11-15-2010, 02:04 AM
I remember I made a thread about this in '09. I think it had something to do with shields being easier to manipulate stat-wise than hull. Instead of shield upgrades, just make a new shield item.
11-15-2010, 02:04 AM
11-15-2010, 09:12 AM
Leave our poor devs with realism. Solve what we can solve with our imagination. Imagine that an armor upgrade mostly consist of 'electromagnatic cyberdusrbollocs coating'.
11-15-2010, 09:15 AM
the problem is that
in the offensive department - disco FL is in the stoneage ( not dps - but the relation between shipspeed/agility and weaponefficiency ) - while in the defensive department - they have hit the future. ( defensive as in to-hit-chance )
shields could be easier balanced - if there was a certain hit probability. - but as it stands... a fighter that chooses to dodge - and does not face an overwhelming opposing force - can do it too long already.
the problem is that ships can move at 25-30% the speed of gun projectiles already ( which is a lot ) - and turn with neckbreaking agility.
compared to - lets say .. better balanced games ( freespace 2 ) - projectiles are 4 - 10 times as fast, and ships turn around half as well and are also generally larger. ( but lack the semi-turret mounted guns )
in freespace 2 - an average pilot manages to hit 30-50% of the time for less damage. in disco FL an average pilot might hit 5-10% of his shots for higher damage - and most ppl only really hit others jousting.
the variety of shields can best be seen on the freighter and the transport classes - cause they are the only class that can mount shields of "really" different kind; the fast recharging, low capacity shield - or the slow recharging but high capacity shield. - they are also the only class where shield drain comes into effect.
sadly though - the variety does down quickly - cause they lack the main defense: size / agility
imagining a fast recharge shield with a lower capacity on a bomber though - or a high capacity shield with a low recharge could well be game breaking, cause of the aforementioned defensive mechanism ( dodging )
to sum it up
- our ships are too fast and too agile to leave much room for further defenses
- variety only works when they present an equal efficiency for either different combat situations or different styles
- and i d rather see 3 different versions of armour for each armour class - which protects against various weapontypes - maybe even more than the low 30% variation. - a 50% protection / vulnerability on the armour would make some fights interesting.
in the offensive department - disco FL is in the stoneage ( not dps - but the relation between shipspeed/agility and weaponefficiency ) - while in the defensive department - they have hit the future. ( defensive as in to-hit-chance )
shields could be easier balanced - if there was a certain hit probability. - but as it stands... a fighter that chooses to dodge - and does not face an overwhelming opposing force - can do it too long already.
the problem is that ships can move at 25-30% the speed of gun projectiles already ( which is a lot ) - and turn with neckbreaking agility.
compared to - lets say .. better balanced games ( freespace 2 ) - projectiles are 4 - 10 times as fast, and ships turn around half as well and are also generally larger. ( but lack the semi-turret mounted guns )
in freespace 2 - an average pilot manages to hit 30-50% of the time for less damage. in disco FL an average pilot might hit 5-10% of his shots for higher damage - and most ppl only really hit others jousting.
the variety of shields can best be seen on the freighter and the transport classes - cause they are the only class that can mount shields of "really" different kind; the fast recharging, low capacity shield - or the slow recharging but high capacity shield. - they are also the only class where shield drain comes into effect.
sadly though - the variety does down quickly - cause they lack the main defense: size / agility
imagining a fast recharge shield with a lower capacity on a bomber though - or a high capacity shield with a low recharge could well be game breaking, cause of the aforementioned defensive mechanism ( dodging )
to sum it up
- our ships are too fast and too agile to leave much room for further defenses
- variety only works when they present an equal efficiency for either different combat situations or different styles
- and i d rather see 3 different versions of armour for each armour class - which protects against various weapontypes - maybe even more than the low 30% variation. - a 50% protection / vulnerability on the armour would make some fights interesting.
11-15-2010, 09:40 AM
' Wrote:the problem is that ships can move at 25-30% the speed of gun projectiles already ( which is a lot ) - and turn with neckbreaking agility.I don't see a problem with the ship agility/speed at all but rather with the projectile speeds. Of course it would be too much to boost Photon weapons to the speed of light for example... but then again, according to in-game infos, tradelane travelling (about 3000 m/s max I think) is faster than the speed of light. I would much rather increase the speed of the weapon projectiles than decrease ship agility.
compared to - lets say .. better balanced games ( freespace 2 ) - projectiles are 4 - 10 times as fast, and ships turn around half as well and are also generally larger. ( but lack the semi-turret mounted guns )
- our ships are too fast and too agile to leave much room for further defenses
EDIT: And I'm mainly talking about fighter gun speed here.
11-15-2010, 05:10 PM
' Wrote:Something that always bothered me about disco, was the implementation of hull armor upgrades, when all of the weapons: plasma, particle, laser ect, are clearly designed to cut through any metal with ease, something no hull plating with fairy electromagnatic cyberdustbollocs coating can change.
You are using same arguments in this discussion as people would in discussion "what color horn of the Unicorn has". Or "How fast for really pegasus can fly". I hope you get the point.
And then you snap out of this, you like "Wow that was some major nonsense". The only argument is fun. Not some fictional scientific explenations. They are still Fictional.
11-15-2010, 05:19 PM
actually shields should be the primary defence.
Go and look up Freeworlds.
When your shield is down you are also dead.
Adleast 99% of the time.
Shields meant to fend off impacts.
But hull plating would just bend/break/explode/breach whatever.
Although for the sake of balance I don't care in freelancer.
Go and look up Freeworlds.
When your shield is down you are also dead.
Adleast 99% of the time.
Shields meant to fend off impacts.
But hull plating would just bend/break/explode/breach whatever.
Although for the sake of balance I don't care in freelancer.