New Weapons and Specialized Defenses *Redone!*

[Dman1791]

I've been playing StarMade for a while, and I've noticed that there is very little diversity in weapons and defenses. These are my ideas on weapons and defenses. I will be rating different areas in stars, 1 is horrible/very low and 5 is excellent/very high.

*Note* I do not expect these ideas to be implemented soon, if at all.

Weapons

Kinetic Weapons

Kinetic weapons do increased damage to plating, but less to shields and other energy-based defenses. Normally, they have higher damage but less rate of fire than other weaponry.

Railgun: The most basic kinetic weapon. Fires a large, slow moving projectile. Grouping increases damage and range but decreases rate of fire. (Yes, I know slow makes it unable to be a true railgun, but some people think they shoot lasers... plus it balances things out)

Damage: *** Range: *** RoF: *** Power Usage: **

Artillery Cannon: Meant for large ships. Fires a slow moving, explosive projectile with decent range. Grouping is nearly necessary, as it increases range, damage, and AoE.

Damage: *** Range: *** RoF: ** AoE: ** Power Usage: **

Gatling Cannon: One of the few kinetic weapons better for small ships. Extreme rate of fire and fast projectile speed, but short range and very low damage, as well as slight projectile deviation. Grouping increases damage and range slightly.

Damage: * Range: ** RoF: ***** Power Usage: *

Mass Driver: This is only for the big boys. Fires a large, slow projectile with a small AoE. Without grouping, the Mass Driver has deplorable range and rate of fire. With grouping, rate of fire increases to a slight degree. Damage and range increase, as does AoE. Has an unusually high power usage for kinetic weapons.

Damage: ***** Range *** RoF: * AoE: * Power Usage: ****



Energy Weapons

Energy Weapons have higher energy usage than other weapons, as well as fast projectiles and extra damage to shields and other energy-based defences, but less damage to hulls. They are also more expensive, as they are advanced weapons.

Pulse Laser: Most basic energy weapon. Decent in all catagories. Grouping increases damage and range, as well as projectile speed. Rate of fire decreases. This weapon is flexible, small arrays being fast firing for point defense, with medium-large ones firing slower and acting as primary/secondary batteries on larger ships.

Damage: *** Range: *** RoF: *** Power Usage: ***

Gatling Laser: The counterpart to the Gatling Cannon, this weapon is very similar, but has longer range, faster projectiles, and less projectile deviation. It uses more power, though.

Damage: * Range: *** RoF: ***** Power Usage: **

Ion Cannon: The only energy energy weapon designed specifically for large ships. Has great damage and range, plus a small AoE. It has a chance to disable modules in its AoE for a few seconds, thus being very useful against exposed modules. Grouping increases damage, range, disable duration, and AoE, while decreasing rate of fire.

Damage: **** Range: **** RoF: ** AoE: ** Base Disable Duration: 3 seconds.



Explosives

Missiles are big, slow, explosive weapons. Rockets are small, fast, explosive weapons. Bombs are large projectiles affected by gravity, with high damage and large AoE, and launch downwards. Missiles and rockets gain increased damage and AoE when grouped, as well as projectile speed. Bombs gain damage and AoE when grouped. Explosives do extra damage to plating.

SD-2KB: They are like the normal SD-KB missiles, but they only aim for enemies. They have the exact same values as SD-KB missiles. (Damage, Range, AoE, etc.)

"Hunter" Missiles: These intelligent missiles seek out the nearest ship marked as an enemy, and can predict basic foreward movement. The downside, though, is that these missiles cannot predict direction changes, which can lead to a miss.

Damage: **** Range: **** RoF: ** AoE: *** Power Usage: ***

"Planet Cracker" Missiles: These are basically d1000 missiles, but they move slower and have more damage and splash radius. They have horrible rate of fire if not grouped, unfortunately, so they are mainly for larger ships.

Damage: ***** Range: *** RoF: * AoE: **** Power Usage: ***

Rocket Pod: Fires quick bursts of rockets. Has a large deviation.

Damage: *** Range: *** RoF: **** AoE: ** Power Usage: ***

Homing Rockets: Fires small rockets that home in on whatever you have as a locked target. Less damage and range than SD-BB or Hunter missiles, but faster reload and projectile speed, as well as much faster lock-on. (2 or 3 times faster? Up for argument)

Damage: *** Range: *** RoF: *** AoE: ** Power Usage: ***

High-Explosives Array: Just your average bombs. High damage and good AoE.

Damage: **** Range: * RoF: * AoE: **** Power Usage: *

HEAP (High-Explosive Armor-Piercing) Array: These bombs deal more damage than others, but with a smaller AoE. More of a precision-strike weapon to take out a weapon or power generator.

Damage: ***** Range: * RoF: * AoE: *** Power Usage: *

Cluster-Bomb Array: This weapon releases a single bomb that releases numerous smaller ones before impact. Creates many small craters.

Main Bomb- Damage: N/A Range: * RoF: * AoE: N/A Power Usage: *

Small bombs- Damage: ** Range: N/A RoF: N/A AoE: ** Power Usage: N/A

Piercing Bomb Array: Relases a bomb that tunnels through 3 blocks before detonating. Useful for taking out well-protected systems. Note that the bomb's tunneling effect works when shields are up, just it's reduced to 1 block, and there is no explosion.

Damage: **** Range: * RoF: * AoE: *** Power Usage: *

Nano-Bomb Array: These bombs are launched in threes. Useful for carpet bombing when multiple arrays are used.

Damage: *** Range: * RoF: ** AoE: ** Power Usage: *



Special Weapons

Special weapons have unique effects, while they would also be rarer and more expensive than other weapons (Most of the time).

EMP Cannon: Fires EMP blasts. It only damages shields on impact, but also disables modules hit in its AoE. Grouping increases damage (Still only vs. shields), AoE, and time that modules are disabled. A weapon to be feared.

Damage (Versus shields): *** Range: *** RoF: ** AoE: * Power Usage: ***** Base Disable Duration: 8 seconds.

Plasma Rocket Pod: A weapon that fires bursts of plasma filled rockets. This weapon has very small AoE, and the rockets have a large deviation, but the volume of fire is very good. The rockets leave plasma residue, causing light damage over time on the affected area. Grouping increases the damage, and slightly increases the damage and duration of the residue.

Damage: *** Range: ** RoF: **** AoE: ** Power Usage: *** Residue Damage: * Base Residue Duration: 3 seconds.

SD-EMP: Functions similarly to an SD-BB missile, but instead of dealing damage, it shuts down all modules in its AoE. Grouping increases missile speed, AoE, and duration of the shutdown.

Damage: None. Range: **** RoF: * AoE: *** Power Usage: *** Base Shutdown Duration: 10 seconds





Defenses

Plating

Plating is used for protection against energy weapons, as it uses either reflective material or energy-absorbing material to protect against energy, but kinetic weapons and explosives can destroy these easily.

Mirror Plates: The most basic form of plating. Reflects only small amounts of energy.

HP: ** Defense: **

Webbed Plating: Uses many layers and materials to make a "web" in the plating that defends against energy.

HP: *** Defense: ***

Composite Plates: A mirror plate on top of a webbed plate. Very effective.

HP: **** Defense: ****

Disperser Plating: Energy fired at this type of plating has its damage distributed among all adjacent disperser plates, and is diminished. These are very fragile, though.

HP: ** Defense: *****

Reinforced Plating: This plating has the most HP, but it also is not very good at defending otherwise.

HP: ***** Defense: **



Energy-Based Defenses

Energy-based defenses are used to defend against projectile weapons, like kinetic weapons and explosives. They are weak to energy weapons, however. These add their effects to shields (If there are any), but have their own health. Only two total energy defenses are allowed per ship.

Disruptor: A basic defense. Creates a field around the ship that disrupts incoming non-energy projectiles. Only useful when used in conjunction with defenses that minimise energy damage.

Defense: **

Cancellator: Detects incoming projectiles and creates an energy flow to slow it down, decreasing the damage it deals.

Defense: ***

Heat Projector: Creates a field around a ship (It is 1 or 2 blocks away, actually.) that instantly overheats incoming projectiles, melting or detonating them on contact, removing the powerful impact of kinetic weapons and minimising the explosions from explosives.

Defense: ****

Forcefield: Creates a field of energy that instantly deflects any projectile that hits it. Unfortunately, It can only block three projectiles/100 damage per forcefield block, whichever comes first. CANNOT deflect the projectiles of energy weapons. Only useful when paired with defenses that mitigate energy weapon damage.

Defense: *****



Naming time!

I'm thinking of full names for the weapons, like an SD-BB Missile Array is actually a SchemaDyne Blockade-Buster.

Railgun: SchemaDyne tg 5.2 Magnetic Projectile Accelerator

Artillery Cannon: SchemaDyne fh 1.3 Explosive Projectile Launcher

Gatling Cannon: SchemaDyne rm 8.1 Quick-Firing Weapon System

Mass Driver: SchemaDyne xn 7.8 Magnetic Superprojectile Accelerator

Pulse Laser: SchemaDyne ec 4.7 Repeating Laser Cannon

Gatling Laser: R0GUE 0A Rapid-Fire Laser Cannon

Ion Cannon: SchemaDyne cn 9.2 Ion Projectile Launcher

SD-2KB: SchemaDyne Advanced Heat-Tracking Missiles

Hunter Missiles: R0GUE 0D Smart-Tracking Missiles

Planet-Cracker Missiles: R0GUE 0T Super-Explosive Missiles

Rocket Pod: R0GUE 0B Ambush Rocket System

Homing Rockets: SchemaDyne kt 3.9 Tracking Rocket Weapon System

High-Explosives Array: SchemaDyne hb 6.4 High-Impact Ordinance Deployer

HEAP Array: SchemaDyne da 5.8 Concentrated Blast Ordinance Deployer

Cluster Bomb Array: R0GUE 0E Cluster Bomb System

Piercing Bomb Array: SchemaDyne bp 4.6 Burrowing Bomb Deployer

Nano-Bomb Array: SchemaDyne cb 2.8 Multiple Launch Ordinance System

EMP Cannon: R0GUE 0K Precision EMP Weapon System

Plasma Rocket Pod: R0GUE 0F Plasma Rocket Launch System

SD-EMP: SchemaDyne ep 7.1 Electromagnetic Pulse Missile System

 

[matheus.de.alcantara]

Nice.

 

[matheus.de.alcantara]

If a plasma-based weapon ( that in theory uses heat ) hits a heat field, what happens? The plasma damage gets bigger?
And, for the energy weapons I recommend needing an assembly like so :
Core Block (Makes power for weapon to function) -> Conduits( Pretty self explanatory) -> Barrel Asembly ( This is where the fun happens. The more barrel assemblys the more powerful the weapon burst but the slower the recharge) and EM Accelerators ( Makes the projectile go faster and make the recharge faster ) -> End ( This is where the weapon assembly ends )

 

[Dman1791]

Plasma = Heat, I know. But, the only weapon there that uses plasma is a rocket. The heat field would detonate the rocket early, but the plasma would still be there with the splash damage. And the current weapon system is not multi-stage, so multi stage weapons would seem out of place right now.

 

[Kaamio]

Nice set of ideas, as a whole a bit too complicated (at least given the stato of game atm) but a lot of those ideas could be implemented for good effect. Mainly I\'d say that missiles should be faster across the board, except maybe the big ones meant for capitals, stations and planets.

Defenses were a bit too (in)variable imo, I mean 9 more items on top of regular shields and hulls if I understood right? I\'d say maybe two plating options and cancellator from energy side would do. Maybe if they end up different enough and without obviously best option then yeah, diversity is fine... but often enough people use one or two because others aren\'t as good. Overlapping options in general is bad because something in the group is bound to get redunant.



And because I can\'t resist nitpicking, kinetic energy gains more from velocity than mass so railgun shots tend towards really fast, rather than large. Similarly molten metal has good penetration ability, as utilised in shaped charges so melting down bullets heading towards your ship probably doesn\'t help.

 

[Dman1791]

Molten metal in space likely instantly cools and hardens, thus removing the ability to penetrate effectively. And railguns do not focus on fast, at least not when gravity is not a problem. Railguns are more of high-impact weapons, whereas the gauss gun is more focused on the speed of the projectile. Railguns, when in a vacuum with no gravity, would normally use higher mass, so that gravity is the enemy of what you\'re firing at, as the shot gains speed when caught in the gravity of another ship. Gauss guns are like rail guns, and can be mistaken for them, but they are utilizing the speed rather than mass, like you said, and thus deal more damage. And the molten metal again, I think that space-fairing hulls will be quite heat-resistant. *Cough* Stars *Cough*

 

[Roselina]

If its ok i had a few ideas myself:

Defenses

Flares: Uses core technology to create a decoy ship that missiles can lock onto instead of there normal target. Grouping would increase the attraction radius as well as speed of the projectile along with flight time potentially attracting multiple waves of missiles.

Shield Beams: It may sound odd at first but it can be added to turrets o drone ships that add extra shield regen and recovery time to whatever it hits, the longer the array the further it will fire and wider/taller it is the more it will help recover.

Spaced Armor: It would be a lighter mass kind of armor that uses gravety fields to disperse the impact rather then simply brute force it. It would greatly benefit from small patches rather then a whole wall of it as it can deflect it in patches not straining the whole group.

Automated Repair bots. Can be a new type of AI that is ship or station based that clings to the structure of it and can repair hull damage and even place blocks to fill in missing holes using the blueprint system to return it to a set pattern. Grouping increases bots speed and inventory space for more block recovery but it wont increase the number of them only making a new array will add a new one to the roster with a max of 1 per 1k mass of the ship with a min of 1 per ship should the array exist.

Weapons

Attractor: It aids missile lock on time and help heat seeking missiles to strike there intended target. Grouping would increase there projectile speed, attraction range and lock-on timers, as well as duration of the projectile.

Mine/Turret placer: It would be more difficult to implement but it would be able to be set with ingredients and a small blueprint of set and forget turrets and mines automatically set to turret AI. The largest the grouping the bigger you can make it and stronger the item can be.

Gravity Field generator: IT would produce a small zone around the impact zone that caused things to be attracted to it like a planets gravity field. Grouping changes the diameter and duration of it.

 

[Dman1791]

I don\'t think we need those missile attracting items. Missiles are already weak enough, as the ones that home in are slow, and don\'t deal enough damage to break shields. As for the mines and turrets: Why? The space that that takes up could be used for extra weaponry or defensive items, and The materials used could be put to better use on constructing the other parts of your ship. The shield beams seem kind of poinless, as the space used up by them would probably be better for putting in a weapon or shielding for that ship. Or, they could be overpowered, and provide too much shield regen, thus making it nearly impossible to break a certain ship\'s shields. And things that build drones would be either too computer intensive or useless. I would rather add more weaponry or shielding instead of make a repair drone bay. And the gravity field weapon. Unless it was EXTREMELY powerful gravity, then it woouldn\'t really do much of anything. I think your ideas would be more abstract/debatable and might be better off in a new thread, albeit with more detail.

 

[Kaamio]

Missiles are a serious threat to a smaller ship as is, it doesn\'t take that many hits to bring them down to one hit missile fodder. If missile get the buffs they need, counter measures will be necessary. Shield beams I agree on, most likely they will be either op or useless.



Repair bay would be a good addition, more of a maintenance tool than in combat autorepair. Very much useful should blueprint buying be altered from it\'s current state and actual maintaining of your ship was encouraged.

 

[Roselina]

ok i get what your saying and will probably make my own thread were i sugest some different alternatives to full weapons as most of the items i have in mind tend to be support ones so you can build ships soely tto heal or repair others.

 

[Dman1791]

To me, a repair bay would be more of a dock than a module of a ship. If a ship docks, it is repaired. Undocking stops repairs. As for missiles, they are only deadly to small ships if they have less than 3000 shields, IMO. Smaller ships can avoid AMC blast fairly easily, thus missiles being a more viable option for destroying them. And let\'s keep this thread to the original subject- Weapons and Defenses. I don\'t want any more clutter after this post.

 

[Dman1791]

I\'d like to see more suggestions or ideas on this thread.

EDIT: Seriously, NOBODY has anything more to say?

 

[Pineapple1996]

this idea comes from one of the eve books ive read. its a weapon that when fired/shot/lobbed/or thrown at the enemy begins to turn the enemy ships sheilds agsinst itself. prety much imploding the ship. in the book it was some wacky old alien technologie that a lone little destroyer took out a giant ship that was described to be as big as a planet. however the destroyer that shot the magic cannon took damage from it and had its whole crew killed except the commander. that could be a way to ballance the weapon, a super slow recharge(lets say 5 minutes) and damages your own ship severily. the weapons should also be one of the rarest things in the game and most expensive. say 250 million for the computer and 300 million for the \"barrel\" thingy. however there should be no grouping bonuses and only be alowed to have one \"barrel\" per computer. after firing the magic cannon your ship should not only take extenive damage but also be sheidless and powerless (hypothetically dead) for quiet a while. and maybe if the ship is undeer 500 blocks or has less than 60,000 recharge when it tries to use the weapon it will destroy your ship completly and create a explosin several times larger than your ship.

this is just a idea, please be constructive yours truely- Pineapple

 

[Pineapple1996]

the whole crew was \"killed\" i forgot to put that word in.

 

[Pineapple1996]

never mind, now im just spamming sorry. have a nice day everyone

 

[Dman1791]

It\'s kinda OP. A core with a thruster, power block, and that setup could kill a battlecruiser easily. Essentially a really expensive torpedo. I just think that something like that would make tiny-magic-torpedo-things the best ship there is.

 

[Pineapple1996]

people couldnt due that cause the ship would be to small. there would be power equirments and size requiremnts to \"safely\" operate the weapon ie 60,000 rps or 1000 blocks large. safely as in it may not kill you but will still render your ship un operable ( giant holes in your ship).

 

[Pineapple1996]

power requirments not equipments. sorry

 

[Pineapple1996]

power requirments not equipments. sorry

 

[Dark.Spencer]

i like what your trying to do but it seems a little too RPG for this type of game but yes we do need more types of guns.