Screw the spikes (for those who were confused by the title, someone had suggested giving the new Valkyrie X-1 ramming hull spikes).

Let's see a beam weapon in their place: medium mass, 800kg a piece or so; beam width, plasma burst diameter; beam length, obviously the second most contentious issue, I'd say 50m; damage, low, around 500 per full second of contact; drain, low, maybe 20 per second.

No auto aim, no beam movement... just a lance. Tweak stats as necessary... I'd say sacrifice damage and, to a lesser extent, drain (1) and length, to gain less mass. But the concept would add a whole new dimension to the light fighter equasion. The valk's triangle port configuration would yield a powerful rig.

Can we say knife-fight? =D

(1): even better, have the energy drain and the beam strength (as measured in damage per full second of contact) vary in direct proportion... a low drain, low damage setting that can be ramped up to full drain, full damage mode.

[Edit] An L port variant would be nice, too. Larger mass, drain, damage and length, all proportional to the S-port variant, by maybe 10-15%. Warthog? Lightsaber? BOTH!

I don't understand the title...

But I like the idea of mining beam like weapons...

so... like...a jedi sword at the end of a ship?

uc got it dead on. No parrying though.

Can you say... Thunderhead Lance?

Interesting concept, not unlike one I suggested for capital ships. I'm all for it. It'd stop those pesky valk jocks wingbugging my vulture.

Edit: I just imagined an IBG or Rev C wielding two of those. The horror. But still very interesting. I'd like to see them happening.

I would totally use a ramming lance.

I considered that horror, Tosh; as you may know I hate those tin cans more than aything else. Ever.

But if they have two of these, they can't actually shoot you. So just break distance, back up, and blast the little bastard. It wouldn't be like they could just sit there dodging and then suddenly hit you. 50m is awfuly close.

That'd be a really fun weapon! 50m range would make close up in your face combat more prevalent again (as it used to be. I miss you blak!)

Good point Dr. Lecter, I also thought of it. They are actually quite balanced, the way I see it now. Even more reason to introduce them, an automagically balanced weapon (well, sort of...).

Suggestion for another variant: s-port, but slightly longer range, say, 75 or 85m instead of 50, but drastically reduced damage and higher drain. So, 75-85m range, 180-250au/s damage, drain 30eu/s. I think you know where I'm going, long and short swords.

I kinda like it, except that slash tactics only rarely work at close range now, because the faster you "slash", the larger the gaps between shots. My worry is that close range fights would just become uninteresting, pretty much just...

Get in close, slash, slash, game over.

That brought up thoughts of the Zelda slashing motion...

Shape: That would not be unlike swordfights using japanese swords, I think, and i can think of worse things.

Addendum: Has anyone here played Gears of War, how they balanced the chainsaw? A similar (but by no means identical) system could be used here.

Yes. Problem is that was automated if you got close enough and din't get hit.

So it'll be like a mining beam, i.e. always hit as long as you're in the very short range and have it "reved"?

Sweet christ, can you read Erik? It's an unwavering, laser-straight 50m out the port it's placed in. No movement: you have to hit the target with it by ramming.

or funky hip movements

Yeah, but tosh, there's BLOCKING in japanese sword fights...

I want a flame thrower. a plume of flame 100m long. it doesn't do any damage but it ruins all paint jobs, turning the ship an ash grey...

Shape: Sort of, although 'blocking' might not be the correct term, since you invariably damage the blade if you block with the edge against the other edge, or with your blade's back against the other edge. The only block I know and have seen executed was that you swat aside the opponent's sword, your blade's back to his, or maybe the sides, thus it's rather a deflection.

Your point holds true, though. Maybe blocking/deflecting wouldn't be that bad an idea.

"My worry is that close range fights would just become uninteresting, pretty much just...

Get in close, slash, slash, game over."

Wait, this is supposed to be a bad thing?

Shorter fights are sweeter - more intense action, faster reaction. There are still innumerable strategies one could apply to close-range slashing, and let's not forget the balance factor. The better players could urn it into an art, and it would be a very, very good thing, much as tosh said, like swordfighting. Sure, there's no blocking, but there's still how you turn and how you dodge.

Especially since it is not a one-hit-one-kill-weapon (which would be very much unlike swords but that just as a sidenote), but it'd take about 10 successful hits, with the numbers Lecter provided, to down a Vulture or the like.