What does everyone think?

[Valan]

Isn't the point of missiles the fact they don't use power? So for a cloaker missiles are a good choice?

 

[Trafalgar]

They still decloak you when you fire (and you can still recloak immediately).

 

[Sven_The_Slayer]

• I have never used pulsars or even considered experimenting with them, so I would say those are the most useless
• I have a small repair ship that has both a technobeam and energy transfer beams, the beams are not used ever but they add to the overall feel of the ship
• I've attempted to make auxiliary reactors so that means the the power drain beam is useful and I imagine it would make a great anti cloak weapon.
• SD_KB are nice for small solo fighters
• D1000 are great for quick fire and forget strikes
• SD_BB are my favorite missiles. I know they are slow but if you equip them in turrets you don't have to worry about long lock on delays. They just keep on firing as they can and I love seeing swarms of missiles streaking across space in my larger ships that have multiple Ship-to-ship missile launchers. Now that turrets will target other turrets missiles are also a great way to disable turrets because of their weaker shields.

 

[NeonSturm]

That missiles not use power might be a good thing, but not really that useful as long as missiles can't catch fast moving ships.

I can imagine them being useful to fire backwards against ships following you, while your thrusters drain a lot of power, giving you an advantage over the hunter.

But not with their low dps vs shields with their high mass if you want a decent reload.

 

[Unnamed25]

Probably the only time missiles could be useful(Heat seekers) is to quickly destroy a big swarm of drones or destroy enemy turrets on ships, and on D1000's to blow up a big stationary ship.(like the D1000 bomber)
I personally dislike the SD-BBs as they are slow and weak, even if you can lock on ships with them.

 

[Trafalgar]

Slow and weak? Their stats are exactly the same as the other missiles... The real problem with them is that (last time I tried it... which was probably 10 months ago, so it may have changed) locking onto anything moving was impossible.

 

[Unnamed25]

Well, i remmember then being weak and slow last time i used them.

 

[Trafalgar]

Well, if we're being honest, all the missiles are slow and weak - they're just equally slow and weak.

 

[NeonSturm]

AFAIK d1000 have better stats, even if they don't show them and range is more flight time rather than range.

 

[Trafalgar]

What makes you think they have better stats?

 

[CyberTao]

I believe I heard somewheres that D1000 Stats are actually double what the weapon panels says - 3- Due to some missile rebalance awhile ago.

 

[Lt_Duckweed]

Actually the range is the converging distance. At least for the D1000's. If the target is closer than that distance, the missiles will converge on the aiming point like antimattter cannons.

I think.

 

[Trafalgar]

I believe I heard somewheres that D1000 Stats are actually double what the weapon panels says - 3- Due to some missile rebalance awhile ago.

I just tested it by firing a single 9-block D1000 and then a single 9-block SD-BB at a faction module. Neither did any damage to it. Both show their stats as 150 damage.

 

[tn44]

That's unsurprising.
d1000's are faster in multiples, and are infinitely more useful.

 

[MossyStone48]

The most under utilised block in the entire game by far is the Power Tank. This also makes the docking systems and power beams heavily underused.

Spoiler: Boring theory stuff

Used correctly a power bank could be the difference between winning, getting away or having a fresh salvage op on your hands. With the shield/AMC tweak people have begun to realize that power tanks do matter. But now the tanks themselves need some tweaking. I'd like to see more frictionless universes pop up and smart use of power really showcase what newtonian flight dynamics look like. When ships under 150 mass rely on a well built power bank and a single reactor core for emergency power things will get interesting.

Consider this: What is required to stealth a vessel?
Let's use passive stealth as an example.
-Small radar cross section
-Signal scattering surfaces
-Tuned power plant to blend in with the environment

This would be good enough for fooling systems that are expecting you to give yourself away or that search for contacts in a semi-active manner. These systems are inexpensive easy to use and use little power to operate.

Let's up the ante: What is required to cloak a vessel?
This is actively spoofing a concentrated sensor sweep.
-High speed processor to calculate and spoof sensor readings
-Full coverage absorbent and reflective surface
-Specifically redesigned all systems to limit any possible detection

This setup would allow for even tight sweeps to overlook the craft. The are expensive, have huge power draws and are prone to failure. The power plant itself would take more space within the vessel than all other systems combined and hull mass is too great which means little to nothing between your ship and fiery death.

Lastly we have combat situation jamming and spoofing.
If you are forced to use these you are already detected and engaged.
-Decoys like electro magnetic projecting pods, flares and radar scattering chaff
-Active jamming, requiring power draw and sometimes a dedicated cpu
-A pilot aware of space combat tactics and using environment to avoid pursuers.

Useful only if there is a need to have such systems and personnel included. Training a pilot is the greatest expense and the power draw can be much less than cloaking but might divert power from other systems to maintain jamming.

Spoiler: So now it's story time.

Meet NPC Jim. Wave to him, he won't bite. Jim is well liked and a pillar of the community. Oh no, hostile forces threaten his idyllic homeworld. Time to go to war, Jim. After months of exhaustive training and testing Jim is now a hardened killing machine and just a real wiz with those flying dealies. Congrats, Jim! You're a PILOT! Watch as Jim goes out and fights for glory and honor. Watch this unadulterated SAP earn medal after medal for making it home in one piece. Now we see Jim being recruited for BLACKOPS. Oh yeah, it's the big time now! Bring on the booze and women (or men, we won't judge will we?).

Today's the day of the BIG mission. Jim's not nervous. He's confident, he's stalwart and possibly a little hung over. One preflight check and his multi million credit ultra stealth disappear-o-matic ship HD is ready for take off. Good luck, Jim! Look at him go. Off into deep enemy territory to deliver a crushing blow for truth, justice and love. What's the matter, Jim? Wait, there's something wrong? There's something stuck to the hull? Cloaking device failing? Oh no, Jim. You better get out of there!

Here we see Jim 6 months later. He ejected, was captured, tortured and the traded back to his homeworld for a spy that happened to be someone's brother or something. After a brief court martial Jim is dishonorably discharged because his flight tech left a bit of chewing gum under a control surface. Them's the breaks, Jim. But at least you have a loving family to go back to. Seems the wife remarried when the military declared you Killed In Action. She don't want nothing to do with no cold killer. No pension, no honor and a length of rope go a long way! Jim's remains were found by some school kids then turned over to the authorities. His body was cremated, scooped up in a shoebox that was taped shut, catalogued, and is gathering dust on a shelf in a government warehouse. Way to go, HERO!

If only someone had managed to make the power tanks on his ship a little bit more efficient we wouldn't be reminded of this tragedy the next time we go looking for size 10 1/2 sneakers to walk off that holiday weight. Or maybe if a near by vessel's power could have been tapped to keep the malfunctions from happening. Perhaps next time.

 

[Lt_Duckweed]

The most under utilised block in the entire game by far is the Power Tank. This also makes the docking systems and power beams heavily underused.

Spoiler: Boring theory stuff

Used correctly a power bank could be the difference between winning, getting away or having a fresh salvage op on your hands. With the shield/AMC tweak people have begun to realize that power tanks do matter. But now the tanks themselves need some tweaking. I'd like to see more frictionless universes pop up and smart use of power really showcase what newtonian flight dynamics look like. When ships under 150 mass rely on a well built power bank and a single reactor core for emergency power things will get interesting.

Consider this: What is required to stealth a vessel?
Let's use passive stealth as an example.
-Small radar cross section
-Signal scattering surfaces
-Tuned power plant to blend in with the environment

This would be good enough for fooling systems that are expecting you to give yourself away or that search for contacts in a semi-active manner. These systems are inexpensive easy to use and use little power to operate.

Let's up the ante: What is required to cloak a vessel?
This is actively spoofing a concentrated sensor sweep.
-High speed processor to calculate and spoof sensor readings
-Full coverage absorbent and reflective surface
-Specifically redesigned all systems to limit any possible detection

This setup would allow for even tight sweeps to overlook the craft. The are expensive, have huge power draws and are prone to failure. The power plant itself would take more space within the vessel than all other systems combined and hull mass is too great which means little to nothing between your ship and fiery death.

Lastly we have combat situation jamming and spoofing.
If you are forced to use these you are already detected and engaged.
-Decoys like electro magnetic projecting pods, flares and radar scattering chaff
-Active jamming, requiring power draw and sometimes a dedicated cpu
-A pilot aware of space combat tactics and using environment to avoid pursuers.

Useful only if there is a need to have such systems and personnel included. Training a pilot is the greatest expense and the power draw can be much less than cloaking but might divert power from other systems to maintain jamming.

Spoiler: So now it's story time.

Meet NPC Jim. Wave to him, he won't bite. Jim is well liked and a pillar of the community. Oh no, hostile forces threaten his idyllic homeworld. Time to go to war, Jim. After months of exhaustive training and testing Jim is now a hardened killing machine and just a real wiz with those flying dealies. Congrats, Jim! You're a PILOT! Watch as Jim goes out and fights for glory and honor. Watch this unadulterated SAP earn medal after medal for making it home in one piece. Now we see Jim being recruited for BLACKOPS. Oh yeah, it's the big time now! Bring on the booze and women (or men, we won't judge will we?).

Today's the day of the BIG mission. Jim's not nervous. He's confident, he's stalwart and possibly a little hung over. One preflight check and his multi million credit ultra stealth disappear-o-matic ship HD is ready for take off. Good luck, Jim! Look at him go. Off into deep enemy territory to deliver a crushing blow for truth, justice and love. What's the matter, Jim? Wait, there's something wrong? There's something stuck to the hull? Cloaking device failing? Oh no, Jim. You better get out of there!

Here we see Jim 6 months later. He ejected, was captured, tortured and the traded back to his homeworld for a spy that happened to be someone's brother or something. After a brief court martial Jim is dishonorably discharged because his flight tech left a bit of chewing gum under a control surface. Them's the breaks, Jim. But at least you have a loving family to go back to. Seems the wife remarried when the military declared you Killed In Action. She don't want nothing to do with no cold killer. No pension, no honor and a length of rope go a long way! Jim's remains were found by some school kids then turned over to the authorities. His body was cremated, scooped up in a shoebox that was taped shut, catalogued, and is gathering dust on a shelf in a government warehouse. Way to go, HERO!

If only someone had managed to make the power tanks on his ship a little bit more efficient we wouldn't be reminded of this tragedy the next time we go looking for size 10 1/2 sneakers to walk off that holiday weight. Or maybe if a near by vessel's power could have been tapped to keep the malfunctions from happening. Perhaps next time.

What are you talking about? Almost all of my ships have boatloads of powertanks on them. Once I get above ~one million blocks, I have a minimum of one billion power storage.

 

[CyberTao]

But thats sorta what he's saying Duck, that we only use them for Large ships where we cant keep up with regen.

In a sense, he's saying we should make small ships with greater dependence on Power Tanks (for realism), which honestly would be interesting o -o Instead of Limiting DPS and weapons on a RP server, Limit the Amount of regen you can have (would Balance both Large and Small ships)...

WarSong is a Clever fellow in a way o -o

 

[Trafalgar]

If you're planning to attack something that will so overpower any shields you can mount that you might as well omit them, then perhaps it would be efficient to try to add power tanks to fuel a higher DPS, and launch from a cloaked carrier or try to approach out of line of sight of any turrets.

But under 150 mass, you'd have to use hundreds of power tanks to have any noticeable impact on your storage:

If you're trying to fight another comparably-massed fighter, then it's a trickier problem of figuring out who will kill who first (and probably combat testing fighters with different internals against each other). If I were going to guess, I'd expect that omitting shields would just get you core drilled almost immediately (or as soon as the other pilot compensated for the shot travel time), but you could cut down on shields instead and see if the increase in DPS compensates for the reduction in shields or not...

 

[Lt_Duckweed]

But thats sorta what he's saying Duck, that we only use them for Large ships where we cant keep up with regen.

In a sense, he's saying we should make small ships with greater dependence on Power Tanks (for realism), which honestly would be interesting o -o Instead of Limiting DPS and weapons on a RP server, Limit the Amount of regen you can have (would Balance both Large and Small ships)...

WarSong is a Clever fellow in a way o -o

Well I also put power tanks on my 1200 mass corvette. It would not be able to fire it's weapons without them.

 

[NeonSturm]

In a sense, he's saying we should make small ships with greater dependence on Power Tanks (for realism), which honestly would be interesting o -o Instead of Limiting DPS and weapons on a RP server, Limit the Amount of regen you can have (would Balance both Large and Small ships).o

Cloak/Jam is balanced vs full building options. I think everything would have it's own problems, as long as we can not edit the amount of shield or fall-of of asymptotic formulas per server to fit our server style (YOLO ships which fire at each other for hours vs a sniper game with human-like looking ships for example)

If you're trying to fight another comparably-massed fighter, then it's a trickier problem of figuring out who will kill who first (and probably combat testing fighters with different internals against each other). If I were going to guess, I'd expect that omitting shields would just get you core drilled almost immediately (or as soon as the other pilot compensated for the shot travel time), but you could cut down on shields instead and see if the increase in DPS compensates for the reduction in shields or not...

You forgot about evasion.
Small weapons have slower projectiles. Evasion = Speed / Size * (reaction time and projectile flight speed) which is better for small ships and limited by the server's speed limit for big ships.