New Idea for PD

Suicide Junkie · #1 March 14th, 2001, 08:44 PM

Ok Point-defense cannon sounds like a kinetic-kill weapon. So, how about splitting PD into a short range, high damage, kinetic weapon; and a long range, lower damage, energy(beam) weapon.

Ie.
PD Cannons: 50% more damage than now, but limited to range 2, with maybe 3 range at max tech

PD Lasers: half-damage, but extending to range 8.

So, Cannons will defend the ship they're on, while the lasers defend the whole fleet, but less efficiently.

You now have more variety in defensive devices, and have to decide which will be better in each situation.

Daynarr · #2 March 14th, 2001, 11:14 PM

I have by now in my mod (that is FAR from finished) included 3 types of defensive weapons. Point-defense cannons, Point-Defense beams and Defense rockets, which are researched in exactly that order. They are working like charm by will need some heavy tweaking to improve balance.

Possum · #3 March 14th, 2001, 11:20 PM

I at one point created a component called PD flechettes. It was a one-use-per-combat component with a strength of 100 and a range of 1.

It was supposed to repersent a cheap one-shot final protective measure, consisting of carbon-fiber flechettes fired from an explosive strip or pad. This was for my first shot at modding SE4; I was playing with a Polymer Tech Racial Trait.
(ph34r the pLastic possum people!)

Tampa_Gamer · #4 March 15th, 2001, 12:43 AM

Daynarr - how did you resolve the issue with defense rockets (i.e. seekers) not going after other seekers? I tried to Mod this back in December (by using the PD ability on a small Version of the capital ships missile)and it would not work. Perhaps MM has improved the code since then?

AJC · #5 March 15th, 2001, 01:34 AM

PDC used to do more damage in the early Versions, about 20 pts more per level- but it was too much damage and fighters and seekers were constantly wiped out and never made it to target. IMO - They are pretty balanced now. Adding more types of PD would be nice touch but I dont think they are necessary for the game. When making more point defense weapons I would suggest keeping a reign on the amount of damage they do. Keep them around the same level as the current PDC - but maybe increase ranges and such for the different weapon types.

Daynarr · #6 March 15th, 2001, 02:48 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Tampa_Gamer:
Daynarr - how did you resolve the issue with defense rockets (i.e. seekers) not going after other seekers? I tried to Mod this back in December (by using the PD ability on a small Version of the capital ships missile)and it would not work. Perhaps MM has improved the code since then?

I didn't resolve it. I just make them fire like torpedoes, fire every 2 rounds and do more damage and have longer range (up to 8 spaces). I was doing this before 1.19 Version (I think it was 1.11) and haven't touched it ever since.

gforce · #7 March 15th, 2001, 09:26 AM

I was looking at a different type of point defense using the repulser weapon. The point defense repulser would fire when ships closed on your position. This would be a good defense against rammers as well as some shorter range weapons. Don't know if it is feasible to design this type of weapon, but I may try.

For those who have played Star Fleet Battles, I think it would be interesting to see if the Andromedans with their tractor-repulsors and power absorbers could be designed into SEIV.

Seawolf · #8 March 15th, 2001, 04:14 PM

SFB SFB SFB!!!!! SOmeone else has played that game YEAH!!!!!!!!.

Anyway creating the Andromadiens would be fairly easy here. You got the emissive armor which could be modified for PA panals, the tractor repulsor is just a weapon that does damage. You got the displacment device under temporal tech tree, so it could be done.

(Fear I remembered all this without looking at a SFB book!! I old)

------------------
Seawolf on the prowl

DirectorTsaarx · #9 March 15th, 2001, 04:23 PM

quote:
Originally posted by gforce:
I was looking at a different type of point defense using the repulser weapon. The point defense repulser would fire when ships closed on your position. This would be a good defense against rammers as well as some shorter range weapons. Don't know if it is feasible to design this type of weapon, but I may try.

Unfortunately, enemy ships don't trigger the PD firing. Or at least it didn't as of 1.19, and I don't think MM has changed it since then either. But it's a good idea: pushing the seekers away may force them to use enough fuel to use up their range...

quote:
Originally posted by gforce:
For those who have played Star Fleet Battles, I think it would be interesting to see if the Andromedans with their tractor-repulsors and power absorbers could be designed into SEIV.

Yeah, I liked those power absorbers. I think they also had a Version of the wormhole beam, which they could use to either launch their "fighters" (really small ships) or to randomly move enemy vessels.

Anyway, Crystalline armor works somewhat like the power absorbers; at least as much as it needs to in SE4. IIRC, the power absorbers transformed damage into power that could be used by the ship to power engines, weapons, etc. SE4 doesn't bother with power allocation, so dumping damage into shields is about as close as you can get. I think you could also dump energy from the power absorbers directly into space, kinda like Emissive Armor in SE4. So maybe combine Crystalline Armor and Emissive Armor to make the Power Absorbers?

As for T-R beams, there's something called a "Graviton Beam" at the end of the Tractor/Repulser Weapon tech area. It only goes on fighters, but you could probably design a larger Version for ships that would have the "feel" of the T-R beam. I wonder if it's possible to do multiple kinds of damage with one weapon (e.g., actual damage plus "push" or "pull"... hmmmm....).

DirectorTsaarx · #10 March 15th, 2001, 04:26 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Seawolf:
SFB SFB SFB!!!!! SOmeone else has played that game YEAH!!!!!!!!.

Anyway creating the Andromadiens would be fairly easy here. You got the emissive armor which could be modified for PA panals, the tractor repulsor is just a weapon that does damage. You got the displacment device under temporal tech tree, so it could be done.

(Fear I remembered all this without looking at a SFB book!! I old)

Heh. Simultaneous post about the Andromedans. Thanks for the reminder about what they called the Wormhole Beam (Displacement Device - can't believe I forgot that term).

BTW - SFB is the reason I failed out of my first year of college.

Fortunately, I got my act together after that and eventually graduated magna cum laude.

But I never played SFB again (mainly because I couldn't find any opponents).