Plasma Torps

[vostok]

Im new to the game so keep that in mind;
I agree that plasma torps are rather ineffective vs. CSMs; maybe they need a second ability, say 2x to shields (or maybe armor), or perhaps be a 'phased' torpedo.

[Possum]

Seems to me that the obvious solution would be to make them cheaper

[DirectorTsaarx]

The "real-world" explanation for why plasma torps lose energy during transit, and missiles don't, is probably that MM was following the precedent set by Star Fleet Battles.

The only reason I've ever used plasma torps is the extra speed. If you do it right, the enemy has fewer chances to fire Point-Defense at the plasma torp than they would a missile.

Another way to improve Plasma Torps would be giving them better damage resistance, so that PDC have less effect. Or give them a defensive bonus, so PDC don't always hit...

[Suicide Junkie]

Cheaper missiles would not be an incentive to use plasma missiles.

When was the Last lime you considered cost when adding weapons to your ship???

The three things that determine battle power are:
-Size
-Damage
-Fire rate

Take damage divided by size divided by fire rate, and you get the strength of a weapon. The higher the better.

Smaller considerations include:
-Range
-Inherent accuracy bonus/penalties
-Cost

For the most powerful warship, maximize the value of (Hitpoints X AttackPower) where hitpoints includes armor and shields, and attackpower is the damage per turn you can maintain during battle.


Now, all you have to do is balance your "face-to-face" slugging power with your underhanded sneaky weapons & defences such as engine disruptors & such.


Anyways, weapons should have a strength (as calculated above) close to that of other weapons, unless they have a specific advantage/disadvantage to counter the altered power.

eg. Long range beams like WMGs have poor attack strength, but have long range.
Ripper beams have higher-than-average attack strength, but are limited to very short range.

[Pulaski]

Sorry if this is a newbie question, but: is it possible to have a weapon that does no damage at close range then damage at a specific range, or increasing damage as range increases?
Might make for more intersting use of things like the plasma torpedo

[DirectorTsaarx]

quote:

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Originally posted by Pulaski:
Sorry if this is a newbie question, but: is it possible to have a weapon that does no damage at close range then damage at a specific range, or increasing damage as range increases?
Might make for more intersting use of things like the plasma torpedo

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Yes. HOWEVER, there are a few potential problems. Some are minor, and might be worth it just to keep the game interesting; but there's at least one major problem with it.

One, accuracy decreases with range for direct-fire weapons. This means you're trading accuracy for damage. Not a major problem, and certainly would make life interesting.

Two, for seeking weapons, you have little (if any) control over when the seeker hits, so if the enemy is rushing your ships, the seeker may hit too early and do no damage. Again, not a major problem, and certainly would make life interesting.

Three, (and this is the REAL problem) this would wreak havoc on the various combat strategies. So the AI would have a difficult time using such a weapon, and humans would probably be stuck using tactical to resolve battles involving that weapon.

So, while it's technically possible, and certainly interesting, that third problem I listed would make it difficult to integrate into the game.

[Baron Munchausen]

quote:

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Originally posted by vostok:
Im new to the game so keep that in mind;
I agree that plasma torps are rather ineffective vs. CSMs; maybe they need a second ability, say 2x to shields (or maybe armor), or perhaps be a 'phased' torpedo.

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Or edit the damage to only drop every OTHER square of distance. Or increase the fire rate to 2. Or make them faster. They move at speed 8 in my games. Not easy to escape unless you are a fighter. I've considered making them fire faster, but the races that use them seem to be doing quite well with the decreased range attenuation and increased speed. The Toltayan are now almost always a major power in any game which they get entered into.