Okay, I like the weight and energy usage. I think the only thing that flechettes need are some sort of proximity. They look like scattershots, so maybe 2-5m proximity? They do so little damage anyway, but it's very extremely difficult to hit a moving target, even at close range. It'd be nice for people to take proportional damage if they're grazed by a flechette round. Maybe put a 2m proximity on the Flechette I and a 4m proximity to the Flechette II?...

With all this complaining about the AGT, I've decided to make it my mission to become the undisputed flechette and gatling cannon king! PH33R MY POPCORN GUNS!

Oh, and maybe just slightly better auto-aim. Not as good as Gauss. Definitely not as good as AGT. But just a little wider than they are now. A couple of degrees would help so much. Maybe only stick that on the Flechette II.

I don't think it should have a better auto-aim.

Instead increase the spread of the flechette so it can hit a large area making it effective against grouped enemies and mobile ships.

Also maybe a slight increase in damage or a decrease in energy cost.

No, CP is absolutely right - a proximity hit is exactly what is needed for the fleches. Although I think that because of their incredibly low damage they also need to weigh less - 400kg or under.

I really want to love the fleches, but they are just so difficult to score a hit with that their low damage and high weight become huge detriments (as opposed to something like the axia posis, where the damage is great enough that it's ok for the lower rate to mean you score fewer lucky hits).

If they weighed 400kg and had a larger hit radius, even if it was proportional damage, they would be a truly fun weapon to use. Imagine a corvus maud with three flechettes like that :)

Ok, i posted about the fletch a while back.

I agree that a lowering of the weigh to 400kg (or even 300) is much needed. But I disagree on the giving it better autoaim than normal. Light fighters are agile enough to aim. I can do OK (not much better but not much worse than using phaseres) with the current fletch.

So I think it takes just practice abit...

Yeah, they don't need better aim - they just need to have a wider area of striking. Meaning, they are buckshot, right? They should be hitting a wider area but doing less damage, like taking a splash from a missile. It shouldn't do the full damage when not a full on strike, but it should do maybe 140 (half) when it wings you.

yeah, the flechettes really don't have any area of effect.

I happened to see a cap ship early on. (one of the guides was checking it out, testing the piloting)

He equipped it with nothing but flechettes. And with 40 flechettes firing forward, you would think you'd do something.

But I charged the cap ship head on, and nothing, it seemed like the flechettes should have been hitting me (flechette spray was everywhere) but nothin.

I think these would be really neat if they acted like they seem to want to act.

Agreed in most part to the posts above. The flech seems like more of a shotgun-type weapon than anything else.

in WWII the us developed a round that had an radio proximity sensor in the tip of the round that would then detonate the round when it was close enough to a japanese bomber. They did it because they were getting slaughtered by the planes, they were too fast to hit. Perhaps give the flechette rounds a proximity sensor, the damage can be the same but as long as your in the cannons cone of influence your bound to take SOME damage?

A corvus maud with 3 flechettes? :)

Didn't I happen to see you flying something just like that last nite? :)

who are you addressing Jonnycat26?

Sorry... was for Lonestar.

I think lonestar's suggestion is fair.

I say, drop thier mass, kick thier velocity up a bit. currently, thier damage sucks, and thier velocity is average, so you know how that works. Make em do something like 220 or so, possibly lowering thier damage. MAKE IT THE ONE TRUE SPAMCANNON

AGT is turret like. Fletch with prox will be flak like. They'll be two completely different types of weapon like they should be, because AGT dominates Fletch.

The pepperspray is actually very useful already, but you have to do it right. Use a ship that can go backwards with 70m/s and put it into one slot. The other you put an n3. You fly backwards and spam the attacker. If he decides to turbo, switch to n3 and get some easy hits. Works like a charm.

uh... so you're not actually getting any worthwhile hits with the flechette then? Uh.. okay.

I don't mind the current weight at the damage they deal, if they would just hit more consistantly.

There's one factor here we are overlooking; what about license level?

If I remember correctly, flechettes become available at LW 5 or so... .what about keeping the stats the same, but moving down the requirement to LW 2 or 3? This game needs more newbie weapons anyway.

Agreed. Especially considering how ineffective the flech is (at least in my experience).

but really who uses newbie weapons anyway once they get the better stuff.

Has anybody even bothered with the starflare or the iceflare once they have access to the sunflare?

cheers