Logistics piloting
Currently this guide is intended for Logistic Ship pilots or those interested in learning how to pilot a Logistic Ship. To begin, this guide will start off by attempting to define in laymen’s terms what exactly Remote Support Services are. Followed by the skills, ships, modules, and tactics one might need in order to be an effective Remote Support Service Technician.
Section 1 - What are Remote Support Services (RSS)
Often referred to in EVE and on the EVE forums as Remote Repping, RR, or logistics, a more accurate moniker for the logistical profession is Remote Support Services (RSS).
A clear and simple definition of Remote Support Services is: One ship (or ships) providing another ship (or ships) with remote support.
A more extensive definition would be providing a target friendly ship with support via shield transporters, armor transfer arrays, energy transfer arrays, remote sensor boosters, remote tracking links, and/or remote hull repair systems. Player owned stations (POS) can also be the recipients of RSS, although typically this kind of support is generally done by Capital Ships fitted with capital sized repair modules.
The goal of RSS is to provide friendly ships with extended support which they would normally be unable to provide on their own. My belief is that self preservation of one’s ship in EVE is generally the end goal of most combat engagements. The secondary goal; is the destruction of an opponents assets, such as a ship or POS. With proper logistical support, a fleet with fewer members on the field than their opponents can win during a hasty or well prepared engagement.
Section 2 – Skills wanted or needed to effectively Remote Support
Pre determination of the ship you intend to fly for your future or current remote support needs (*see Section 4) goes a long way in setting up your skill planning. This guide is not going to list the requirements needed for specific ships. That can be figured out simply by reading the skill requirements in game. However, the basic skills that all Remote Support pilots may want to have trained and why are:
Electronics – An increase in ship CPU by 5% per skill level, this skill is designed to help fit your ships better.
Engineering – An increase in ship Powergrid by 5% per skill level, this skill is designed to help fit your ships better. It is also needed to install Capacitor Batteries, Cap Rechargers, and a variety of other engineering modules.
Targeting & Multitasking - The more ships you can target the better. Being able to keep a constant lock on friendly ships for quiker remote services is essential.
Long Range Targeting – While not only a requirement to fly logistics ships; and even though you may not be able to use some remote support services as far as you can target, it is always a good idea to be able to lock a target as far out as you can for situation assessment.
Energy Management – A 5% increase to your ships overall energy capacity helps your ability to remain capacitor stable.
Energy Grid Upgrades – A skill necessary to install capacitor batteries and cap rechargers, with a 5% reduction in CPU needs per skill level.
Science - This skill is necessary to install capacitor batteries and cap rechargers, and to use Shield Maintenance Logistics Drones. Capacitor batteries can help your ship maintain capacitor stability.
Energy Emission Systems – This skill is necessary to utilize Energy Transfer Arrays. *The Guardian and the Basilisk have bonuses suited for Energy Transfer Arrays.
Shield Emission Systems – This skill is necessary to utilize Shield Transfer Arrays. *The Basilisk and the Scimitar have bonuses suited for Shield Transfer Arrays.
Remote Armor Repair Systems – This skill is necessary to utilize Remote Armor Repair Systems. *The Guardian and the Oneiros have bonuses suited for Remote Armor Repair Systems.
Sensor Linking – This skill is necessary to utilize Remote Sensor Boosters.
Remote Hull Repair Systems – This skill is necessary to utilize Remote Hull Repair Systems. This skill is not utilized very often in EVE but is necessary if you want to remote repair the hull of another ship or pos.
Signature Analysis – A 5% improved targeting speed is beneficial, this skill is also necessary to fly Logistics ships.
-Drones, Drone Durability, Repair Systems, and Repair Drone Operation
-Armor Repair Drones – Repair Systems and Mechanic skills are needed to use Armor Repair drones. The Guardian and Oneiros receive bonuses when they utilize Armor Repair Drones.
-Shield Repair Drones - The Basilisk and the Scimitar receive bonuses when they utilize Shield Repair Drones.
Section 3 - Remote Support Services Modules
Remote Armor Repair Systems: These modules are primarily used to remote repair the armor of another ship that would generally be considered an armor tanking vessel, like a Megathron for example. Several Large Remote Armor Repair Systems can easily fit onto Logistics Ships like the Guardian and Oneiros.
Shield Transporters: These modules are primarily used to remote repair the shields of another ship that would generally be considered a shield tanking vessel like a Raven for example. Several Large Shield Transporters can easily fit onto Logistics Ships like the Basilisk and Scimitar.
Energy Transfer Arrays: These modules transfer capacitor from one ship to another. A -50% power need for energy transfer arrays on both the Guardian and Basilisk are excellent bonuses and come heavily into play when it comes to keeping a RSS fleet capacitor stable.
Remote Sensor Boosters: These modules remotely boost the target range and scan resolution of a friendly target ship depending on the script fitted to it.
The Scan Resolution script allows you to remotely boost the scan resolution allowing a friendly target ship to lock the enemy faster.
The Targeting Range script allows you to remotely boost the targeting range allowing a friendly target ship to lock an enemy at a greater distance.
These modules are important if you think a friendly target ship may want to get a target lock jump on the enemy. One example is a Battleship which has very low scan resolution. Increasing the scan resolution through remote sensor boosters will allow the Battleship to lock an enemy target faster.
Another example Remote Sensor Boosters could be used for is to increase the targeting range of a friendly ship. Some ships, fitted correctly would be able to hit a target from a sizeable distance (known as sniping). But perhaps that ship would not have the modules fit to lock that far away. For example, a pilot has determined that his Tech II Cruise Missiles can hit a target at a distance of 180km. He can’t lock that far however without fitting Target Range Sensor Booster(s) of his own. A Remote Sensor Boosting ship with the correct script could increase his target range for him allowing him to lock further out without having to give up a mid slot.
Tracking Links: These modules can remote boost the turret range and turret tracking speed of targeted friendly ship. The Oneiros and Scimitar have bonuses that allow them to use tracking links to a greater efficiency. These modules will only remotely support ships that are using turrets. They will not help in any manner for missile fitted ships.
Section 4 - Which ship types should I use for Remote Support Services
Technically speaking, almost any ship could be used for RSS. Ships the size of frigates all the way up to capital sized ships have the ability to be Remote Support Ships if the pilot has the skill to use the modules. However, there are ships designed with special bonuses that are more suited for RSS. Cruisers such as the Amarr Augoror, the Caldari Osprey, the Gallente Exequror, and the Minmatar Scythe each have unique abilities when it comes to RSS. Another one of the more often used ships is a remote support Dominix. However, this guide is going to concentrate on the Logistics Ships since they have greater role bonuses uniquely tailored to being RSS ships such as the range in which they can use modules, and the decreased need for capacitor and CPU/PG.
Listed below are the 4 Logistics Ships for each Race and their specific role bonus:
Amarr: Guardian – Utilized for Armor and Energy Transfer
Caldari: Basilisk – Utilized for Shield and Energy Transfer
Gallente: Oneiros – Utilized for Armor Transfer and Tracking Link Efficiency
Minmatar: Scimitar – Utilized for Shield Transfer and Tracking Link Efficiency
While I do have my own personal opinion of which Logistics Ships I believe are "better", my opinion may not necessarily suit your needs. It is my personal belief that RSS pilots will get more use out of a Guardian and/or Basilisk, than they would from the Oneiros and Scimitar. To me and to the fellow logistical pilots I have flown with, most of us have come to the consensus that the Guardian and Basilisk bonuses towards Energy Transfer is more helpful when it comes to larger fleet sustainability. The Tracking Link Efficiency bonus does not come into play for us very often.
Section 5 - To rep... or not to rep, that is the question? (When to remote rep)
Timing can be everything when it comes to RSS. In Empire Secured Space, remote supporting a ship too early might gain you unwanted aggression. However, remote supporting a ship too late may result in the loss of a ship or possibly an entire fleet.
Have a clearly defined agreement between the RSS squad and your friendly targets as to when/why you will begin to support and who will be supported. Practicing your remote support is very important in helping the RSS squad determine their potential (half glass full) or limitation (glass half empty).
Section 6 - What happens to me when I remote rep someone else?
- If you remote support someone, you will become aggressed to whomever they are currently aggressed to.
Here is an example scenario:
You are flying around in the Renyn system, hitting different asteroid belts in your Guardian minding your own business. You happen upon another pilot who is blue to your corporation 50km away from you. We will call this blue pilot “Joe”. You see Joe in his Rifter fighting someone we will call “Pete” who is flying a Thorax. You decide to lock both targets to assess the situation. Pete has Joe warp scrambled and you see your friend losing armor. The destruction of Joe’s Rifter seems imminent. After mulling it over you decide to remote support Joe’s Rifter with armor and energy transfers. The moment you begin to remote support Joe, you become aggressed to Pete and your ship will start flashing red to him. Now, Pete has the right to fly towards you and engage your Guardian if he so chooses.
You will also become aggressed and begin flashing red to any corporation and/or alliance that Joe is currently at war with. So if Joe is at war with Pete’s corporation, Pete’s entire corporation also has the right to engage your Guardian.
- You can also become aggressed to Concord and Sentry Guns if you remote support someone doing something illegal in either Empire space or low sec space. So be wary of who you remote support. A common tactic (or trick) is for someone in a cheap ship such as a frigate to ask for remote support. Once you begin to remote support the frigate, he will fire at the station or another ship. The frigate is promptly destroyed for committing a criminal act, and so are you for remote supporting him.
- A Remote Support ship does not obtain a docking timer from a station, or a jump timer at a gate like a ship who is shooting a weapon at an enemy ship. If you are outside a station and within docking range, and you begin to remote support another ship, you have the ability to dock at any time as long as you do not shoot a weapon or any kind of aggressive act like webbing, warp scrambling, nossing, or neuting.
Section 7 - Random bits of information
Skill Implants beneficial to remote support pilots:
Slot 7 – Inherent Implants ‘Noble’ Zet20/ Zet200/ and Zet2000 give a pilot a 1%, 3%, and 5% reduced capacitor need for remote armor repair system modules.
Slot 8 – Hardwiring Zainou ‘Gnome’ KXA500 / KXA1000 / and KXA2000 give a pilot a 1%, 3%, and 5% reduced capacitor need for shield emission system modules.
Slot 9 – Hardwiring – Zainou ‘Gypsy’ KRB-25/ KRB-50 / and KRB-75 give a pilot a 1%, 3%, and 5% reduced capacitor need for sensor linking modules.
Like all ships in EVE, logistics ships have ways of being made a non-factor in combat. Aside from being shot at and possibly destroyed, a logistical pilot can expect to be jammed from the onset of an engagement or from time to time to limit their ability to support their fleet. Having several logistical ships in a fleet will obviously make it more difficult for an enemy to jam all of you; making it possible for others to remotely support during your jammed cycle.
Spider tanking is when several ships will remote support each other. This is an effective way to transfer armor, shield and/or energy at a more efficient rate than one ship would normally need to expend on its own.
While your fitting will depend on what your player skills will allow, the ideal logistic ship should try to be capacitor stable. Meaning you can run all of your remote support modules indefinitely. Running out of capacitor in the middle of an engagement could spell tragedy. The Logistics skill trained to skill level 5 is very highly recommended.