Google Gemini Tries to Teach a Moa to Kite

Free audio post-production byphonic.comI hope you’re ready, once again, to hear from our two pals, our two nameless, um, Google-generated podcast pals, who they just moved from Notebook LM to, um, they do the same audio overview thing in Google Gemini now.

Um, notably, I had taken a long break from them, specifically because I could not hear them say the words deep dive again without losing my mind.

So this is the first time I ever used it in Gemini, and they didn’t use it.

They didn’t use the word deep dive.

So, um, wow, Google, incredible.

Uh, I also love how, I don’t know, turns out they did subsequently.

I tried it, like, like the next time I tried it, for like four times in Gemini, and, um, and yeah, it’s not completely gone.

Anyway, this is a good one, it’s a funny one, and it’s, for whatever reason, um, I think there are less, like, voice glitches in this one than any audio overview I’ve had the pair make thus far.

But yeah, what follows is a AI-generated conversation.

Yeah.

All right, so today we’re going to tackle a pretty specific topic that I know a lot of you out there have been wrestling with.

How to really nail those advanced missions using a Caldari Moa, specifically with a railgun kiting strategy.

Yeah.

Now, you know, I mean, at first glance, the Moa with its shield resistances and bonuses to railgun damage seems kind of perfect for this, right?

But like, to really make it shine, to really make it a top performer in those high-level PVE encounters, well, that’s where the real challenge lies.

Oh, absolutely.

And while you know those built-in bonuses are a good foundation to start with, when it comes to kiting with railguns effectively, and I mean by that, you know, maintaining that sweet spot distance where you’re dealing max damage while staying out of harm’s way, that that requires a much more sort of like in-depth understanding of the ship and its capabilities, especially in those really demanding missions.

Yeah, no, totally.

You know, because railguns, as much as we love them, they do have their quirks.

Oh, yeah, absolutely.

Especially that tracking speed against those quicker targets.

Yeah.

And then like, you know, the toll they take on your poor capacitor.

So that’s really what we’re going to break down today.

We’re going to dissect the Moa, you know, all its little variants, figure out which railguns really are the best for this kind of setup, and then like dive deep into those module choices, give you guys the tools to build a Moa railgun kiter that can take on anything those advanced missions can dish out.

That sounds good.

So let’s kick things off by, you know, looking at the Moa family itself, right?

We’ve got the OG Moa, the Guardian, and then the Moa II Guardian.

For this kiting strategy, what are like the big differences, the things we really need to be aware of?

Well, you know, the original Moa, the base Moa, that provides a really solid starting point, right?

It’s got those damage bonuses, fall-off bonuses specifically for medium railguns, and of course the increased shield resistance that the Moa is known for.

Right.

And it’s got that standard four high, two mid, four low slot layout.

Yeah.

Now the Moa Guardian, that kind of takes things a step further, enhances that railgun focus, you get better tracking speed, more damage, and it’s also a bit easier on your capacitor when you’re, you know, pumping out those railgun blasts.

And it keeps the same slot configuration, so that’s nice and familiar.

Right.

But it sounds like for a hardcore kiter, the real star of the show here is the Moa II Guardian, right?

It is.

If you’re really serious about kiting, the Moa II Guardian is the way to go, because it gives you this massive advantage right off the bat.

Six low slots.

Oh, wow.

That right there just opens up like a world of possibilities, right?

You can really fine-tune your fit, both defensively and offensively.

Plus, you know, it comes with more power grid, more capacitor, even better tracking and damage bonuses for those railguns.

And it’s just noticeably more agile, you know, and that extra maneuverability is like gold when you’re trying to keep that perfect kiting distance and dodge incoming fire.

Yeah, totally.

Okay, so we’re locked in on the Moa II Guardian then for that, like, super robust kiting build.

Awesome.

Let’s move on to the, you know, the pew-pew, the business end of things, the railguns themselves.

Now, we know we’re going with railguns, but when it comes to the medium variants, which ones are, like, the best of the best for a kiting playstyle?

Well, if kiting’s your game, you’re going to want to focus on medium rifled railguns.

The main reason for that is their range, right?

Right.

Extended optimal range, and then the damage falloff is much more forgiving.

You know, you can engage targets from way out there.

The tradeoff, though, as we talked about earlier, is that they do tend to have lower, you know, straight-up DPS, and that tracking speed can sometimes be an issue, especially compared to some of the other medium railgun types.

Right.

So what about, you know, I’m thinking the medium snub-nosed railguns?

Oh, yeah.

Those are beasts up close, right?

Like, could those work?

Oh, absolutely.

And, you know, like, against, like, those, you know, really big lumbering targets, the Guardian’s extra tracking boost could potentially, I mean, you could pull off a really aggressive in-your-face kiting style.

But I gotta say, for, like, consistently dealing with all the different, you know, crazy stuff you come across in advanced missions and, you know, to play it a bit safer, I think the rifled railguns are the more solid bet.

Yeah.

And then, of course, if you’re, you know, really looking to up your game, especially for those, like, super challenging encounters, it’s worth considering dropping some ISK on those faction or Navy-issue rifled railguns because those things are just, like, next level in terms of damage, range, and tracking.

Right, it’s all about that range, that reach.

Yeah.

Okay, so let’s get into the nitty-gritty, the nuts and bolts of it all.

Module optimization.

Yes.

How do we really make this build sink?

Let’s start with the high slots.

What do we fit in?

Straightforward here.

Yeah.

Medium rifled railguns all the way.

And if you’ve got the ISK, go faction.

Got it.

All right, so now those mid slots, those are crucial, right?

This is all about, like, controlling the range, webbing those targets.

What do we absolutely need in those mid slots?

Yeah, these are, like, the heart of any kiting setup.

So you’re going to need a propulsion module for sure.

Okay.

Now, you’ve got two main choices here.

You’ve got the micro warp drive, the MWD.

That’s going to give you, like, a huge burst of speed to get you out of trouble or, you know, quickly create that initial distance.

Right.

But big caveat here, it’s going to, like, massively inflate your signature radius, making you a much easier target while it’s active.

Yeah.

The other option, and this is more for, like, sustained speed, is an afterburner.

Right.

That’s going to give you a nice steady boost to maintain that kiting orbit without, you know, making yourself a giant beacon for the enemy.

Right.

Makes sense.

The next thing you’re going to want is a stasis webifier, practically mandatory for kiting, right, Vic?

It’s going to slow those targets down, make them easier for your railguns to track, and, you know, keep them in that sweet spot range where you can just pummel them.

And then finally, to really push that range even further, a tracking computer with a range script is a great addition.

That’s going to let you engage from even further out.

But just keep in mind, a tracking speed script, that’s going to trade range for better tracking, which isn’t really what we’re going for here with a pure kiting build.

Right, yeah.

Okay, so we’re all about staying far away and making sure they can’t even touch us.

What about those low slots?

We’ve got some choices to make there, right?

Yeah.

Balancing the damage output with survivability.

Yeah, this is where things get really interesting and where you can really start to tailor your fit for the specific challenges you’re going to face.

Right.

So for damage, your bread and butter is going to be magnetic field stabilizers.

Okay.

Those are going to give you a nice boost to your damage output.

But keep in mind, there’s that stacking penalty, so each additional module you add, the less effective it becomes.

Depending on your power grid and capacitor, you might also consider throwing in some specific weapon upgrade modules to further enhance your railguns.

Okay, sounds good.

What about survivability?

What are our options there?

A lot of different ways to go here.

You’ve got shield extenders.

Those will give you more raw shield hit points, a bigger buffer to soak up incoming damage.

But the downside is bigger signature radius, so a bit easier to hit.

Oh, okay.

You can also go with adaptive invulnerability fields or reactive shield hardeners.

Those are going to boost your resistance to specific damage types.

But again, there’s