UncleDave: Pretty cool. I like it. Something like the ESG that the Lyrans use in SFB.

45/s is pretty low considering that most people will just activate it just before hitting something and turn it off immediately after doing so. It would probably be better if it had a charge time, like 1-2s, before it became active. The 1/4 collision damage is probably more significant than the x5 collision damage to opponents. I'm not sure why something that protects from physical blows should be of particular usage versus energy weapons. You will also need to define specifically what 'energy' means. Which weapons count as 'energy'? 30% may be a little excessive, how about 20%? Wouldn't it be better if it protected from collisions that it also protected from collisions with solid munitions rather than energy?

I've been thinking for some time about breaking weapons into three classes according to the damage type that they do. Later, this would give us the ability to develope neat gizmos (like your Positron Field) that gave extra protection versus a certain weapons subset.

Explosive: Plasma Cannons, Charged Cannons, Rockets, Missiles, Torpedoes, Prox Mines.
Peircing: Railguns, Gauss Cannons, Gatlings
Energy: Ions, Phased, Tachyons, Gravitons, Lightning Mines.

See #46, #97, and #98 on my toys list. I'd rather your 'positron field' (name might need to be changed) protect versus peircing if it also provides protection from collisions, or if it is to protect versus energy it shouldn't protect from collisions but should instead be a 5m bubble that appears around the ship.

Yes! A ramming weapon would be wonderful! I loved it in the Frozen Heart TC for EVO... :P

BTW, Celbrim, I've got the first episode (the 2 hour one) of Dark Angel sitting in the living room. :D

darn , I thought you said you had the girl from dark angel sitting in the living room :D

I would have been there som fast :D

cheers

No, I do not have Jessica Alba in my living room! :P Oookay... Back on topic... Maybe some kind of minefield creator? Like you fire it while in a minelayer ship, and your ship goes into autopilot, laying a specified minefield. It'd be even cooler if there were mines that would move into the position of exploded ones, 'repairing' the minefield. Like what the army's working on now...

For the autominefield: If you just dropped a BIG mine and it exploded into 16 little mines that made a 4x4 minefield? Mmmm... /me remembers minefields in Homeworld.

Ooo... Cluster mine... *drool* Ooo... How about the equivalent of a squid's ink? A back-firing (no, I don't mean it blows itself up. :P) weapon that releases a black cloud that jams radar. Make it really cheap, and it'd be great for helping traders get pirates off of them.

"Ooo... How about the equivalent of a squid's ink? A back-firing (no, I don't mean it blows itself up. :P) weapon that releases a black cloud that jams radar. Make it really cheap, and it'd be great for helping traders get pirates off of them."

#67 Smoke Mine, up above.

A cluster mine would be pretty cool.

Well, the idea was bound to come up sooner or later.

Cluster missle, youf ire it, it comes within 300m of the target and it collapses, sending several mini missles, that are much quicker and nimble, to the target intially easy to avoid but then turns into something that is really annoying to avoid, and it won't launch if you are within 350m of the target because the danger that the blast it creates when launching the mini missles is too strong of a blast.

Sorry, Celebrim, I didn't read the original post (I think I'll print the thread out and read it in bed after school's out)... Consider that an agreement for the smoke mine, then. :D SL, I recall discussing the "boids" missile a while ago... The problem was, all the submunitions would make for lagginess from heck...
Edit: 21 pages... Yeesh... :P

Hmmm... Does the server handle rockets a lot more easily than missiles? A cluster rocket would be really cool. I love firing 'flare spreads... >:D

Rockets are probably easier on everyone 'cause no one needs to do the guidance calculations.

Or have an advanced ECM system that makes some missiles (those with less sophisticated guidance systems) double back and lock on to the original launcher. Muahahahaha.

Electron flux pod (L)

Range: 65m
Speed: 500m/s
Damage: 1200/s
Energy usage: 45/s

This weapon fires automatically at any target in range, and wont miss. Ideal for protecting a bomber at the cost of a large port and considerable energy usage. This is basically to stop light, agile fighters from engaging into dogfights with bombers, and presents a psychological barrier to anybody trying to tackle a bomber. Then, there could be...

Advanced electron flux chamber (XL)

Range: 300m
Speed: 700m/s
Damage: 1800/s
Energy usage: 75/s

Similar effects, but better for transport/carrier class frigates.

ECM is tricky... I dont think that a single ECM weapon should instantly disarm all warheads/rockets/missiles in the area... sooooooooooooooo why not make it scramble the guidance system in homing missiles, and have a separate radial flare weapon to explode rockets within 250m or so at a very large cost of energy?

Wait... You want a 100% hit ratio weapon that does 1200damage per second and can fire for more than 10 seconds? I know, 65m isn't a lot. But 100%... And then you want one that has a rnage of 300m with the same effects? Can you imagine ANYONE trying to attack a frigate if it had 100% hit guns that fired at 700m/s (which, I've seen 700m/s weapons, is REALLY fast)? I think you need to tone down that part.

Possibly. But im talking an XL port here. As in you get like one per capital ship. And the L port one isnt actually that strong, if you think about it- just stops infighting at the cost of a big gun.

When we get exploring, I want to be able to steal maps. Maybe if you could damage and dock with a ship, you could steal their maps. Or you could demand it and threaten to destroy the ship. Or maybe a console hacking interface... Mmm...
/me imagines...
"nmap Bank(Vault)
sshnuke Bank(Vault)
...
MAP DATA DOWNLOADED
..."

How about a way to get on a transport that will carry you and a ship between sectors for a fee. Much, much faster than you ship could do normally. They would need to ban you from carrying cargo onto the transport though. It isn't very useful now, but once the universe gets bigger, your almost sure to need it.

The as a player explores more, their ships log or something should draw out a big galactic map of sectors and stations and hidden wormholes. Explorers could then sell their map data to people looking for new trade routes etc. Not to mention it just makes thigs easier for us.

Bump for the toys thread.

IMO, a cloaking device should NOT render you invisible- just cut radar detection from other ships by, say, half, and you wouldnt appear on the In Sector list. At the cost of about 5 extra battery drain (mounts up while turboing or in combat) and an S port.

Then it's not cloaking, it's radar jamming.