Hands Off, My Loots!

While I sit here, cussing and fuming at my main computer and trying to get it fixed (note…I had it fixed, then did something stupid, and am trying to refix it now).  I figured I’d actually post something up.  I’m still working on a post that I think everyone will like, I’m quite proud of it so far…but while I finish that one up I thought people might be interested in my opinions of the Preliminary Patch Note for Dominion.  And if not…well…here they are anyway!

Be advised, the patch notes are actually longer than what I’ll be responding to…but for the sake of your sanity, I have decided to remove the pointless remarks I was making about parts of the patch notes that I really don’t care about…enjoy.

Ships
-We have added 4 new Navy battleships, based on Tier 1 battleship hulls.  They are the Navy Armageddon, Navy Scorpion, Navy Dominix, and Navy Typhoon and they have shiny new model skins from Art.
-The existing Navy frigates and battleships have been rebalanced. Details in this thread.
-All pirate faction ships have been rebalanced. Details in this thread.

This simply makes me very happy.  While they all have their good points and somewhat-meh-points, I’m really looking forward to the new Navy Typhoon…for reasons that will be discussed in that upcoming post I mentioned earlier.  Also, Kirith over at the Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah did some very nice posts on these new ships, make sure to go read them…Navy Armageddon, Navy Scorpion, Navy Dominix, and Navy Typhoon!

The Pirate/Navy ship rebalancing was not as exciting to me at first simply because they screwed up two of my favorite salvaging ships…the Firetail and Dramiel, but now I’m decent impressed with them…due in part again to the new post coming out Soon™.  Casiella over at Ecliptic Rift also made some posts similar to Kiriths about the Navy Frigate changes…Republic Fleet Firetail, Imperial Navy Slicer, Federation Navy Comet, Caldari Navy Hookbill.

Graphics
-Some prime planets have had their graphics changed to an enhanced and more detailed version.

While this does excite me a little bit, I can’t help but to notice that part where it says prime planets.  Does this mean it’s only going to be Caldari Prime, and other important planets like that?…or does it mean all the planet models?…I can see it meaning either way…

User Interface
-Players can now get the repair quote on items through the right click menu if the station they are in has a repair service.

Now if only they would make it so only repairable items show in the repair service…I hate having to figure out which one of those 700 items is damaged when trying to repackage them!

Miscellaneous
-We have replaced the old in game browser with a modern version based on Chromium.  Documentation can be found here with the Dev Blog available here
-Player owned wrecks can now be marked as “Available for all” which prevents CONCORD or criminal repercussions for taking from or destroying free for all wrecks.
-Wallet now shows the correct capitalization.
-Starmap will correctly show whether a militia service is located in a station.

-Finally…it’s about damn time! ‘Nuff said.
-I fail to see the reasoning, or the reason, for this change…it adds nothing in my opinion.
-I can’t tell you how much that NEVER bothered me…or how much I NEVER noticed it…why the hell is that even in the patch notes.  Srsly?
-That…makes me happy…

Modules / Skills
-Fitting a Small Tractor Beam will now require Science to be trained to level 3 instead of level 4.
-Fitting a Micro Auxilary Power Core I will now require Energy Management 2 instead of level 3.
-Fitting an Armor Hardener I will now require Hull Upgrades to be trained to level 3 instead of level 4.
-Hacking will now have the following prerequisites: Science level 3 (from level 5), Electronics Upgrades level 2( from level 5), Electronics level 1 (from level 2) and Engineering level 1 ( from level 2)
-Archaeology will now have the following prerequisites Science lev 3( from level 5), Survey level 3 (from level 5) and Electronics level 1
-Salvaging will now have the following prerequisites Mechanic level 3, Survey at level 3 and Engineering level 1
-Cloaking has the following prerequisites Electronics lev 4 ( was 5)
-High Speed Maneuvering will now have Navigation at level 3 and Afterburner at level 3 as its prerequisites (instead of all at level 4)
-Tactical Shield Manipulation has Engineering at level 3 as its prerequisites(instead of level 4)
-Trajectory Analysis has Gunnery at level 4 as a prerequisite (instead of 5)
-Bomb Deployment has Missile Bombardment at level 4 as a prerequisite (instead of level 5)
-Mining Upgrades now has Mining at level 3 as a prerequisite (instead of 4)
-Thermodynamics has Engineering at level 5, Energy Management at level 3(instead of 5) and Science at level 4
-You can no longer inject skills if they cannot be added to the end of the training queue immediately.

There’s too many skills listed above to comment on all of them.  All I can say here is this significantly reduces the time it’s going to take me to get to some of my needed goals.  Thermodynamics is probably my favorite change out of all of these.  Awesome!

Starbases, Outposts and Stations
-Bookmarks can no longer be placed in starbase structures.

Why the hell not?…I can place them in my hanger, my cargo cans, other people cargo cans, little wooden boxes, under the pillow, in the closet, under the bed, inside the mattress…why can’t I put them in my POS?  What’s so special about that?…I can put everything else in there.

Modules
-Remote ECM burst modules now have a chance of affecting the target ship.

Good!  I never understood why they didn’t in the first place.

Drones
-Drones would sometimes refuse to attack certain structures, they’ve been given a stern talking-to and will now obey orders with more diligence.

They said it before…

NPC’s
-Small, Medium and Large Standard laser crystals will now drop from the appropriate NPCs.

What about the Angels that drop Miner Is?  Or the Sanshas that drop Warp Core Stabs (they never seem to use them to leave ya know…)?  Ooh…Ooh…or the Serpentis that like to use Light Missiles in their Rocket Launchers…I wish I could do that!