Ideas for new weapons - Page 2

Baron Munchausen · #11 July 31st, 2001, 03:06 AM

I'm more than a bit surprised that the old MOO standbys, like Engine Pulsar and Lightning Field have not come up. Surely there is a use in SE combat for a weapon that sprays damage out to all ships surrounding yours?

If the Engine Pulsar were available and could do X number of points per undestroyed engine in a ship you could make them a specialty restricted to "Propulsion Experts" and increase the value of that racial trait. The lightning field would be a really cool artifact tech. Having a "one shot - many kills" weapon to stop missiles would be very powerful, though. It would need some special restrictions to balance it out. Maybe it should be impossible to use it with shields? That opens the possibility of a MOO defense tech being added, too, the damper field. Imagine if there were another racial tech with damper fields, lightning fields, and some special weapon like the "spatial distortion" weapon that the Antareans had. (Similar to Engine Pulsar but not dependent on Engines). That would be a really interesting variation that could through a wrench into lots of strategies that work pretty well right now against the existing AI races.

BTW, the principle of the solar sail as a weapon is logical but awkward. Think of a magnifying glass and bugs on a sidewalk.

It's the same thing. You could be able to focus the sail on something like a huge mirror and do some damage but it would be very large, slow and clumsy. Maybe as a base weapon it would be workable but it would still be very fragile. I guess it'd be best as a long range weapon. (Maybe on the strategic screen?)

[This message has been edited by Baron Munchausen (edited 31 July 2001).]

CW · #12 July 31st, 2001, 05:51 AM

quote:
* An improved solar sail that also functions as a low-power, no-supply-cost weapon.

Try this: You tow it behind your ship, if someone tries to sneak behind you to get a clean shot, aim at the bad guy's engine intake and release it. (okay maybe there is no engine intake, try the missile launch tubes then!) Covering up his bridge with the sail is a good idea too. If it is metallic, you might even affect his sensors!

"Warning: The captain and the gunnery officer can't see anything out the window, and the combat sensors failed due to a large piece of unknown object hanging on the ship. Combat effectiveness seriously reduced."

(edit) Remember to fit a retro-rocket on the solar sail!

[This message has been edited by CW (edited 31 July 2001).]

Saxon · #13 July 31st, 2001, 12:31 PM

Now, this isn�t workable in SE4, but if you use the Solar Sail as a solar oven, focusing the energy, you could have the damage variable, depending on the distance from the nearest star and the star�s strength.

Theoretically, the solar sail doesn�t reflect, it is pushed by the light, so we can not focus light with it, but that shouldn�t stop us. Maybe it is like a reversible sweater!

A more modable weapon would be something that drops something on the map. Right now you can drop mines, but what if you could drop a lot of something an force your opponent to change their movement. Create a barrier that limits the number of enemy who can come at you at once or funnel them into a killing zone.

Puke · #14 August 1st, 2001, 02:01 AM

would it not make better use of energy if it was reflective? I would think that it would gain more forward momemtum if it reflected light back rather than absorbing it.

Krsqk · #15 August 1st, 2001, 09:25 AM

quote:
A more modable weapon would be something that drops something on the map. Right now you can drop mines, but what if you could drop a lot of something an force your opponent to change their movement. Create a barrier that limits the number of enemy who can come at you at once or funnel them into a killing zone.

I was thinking about this the other day. What about a seeker weapon with a speed of zero? You could "fire" (really drop) unlimited mines. Of course, PD would kill them, but that would also make real missile attacks more likely to get through. I haven't tried it yet--no time for another two weeks or so.

I think it'd be nice, though, to have a field of seekers with 600kt resistance sitting out there to use up my enemies PD.

Now, if only you could make them invisible...

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"The Unpronounceable" Krsqk
Basic Tech Mod
--Basic Tech Mod v.75

Puke · #16 August 1st, 2001, 10:16 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Krsqk:

Quote:

A more modable weapon would be something that drops something on the map. Right now you can drop mines, but what if you could drop a lot of something an force your opponent to change their movement. Create a barrier that limits the number of enemy who can come at you at once or funnel them into a killing zone.

I was thinking about this the other day. What about a seeker weapon with a speed of zero? You could "fire" (really drop) unlimited mines. Of course, PD would kill them, but that would also make real missile attacks more likely to get through. I haven't tried it yet--no time for another two weeks or so. I think it'd be nice, though, to have a field of seekers with 600kt resistance sitting out there to use up my enemies PD. Now, if only you could make them invisible...

i think you can move through seekers freely.

Saxon · #17 August 1st, 2001, 12:44 PM

Seekers move at a different stage of combat than ships, so the non-moving seekers would only be a problem if the enemy chose to move into their space. Another idea, but possibly something that is not modable, is a seeker that sits still until a ship comes into striking range, then rapidly shoots across the intervening space to detonate. A fancy magnetic mine. This could get fun, as increased tech levels increase the strike range. If you were used to fighting the old mines and then face some upgraded ones, it could be a nasty surprise.

Puke, the solar sail tech in a bit past me, but my high school physics suggests that something that bounces off would take a lot of it�s energy with it, while something that absorbed it would keep the energy. However, it might get heat energy instead of kinetic energy, so reflection might be better.

In the real world, I heard that a private firm launched a real solar sail near Russia a week or two ago. Can anyone confirm this or am I being made fun of?

Quikngruvn · #18 August 1st, 2001, 08:03 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Saxon:
In the real world, I heard that a private firm launched a real solar sail near Russia a week or two ago. Can anyone confirm this or am I being made fun of?

They attempted to launch one, but it didn't deploy correctly, and the Last thing I heard was that they were trying to decide whether to try another test or go ahead with the real thing.

Quikngruvn

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Ponder this: Scientists already knew that matter is 98% empty space. After they figured out the structure of protons, they determined the remaining 2% is mostly made up of... well, nothing. Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor?

geoschmo · #19 August 1st, 2001, 09:05 PM

quote:
* An improved solar sail that also functions as a low-power, no-supply-cost weapon.

Wrap it around your oponent to restrict his vision and movement, then pummel him into submission. Space combat Version of a "Blanket Party"!

(Anybody who went through basic training will know exactly what I am talking about.)

Geo

[This message has been edited by geoschmo (edited 01 August 2001).]