The War Elephants of New Eden
Operation Frostline is almost upon us and with it comes the introduction of the Command Destroyer, coupled with a new area of effect module, the Micro Jump Field Generator. Whether you are filled with excitement or dread when thinking about this release, one thing is certain: you will have to deal with them and the havoc they create.
Suggesting the idea that such a small hull could be considered analogous to that of the war elephants used by Hannibal’s grand march over the Alps; it can be difficult to make the connection.
Tactics employed by those using these grand beasts included: instigating a charge, holding the line, ferrying of combat supplies, and instilling fear into the enemy. Elephant charges were hard to mitigate and unless you knew far in advance you’d be facing an army with this capacity the chances of holding your lines would become exponentially difficult. The psychological effect of facing this kind of assault must have been overwhelming.
The similarities of War Elephants and Command Destroyers are by no means complete, but I think the analogy holds true.
The Command Destroyer will be able to instigate an overwhelming (nearly) impossible charge on an enemy line without the necessity for scouts to get precise warp in coordinates. This charge, or MJFG has the ability to bring the weight of Battleships and support to bare on a focused grid point. Consider this: what’s more frightening than having a Command Destroyer warp five or six Armageddon’s within two thousand meters of your anchor? How about two or three Command Destroyers, which can instantly land and have a fresh spool up timer. Which one of those Command Destroyers activated the MJFG? Which one do we try and scram? Well you try and scram them all, but still with a signature radius of 60m on the Bifrost for instance, there will be a critical necessity to keep fast tackle at close proximity.
That formation you spent the last five minutes getting into place to create one giant brawl just turned into several brawls 100KM away.
If that’s not a charge disrupting the line, I’m not sure what is.
The Phalanx attacking! – Andre Castaigne
This coupled with the new falloff mechanics for inbound support modules is going to make for very interesting manoeuvre warfare. FC’s will need to learn how cope with not only the reduced rep support, but also a new way for an opposing force to quickly remove your logistics out of range.
How could a small squad of Command Destroyers hold the line? The charge example listed earlier can be just as effective at keeping EWAR and sniping ships further away than they would like to be. The presence of Command Destroyers on grid will likely act as an initial deterrent for focused brawling skirmishes.
The Command Destroyers are nearly here, and they will change how we fight and when we fight more so than any other game mechanic thus far – I for one can’t wait to spy these hulls on the field!
