The fit:
Gatling Pulse Laser II x4 (with Navy Multifrequency & Scorch)
Afterburner II
J5b Warp Scrambler
Small Armor Repair System II
Damage Control II
Adaptive Nano Plating II
Heat Sink II
Small Energy Burst Aerator
Small Energy Collision Accelerator
In line with my preferred approach to combat, I have eschewed the usual (and very effective) mwd + long point Crusader in favour of something with a bit more brawl. I have a second hull ready to go that is fit with tracking rigs - I really want to try that out on some drones at some point.
The hunt:
Opportunity presented me with the chance of a rematch; I saw the Rupture that had destroyed Punisher 20 sitting in a belt, so I decided to jump in and say hello.
Now, I had been looking at all the advice that people give about fighting drones, and something that I wanted to try was widening my orbit (which would increase my speed). Apparently, this causes the drones to trail behind you a bit more, which makes tracking easier.
Unfortunately, when I jumped in I set my initial orbit a little too wide, and the Rupture's main guns were able to land a couple of glancing hits.
In a Punisher I would probably just have shrugged the damage off, but the Crusader, for all it's other strengths, is no Punisher. The hits took me deep into armor before I had even engaged the drones. With a web killing my speed, I decided it was time to try and bail out.
Impressively, the Crusader did that quite handily, even under a web. I took another hit on the way out, but the repper kept me together long enough that I was able to warp out with my structure intact.
Post battle review:
Clearly, I made a mistake when setting my initial orbit. In part, this is because the additional speed of the Crusader forces my orbit to be much wider that the orbit I select. This is an issue with all ships, and pilots simply compensate for that when selecting an orbit. However, the effect is far more pronounced with faster ships, and I was still unused to the Crusader's additional speed.
It's also obvious that I am going to need to make decisions far more quickly. The Crusader's speed let me disengage from a fight the Punisher could never have escaped, but only because I decided to abort within the first few seconds of the fight. That's about all the time the Crusader will give me.
Lessons for the future:
Against medium and large turrets I think I am better off starting with the tightest orbit I can manage and then slowly working out from there. Getting the orbit right is too critical to guesstimate on the initial approach.
Despite the added tank, the Crusader is still fairly frail compared to the Punisher. I'm going to have to take that into account when choosing and approaching targets.
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ReplyDeleteBefore engaging, take a look at the guns the enemy has.
ReplyDeleteIt seems this rupture was armor tanked and therefore had dual 180mm ACs which track very well! A quick look would have gave you that info before hand.
For 425mm ACs you can set fairly wide orbits and avoid damage.
Of course the web is always an issue, so keep it in mind.
When you say 'take a look at his guns', do you mean to take a look at the actual ship? Are the guns visually identifiable?
ReplyDeleteOooh first interceptor?
ReplyDelete"It's also obvious that I am going to need to make decisions far more quickly." Indeed. :D
Personally, I don't bother with Ruppies flown by halfway decent pilots - a close combat interceptor can't win against neuts, drones and tank of a cruiser fit for PvP.
@leflings For now they still are - I've often found it invaluable to have an actual look at a frigate/inty/AF before engaging it.
For example, whether that Wolf you're looking at has 200mm or 150mm ACs can tell you something about its setup and if you should abuse its inferior tracking or range.
Check this out: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/153442/Eve/EVEGunComparisonV0.9.html
We've yet to see if the new turrets that are in the works are identifiable in a similar way.
Fanfest turrets preview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm8A1t9Y3ZQ
Incarna's supposed new login screen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErWEPYRTWo4
(It's an AT IX price ship, maybe even a new Maller model)
Some turrets seem to be only partially retracted, others hidden within the hull completely; I assume until a target has been locked.
Against medium and large turrets I think I am better off starting with the tightest orbit I can manage and then slowly working out from there. Getting the orbit right is too critical to guesstimate on the initial approach.
ReplyDeleteThat is precisely why I fit a tracking disruptor on any ship that has the spare mid slot to do so. (Unfortunately, spare mid slots seem to be at a premium on many Amarr ships!) Doing so has allowed me to get under the guns of high-tracking cruiser turrets even while webbed, assuming I can keep my transversal relatively high. (Of course, a skilled pilot might still be able to maneuver enough to allow their guns to hit you, but at least the TD gives you a larger margin for error.) I know it's not really feasible to fit a TD on to a Crusader, but maybe it's something to keep in mind if/when you reach the Vengeance?