Warp Scrambling

Short Description:

Warp scrambling prevents another ship from entering warp. This is the primary EW type used in any kind of pvp, because it allows you to prevent your target from escaping from an unfavorable situation.

Methods of application:

Modules - The modules are called warp scramblers and warp disruptors, and are fitted into midslots. They come in different varieties, with the important parameters being scrambling range and scrambling strength.

Mobile Warp Disruptors - These are often referred to as "bubbles". They are static objects which can be deployed and anchored anywhere in space. They are characterized by their scrambling radius and come in multiple flavors. Small, Medium and Large. Mobile Warp Disruptors can only be used in 0.0 space. Bubbles can also pull ships out of warp in different positions than intended, but more on that later.

Interdictor spheres - Interdictor spheres work the same way as Mobile Warp Disruptors, however they can be deployed on the fly and have a fixed scrambling radius of 20km. As with anchorable bubbles, usage of interdictor spheres is restricted to 0.0 space.

Working Mechanism:

Regarding modules, the best way to describe the workings would be to view every module as having a certain amount of "scramble points" (scramble strength). Let's say each ship starts out with 0 warp points and each scramble point deducts from that number. If the amount of warp points a ship has is negative, it can't enter warp. So if you apply a warp disruptor with strength 1 to a ship with a base amount of 0 warp points, it ends up with -1 warp points, thus it can't warp.

Bubbles (both anchorable and interdictor) work slightly different. First of all, the number of points is irrelevant here. Each bubble has a scrambling radius. If the ship's distance to the disruptor is less than the disruptors scrambling radius, then the ship is considered warp scrambled and cannot warp.

Another specific point about bubbles is that they are able to modify the place where ships exit warp. Ships can warp from object A to object B. Draw an imaginary line AB through object A and object B. If line AB intersects a bubble, which is in the same grid as object B, at the time when the ship starts the warp procedure at object A, then regardless at what range the ship warped to object B, it will end up out of warp where line AB intersects the bubble, on the edge of the bubble which is closest to object A.

Deductions - If the bubble is not in the same grid as object B, then nothing will happen, and if the bubble is not deployed before the target initiates warp at object A, it will not be affected by the bubble. Also note, that object A and B are not the same as celestial objects. Object A is the warp entry point and Object B is whatever object was warped to. This means celestial object, bookmark or gangmate. Running out of cap modifies the exit point.

Skills affecting:

• Propulsion Jamming - 5% Reduction to capacitor need of scrambling modules per skill level.
• Anchoring - Reduces time to deploy anchorable bubbles.
• Interdictors - Increases the ROF of the interdictor sphere launcher by 10% per skill level.

Specialized ships:

• Arazu/Lachesis - Recons, get 20% bonus to warp disruptor/scrambler range per recon level.
• Interceptors get a 80% reduction to activation cost per level.
• The Raptor, Malediction, Stiletto and Ares additionally get an extra 5% disruptor/scrambler range per level.
• Interdictors are a ship class dedicated to deploying antonomous Interdiction Spheres, which function just like bubbles, except they have a finite duration.
• Heavy Interdictors can activate a bubble, which moves with them. Using the focused warp disruption script, they also can:
  • a) Scramble supercapitals, which are normally immune to EW.
  • b) Scramble any ship for infinite strength, meaning warp core stabilizers will not negate it's effect

Counters:

Counters to the module versions are Warp Core Stabilizers or WCS. Each WCS adds one warp point to the ship. Meaning that if a ship has one WCS fitted and no natural bonus to Warp Core strength, you will need 2 scrambling points to give it a negative amount of warp points and thus scramble it.

In case of ending up in a bubble or scrambled by a heavy interdictor, there are no direct counters, however, due to bubbles having limited range, a speedy ship configuration is an indirect counter.

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