User:Aflixion starr

Class Information

This is a syllabus for a class provided by EVE University. This section contains information about this class and its contents. General Information includes materials to create a proper class listing on the EVE University forum. Additional resources and teaching tips are listed under Notes for the Teacher.

General Information

Illustration link for class description on the Eve University forum:

Come learn why most alliances in the game require their line members to fly specific ships fit in specific ways. This will not be a case study of any one doctrine, but some doctrines may be used as examples to illustrate a point. This is a study of why doctrines exist and why they are used.

• Duration: 60-90 minutes, depending on Q&A
• Location: Docked up safely in a station near you

Class contents:

• Typical Uni Fleets
• What is a Doctrine?
• Why bother with doctrines?
• Components of a doctrine
• How a doctrine works
• Q&A

Student requirements:

• Mumble registration and access - make sure you have Mumble sorted out and operational well before the class begins. Use this guide for set-up: Mumble
• Access to the Lecture.E-UNI in-game chat channel

Additional information: This class is primarily lecture delivered in the Lecture.E-UNI channel in-game and in Mumble, followed by Q&A.

Notes for the Teacher

Required materials:

• Lecture.E-UNI chat channel, to receive questions and post relevant links
• Be prepared to use current doctrines to supplement your points and provide concrete examples of the concepts in use.

Class Contents

Introduction

Welcome to this class on fleet doctrines! This course is primarily intended to educate pilots on what makes fleet doctrines so powerful. Note that this is not a case study of any one doctrine, although specific doctrines may be used to supplement the points being made. The concepts introduced in the class apply regardless of the doctrine itself.

(Instructor should then introduce himself or herself, covering relevant experience and background)

We have a few ground rules for this class:

• Please set up a "push-to-talk" key for Mumble if you haven't already.
• Please type all questions into Lecture.E-UNI as we proceed and I'll try to get to them as they come up. At the end of the class, I'll open it up to questions from both Mumble and Lecture.E-UNI.
• Please be docked up safely in a station of your choosing. If you choose to be undocked during this class, the instructor assumes no liability for your ship :)

Everyone ready? Alright, let's begin!

Typical Eve University Fleets

A typical Eve University Noobs-on-Patrol-style fleet usually consists of two core ideas.

• Brand new players
• Kitchen Sink

The fact that the majority of E-UNI pilots are very new to the game is not detrimental on its own. Yes, it limits the variety of ships that can be fielded during the fleet. However, a limited set of ships to choose from is also not a detriment to the fleet's effectiveness on its own.

A kitchen sink fleet consists of randomly assorted ships, sometimes unified only in the type of tank they fit (armor or shield). In a kitchen sink fleet, there is no real cohesion between the fielded ships (not the pilots). In small gangs of experienced pilots, this is again not a detriment to the effectiveness of the fleet. Nano cruiser gangs are an example of a kitchen sink fleet with very few restrictions on fittings: shield tank, at least one Nanofiber Internal Structure II, and a MicroWarp Drive with a minimum speed of (usually) 2 km/s.

Now, combine a kitchen sink fleet with brand new players. This combination is what makes typical Noobs-on-Patrol fleets so ineffective considering the size of the fleet.

What is a Doctrine?

A doctrine is a group of ships designed around the same core idea. The doctrine moves as a whole and engages in a very specific manner, which differs depending on the doctrine. Each ship in the doctrine has its own unique contribution to the doctrine's engagement profile. For example, we'll use the Treblecat doctrine:

• Caracals - Afterburners, Heavy Missile Launchers, Shield tank - strong alpha strike to eliminate targets before enemy logistics can respond and repair damage.
• Bellicoses - Afterburners, Rapid Light Missile Launchers, Target Painters, Shield tank - use target painters to increase target's signature radius to increase Caracals' damage, use rapid light missile launchers to eliminate enemy tackle
• Scythes - Afterburners, Remote Shield Boosters, Shield tank - repair damage taken by the fleet

Obviously, there is more to the doctrine than just the ships involved. The positioning of the ships plays a major role in the success of the fleet. If this Treblecat fleet engages at close range, in webbing range of the enemy, they lose their main advantage over the enemy: damage projection. Since missiles do not have a tracking formula, they can be used effectively as long-range weapons without worrying about maneuvering the fleet to increase damage; as long as the missile hits the target, it will do its maximum damage based on the target's speed and signature radius. Since Caracals have incredible range with heavy missiles, the preferred engagement range for this fleet is 50+ km, ideally 60-70 km.

Why Bother With Doctrines?

Imagine you're watching a game of soccer. A kitchen sink fleet would be like assembling the first 11 people who volunteer from the audience and making them play on the same team. Yes, each volunteer might know how to play soccer, but there's no cooperation between the players. A doctrine fleet would be like the World Cup champion soccer team. They've practiced together for months and months, and they're much more efficient and effective with their movements and strategy.

A fleet doctrine allows a smaller fleet to engage a much larger one. Take the Battle of Thermopylae for example. The Persian army threw wave after wave of soldiers at the wall of Spartans, but the Spartans held their ground through superior training and tactics. The same concept applies here. A small group of focused ships can take on much greater odds than a kitchen sink fleet could. Some doctrines can even border on being untouchable unless the enemy fleet is designed specifically to counter that one doctrine.

Components of a Doctrine

A doctrine consists of three core types of ships: mainline DPS ships, support ships, and tackle.

Core DPS Ships

The entire doctrine is built around these ships. They form the backbone of the fleet and ideally the majority of the ships in fleet. These ships will determine the engagement profile of the doctrine and focus the vast majority of their fitting room on dealing and surviving damage. The fleet commander will usually fly one of these ships but may, at their discretion, modify their fit slightly to increase survivability to prevent being headshot.

Different engagement profiles for the doctrines include (note that these are not mutually exclusive):

• Brawling - in-your-face, nothing held back fistfight to the death. Usually focuses on extremely close-range weapons and high dps. Usually armor-tanked but can be shield-tanked in some cases.
• Kiting - max-coward, string them out and pick them off one by one. Usually focuses on speed and moderate damage projection. Almost always shield-tanked due to armor tanking's penalty to speed.
• Projection - long-range, but without a speed component. Usually focuses on extreme range and volley damage. Can be armor-tanked or shield-tanked.
• Alpha - blast through the target's hitpoints before enemy logi can respond. Missiles are a popular choice here, as are Artillery turrets.
• Sustained DPS - power through the target even with enemy logi. Blasters and Autocannons are popular here, although they sacrifice range for their sustained damage.
• Out-smarting enemy pilots - included here only to show that the ship fits are not everything. If you can separate the enemy fleet, you can defeat them much more easily. This includes both stringing opponents out via kiting and baiting part of the enemy fleet into engaging as you jump through a stargate, stranding those who engaged on the other side.
• Anchored - all dps ships allow one pilot (the anchor) to dictate their positioning and speed. Usually favored in long-range doctrines, although some close-range doctrines use this tactic.

Common combinations of the above profiles include:

• Brawling + Sustained DPS - TWEETFLEET Thoraxes
• Alpha + Projection - Sniper Cormorants
• Kiting + Out-smarting - Nano cruisers

Support

Logistics

The only role of the logistics ships (logi for short) is to repair damage done to the fleet. Logi are equivalent to healers in other MMOs. The logi are responsible for keeping the rest of the fleet alive and able to continue engaging. In many cases, the logi wing can make or break the success of the fleet. If the logi are on top of their game and manage to save every ship, that usually translates to victory. If the logi aren't paying attention and are even 2-3 seconds late in providing assistance, it can mean losing many ships and being unable to continue the fight.

Logi pilots will usually have their own anchor and commander, separate from the dps ships. The anchor and commander may be the same person, but do not have to be. The anchor is responsible for keeping the logi in range of the friendly fleet and out of range of the enemy fleet. Range is a logi's primary defense. The logi commander is responsible for focusing the logi wing's repairs on the fleet and for communicating with the fleet commander about how the logi wing is holding up.

Grouped into this role, I will add logi ships fit purely for remote capacitor transmitters. Since the Amarr and Caldari logi cruisers are bonused to remote capacitor transmitter range, they can be fit solely to respond to capacitor requests from the fleet.

Electronic Warfare

The Electronic Warfare (EWAR for short) ships act as force multipliers for the fleet. EWAR comes in a variety of flavors, all listed below and all primarily bonused on one race's ships.

• Sensor Dampeners - reduce enemy lock range and lock time (Gallente)
• Tracking Disruptors - reduce enemy turret range or tracking speed (Amarr)
• Electronic Counter-Measures (ECM) - prevent enemy ships from locking any targets (Caldari)
• Capacitor Warfare - destabilize enemy ships' capacitors, preventing them from activating modules and weapons (Amarr)
• Target Painters - increase enemy signature radius, making them easier to track and lock and take more damage from missiles (Minmatar)
• Stasis Webifier - reduce enemy ships' maximum speed, making them easier to track and take more damage from missiles (Minmatar) (overlaps with tackle role)

The EWAR wing will usually (not always) share an anchor with the logi wing because like the logi, range is their primary defense.

Anti-tackle

The anti-tackle ships exist only to ensure enemy tackle ships cannot hold down the fleet. They usually fit weapons that can easily hit small targets, such as Rapid Light Missile Launchers. Although they are dealing damage, they do not follow the fleet commander's orders for primary target; instead they usually switch to a frigates-and-destroyers-only overview tab and shoot anything in range. Anti-tackle can anchor either on the logi anchor or on the main dps anchor.

Tackle

T1 Frigates and Interceptors

These ships are designed to close the distance with the enemy fleet and apply a warp disruptor to prevent enemy ships from escaping via warp. They are fit for extreme speed and agility but have very little in the way of tank. As such, opposing anti-tackle have a relatively easy time clearing these ships, and many fleet commanders see their tackle frigates as expendable.

Interdictors

Note: only applicable in null-sec and wormholes

Interdictors will replace tackle frigates for the majority of ships in the enemy fleet. These ships are designed to speed in and drop an interdiction probe in a location that will trap the majority of the enemy fleet. Any ships caught inside the probe's area of effect (called a bubble) will be unable to warp, regardless of warp core strength. (Note: exceptions include Interceptors and interdiction-nullified T3 cruisers.) While interdictors do the majority of tackling in null-sec and wormhole fights, tackle frigates are still needed to catch stragglers who either weren't caught or managed to burn out of the interdictor's bubbles. The interdictors themselves can also fit warp disruptors or warp scramblers to partially fill the tackle frigate role as well.

Some fleet commanders may also choose to use interdiction bubbles defensively to prevent an enemy fleet from landing on top of their fleet. This is especially common in long-range doctrines that want to stay at least a certain distance away from their opponents.

Recons and Electronic Attack Frigates

While the primary purpose of a recon ship or electronic attack frigate (EAF) is to apply EWAR to the enemy, the Gallente and Minmatar recons and EAFs are also bonused to tackle range. Gallente ships gain a significant bonus to point range (80+ km with a faction point and links) and are frequently used to keep a high-value target on field without risk of losing tackle due to enemy anti-tackle. Minmatar ships gain a significant bonus to stasis webifier range, allowing the fleet to catch up to the enemy ship. Both of these roles usually anchor with the main dps ships rather than the logi.

Heavy Interdictors

Heavy Interdiction Cruisers (HICs) have one giant advantage: infinite point. Any ship pointed by a HIC will be unable to escape regardless of warp core strength. Sub-capital ships can still jump through stargates and all ships capable of docking can still dock. Capital and super-capital ships pointed by a HIC are stuck there until they can kill the HIC. Due to super-capital ships' immunity to all forms of EWAR (including normal warp disruptors and warp scramblers), a HIC is the only way to tackle a super or titan in low-sec.

In null-sec, HICs can either use their scripted infinite points to land heavy tackle on a single target or unscript their point to generate a bubble centered on the HIC. However, due to the relatively high cost and low speed of HICs, regular interdictors are usually used to bubble enemy fleets. HICs are usually reserved to land hard tackle on enemy supers.

Sample Doctrines

Some doctrines that can be used as examples are:

• Foxcats
• Slowcats
• Herocats
• Treblecats
• TWEETFLEET
• Bubcats

Class Wrap-Up

• Thanks for attending
  • Feedback?
• Q&A