0015119: Suggested Weapon Rebalance

ID	Project	Category		Date Submitted	Last Update

0015119	The Last Federation	Suggestion		May 13, 2014 1:07 am	May 22, 2014 9:39 am

Reporter	Drak	Assigned To
Status	new	Resolution	open
Product Version	1.016 (Finish Him!)

Summary	0015119: Suggested Weapon Rebalance
Description	Here's my proposed balance for the weapons: ============================= Damage is listed as DPS, meaning it is RoF independant, 2 weapons with same DPS and different RoF will have different damage per projectile, but because of the RoF, the same DPS. Also is relative (not absolute) to some expected "standard". ============================= ============================= Damage Types: Ballistic: Generic, same damage to shields and hull. Anti-ballistic (armored) hull can reduce effectiveness. Energy: x2 Damage to Shields. Anti-energy (reflective) hull can reduce effectiveness. Explosive: Half damage to shields, no hull defense (use shields) ============================= ============================= Range is listed in relative (to other weapons), not absolute, terms. + Short: As Current Gravity Lance + Medium: 2x short, As Current Disruptor + Long: 4x Short, As Current Energy Blaster + Very Long: 8x short, no current player equivalent (like some NPC weapons) ============================= ============================= Projectile Speed: (Note these speeds are relative to the specific weapon, not each other, "Slow" long range weapons may actually have faster bullets than a fast short range weapon. Speed refers to how much of the volley you could get to impact an unmoving target in one round.) + Instant: It hits its target as soon as fired (no need to even draw bullets, just little explossions on the target, or beams - like anti-swarm laser ability). Imposible to dodge/avoid. + Fast: 50% of the voley will reach range limit and expire within the span of a turn (leaving half a volley on the screen each turn). Hard to doge/avoid. + Medium: should travel its range in one turn (ie, first shot arrives at a max distance target at the end of the "move phase" it was launched in.) (Leaves one complete volley on the screen). Can be avoided by fast ships, still difficult for slow ones. + Slow: Travels half its distance in one turn. (takes 2 turns to reach target, can have 2 full volleys on screen). Things tend to run into them, more than they run into things. ============================= ============================= RoF Scale key: (aproximates) + Slow: 1 per second (2.5/turn) + Medium: 2 per second (5/turn) + Fast: 4 per second (10/turn) + Very Fast: 8+ per second (20+/turn) ============================= ============================= Now, the weapons: ============================= ============================= Armor Piercing: (penetrates, small ships may dodge) DPS: 0.9 Ballistic, But Penetrates RoF: Fast / Projectile Speed: Medium / Range: Long. Strengths: Very good against clumps of large, slower ships. Weakness: Small ships may dodge the projectile. The relatively low speed and RoF makes it less ideal against small/fast craft. ============================= ============================= Disruptor: (Shield Piercing) DPS: 0.6 Energy to hull (Bypasses Shields), completely blocked by debris, does x2 damage against disruptor resistant (non-penetrating) shields as normal energy RoF: Medium / Projectile Speed: Medium / Range: Medium. Strengths: Great for strafing larger, shielded ships. Weaknesses: Shorter range. Almost useless in heavy debris. Less damage against non-shielded ships than other weapons (especially if equipped with reflective hull). The relatively low speed and RoF makes it less ideal against small/fast craft. ============================= ============================= Energy Blaster: DPS: 0.8 Energy (so x2 vs Shields) RoF: Medium / Projectile Speed: Medium / Range: Long. Strengths: Can strip shields very quickly. Weaknesses: Low RoF makes less ideal in Debris filled areas. The relatively low speed and RoF makes it less ideal against small/fast craft. Less damage against Reflective Hulls. ============================= ============================= Gravity Lance: ("Like the lances of old it's been named for, relies on a charge to get into position and do damage, but massively devestating to an unshielded opponent.") DPS: 2.0 Explosive (half damage against shielded targets - but no hull defense, Penetrates all craft in path) RoF: Slow / Projectile Speed: Instant / Range: Short Strengths: Atatcks very well from a superior position (if enemy is not a threat), especially against large, strong targets. Ignores Debris/cover. Might hit multiple stacked targets. Weaknesses: Requires very close proximity (which is dangerous and difficult), slow RoF means that even though it'll hit a charging small craft and likely obiterate it, you won't get very many at a time and could easily get swarmed. ============================= ============================= Mass Driver: "The sniper shot of the hydral Arsenal." DPS: 1.0 Ballistic RoF: Slow / Projectile Speed: Fast / Range: Very Long. Strengths: Can hit targets trying to stay out of range, and retreating targets. Best Weapon against unshielded single targets. Weaknesses: Lower RoF makes less ideal in Debris filled areas. Can be shot down. Less damage against Ballistic Resistant Hulls. ============================= ============================= Minigun: ("Rapidly launches super fast 'smart' dart-like missiles. Yield and range are limitted due to guidance and steering system requirements.") DPS: 0.5 Explosive (half damage against shielded targets - but no hull defense) RoF: Very Fast / Projectile Speed: Instant / Range: Medium. Always hits (so good against maneuverable/dodgy opponents), ignores some special hulls, but low overall DPS - reliable, but slow. Your ultimate multipurpose weapon. Strengths: Dodgy targets that do strafing type attacks, so especially small fast fighters. High Debris situations - "fire from cover" - since the fast moving "smart" projectile ignore obstructions. Weakness: Low overall DPS. If you can hit with half or more of the shots of most other guns, they're better, then again, if you can't, this becomes better. Almost useless against shielded ships. ============================= ============================= Spreadshot: DPS: 0.1 Ballistic (per bullet, x24 bullets at 15 degree intervals spread over a 360 degree arc - 0 degrees being the target - per volley) [Note: If DPS needs increasing, the volleys can be made to alternate the offset of the first shot to reduce single target effectiveness (so 0 degrees to target, then 7.5 degrees, then 0 degrees, etc) - basically half the vollies will miss a stationary target at far range, allowing base damage to be doubled without imbalancing against slow/stationary targets.] RoF: Medium / Projectile Speed: Slow / Range: Medium. Creates a cloud of bullets. [Slow Projectiles means it takes 2 turns to create a full range cloud, first turn creates half, second turn filles the rest]. Best uses: Anti-swarm, anti-destructables, debris clearing - a "defensive weapon". Weaknsses: Slow projectiles and limited range means it is more likely enemies will run into your bullets than vice versa. About the same as a normal weapon if enemies all in one direction (such as if you're running away). Almost useless against a single target (unless you get right on top of it - dangerous, but daring). ============================= ============================= NEW WEAPON: Flak Array: ("An array of flak cannons provide a screen against incoming fire") DPS: 0.2 Explosive (Half damage to shields - but no hull defense, AoE - and destroys any projectiles in the area) - creates a small aoe explossion at a random location in range, which destroys other (even friendly) projectiles. RoF: Very Fast / Projectile Speed: Instant / Range: Short (360 degree). Strengths: A defensive weapon capable of creating a sort of "screen". Capable of eliminating incoming fire. Useful for reducing damage taken when retrieving pilots from heavy fire areas, or when flying great distances or when closing on enemies. Target screening rate would be about 50% of incoming projectiles are destroyed before reaching the player. Weaknesses: Low DPS, short range and random fire means not very effective offensively (but may be useful against swarms of small craft). ============================= ============================= == Overall summary: == ============================= ============================= Best Single Target Weapons (anti-ship of the line): Energy Blaster if Shielded and at range Mass Driver if at extreme range, or running away Disruptor if shielded and somewhat close Gravity Lance at point Blank Ranges ============================= ============================= Anti-Swarm Weapons: Best: Spreadshot, Minigun Fair: AP, Disruptor, Energy Blaster, Mass Driver Abysmal: Gravity Lance ============================= ============================= Range Relationships: Very Long Range: Mass Driver Long Range: Armor Piercing, Energy Blaster Medium Range: Disruptor, Minigun, Spreadshot Short Range: Gravity Lance, Flak Array ============================= ============================= Weapons By Type Of Damage: Ballistic: Armor Piercing, Mass Driver, Spreadshot Energy: Disruptor, Energy Blaster Explosive: Gravity Lance, Minigun, Flak Array ============================= ============================= Projectile Velocities: (Speeds listed as Lengths per turn, a Length is equal to the short range radius) Armor Piercing: 4L/turn (1.6L/sec) Disruptor: 2L/turn (0.8L/sec) Energy Blaster: 4L/turn (1.6L/sec) Gravity Lance: Instant Mass Driver: 16L/turn (6.4L/sec) - very difficult to dodge, may be too fast? Minigun: Instant Spreadshot: 1L/turn (0.4L/sec) Flak Array: Instant =============================
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Internal Weight

Histidine May 13, 2014 2:01 am reporter ~0037954	Hmm, I kind of like the way Minigun works as it is, but in general the scheme is good. If this is implemented, one other thing that needs changing is starting weapons. Specifically, Boarine Tusker and Peltian Solar Fortress both presently start with both Minigun and Spreadshot, which is redundant; meanwhile, they have no anti-shield weapons. I'd swap one of the two anti-swarm ballistics for Disruptor on both ships.

Drak May 13, 2014 3:48 am reporter ~0037957 Last edited: May 13, 2014 5:55 am	Good point on changing the initial weapon loadouts. Would you mind adding your ideal loadouts in a comment? Also, I changed the minigun because it needed something to distinguish it from Spreadshot and Mass Driver more. In the current build I chucked Mass Driver the moment I got mini-gun. The Actual DPS on the minigun is much better (better range and more shots actually hit, so better actual DPS). And with the recent spreadshot nerf, Minigun is much better for swatting too. My 1.016 setup (I have all weapons available) is Minigun, Energy Blaster, Disruptor. (I also have Anti-swarm Lasersx2, Gigacannon, Shortwave Virus, Operation Kamachi, and Cloak.) Basically it works like this: Minigun sweeps debris, kills little guys, and is used if no shields are around. Close shielded enemies get Energy Blaster and Gigacannon, Distant ones get Disruptor - since they avoid Energy Blaster too well. Energy Blaster also gets used to take out most gravity lance satelites and the like at the beginning of AFA missions for instance. So for my re-tool: My thought was that Minigun was the ultimate swatter. Its instant hit, coupled with high rate of fire means that anything in range gets to feel the sting. The reduced range requires you to stay nearer big enemies increasing the difficulty of using it on said enemies (which it's not SUPPOSED to be good at), but doesn't really impact its swatting ability (as fast ships are likely to enter that medium range at some point and even if they're fast, they're going to experience some attrition and die within a few passes). The instant hit also helps reduce lag in larger battles as the system doesn't have to track all the bullets its high RoF generates, which allows its RoF to be more freely adjusted as needed. Further, since I dropped Disruptor to Medium Range (to balance it agains EB and Mass driver) making Minigun a fire-from-inside-scrap weapon created a counter to Disruptor and gave it a clear purpose in the mid range weapons arena. Spreadshot on the other hand just creates a cloud of bullets, and is a more general deterant (big ships and small alike have a hard time getting close, but the slow weak bullets also make it difficult to use offensively - as you and enemies can often outrun, or avoid alot of the bullets.) This also makes it a good defense against Mass Driver Sniping and for Scrap Clearing to clear the way for other weapons, which roles minigun can't fill due to its non-bullets. (And Minigun actually prefers scrap to be around - creating a real dichotomy between the two). Also, spreadshot's slow bullets means you can do things like alternate between spreadshot and another weapon and makes possible a sort of turtle strategy. (Slow, but safe and steady). Whereas the Minigun is more a jackrabbit, as you constantly maneuver to stay close to your target and dodge their return attacks (comfortable in the knowledge that no matter how crazy your maneuvers get, you're going to be doing nice consistant damage.) Mass Driver's range and extreme bullet speed on the other hand, makes it better for single target fights, like duels (whereas minigun is currently better at that, while ALSO being a good swatter). But in crowded battlefields where mass driver shots could get shot down, or where a small craft might fly in the path (and waste some ot its damage on overkill), effective damage is significantly lowered. On the other hand, it's PERFECT for shooting down theose pesky ships that just fly off. Whereas Minigun is clearly better in crowded battles and inferior in shooting down bigger fast ships.

Drak May 13, 2014 4:23 am reporter ~0037958 Last edited: May 13, 2014 5:48 am	Now, a (not so) quick note on turning these (re-tooled) weapons around against the player (and enemies): Each weapon has a clear and effetive countermeasure. But chosing the right one and implementing it are very much skill related. AP: The deterent is simply that you are a single ship, so its slightly lower damage and average speed bullets and RoF allow you to manage the damage via shields and general dodging. Just be careful not to end up lining yourself up with other friendly ships. Disruptor (Hate these in game): Use range to avoid completely, or Flak to shoot down, or go hide in some scrap and swith to minigun - they have the same range for a reason :). And again, the average bullet speed make managing them through maneuvering possible. EB: Well, since shields are pretty critical to an effective defense as player, these are a little scary, but again, the average bullet speed makes them largly avoidable. You can also outrange them with massdriver if needed, or use scrap to absorb some of the incoming fire. Gravity Lance: Just don't get too close and keep your shields up. You can even opt to do strafing type attacks to limit its opportunities to attack you (due to the low RoF and range). However, if yu make a mistake and get too close with no shielding left, ouch! Which seems fair, considering how easy it is to avoid. Mass Driver: Use scrap, or other firendly objects to limit incoming damage. Spreadshot is a near complete defense against it. Close fast and use a more powerful close in weapon is also a very effective counter. Pretty standard anti-sniper stuff actually. :) Minigun: You can't dodge, but shields almost negate its effectiveness entirely, a few points in shield power should easily allow you to heal as fast as it can damage you. Just be careful something else doesn't drop your shields and suddenly leave you vulverable. Also, note that the lack of bullets makes the "burst" from special abilities a complete non-defense - this is an important feature in my eyes. In general, most other weapons do more damage, so you can kinda ignore it unless being swarmed, and if being swarmed, you can equip a higher damage weapon, like spreadshot, and start a fight of attrition that you'll easily win. Spreadshot: Just don't use mass driver against the opponent or fly in circles around them, and you'll easily outdps them and win the war of attrittion. Or if you're not ready to deal with them, then fly away at a leasurely pace and you're not going to have to worry too much. Flak Array: Use its random fire Limited range, and limited damage against it. Just fly a little ways off and use the minigun to bypass its screening abilities. Or even fly in close and use gravity lance against its weak dps to win the war of attrition.

Ragwortshire May 13, 2014 4:37 am reporter ~0037959	Just to let you know for your calculations, 1 combat turn is exactly 2.5 combat seconds. You can easily see this by watching the cooldown on a special ability.

Drak May 13, 2014 4:42 am reporter ~0037960	I knew it was something like that, but forgot the exact number, thanks! I chose to do RoF in seconds though because I also rated damage in seconds, so I knew it didn't matter too much if I remembered correectly or not. I'll make the change though, now that I have a more certain value, so thank you! :)

worldstone May 13, 2014 4:53 am reporter ~0037961	As it stands now disruptor is by far the most terrifying weapon. I've never seen anything else outclass it.

Drak May 13, 2014 5:00 am reporter ~0037962 Last edited: May 13, 2014 5:17 am	As of 1.016: In high scrap missions (like planetary defense), Disruptor is pretty useless. Minigun is far more useful in high scrap missions, but yeah, disruptor is a bit op at the moment - but my fixed version isn't (mostly due to restricted range) -- probably. ;) You'll notice Disruptor is in my weapon lineup. :)

Drak May 13, 2014 5:29 am reporter ~0037963 Last edited: May 13, 2014 5:39 am	Added a more generalized description of damage types and their effects at the top. Changed Disruptor Mechanics (I think they're better this way). Does more hull damage than the comporably ranged Minigun, and MUCH more damage to shielded ships, but can be dodged, blocked with debris, and can be reduced by reflective hull. Most ships aren't shielded (at least not for too long) in my experience, and there are plenty of unshielded reflective type ships, so I think the two still balance. Also, when compared to Energy Blaster, Disruptor is putting out more DPS against shielded ships (1.8 total DPS, vs 1.6), but has less range, and does less damage (0.6 vs 0.8) against non-shielded ships. Adjusted Energy Blaster to be less one trick pony (still much better against shields though not so overwhelmingly, and now also decent against hull). Plus this makes energy damage uniform, and releives Energy Blaster from needing special exception code. :)

Drak May 13, 2014 6:50 am reporter ~0037964 Last edited: May 13, 2014 6:40 pm	Gonna do some comparisons of the re-tooled weapons in situations I commonly encounter as a simulated balance check: (read a/b as a or b) Extreme Range: Mass Driver is alone.... Long range, Clear Skies (few opponents): Unshielded/Reflective Hulls: Mass Driver clearly rules. (Quickly drops out once there is a hail of bullets between you and target as shots get destroyed) Shielded/Armored Hulls: Ebnergy Blaster rules. Long range, In The Thick (targets and bullets everywhere): Unshielded/Reflective Hulls: Armor Piercing clearly rules. (Will likely hit multiple targets, and at the very least isn't getting destroyed) Shielded Targets/Armored Hulls: Energy Blaster pulls ahead. Medium Range, Clear Skies: Unshielded/Reflective Hulls: Mass Driver still rules Shielded Targets/Armored Hulls: Disruptor beats Energy Blaster Medium Range, In The Thick: Shielded Targets: Disruptor still ahead of Energy Blaster (unless lots of debris, but EB won't do terribly well there either with its slow RoF) Unshielded/Reflective: AP and Spreadshot compete, depending on how spread out/clustered the targets are, Spreadshot gives additional defense as well. Small Fast Craft: Minigun is king of this world. Surrounded: Spreadshot pulls way ahead. Short Range: As medium, except Gravity Lance takes over for all unshielded categories, and Disruptor rules for shielded. Recovering Goons, crossing the thick, Protecting a target: Flak Array rules Closing on Sniper, turtling, defending against the swarm: Spreadshot is supreme

Drak May 13, 2014 6:39 pm reporter ~0038016 Last edited: May 13, 2014 6:42 pm	Let me know your opinions. I don't see any weapons in this re-tool that make me think "useless", or "I'll never equip that", or "I'll always chose ths over that". But please share if anything stands out like that to you! Also, share what you think your likely default loadout will be (and comment on why you chose those particular 3, or under which situations you might change from your default before a combat.)

Drak May 13, 2014 6:49 pm reporter ~0038017 Last edited: May 13, 2014 7:00 pm	Adjusted Armor Piercing to 0.9 DPS to further distinguish it from Energy Blaster and to give it the ability to compete with Mass Driver better. Now only 1/10 shots needs to hit a second target to match Mass Driver DPS, and against unshielded foes, it now does more damage than Energy Blaster. Also upgraded its RoF to Fast, since the ability for small craft to "dodge" reduces its capacity as a "swatting" weapon anyways, the higher RoF should help it to hit multiple targets in a more normalized fashion, and allows it to better distribute its damage over multiple targets (less overkill), hopefully further distinguishing it from Mass Driver and Energy Blaster. And also making it the best weapon for dealing with mid-sized launched craft at long range. (It should now be a very good anti-carrier weapon, as it'll likely hit the launched craft AND the carrier, drastically increasing its dps in these special, but not uncommon, cases.)

windgen May 13, 2014 7:19 pm reporter ~0038019	I like this idea, but I'm thinking a change of this nature should go into a beta update before being released to the masses. Changing something this fundamental to the game should get as wide an exposure to a variety of player tactics as possible, and a beta update allows for that.

Drak May 13, 2014 10:19 pm reporter ~0038025 Last edited: May 13, 2014 10:50 pm	Oh yes, would definetly need a beta run, and without a doubt some fine tuning after getting some "field testing". The numbers were meant as starting points (for instance I actually like what the alternating spreadshot would look like better - even though I listed it as an allternative, the spiral/whirlpool patterns centered on the player's ship it'd form would probably be quite beautiful on the battlefield), the importnat thing was that each weapon had a uniqueness. That way, even if one weapon wasn't quite perfectly balanced against the other, they'd each still have their place and use, and wouldn't simply dwarf or be dwarfed by any other weapon. And the Flak Array would have to be adjusted for sure, how big an explossion, would it be better to drop the fire rate and make multiple bursts at once instead, etc. are things that can only really be determined though trial and error. Armor Piercing is probably the hardest one to balance without field testing. It has to be able to provide something significant that Mass Driver does not, and the piercing effect is a bit unreliable (which most strategists don't tend to favor). So it's gotta really shine in those rare moments of enemy alignment or it won't be used. One alternative thought I had for it was a "shattering" effect, that'd make it a much better long range cluster buster. Where each time a shot hit a target, it broke into 4 shards that each did half damage, each of which could shatter, etc. So tightly clustered groups would get pummled by the shrapnel they geneate and throw at each other (and wouldn't need to be in a line). But the processing power that could take as the number of projectiles increases exponentially could lead to some fun screen rates. :) Might not be a bad idea for a special though (Where the screen freeze would actually be an almost awesome "effect" once in a while), the "Shatter Cannon" which fires a massiv unstable crystal at the target, the Chain Lightning to nuke's Fireball. :) The other thought would be a seeking missile that moved very quickly and homed on each target after the first (and did less damage per hit, but again was a good, and reliable, distant cluster buter). But that type of weapon could easily become overpowered, and would probably be harder to balance. So in th end, it basically became a "mass driver that doesn't get shot down and sometimes hits multiple targets". I'm also very uncertain about Gravity Lance. A base DPS of 3 or even 4 might not be out of the question considering its limitations, but too high and it will dwarf the other weapons, so I started conservative. :) Although, on further consideration, a 3 or 4 DPS could make for some interesting tactics, like charging in with Flak Array, then swapping to Grav Lance to butcher large slow ships, then Flak Arraying away to recover your shields. Could make for some glorious memories. ;)

Drak May 13, 2014 11:14 pm reporter ~0038026 Last edited: May 13, 2014 11:15 pm	A coupls of loadout ideas from me to get the ball rolling. :) Flak Array, Gravity Lance, Minigun. Use high speed and Flak Array to close on larger targets, then swap to high weapon power and destroy them with Gravity Lance. Use Minigun to clean up the scragglers. Would require hit and run type fighting, but the unbeatable damage of gravity lance, coupled with the fast movement between targets would make enemy fire patterns spread out and become dilluted, compared to your own precission strikes that lower enemy damage output with each strike. Shielded enemies would be your biggest problem, as all damage is explosive. :) Mass Driver, Energy Blaster, Spreadshot. (The opposite of the previous build :) Don't have to move much, can stay on the fringe and snipe, and use spreadshot for cover from counter sniping. The major threat would be swarms of armored or reflective hulled high bullet volume ships rendering your Mass Driver and Energy Blaster DPS severly weakened. Especially if they're using Energy Blaster or Disruptor themselves. Armored swift ships with gravity lances penetrating your spreadshot shell and forcing you to distribute power from your weapons to move and decreasing your overall DPS would also be troublesome.

Drak May 14, 2014 10:58 pm reporter ~0038089	As I further considered the specialization created by this rebalance, I had the thought that not having to chose 3 weapons at all (and having all discovered weapons available in every battle, still start the game with 3 - or whatever - techs, but as you discover more they are added to your tactical choices) might make alot of sense. As you decide on the best weapon for the given situation, allowing more tactical adaptation. Also, it increases the reward of gaining a tech through strategic choices. Alternatively, the ability to "hot swap" a weapon slot in combat might be more balanced. (Similar to how special abilities work now, but quicker and deliberate). Basically, you could (rt?) click a weapon slot and chose a new weapon to go there during tactical missions and a "countdown" timer (of perhaps 5 turns) would start (the current weapon could stay available for use, or it could be disabled during the swap, depending on which is more fun/balanced/etc) and once the timer completes, the newly selected weapon takes its place. Extending this "hot swap" to abilities (possibly with a longer countdown) would also be cool, and could address some other issues. I'm putting this in a new ticket as well, as the feature would be cool independant of this weapon rebalance.

Drak May 15, 2014 2:09 am reporter ~0038102 Last edited: May 15, 2014 2:11 am	Changed Mass Driver RoF to Slow, this gives it a more "sniper" feel, and further distinguishes it from AP. The slow RoF means higher damage per bullet and further debilitates it if the shots are being destroyed. I am now happy with its balance against AP, as Mass Driver can easily be rendered significantly weaker in its non-ideal situations. Happiness. :) This makes AP and EB the "generic" weapon choices and the others more specialized, which I'm happy with. :)

Drak May 15, 2014 2:22 am reporter ~0038104 Last edited: May 15, 2014 2:23 am	Lol - though very well balanced in my opinion, one "real world" critique might be that Mass Driver shots travel 4 times faster than Energy Blaster, this may look a bit like the Mass Driver is launching projectiles at 4x the Speed of Light - lol. I chose to read it as "Energy Blaster" (and Disruptor) shots are actually plasma or some other significantly slower than C energy based projectiles, and the Mass Driver is being accelerated to near light speeds during launch (which is further supported by its low RoF and extreme range). :) This actually makes a fair amount of sense, as the player's ship can outrun "EB" shots easily. ;) So clearly, even in the current game, they are not travelling at the speed of light. In fact, the only weapon that implies light speed delievery (lasers) in the current game is anti-swarm lasers, and since they hit instantly, this makes sense. :)

Drak May 15, 2014 5:42 am reporter ~0038110 Last edited: May 15, 2014 5:44 am	At full power to move (and with a turn or two to accelerate in a straight line, but no afterburner) the player ship can currently move a bit further ina turn than energy blaster's range (the equivalent of Long Range in my range list), which gives the player ship a "projectile velocity" just above 4L/Turn. Meaning that a Mass Driver shot is 4x faster than the player ship, or just a little slower than afterburner. :) This should make running away (or even dodging) Mass Driver, even at extreme range, near impossible, and is the desired effect (it shouldn't be dodgable, it's supposed to be shot down as a defense). * In ticket 0015084 I find that the player ship's max (strategic) speed is probably (much) less than 1/10th the speed of light. So even at 4x the speed of the player ship, the Mass Driver shot is still less than 0.5C, and Energy Blaster is SLOOOOWWWW... ;)

Drak May 15, 2014 8:51 am reporter ~0038114 Last edited: May 15, 2014 8:55 am	Was going to do a comparison of current weapon satts, but the tooltips don't agree with actual data, so guess I'm going to have to wait until the game stops lying (or at least confusing ;) me.... (See 0015181) PS: Calculated DPS had Minigun in the lead at 111,972, which very much holds to my experiences in game! Add to that, longest possible range, good bullet speed, and high RoF means less damage wasted to overkill, and yeahh.... Just pick a race that starts with minigun... you'll be glad you did... (At least for patch 1.019)

ptarth May 15, 2014 5:49 pm reporter ~0038123 Last edited: May 15, 2014 5:49 pm	Drak, rather than than having discussions here, would you mind joining me on the forum in regards to this? The communication options are better and it reduces the amount of reading that the devs have to go through to get your ideas. http://www.arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,15620.0.html

Drak May 15, 2014 11:02 pm reporter ~0038129	added: "Target screening rate would be about 50% of incoming projectiles are destroyed before reaching the player." to Flak Array.

Drak May 22, 2014 9:39 am reporter ~0038273	Modified Disruptor: DPS: 0.6 Energy to hull (Bypasses Shields), completely blocked by debris, does x2 damage against disruptor resistant (non-penetrating) shields as normal energy [Disruptor Proof shields would pre reserved for "boss" type fights, like Burlust Warlords] No longer does more damage than Energy Blaster against shielded ships, but can completely bypass the shields (leaving them undamaged). Balanced against EB by reduced range, and EB's increased shield damage. This makes Disruptor better for killing a heavily shielded/weak hulled ship, but EB+(MD/AP/Etc) would be better against Shield+Reflective hulls or almost even shield/hull ships. for instance a ship with 10s Hull and 10s shields will be killed by EB+MD in (10shld/1.6EB)+(10Hull/1MD)=16.25sec, whereas Disruptor will take (10Hull/0.6Dis)=16.67seconds. Higher Shield/Hull ratios favor Disruptor, Lower Shield/Hull ratios favor EB+Other.

Date Modified	Username	Field	Change
May 13, 2014 1:07 am	Drak	New Issue
May 13, 2014 1:08 am	Drak	Relationship added	related to 0015021
May 13, 2014 1:08 am	Drak	Relationship added	child of 0015118
May 13, 2014 1:08 am	Drak	Relationship deleted	child of 0015118
May 13, 2014 1:08 am	Drak	Relationship added	related to 0015118
May 13, 2014 1:08 am	Drak	Relationship added	related to 0015117
May 13, 2014 1:11 am	Drak	Description Updated
May 13, 2014 1:22 am	Drak	Description Updated
May 13, 2014 1:26 am	Drak	Description Updated
May 13, 2014 2:01 am	Histidine	Note Added: 0037954
May 13, 2014 3:48 am	Drak	Note Added: 0037957
May 13, 2014 3:49 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037957
May 13, 2014 3:51 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037957
May 13, 2014 3:57 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037957
May 13, 2014 3:58 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037957
May 13, 2014 4:01 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037957
May 13, 2014 4:03 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037957
May 13, 2014 4:23 am	Drak	Note Added: 0037958
May 13, 2014 4:25 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037958
May 13, 2014 4:26 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037958
May 13, 2014 4:27 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037958
May 13, 2014 4:30 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037958
May 13, 2014 4:32 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037957
May 13, 2014 4:37 am	Ragwortshire	Note Added: 0037959
May 13, 2014 4:40 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037958
May 13, 2014 4:42 am	Drak	Note Added: 0037960
May 13, 2014 4:43 am	Drak	Description Updated
May 13, 2014 4:53 am	worldstone	Note Added: 0037961
May 13, 2014 4:57 am	Drak	Description Updated
May 13, 2014 5:00 am	Drak	Note Added: 0037962
May 13, 2014 5:01 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037962
May 13, 2014 5:01 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037962
May 13, 2014 5:04 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037958
May 13, 2014 5:05 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037962
May 13, 2014 5:16 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037962
May 13, 2014 5:17 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037962
May 13, 2014 5:27 am	Drak	Description Updated
May 13, 2014 5:29 am	Drak	Note Added: 0037963
May 13, 2014 5:29 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037963
May 13, 2014 5:34 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037963
May 13, 2014 5:37 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037963
May 13, 2014 5:38 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037963
May 13, 2014 5:39 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037963
May 13, 2014 5:43 am	Drak	Description Updated
May 13, 2014 5:48 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037958
May 13, 2014 5:51 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037957
May 13, 2014 5:55 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037957
May 13, 2014 6:14 am	Drak	Description Updated
May 13, 2014 6:20 am	Drak	Description Updated
May 13, 2014 6:50 am	Drak	Note Added: 0037964
May 13, 2014 6:53 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0037964
May 13, 2014 6:35 pm	Drak	Description Updated
May 13, 2014 6:36 pm	Drak	Description Updated
May 13, 2014 6:39 pm	Drak	Note Added: 0038016
May 13, 2014 6:40 pm	Drak	Note Edited: 0037964
May 13, 2014 6:42 pm	Drak	Note Edited: 0038016
May 13, 2014 6:45 pm	Drak	Description Updated
May 13, 2014 6:49 pm	Drak	Note Added: 0038017
May 13, 2014 6:49 pm	Drak	Note Edited: 0038017
May 13, 2014 6:50 pm	Drak	Description Updated
May 13, 2014 6:53 pm	Drak	Note Edited: 0038017
May 13, 2014 6:55 pm	Drak	Note Edited: 0038017
May 13, 2014 6:57 pm	Drak	Note Edited: 0038017
May 13, 2014 6:58 pm	Drak	Note Edited: 0038017
May 13, 2014 6:59 pm	Drak	Note Edited: 0038017
May 13, 2014 7:00 pm	Drak	Note Edited: 0038017
May 13, 2014 7:19 pm	windgen	Note Added: 0038019
May 13, 2014 10:19 pm	Drak	Note Added: 0038025
May 13, 2014 10:31 pm	Drak	Note Edited: 0038025
May 13, 2014 10:36 pm	Drak	Note Edited: 0038025
May 13, 2014 10:39 pm	Drak	Note Edited: 0038025
May 13, 2014 10:41 pm	Drak	Note Edited: 0038025
May 13, 2014 10:42 pm	Drak	Note Edited: 0038025
May 13, 2014 10:44 pm	Drak	Note Edited: 0038025
May 13, 2014 10:46 pm	Drak	Note Edited: 0038025
May 13, 2014 10:49 pm	Drak	Note Edited: 0038025
May 13, 2014 10:50 pm	Drak	Note Edited: 0038025
May 13, 2014 11:14 pm	Drak	Note Added: 0038026
May 13, 2014 11:15 pm	Drak	Note Edited: 0038026
May 14, 2014 10:58 pm	Drak	Note Added: 0038089
May 14, 2014 11:12 pm	Drak	Relationship added	related to 0015168
May 15, 2014 2:07 am	Drak	Description Updated
May 15, 2014 2:09 am	Drak	Note Added: 0038102
May 15, 2014 2:11 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0038102
May 15, 2014 2:22 am	Drak	Note Added: 0038104
May 15, 2014 2:23 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0038104
May 15, 2014 4:29 am	Drak	Relationship added	related to 0015158
May 15, 2014 5:42 am	Drak	Note Added: 0038110
May 15, 2014 5:44 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0038110
May 15, 2014 8:51 am	Drak	Note Added: 0038114
May 15, 2014 8:51 am	Drak	Relationship added	related to 0015181
May 15, 2014 8:52 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0038114
May 15, 2014 8:54 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0038114
May 15, 2014 8:55 am	Drak	Note Edited: 0038114
May 15, 2014 5:49 pm	ptarth	Note Added: 0038123
May 15, 2014 5:49 pm	ptarth	Note Edited: 0038123
May 15, 2014 11:02 pm	Drak	Description Updated
May 15, 2014 11:02 pm	Drak	Note Added: 0038129
May 22, 2014 9:39 am	Drak	Note Added: 0038273
May 22, 2014 9:39 am	Drak	Description Updated

View Issue Details

Relationships

Activities

Issue History

related to	0015168	new		Feature: Tactical "Hot Swapping" of weapons and Specials
related to	0015158	resolved	Chris_McElligottPark	Spreadshot is completely useless, many starting ships are now non-viable
related to	0015181	new		DPS not seeming to calculate Correctly
related to	0015021	new		More fire from spreadshot
related to	0015118	new		Flak shells: new weapon idea to replace spreadshot
related to	0015117	new		Gravity Lance, Armor-Piercing very underpowered