I think these changes to BOFF powers would make the weapons more versatile, immersive (trek-like) and more fun!
To do this the game needs to have 1 series of boff powers series specific to the weapon type and 2 universal boff power series that affects beams,cannons, torpedoes and mines.
The basic concept is to remove the 'add damage/aoe' component of the weapon powers as well as shared timers between the boff powers and instead, allow the universal boff powers to 'stack' with the weapon-specific powers to achieve a variety of attack types. Universal attacks do not stack with other universal attacks. Timers are done away with and these boff powers become 'boff settings' ...that means they are TOGGLE settings that remain active as long as you keep the effect active.
The weapon specific powers will modify the base damage, refire rate, power cost and secondary effect proc damage & chance to-proc stats.
The Universal weapon powers modify single/aoe target capability, rate of fire and power costs. These modifications stack with the weapon-specific attacks.
The Universal Subsystem Targeting attacks allow all weapons to be able to target subsystems (as they can in all trek films/series) with a twist of their own depending on weapon type it is being used with.
Specific to Weapon Type:
1- Beams:
Replace Beam Overload powers with 'Low/Modulated/High Beam Strength'
No, this is not a new name for beam overload. This is very different.
This type of boff attack affects all beam weapons being fired, not just 1 beam.
Low Setting: Beams do 50% damage of autofire damage but increases the beam's chance to proc its secondary effect by 200%. Weapon power cost decreased by 50% as well (aka if -10 power it becomes -5)
Modulated Beam: Beam retains regular damage and power cost but it increases the duration of a secondary effect proc by 50%
High Setting: Beam damage increased to match the equivalent of beam overload II. Weapon power cost increased by 25%. 2ndary effect damage increased by 50%
2- Cannons/Turrets:
Cannon and turret weapons follow the same basic idea as beams except these really focus on rate of fire over a direct bonus to damage.
The Rapid Fire series boff powers are slightly changed to:
Sustained Fire : 25% increase in fire rate, -25% power cost. 2ndary effect damage increased 25%
Rapid Fire: Triple firing rate at -25% damage per shot +20% power cost. 2ndary effect damage increased 50%
Overcharge: X8 damage per shot, 4X power cost. secondary effect damage increased 125%
3- Torpedoes AND Mines
Changes to Torpedo/Mine weapon boff powers are similar to beam powers in the sense that they play with torpedo damage output and secondary effects.
Low Yield: -25% reload time weapon firing in this setting, -50% damage +150% secondary effect proc chance. Mines: additional effect: increase mine fly-to-target range to 5km.
Modulated Yield: does normal damage and normal reload time but secondary effect is increased by 50%. Mines: Mine fly-to-target speed increased by 2X (aka mines fly twice as fast)
High Yield: reload time increased by 50% (for the torp/mine weapon that fires under this setting), damage increased to match current torpedo high yield III bonus. 2ndary effect: duration increased by 50%
Plasma and Tricobalt Torpedoes retain their special torpedo ability of destructible, slow, much higher damage boost torpedo type.
For Mines: High Yield removes the delay the mines have in flying towards target after being deployed. Aka you deploy them and they start flying to target instantly. No bonus damage to mines.
Universal Boff Weapon Attack:
1- Universal Attacks:
Replace Fire at Will -AND- Scatter Fire -AND- Torpedo Spread -AND- Mine Dispersal boff powers with 'Focus Fire / Fire at Will / Fire to Grid'
These settings also affect all weapons at once not just the next weapon that fires in the cycle:
Focus Fire: weapons focus on one specific target. Damage increased by 50% , power cost increased 25%
Fire at Will: firing rate increased by 50%.
Fire to Grid: weapons fire at all ships in a 5km sphere from target. Damage +25%, power cost +25%
2- Subsystem Targeting:
The subsystem attacks can be used by all weapons but each weapon category (in this case: guns, torpedoes or mines where guns category=cannons and beams) has a different effect.
All the current subsystem attack tiers disappear. Instead, using a subsystem attack adds the subsystem damage effect to the current weapon being fired as if it were a secondary effect of the weapon.
With that being said, here's how the subsystem attacks are different per weapon category:
Guns (Beams/Cannons/Turrets) : Directly tied to the specific weapon power attack that the subsystem attack is stacked with.
For example,
Beams have both chance-to-proc,duration and effect bonuses depending on beam setting.
Beam Low Power = very high chance of subsystem being knocked out for the minimum time. Think of it as subsystem attack 1 duration/drain but subsystem attack 3 proc chance.
Modulated Beam setting = low chance to proc but if it does the subsystem is knocked out for bonus duration (subsystem 1 proc chance/drain, subsystem 2 duration)
High Beam Setting = low chance to proc, minimum proc duration, bonus proc damage effect (subsystem 1 chance/duration, sybsystem III drain)
Cannons focus exclusively on power drain effect. As described on their 2ndary effect bonuses. When paired with subsystem that 2ndary effect bonus applies directly to power drain on selected subsystem being attacked. Chance of the proc happening is equivalent to subsystem attack 1 -but- due to rate of fire it becomes rather reliable.
Torpedoes: Torpedo subsystem attacks are again, similar to beam attacks in that they can change the proc chance, duration and drain.
Low Yield: Very high disable chance, low duration/drain.
Modulated Yield: low disable chance, low duration, high drain
High Yield: low disable chance, high duration, low drain.
Mines: Mines do NOT disable the subsystem they only knock down the subsystem's power down to 25 power setting. Due to the nature of mines (fired in a swarm) this power-drain is 100% proc chance. However, since it does not disable the subsystem the victim's power level returns to normal at the same rate its power levels would if they were being changed by the player. The concept is that if a target is being hit by mines he is only suffering the power loss for as long as the mines keep hitting him.
How this all works together:
Since these new boff powers can stack (universal with specific weapon type; weapon type dont stack with another weapon type nor does universal stack with universal) the player can now have his weapons perform a vast variety of attacks.
Best of all, the number of boff-trainable powers is reduced from 24 to 15 ... and the possible combinations in which a player can use his weapons is increased ten-fold!
The beauty of this is that we can have the SAME damage bonus and AOE bonus that we have in game now by combining a universal with a specific weapon power or you can mix limited AOE with limited damage bonus...or damage decrease with increased secondary effect proc/effect on aoe or single target. Power drain/disable becomes a big player now thanks to the ability to combine the specific weapon type secondary bonuses to the universal subsystem targeting attack.
Since these new boff powers are TOGGLE based, ship combat becomes truly about maneuver and power management... and pure DPS combat is replaced by THINKING combat where you can bring a target down by DPS'ing it or through 2ndary effects or through subsystem effects...or a combination of the three to various degrees/switching between toggle modes. Since the target will be doing the same to you, your power management and maneuvering abilities will finally count for something.
....and all this is what we see in all star trek films and series. The game can be like this ... I hope the devs do it.
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