Forums » Suggestions

General Usage Ports

Jul 09, 2009 hoov456 link
(courtisy of astib)

I am even missing another, quite logical upgrade stuff, like some non-combat devices available without need to fill combat slots.

For example, the mineral scanner. It can be simply put to ship without combat slot. There could be "General Usage Slots" which can serve as space for various devices like mining equipment, scanning equipment, or even more cargo holders (following turret idea), etc.
Each ship should be equipped with at least one GUS. Each filled GUS will have impact on ship acceleration, etc...

(also from astib)

--- Engines ---
I do agree with Incarnate in point that many engines to all vessels is too general
approach.
Vessels specific engine upgrades can be more feasible. I don't think this is something
with high priority, so I am just looking forward to it ;-)

--- GUS ---

Ok, I would like to suggest to put General Usage Slots (GUS) in the following way:

Light:
-----
EC - 2x GUS
Centurion 2x GUS
Vulture 1x GUS - i think hull of Vulture can't hold more
Raptor 2x GUS

Medium
-------
Warthog 2x GUS
Hornet 3x GUS
Revenant 3x GUS
Atlas 3x GUS

Heavy
-----
Centaur 3x GUS
Ragnarok 3x GUS
Behemoth 4x GUS

Optionally:
Each filled GUS will increase mass, decrease turbo energy and turbo speed by precisely
defined fraction for all vessels. I don't know how difficult regarding game physics
this can be, reffering the reply from Incarnate. I hope there is the way, nonetheless.

I can imagine devices that:

* do improvements of navigation (radar extenders, etc)
* are holding mining stuff beams, scanners (prev. point)
* are holding cargo devices (cooling dev, life-support for live cargo, ...)
* (anti)spying devices (inventory scanner -- 4 from 5 pirates are missing that)

In the future non-weapon combat devices:
* shield generators, and other passive combat devices
* cloaking devices (heh, prob. won't be ever in any form)
* signaturing missiles (targeting device for future use, which mark/stamp something)

It seems at first sight that so many GUSes is too much, but I suppose that creating
possibility to fill vessels with various sci-fi devices will create "market" for new device
types. Currently, only few devices do exist, basicaly limited to just essential
ones, because they can't be used too much.
Advantage is that once implemented, effect is multiplied with each new device,
not wasting time of developers...

Hopefully I was not boring, but at least in small way useful.
Jul 10, 2009 astib link
Credits to hoov456: he moved this idea in its' own thread, which it hopefully deserves :-)
Moreover, he suggested to split GUS into small and Large ones. That sounds as a good idea, it can ease migration from non-weapon devices of particular size to its appropriate GUS and can give more possibilities.

Maybe a good idea as well is possibility to "fit" small devices into large GUS (this is *NOT* IMHO a good idea for weapons, only for non-weapon devices we are discussing here).

So modified small and large GUS table (Small+Large):
/where small devices can fit large GUS/

EC - 1+1 GUS
Centurion 2+0 GUS
Vulture 1+0 GUS - i think hull of Vulture can't hold more
Raptor 1+1 GUS

Medium
-------
Warthog 1+1 GUS
Hornet 2+1 GUS
Revenant 1+1 GUS
Atlas 1+2 GUS

Heavy
-----
Centaur 1+2 GUS
Ragnarok 1+2 GUS
Behemoth 1+3 GUS

[EDIT] hoov456: just a cosmetic note... can you please rename thread (if it is possible) to General Usage Slots? I have "GUS" in all texts already prepared :)
Jul 10, 2009 hoov456 link
sorry astib it doesn't let me rename it.
Jul 10, 2009 Dr. Lecter link
Nooblets should try following the command of the PLEASE READ PRIOR TO POSTING A SUGGESTION! thread. Not that there's nothing new here, but all of this has been discussed before and you should take these prior evaluations and ideas into account BEFORE posting your OH SO NOVEL scheme: for example, http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/3/1494
Jul 10, 2009 astib link
Hey, ok. Maybe it is not something greatly super-new. But I could this put into category "essentials" rather than "toys". Maybe I would stop talking after someone kindly direct me to shut up, because in "Suggestions" forum topic is already everything spoken and all needed features in game implemented and the other ones are just "toys".

So if here is someone, who can tell me if this has a chance to get in or not, well thats ok. But up to now I got the silence. I know, devs have other duties than read all this mess around frequently. I do understand and will gladly wait. But in mean time I will sharpen my ideas, in a hope they won't be wasted. My opinion is that GUSes should be in the game, because:

* they bring possibilities to devs and players
* except their development, GUSes alone don't affect game balance

I have red briefly content linked in your reply. I thank you, honestly, I didn't read it before. OK, shame on me. But what I can't see there is some reaction from someone competent. Ok, there is quite a bunch of ideas some bad, some good. They are unstructured and some maybe not thought until their final consequences. But unless someone say no-go for something you can hardly blame peeps including me they are chatting/suggesting all over.

Just nooblets' humble thoughts. And without offence, Dr. Lecter.
Jul 10, 2009 Dr. Lecter link
Dude, just read the Goddamn prior discussions before posting. I'm not saying "don't post," and I'm not saying I dislike or disagree with most of the ideas you've set forth. Just don't be aggressively ignorant--it's obnoxious, particularly where there's a BIG ADMONITION ( http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/3/7692 ) not to do so.

except their development, GUSes alone don't affect game balance
Um, unless they're purely to make the ship look pretty, you have a pretty useless definition of "balance."
Jul 10, 2009 astib link
Dr. Lecter,
I reacted quite excited (now I am regretting that), so please accept my apologies if there is something obnoxious.

To be constructive:
Tomorrow I will do my homework and read the stuff completely, putting links to similar concepts if I find any. Maybe I can pick the best and put it together....

Regarding my definition of balance: GUSes are not to make ship pretty, but able hold non-weapon devices without cost of wasting weapon ports.
When VO will come with GUSes, it will cost at that moment nothing. In VO, there are already few devices that can be put there. For example mineral scanner, radar extender, etc. Moving them to GUS, you don't loose current balance, if you don't mind fully armed players scanning asteroids.

There is another reason why I think GUSes are good idea. I think that energy shield currently unavailable cannot come at once to all ships. It must come as the "invention", some upgrade to each separate vessel. That is currently doable only putting "shields" to weapon slot, bat slot, or class specific Mk. upgrade.
GUS can solve that problem very easily. GUS is intended to be "USB" for VO vessel.
Jul 10, 2009 Dr. Lecter link
Moving them to GUS, you don't loose current balance

Did you just assert that not having to sacrifice a weapon port in order to mount a radar extender won't alter game balance? I suppose that would be true . . . if pirates in storms were already mounting all the radar extenders and weapons that they wanted AND still had empty weapon ports. Hint: they don't do that.

Also, riddle me this: if a miner currently has to pick just two of (1) weapon, (2) scanner, and (3) mining beams, and your suggestion will let the miner mount all three at once, will that alter game balance? Not having to sacrifice being fully armed in order to also be able to scan asteroids is a pretty big deal, both for people who want to scan asteroids and for people who want to shoot people who are scanning asteroids.

Limited choice in capability is a huge issue in balance. Just food for thought.
Jul 10, 2009 astib link
Good points!

Regarding radar extender:
Currently it is usable only by pirates, IMHO. I can't imagine normal human being except a pirate, who sacrifices weapon slot, to be less vulnerable in such specific conditions, as the ion storm is, in exchange of one actively defending weapon in all conditions.
Ion storm pirate has option to run ragnarok or something, where is enough slots. Less maneuverability is balanced by storm visibility.
Having GUS, all pirates and traders have an option to equip that w/o too much of stress. So balance w/ GUS is better. IMHO.

Regarding armed miner:
Mining beams probably need to be on weapon slots. I tend to agree with you.
GUS are, how I imagine them, several universal slots mostly INSIDE of the ship, near the computer, as it is more or less computers peripheral.

Scanners are typical devices for GUS. So this device probably won't go to weap-slot.
Will break this the balance? Depends rather on the game-design intention, on authors. How they want mining would look like? Lonely nerdy miners or highly organized team-work full of escorts and special roles? I guess both should be possible. I have more to say about this, but currently running out of batteries (don't have fast charges ;-).
Jul 10, 2009 PaKettle link
Um If theres a lot of storms then they help on escorts
Jul 11, 2009 hoov456 link
This is a great idea but I simply think that there needs to be some more content. things such as modules that use small amouts of energy (maybe 10 for the smallest) and repair your ship until you run out of energy or disengage it. I also think that a good add-on would be either a cloaking device (again slowly eating up energy) or a radar jammer. if you would like to see a full readout just tell me.
Jul 11, 2009 astib link
I am still digging through all the stuff already written, as Dr. Lecter asked. He is right, there is lot of ideas already spoken, including cloaking devices, radar stuff, weapons, shields, even bizarre things like sub-space trek technologies.
Hoov456, thanks, but similarly like you, I have as well plethora of various ideas, GUS is a beginning. Just wait day or so, I will get through already told, and put in separate thread "GUS devices" sane devices from "toys" thread + ideas of mine and you.
As I said, I would like to have for it separate thread, this is general GUS idea. I would like to have it that way, if you don't mind. Top of the discussion will be summary text by me, linking them to particular topic reply.