Game Changer

EVE is in a sort of renaissance right now in terms of game mechanics.

You don't have to go too far in the memory banks to remember there was a time where new modules were rare and whose effects are were not far reaching. Then we started to get new things that really started to shake up the meta overall and add new mechanics to change the fabric of the game: Micro jump drives, Ancillary Shield Boosters and Armour Repairers, etc. They expanded the gameplay, but did not radically alter it.

When Interceptors got the Immunity to Warp Disrupt Bubbles ability, that marked a change in philosophy that was unexpected but not without precedent. After all, Strategic Cruisers boasted the ability for years before that with the right propulsion subsystem. But it was notable that a ship class was given such a unique ability that did not have it before.

So we come to the Proteus release and Combat Recons have the new exciting ability to be immune from Directional Scanners. This change is not only a continuation of that philosophy sea change where old ship types can get new interesting mechanics, but a game changing direction that opens up a universe of possibilities.

Why?

Well, quite simply, the interceptor immunity to bubbles is a mechanic that allows a ship to avoid a player created effect. Its different in implementation but similar in spirit to things that have precedent like warp core stabilizers, or ECM breaking locks, or sensor dampening reducing lock range, or guns hurting hitpoints, etc. One player has a sword and the other player has a shield.

But the directional scanner is not the same thing. Its more part of the overall structure of the game, like jumping, docking, local chat (wormholes excluded) and warping. Used correctly its dependable and accurate. It seemed sacrosanct which is why the new ability for Combat Recons seemed to come so far out of left field for everyone involved.

This is a game changer in terms of future ship design decisions because it means that previous untouchable mechanics are now genuinely on the table to be messed with by new future mechanics. 

Combine this with the new buttons that the Confessor adds to the user interface and you have a limitless world of possibilities to mess with now:

A ship that makes you delayed in local chat for 30 seconds.
A ship with a button in the HUD that toggles between preset ship hulls so you appear as different ship types on the d-scan.
A ship that can disable a stargate so other pilots cannot jumping through it from this side.
A ship that can delay docking procedures for other ships.
A ship that cannot be locked if you're over 25 km away.
A ship that, when docked, causes all repair and fitting services to go offline.
A ship that, when on grid, causes your overview to malfunciton and mix up the names and ship types so you have to look at a ship to see if its a Vexor or a Tristan.

And so on. The game has changed and the gloves are off and the world is wide open.