Posted - 2010.11.01 08:19:00 - [1]

 

Edited by: Gryganne on 01/11/2010 08:21:20
Hopefully I am not beating a dead horse. There are plenty of threads about these two ships, most of which go as follows:

Noob 1: Which is better, the Navy Apoc or the Abaddon?
Noob 2: Paladin
Noob 3: Nightmare

Setting aside the Paladin and the Nightmare for the purposes of this thread. (Just saying this guarantees that I am going to get responses like those above. Go for it. Get it out of your system, buddy.)

The standard analysis is something like this:

Navy Apoc (NA) Considerations:

1. Cap - Much less of a problem
2. Guns - Range bonus makes T2 pulses a fine choice; Fewer tracking issues
3. Fitting - Extra low slot; no grid issus
4. Tank - More armor HP; Can get a higher EHP while maintaining # of damage mods
5. Versatility (no problems fitting an afterburner; can use rig slots for things other than powergrid/cap)

Abaddon (AB) Considerations:

1. Guns - More damage; Shines as a Tach boat
2. Tank - Resists
3. Substantial cap and grid issues make the AB limited in its fitting choices
4. Ganks like a beast

(Maybe I've missed a few minor things. Feel free to make suggestions and I'll add them if need be.)

Conclusion: Although the NA has more versatility and would thus be appropriate for lower-skilled or new-to-lvl-4s players, still, a skilled player ought to choose the AB because, in the right hands, gank trumps everything and leads to faster mission grinding.

Now, this seems to cover much of what is usually said on these ships, and now I want to add a further level of complexity:

I've been fooling around with EFT, and what seems to be absent from the usual calculus (something that people ignore in most threads), is drone capacity. The NA has 100m3 while the AB 75m3. (That was the punchline. I hope it knocked the wind out of you.)

This looks to me like a big deal. Why? The NA can carry 3x Bouncer IIs and a full flight of Hobgoblin IIs (it can largely do without medium drones because of pulse tracking). On the other hand, the tach AB is as much in need of his obligatory flights of light and mediums as ever because of tracking limitations up close. It definitely cannot spare all of its drone capacity for 3x sentries (well, there are a few missions where it could, but I'm looking for sustainable fits here).


Calculations:

When you factor in the DPS of the 3x sentries, EFT tells me that the DPS of the NA is only modestly lower (4%) than that of the AB at a range of 40km (AN with pulse and AB with tach; both with 3x heat sinks; NA with one of its freed rig slots equipped with a damage mod).

(Note that I am not factoring in the DPS of the ABs flight of medium drones because I've found that you kill most targets before your medium drones can even get to them. I've flown the AB quite a bit in lvl 4s, and the drones really only ended up getting used in about a quarter of them at most. Even so, I always felt like I needed to have them in case any larger ships sneaked in near. Ignoring the AB's medium drone damage in the calculation seems like a reasonable move to make since sentries can be dropped and instantly fire upon a ship within range. They become an integral part of the gank setup as opposed to light and mediums being relegated to cleanup duty.)

I have not provided any screens of setups because I lack time, but I my be able to do so at some point if it is necessary.

Anyway, what are your thoughts? Do T2 sentries tip the scales in favor of the NA? My work with EFT points me to the conclusion that the extra drone capacity of the NA provides a realistic way to bridge the DPS gap between the two ships. Let me know your thoughts on the particular issue of drone capacity as a means to compare the NA and the AB. There may be something to it that once and for all adjudicates this terrible debate.