Support Weapon: Effect Field Generator

[Koloss_Meshuggah]

I have an idea for an AOE support system/weapon. This system could cause buffs to all allied ships within a certain distance based on effect modules slaved to it. It would basically work like having defensive effect moduals on each ship, but instead the moduals would be on one ship and be "emitted" to the others. For example a carrier can "emit" the ion effect and buff it's drones' shields.


I don't know how this would work as a weapon against enemy ships, there are no "status effects" implemented in the game right now except for the stop effect. It can't be used to deal damage, damage has to happen to specific blocks on the enemy ship, the only way this could work is if the weapon shot hundreds of rays in all directions. This can't happen for performance reasons and it would ruin the proximity nature of it.

The game keeps track of your distance from other objects around you and displays it on the nav diamond, I don't see why the game can't use this info to calculate interactions between entities, such as this AOE idea. As far as I know isn't this how shops work ? Alternatively the effects could work on entities within the same sector, so no distance or hit-boxes need to be calculated.

I know it may sound boring sitting there like a radioactive potato giving out buffs and nerfs to everyone else, but hey it's another feature. Starmade's combat is a bit shallow and it needs more complexity. It gives you another button to press while you point and click.

Yes, this is inspired by Eve Online, I've been reading the wiki all day and I came across "phenomena generators" which basically work this way.

 

[Sachys]

It could maybe work in the manner that inhibitors do - though I would think there would have to be some faction restriction on the field.

 

[jayman38]

I agree with this suggestion. It's very much in line with some scifi scenarios that I've seen.

The power draw should be debilitating, and as it is a chamber effect, should be a temporary buff. Maybe the chamber could double as "capacitor", and charge up from excess ship energy, and then use up the entire charge over the time period that the chamber is operating, buffing ships around it. If it still seems overpowered, maybe add additional rules, such as pausing the power output of the support ship: no new E's generated; your existing systems drain your e storage while this buff is in operation. Need more nerfs on the support ship? Drain the FTL engines. Drain the shields. Turn off guns and missiles. For fun? Dim light blocks. When we get sounds back in the game, add a signature throbbing hum.