The idea of 'lost' or 'experimental' weapons is nice.
But experimental equipment is rare, unstable and expensive.
1) RARE: Having lost shipwrecks is nice - but they are all static. This means that their location is known precisely, as well as their loadout.
To make wreck-looting a truly rare event - one would need to randomise their position every time it gets looted. Randomly put it in the system anywhere from the edge of the map, even off the edge and off the plane! Wreck looting will then occur purely by chance - and the loot within can be made much more valuable and powerful.
Then wipe the 'object found' flag from the wreck when a person logs in - so it wont just pop up again.
2) UNSTABLE: As for the guns themselves. firing them could cause damage to the gun, or ship - or cause radiation damage. They might require ammunition which is equally difficult to find.
3) EXPENSIVE: IF class 10 faction guns are to be sold on guard bases - they should require the appropriate faction IFF to be able to purchase them.
For an enemy to be using them, it is sanctionable same as using any other OORP gun combo - an expensive proposition!
For a neutral/unknown party to be using them - they should be treated by the owning faction same as if an Order ship found a neutral party with Nomad Tech. It could cost you your life!
As for allies using them, well it should be a rare and precious thing. With additional costs.
Also, if the weapons are expensive to buy, and take damage, they will be expensive to repair. They are experimental after all!
' Wrote:I'm going to sign on to the "more civilian weaponry" so I can have more varied kit for my Merc/Pirate/etc/etc.
codes are fine, regardless. It's a bloody game.
Unseelie and I once came up with an interesting idea:
Do you know how all weapons say "This faction's weapons have more damage / longer range but take up more energy / less energy?" and things to that extent? They seem to suggest a generic weapon that everything is based off of, that everything is measured relative to.
We posited that there very well could exist a civilian version of each weapon - Laser, Tachyon, Plasma, Photon, Neutron, Particle, and Pulse - that would be equivalent to the average of all weapons of that type, minus a few percent due to its being "Civilian" and less fine-tuned than other, factionalised, weapons. Or, judging by the "longer range" or "more damage" or "less energy" clauses, the general area in which the "Civilian" weapons would lie could be found.
These could be open market, easily available versions of weapons.
Faction guns would certainly be a bit better, but only a few factions can use them, of course.
We also thought that these civilian guns might all be silver, because blue is too Liberty.
' Wrote:Idea #1: Code names dropped by missions in out of the way systems. Give people a reason to spend time in odd and interesting places.
Idea #2: Make ships logged out in space drift randomly, up to 200-300 km. Give random people a better chance to get to the wrecks.
Idea one - hmm, not sure I like this one. There's something to be said for the arms trade as it is. This would allow people to mission grind to get loads of code weapons. Kinda defeats the point, imho
Idea two - love this one. Please, please implement it. Having your ship materialise in the sun, when you have a hold full of codes, will certainly help to stop the wreck camping that goes on