Dear
schema !
Thank you for your adamant efforts to keep the game up to date, and make it more enjoyable and easier to learn for new players. If done right, this rework may make the learning curve a little less like trying to climb Mt. Everest.
Well here's a proposal to handle the docking power problem.
- Let docked entities inherit all defensive chamber effects from parent entity if they don't have an active reactor system (such as countermeasures, shield boost or armor boost)
- Let the players decide if they want to use an active reactor on their docked entity or use the parent entity's (but make it an either/or, if the docked entity's reactor is online it can in no way get power from the parent entity) Move this setting to the AI settings (checkbox: Always use onboard reactor)
- Make turret swivel speed scale downwards with dimensions and mass just like with ships, but upwards (to a certain cap, like 50%) with additional mass enhancers. This adds to realism as well, and gives the option to builders that if they want anti-fighter turrets, they can make them turn faster through extra enhancers but that costs more space and power.
As for effects on turret weapons, I still kind of need clarification whether the tertiary effects will remain unchanged (only consuming power, not connected to reactor) or weapon effects themselves will be part of the chamber system and consume "tech points" to function. Obviously, the latter needs an active reactor on the entity with the guns to work, or for tech points to be inherited from the parent entity just like power. The third alternative, namely, removing tertiary effects from turrets and docked weapon modules altogether, is not something any of us would want, in my honest opinion.
So what's the battle plan here?
- Leave weapon effects unchanged, and only move defensive and utility effects to the chamber system?
- Move weapon effects to the chamber system, and enable active reactors on turrets to power the weapons and effect chambers?
- Disable reactors on docked entities and let them inherint TP from the parent entity instead, along with power?
- Allow a secondary reactor system on the parent entity to be dedicated to feeding docked entities with power and TP (through connecting to the rails through conduits or something)?
- Disable effects on docked turrets and fixed guns altogether and be done with it?