- Joined
- Jan 1, 2015
- Messages
- 923
- Reaction score
- 292
I would like to build and fly ships which others find attractive to look at, that are believably interesting. I would like to be able to play on a 'roleplaying' server where the look of a ship is paramount. However the actual game mechanics actively deter me from doing so, and unnecessarily so.
The bottom line is that big, heavy ships are absolutely no fun to fly. Their acceleration is abysmal and they turn so slowly it is downright painful. Beautiful 'roleplaying' ships require significantly larger amounts of both size and mass to build than ships built without such regard, and so the roleplaying ships are slower and turn much more sluggishly than for instance, a 'battle cube'. (A cube contains the most volume for the least amount of hull armor, another reason for which the existing game mechanics reward such building.)
I propose two very easy to implement changes to address this. Make turn rate much less dependent on size and much more dependent on mass. This will partially remove the disincentive to including the space required for beautiful builds. The other crucial change is to make decorative blocks, those blocks that have no other function on a ship other than making it pretty, have zero or otherwise extremely low mass. I should not be forced to accept less enjoyment from flying a ship in order to make it nice to look at.
Crucially; basic hull, not the armored versions, should have it's mass reduced to near zero and it's HP value similarly reduced. It's function aught to be to create shapes and colors, not to turn your ship into a slugboat.
In short, blocks that contribute to the combat power of a ship should continue to do as they do, add mass, making the ship harder to fly and less responsive. This is necessary to balance their power. It is NOT necessary to do the same for construction that does NOT add to combat power.
As things stand now, you want the maximum amount of ship in the least amount of volume, as volume directly translates into reduced maneuverability. You also want the maximum amount of ship volume covered by the least amount of hull mass, so as to protect the most with the least armor. In a game that allows for random PvP (griefing), to fly around in anything not designed for maximum combat power is just begging for ruined days.
Yes, your 50K mass roleplaying ship is tough, but it is nowhere near as tough as a 50K mass battle cube. This must change.
The bottom line is that big, heavy ships are absolutely no fun to fly. Their acceleration is abysmal and they turn so slowly it is downright painful. Beautiful 'roleplaying' ships require significantly larger amounts of both size and mass to build than ships built without such regard, and so the roleplaying ships are slower and turn much more sluggishly than for instance, a 'battle cube'. (A cube contains the most volume for the least amount of hull armor, another reason for which the existing game mechanics reward such building.)
I propose two very easy to implement changes to address this. Make turn rate much less dependent on size and much more dependent on mass. This will partially remove the disincentive to including the space required for beautiful builds. The other crucial change is to make decorative blocks, those blocks that have no other function on a ship other than making it pretty, have zero or otherwise extremely low mass. I should not be forced to accept less enjoyment from flying a ship in order to make it nice to look at.
Crucially; basic hull, not the armored versions, should have it's mass reduced to near zero and it's HP value similarly reduced. It's function aught to be to create shapes and colors, not to turn your ship into a slugboat.
In short, blocks that contribute to the combat power of a ship should continue to do as they do, add mass, making the ship harder to fly and less responsive. This is necessary to balance their power. It is NOT necessary to do the same for construction that does NOT add to combat power.
As things stand now, you want the maximum amount of ship in the least amount of volume, as volume directly translates into reduced maneuverability. You also want the maximum amount of ship volume covered by the least amount of hull mass, so as to protect the most with the least armor. In a game that allows for random PvP (griefing), to fly around in anything not designed for maximum combat power is just begging for ruined days.
Yes, your 50K mass roleplaying ship is tough, but it is nowhere near as tough as a 50K mass battle cube. This must change.
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) into account. But a lot of what goes on seems silly to me, though I realize it is all intended for balance, I don't think balance and sandboxes really go together very smoothly.
