that kept EVE busy for two months, which angered some players.
However, the new feature for EVE is not the only thing the developers are working on. A new shooter is also in sight after Project Nova was shelved:
