question....

2smellyfeet

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't PvP just stat based in EVE?

My understanding was that when you engage combat, you basically press a button to initiate combat, and the better decked out ship simply wins.

 

 

Azirophos

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Originally posted by 2smellyfeet
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't PvP just stat based in EVE? My understanding was that when you engage combat, you basically press a button to initiate combat, and the better decked out ship simply wins.

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Consider yourself corrected.

Desalus

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Originally posted by 2smellyfeet
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't PvP just stat based in EVE? My understanding was that when you engage combat, you basically press a button to initiate combat, and the better decked out ship simply wins.

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LOL, you are simplifying combat to the point of absurdity. Combat depends on what kind of setup you have, and the skill of the player in the ship. Even if you had some leet gear, you can still get your ass owned by someone with a setup that counters your own. There is a ton of strategy to this game, it is not just equipping your ship with the guns that do the most damage, and then go out and fire on the first target. There is so much more skill involved than that.

Nu11u5

If two ships were to just fly up to each other this might turn out to be true. However, combat in Eve is much more than just activating your weapons. It is easy for new players to see it this way at first, because they would have engaged in very little PvP if any, and because the lower level npcs are just so darn simple to defeat.

First off, weapons in the game follow a simplified real-world model: if its moving, you have to be able to hit it. Gun turrets have a rate at which they can track moving objects (the stats are in 'radians per second') around you. As your target orbits you faster, you will miss more, and eventually miss completely. In addition to this, guns have a range at which they start to become ineffective (known as 'Optimal Range'), and a range beyond that where the accuracy drops off quickly (known as 'Fall Off'). These combined factors mean that you will score more accurate hits on a moving target that is between your 'Optimal Range' and 'Optimal + Fall Off'.

When in PvP, opponents will do their best to keep out of your range and keep you inside theirs. This is where having the right set up on your ship comes in. Something that I have seen proven again and again with this game is that for every good configuration, there is another made to counter it. This rule of thumb can be applied to any ship class, and often across classes. Knowing what your set up is good for, and how to properly use it, is the defining factor in small scale PvP. There are many things that can be done with set ups that affect offenses and defense, maneuverability, and things to counter these. Having a bigger and more expensive ship is also not a big factor, because every ship configuration has a blind spot. Knowledge of how to exploit possible blind spots in common configurations is key.

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The other day I watched (in person) a friend of mine engage another player in 1-1 PvP. He was flying one of the tier 4 frigates, his set up and ship costing him no more than 300k ISK. His opponent was flying a 30 million ISK assault frigate, a ship class designed for rapidly dispatching small ships. My friend had anticipated meeting frigate sized ships and had fitted out accordingly. The specific model of assault frigate was heavily reliant on energy reserves to power its weapons, so my friend activated his afterburner and got within range of his energy neutralizing module. Then he proceeded to drain his opponents energy while locking him down with a webbifier (similar to rooting, he can't move anywhere fast), all while firing his guns, which were fitted to fire best at 8km, just out of range of his enemies warp scrambler (getting hit by this would have prevented any chance of escape my friend had). Because of his set up, he was able to keep his opponent in range and severely limit the effectiveness of his weapons. Against many other ships, this particular set up would have made for a very quick fight resulting in the loss of my friend's ship. Instead, it was a rather long fight still resulting in the loss of my friend's ship. It came down to 21 HP, one more volley would have finished him. Considering the fact that this was a 300k ISK ship with a very specific set up, against a 30m ISK ship with a more general set up, this is pretty good! Afterwards, both pilots congratulated each other and returned to their fleets, my friend escaping in his capsule.

</story>

Now in large scale PvP fleet battles, victory is more determined by the players in command. Fleet commanders have a very important job in making sure that the fleet stays together while moving through territory, coordinating scouts, and just letting everyone be aware of the battle plan. A bad fleet commander will get you killed (a drunk fleet commander will get you 'and' everyone else killed, and yes, this is from experience) It usually comes down to finding the enemy fleet and striking at just the right moment and engaging at the right range for the set ups that the commanders ask people to use. Fleet battles can get very chaotic with a hundred pilots on the battlefield, and its even worse when no one knows who's in charge. For this reason, alliances keep the identity of their fleet commanders very secret, as they are always the first to get called target. In fleet battles, cooperative skills come first, then individual skills.

Many will tell you that skills points are the most important factor in this game. While it does play a major role, my experience has shown that skill points only play a large part when everything else is equal. The skill tree is only five skills deep at the most, but is very, very broad. Once the basic skills are out of the way, anyone can become a competent PvPer. This is because on average the difference in skill areas (in terms of granted bonuses) will be around 15%. That 15% difference in combat effectiveness can be easily compensated with the right set up. The biggest factor here now is experience - in how to configure your ship to use which tactics against what kind of opponents. And that can only be solved by trying.

Hope this helps you understand PvP in Eve a little better!