What is the Purpose of the Warp Changes?

Long story short: changes too warp speeds will make virtually every ship, except for frigates. warp much slower.  It’ll take much longer to move battlecruisers and above from point A to point B.  Good luck getting anything anywhere.

Some secondary considerations… ratting carriers will take much longer to arrive at their destinations.  If a carrier warps to a site as a neutral enters system, that neutral will have plenty of time to identify the site and warp to it.  Keep in mind, the last 2-3 seconds of a warp – under current mechanics – see a ship travel very little.  Extend that to 6-7 seconds and you have a scan duration.  Add 20 seconds to align, and you have a dead ratting carrier.

Expect roaming gangs to either a) turn into cruiser-and-below exclusively or b) take much longer to reach a deep destination, so response fleets will have a much easier time intercepting their targets.  Small gang roaming will be even harder now, with blobbing response fleets.  I’d sell any battlecruisers you have now, before their price plummets.

But why slow everything down?  What does CCP hope to gain?

In considering this problem, the most obvious reason is to curb force projection.  But force projection is mostly done with jump bridges, and especially titans.  How would slowing traditional warp speeds affect this?

Okay, so force projection for attackers is out.  What about for smaller alliances?  Again, you’re more likely to rely on traditional gates if you only own a few systems.  This will definitely be a nerf to them.  They’ll have a harder time re-shipping in fleet fights, particularly for alliances that are rich enough for BC or BS ship reimbursement programs.  Is CCP trying to squash the little guy?

Consider the main problem of null-sec; too much space, too few people.  Is the goal to keep folks a home?  If so, reducing warp speeds will only create large gaps of space where no one travels.  Roaming gangs will tend to stick closer to home or deploy to an entirely different region (look at Curse at the moment; everyone’s there hamming it up).  Surely that isn’t what CCP would like to see.

Is the goal to make null-sec battles more like faction warfare, with smaller ships?  I can’t see this as being the case, since CCP sells more PLEX when expensive ships go boom.  Plus, you can only kill frigates and cruisers for so long before you lose interest.  People want Black Ops, faction battleship, and command ship kills.  If the whole game was like faction warfare, you’d see a lot of unsubs.  And let’s not forget, with cheaper ships being used, you don’t need as many ratting alts.  Even more accounts would unsub.

Do we have a problem with battle balance I’m unaware of?  Are too many battleships and carriers warping off to safety, reducing the risk they face?  Recent null-sec warfare suggests otherwise.

So what is the goal?

My friends, there can be but one solution.  After ten years and countless light-years, it has finally happened.

Our space ships are exhausted.  They need a breather.  Like horses.

Or CCP thinks slow ships are better targets.

Maybe.  But I’d go with horses.