User:Nors phlebas sabelhpsron/To T2 or Not to T2

Obvious Work in Progress is Obvious

One of the first things that new players have to overcome is the confusing world of Meta and Tech levels for modules. Most people quickly come to the conclusion that higher Meta Level = better, and equally that higher Tech levels = better. Whilst intuitive, this rule is confusingly not always true - there are a number of modules where the Meta 4 variant is objectively superior to the Tech 2 (Meta 5) equivalent, meaning that for those modules, to get the most bang for your buck you should always fit the Meta 4. This page is intended to clarify which modules you should fix Meta 4 of rather than going to Tech 2. Only modules where the Meta 4 is better will be listed, and only the attributes that differ will be listed. All other attributes should be equal.

Example

Lets take Warp Scramblers as an example. The basic Meta 0 module is called "Warp Scrambler I", with the Tech 2 variant named "Warp Scrambler II". The Tech 2 Scram has the following attributes (actually there's a bunch more, but these are the only relevant ones):

• A PG usage of 1MW
• A CPU usage of 36 tf
• An "activation cost" (I.E. capacitor usage) of 5GJ
• Range of 9,000m
• Overload bonus of 20% range
• Heat damage of 5HP (out of a maximum of 40)
• Warp Disrupt strength of 2

The Meta 4 variant of the Warp Scrambler I is called "Faint Epsilon Warp Scrambler I", and is better than the Tech 2. It's attributes are as follows:

• A PG usage of 1MW
• A CPU usage of 28tf
• An activation cost of 4GJ
• Range of 9,000m
• Overload bonus of 20% range
• Heat damage of 5HP (again, out of a maximum of 40)
• Warp Disrupt strength of 2

As you can see, both modules perform identically. They both affect the target ship with a warp disruption of strength 2, out to a maximum of 9km (10.8km when overheated, which they can do on average for the same amount of time). Despite their identical effects however, the Meta 4 variant requires 8tf of CPU less to fit than the T2 variant, and costs 1GJ of capacitor per cycle less to use. This means you have more fitting room on your ship, and can theoretically run the module for longer.

High Slots

Meta 4 Module		Tech 2 Module		Meta 4 Attributes	Tech 2 Attributes
Small	Diminishing Power System Drain I	Small	Nosferatu II	PG: 9 MW	PG: 10 MW
Medium		Medium		PG: 175 MW	PG: 200 MW
Large		Large		PG: 2000 MW	PG: 2250 MW
Small	Unstable Power Fluctuator I	Small	Energy Neutralizer II	PG: 9 MW CPU: 8 tf	PG: 10 MW CPU: 10 tf
Medium		Medium		PG: 175 MW CPU: 16 tf	PG: 200 MW CPU: 20 tf
Large		Large		PG: 2000 MW CPU: 32 tf	PG: 2250 MW CPU: 40 tf

Mid Slots

Meta 4 Module	Tech 2 Module	Meta 4 Attributes	Tech 2 Attributes
Faint Epsilon Warp Scrambler I	Warp Scrambler II	CPU: 28 tf Activation cost: 4 GJ	CPU: 36 tf Activation cost: 5 GJ
Fleeting Propulsion Inhibitor I	Stasis Webifier II	CPU: 22 tf Activation cost: 4 GJ	CPU: 30 tf Activation cost: 6 GJ
Conjunctive (Racial) ECCM Scanning Array I	ECCM - (Racial) II	CPU: 16 tf Activation cost: 8 GJ Duration: 10.00 s	CPU: 24 tf Activation cost: 12 GJ Duration: 10.00 s
Prototype ECCM (Racial) Sensor Cluster		CPU: 16 tf Activation cost: 10 GJ Duration: 12.00 s
'Umbra' White Noise ECM	ECM - White Noise Generator II	CPU: 32 tf Activation cost: 38 GJ	CPU: 57 tf Activation cost: 57 GJ
BZ-5 Neutralizing Spacial Destabilizer ECM	ECM - Spacial Destabilizer II
'Hypnos' Ion Field ECM I	ECM - Ion Field Projector II
Enfeebling Phase Inversion ECM I	ECM - Phase Inverter II

Low slots

Meta 4 Module	Tech 2 Module	Meta 4 Attributes	Tech 2 Attributes
Beta Reactor Control: Capacitor Power Relay I	Capacitor Power Relay II	CPU: 3 tf Shield boost penalty: -10%	CPU: 8 tf Shield boost penalty: -11%
Local Hull Conversion Inertial Stabilizers I	Inertia Stabilizers II	Signature radius: +8%	Signature radius: +11%
Beta Reactor Control: Shield Power Relay I	Shield Power Relay II	CPU: 16 tf	CPU: 22 tf
Ingenii Ice Harvester Upgrade	Ice Harvester Upgrade II	CPU: 37 tf CPU penalty: 7.5%	CPU: 40 tf CPU penalty: 12.5%
Aoede Mining Laser Upgrade	Mining Laser Upgrade II	CPU: 37 tf CPU penalty: 7.5%	CPU: 40 tf CPU penalty: 12.5%