Clone Management Becomes Easier in EVE Online

Last week CCP mentioned a series of quality of life updates planned for today’s patch update.  The patch notes from this morning indicate that we got them.  So what did we get?

Tragedy tomorrow, Quality tonight

Clone Management!

The big fat hairy deal with this update for a lot of us in null sec is the change to clones, clone storage, and clone management.  Per the patch notes:

• Enabled multiple jump clones in the same location. Jumping or installing new clones will no longer override the existing ones.
• The “Install Clone” banner in the Jump Clones tab in the Character Sheet is now always visible.
• The “Install Clone” banner now states how many jump clones you have installed in your current location.
• Activating a jump clone no longer close your inventory windows.

Not only can you have multiple clones in a single station, but they have also done away with the accidental “oops, I destroyed my implant clone by mistake when I clone jumped” issue that has plagued many of us over the years.  The first thing I did was go out and consolidate a few clones I had in different structures in 1DQ1-A into the main Keepstar.

Clones in a single station

My expectations were so low that I was even surprised to find that the names you give your clones persist through jumps back and forth.  The Nosy Gamer reports that these changes apply to NPC stations as well.  Clone management for the masses!

Between this and the red dot change from last week, I’m starting to wonder what is going on at CCP.  It is unlike them to have two big wins so close together.  Now I just need a new skill that gives me another five jump clones and I’ll be set.

ECM Burst Jammers

From the patch notes:

• Fitting a burst jammer now disallows interdiction nullification.

This will make ECM burst interceptors “less oppressive” according to the dev post.  Nobody likes being on the receiving end of ECM burst interceptors… or ECM in general… and CCP has been nerfing ECM for ages now.  They listen to complaints about things that keep ships from blowing up I guess.

There is, of course, a thread of paranoia in Goonswarm about this change.  We were not the first to use ECM burst interceptors, but we picked them up and ran with them after being oppressed by them.  And, in the current war, Globby from ElitistOps ran many ECM Burst fleets and became known for them, as our foes in PAPI complained vehemently about him, which led to propaganda about him.

The legend of Globby

I went on a few of those ops and, I will say, he is a really a fun person to fly with.  He also reimbursed one of my interceptor losses out of his own pocket when the SRP person didn’t like the fit we were using.  So pour one out for Globby, though I am sure he will find a new path.

This change also his “chemo” fits, smart bombing strategic cruisers using the interdiction nullification subsystem.  They have traditionally fit ECM bursts to help them shed tackle, since their align time to warp out is a lot slower than an interceptor.  We will see how the change impacts that doctrine.

Target Spectrum Breaker changed to Signature Radius Suppressor

This battleship only module has been changed to give a bonus to signature radius, with an accompanying skill that improves the duration

• Reworked the Target Spectrum Breaker [and renamed it to Signature Radius Suppressor] to now grant a small bonus to signature radius passively that can be activated for a short burst of extreme signature reduction.
• Target Breaker Amplification skill name changed to Signature Masking.
  • Increases duration time of Signature Radius Suppressor active mode by 5% per level.

The in-game description for the module now reads:

This device uses a variety of emissions suppression and masking methods to reduce the overall signature radius of a ship observable by enemy sensors and represented in targeting computer algorithms. Signature radius suppression has the advantage of increasing the time to lock of enemy targeting sensors, while also reducing incoming damage from almost all weapon systems by confounding enemy firing solutions and proximity detonators.

This device operates in both passive and active modes, providing a small benefit through passive emissions reduction and a dramatically enhanced benefit in active masking mode.

This could make battleships move viable in combat as, if used at the right time, could reduce the effects of stealth bomber attacks.  Right now Heavy Assault Cruisers still rule the roost, even after their recent nerf, due to their speed and sig radius, which makes them unlikely to suffer from bombers.

Wormhole Changes

There have also been some updates to wormholes, which I honestly do not understand.  But they seem meaningful for the residents.  I hope their quality of life is generally improved and not torn apart by unintended consequences or collateral damage.

• Medium wormholes maximum jump mass increased from 20m to 62m.
• Large wormholes maximum jump mass increased from 300m to 375m.
• Extra Large wormholes maximum jump mass increased from 1.35b/1.8b to 2b.
• Reduced the frequency of wandering connections between high-class wormholes by 50%.

And so it goes.  The patch notes are available and the updates have been deployed.