Keepin in mind, the CLZ also get Mechlinks so the ISC would be the only race to be able to filed 6 Casual PFs in a fleet. They are by no means screwed with these fleeting rules.
To me, this is not a viable long-term solution. 6xPFs carry enough plasma to rip apart a BB, and completely shred a BCH in one pass. I give 2 servers, maximum, before the ISC exclusive ability to do this goes the way of the Caveat III, a unit with proven, demonstrated capacity to do just what the 6xPFs can do.
Therefore, for the long term, the ISC needs to begin contemplating non-metal fleets that would be legal without the PFs. As the ISC can legally build fleets around the CS, that will become the "default" PPD ship, granting us 2xPPDs in every engagement.
Given the current common shiplist, the CS would also be the largest fieldable ship in said fleets, as there are only 2 non-metal ships larger than the CS, specifically the CM / CA, both of which are excluded due to the 1 PPD they carry.
Seeing these limitations beforehand, I am requesting the rule allow the
option of fielding, in a larger than 3xCL non-metal fleet, as many PPDs (no more) than the CS carries. My proposal specifically spells out that limit, and also prohibits the fielding of (effectively) 2xCCH level vessels (the no 2xCA bit). Granted, this larger fleet may be capable of repeatedly defeating competing BCH-inclusive "metal" fleets, but having at least 1-2 non-metal fleets that can take down metal is a good thing in my book to help encourage the use of non-metal ships.
Now, onto the "personal" stuff:
Great. What's the sence of playing anymore, if I'm gonna be a wanna-be gorn.
You might actually learn how to fly 
And I thought the fact that I handled, at least semi-competently, Fed, Klink, Rommie & Hydran ships on various servers when I was able to proves that I do have at least some competence in "flying", even if I choose to rely on the "crutch" of the "uber" ISC when possible...
I can't afford the CCZ, nor use it freely cause it's a "metal" ship BCH.
I can't really fly the CA anymore, cause if we want 2 PPDs in a non-metal fleet, we have to pick the CS. Rest of us need CAT's / CLs on down...
Bullsh*t, you can get enough to buy a BCH is a day of moderate playing. on a 2-3 week server, "I can't afford it" is BS.
To the "average" casual player, you're right. They
can afford a BCH or 2, fairly regularly.
That's
not me. This, is me:
Unlike you, I have much more responsabilities, and a lot less guarantees. These responsabilities prevent me from getting even a 1 hour sitting where I can be 100% assured of no interruptions. Since I can't guarantee myself that I'll be able to finish a me vs AI battle without having to drop everything and deal with my responsabilities, I will not torture a fellow player who's counting on me to be there and me having to disappear. Therefore, I will not serve as a wingman, except in extremely rare cases (often late at night), where I might get the chance to do so.
Then, with current mission difficulties, and the already accepted responses of "get a wing" or "suffer" as options to deal with them, I find myself frequently on the "suffer" side of the line. While it takes me 3x as long to complete a mission, and I spend 1/2 to 3/4 the PP take on repairs / supplies, I'm still advancing, right? Take this slow advancement, combine it with limited play time, and I'm lucky to make it halfway to Commodore. If I get lucky on enough missions with minor damage, I, too, can (finally) afford that BCH.
Oh wait. It's a restricted "metal" ship. For the good of the team, who should posess that metal ship, the pilot who, casual or not, can guarantee the team that he can wing with it for even an hour a day, or the pilot who can, when the stars are in proper alignment and all that other super-rare jazz, might be able to run 1 or 2 missions with a wing. Hence my "nor use it freely" comment after my inability to really afford one.
Team, fairness to my fellows, and my own unique set of circumstances, usually find me out of the BCH race. Now, you're telling me that if, on the spur of the moment I can actually wing with someone for at least a couple of missions, I either limit the team to 1xPPD if I have a CA, or I'm stuck in the CS / CL on down. Oh, I do have the option of buying the right ship, but that delays my ability to wing properly, and, there's a good chance by the time I get my new ship I won't be able to wing due to the aforementioned responsabilities. Hence my "no CA for me" spiel, if I want to maintain the option of me being able to wing on a moment's notice and still support the team by allowing us to have a 2xPPD ship, I need to be in a pure plasma boat.
Last I checked, it was the PPD that actually made the ISC the ISC, and not a watered down Gorn. For the plasma races, their tricks are:
Rommies - cloak
Gorn - super-tough hull & wide arcing phasers
ISC - PPD
Hence my wanna-be Gorn comment. No 1-PPD ship to allow me the option to wing on a moment's notice on the off chance I can actually do so, and no extra hull to support my purely-plasma armed ship when I'm flying solo.
I wonder how many of us, either still remaining or already departed, are in the same set of circumstances as me. While I do not insist that every decision be made around my set of circumstances, I do hope that I can influence decisions to still allow me as much fun in this game as I can eek out of it while still being fair to the entire community. Sadly, decisions and stances like this tell me that I'm not welcome here unless I can meet certain sets of RL requirements, requirements that I will never be able to do for at least 3 more years, if I'm lucky. Given the conditions of at least 2 of my family members, I might be in a position that I will never be able to fully commit even an hour a night for a 2 week stretch for the remainder of my natural life without these responsabilities being around to call me out of the game.
Topic: Would Jahkle's PBR system work in D2? (Read 10150 times)