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Ability: Call Emergency Artillery - disappointing (especially visually)

angrytargangrytarg Member Posts: 11,016 Arc User
When I first read about this command ability I was excited as I thought that a command ship should basically be built around off-screen reinforcements as it's personal "thing". Further, it is how I always imagined anything bigger than a shuttle to work as NPC pet - warp in, do a strafing run and warp out.

But the actual ability is a bit disappointing, to say the least. I actually don't know how much damage it deals, but you have those three BoPs warp-in (I suppose Feds get Defiant variants? I dont know) and isntead of watching them engage in a strafing run they immedeatly start to explode. You see that they fire small spatial charges from what seems to be the turret hardpoint on the back and they fire it - upon themselves. Really?

Why do you have the "emergency artillery" (what's different from a regular one? XD) be three frigates that fire spatial charges five meters in front of themselves so it looks the only damage they are dealing is accidentally crashing into the target after having plastered themselves with explosives?

I would have imagined that they enter the battle from farther away and then pepper the target one or two times with a few salvos of weapon fire and/or torpedoes, maybe having a chance to disable it on the first run, then turn and fire torpedoes to do some AoE damage and then warp out again. Like this it kinda feels... meh.
lFC4bt2.gif
^ Memory Alpha.org is not canon. It's a open wiki with arbitrary rules. Only what can be cited from an episode is. ^
"No. Men do not roar. Women roar. Then they hurl heavy objects... and claw at you." -Worf, son of Mogh
"A filthy, mangy beast, but in its bony breast beat the heart of a warrior" - "faithful" (...) "but ever-ready to follow the call of the wild." - Martok, about a Targ
"That pig smelled horrid. A sweet-sour, extremely pungent odor. I showered and showered, and it took me a week to get rid of it!" - Robert Justman, appreciating Emmy-Lou
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Comments

  • baudlbaudl Member Posts: 4,060 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    agreed.

    1) not really sure what it does, other than flashy explosions (no immidiate feedback)
    2) emergency artillary? the emergency seems redundant
    3) nice idea for an ability, but the implementation seems sloppy
    Go pro or go home
  • meimeitoomeimeitoo Member Posts: 12,594 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    reyan01 wrote: »
    Agreed. And even more annoying is that they usually do their thing very close to the player's ship; for a few moments all you see is the daft explosions that those Artillery ships fire.

    And yeah, it does look like they're shooting themselves.


    Agreed.

    Also, Emergency Artillery doesn't hit a foe like, say, a DHC pulse volley (one-by-one, in sequence). Rather, for the most part, it hits the ship kinda perpendicularly, meaning just the nearest explosion hits, so most of its firepower is simply lost.

    To get the most out of it, you'd be firing at the farthest ship away from you, with many ships in a straight line inbetween: a condition you'll rarely meet. So, a power, Emergency Artillery is somewhat of a waste, IMHO.
    3lsZz0w.jpg
  • millimidgetmillimidget Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    Anything in Command over the first five ground points is dead to me. Great first five though.
    "Tolerance and apathy are the last virtues of a dying society." - Aristotle
  • robertcrayvenrobertcrayven Member Posts: 355 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    Agreed.

    The implementation of this reminds me of the time they tried to add saucer separation to the Galaxy-class starship. The finished product was a suicidal saucer pet that you couldn't control, which would immediately fly off and suicide on the nearest enemy (much as the Aquarius does, which seems to use the same AI).

    For the most part, Cryptic's NPCs are morons.
  • angrytargangrytarg Member Posts: 11,016 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    Agreed.

    The implementation of this reminds me of the time they tried to add saucer separation to the Galaxy-class starship. The finished product was a suicidal saucer pet that you couldn't control, which would immediately fly off and suicide on the nearest enemy (much as the Aquarius does, which seems to use the same AI).

    For the most part, Cryptic's NPCs are morons.

    "Was"? You are implying anything changed :D

    I was thinking some more about the ability. What we have right now is the equivalent of three warriors, setting themselves on fire and charge the enemy, screaming and waving loudly. Aside from momentary, mild confusion they don't contribute much to the battle.
    lFC4bt2.gif
    ^ Memory Alpha.org is not canon. It's a open wiki with arbitrary rules. Only what can be cited from an episode is. ^
    "No. Men do not roar. Women roar. Then they hurl heavy objects... and claw at you." -Worf, son of Mogh
    "A filthy, mangy beast, but in its bony breast beat the heart of a warrior" - "faithful" (...) "but ever-ready to follow the call of the wild." - Martok, about a Targ
    "That pig smelled horrid. A sweet-sour, extremely pungent odor. I showered and showered, and it took me a week to get rid of it!" - Robert Justman, appreciating Emmy-Lou
  • virusdancervirusdancer Member Posts: 18,687 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    They're firing on "themselves"...because they're basically doing a strafing run firing at where they are as they follow a path.

    X - - X - - X - - X - - X

    Like one would see in a movie or tv show with a plane with fixed weapon mounts firing on a target on the ground...they start shooting dirt (cause it's exciting!) for an hour before a couple of bullets get anywhere near the target.

    So depending on when you call them, how the NPCs are lined up, they're going to be shooting a bunch of empty space.
  • hyperionx09hyperionx09 Member Posts: 1,709 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    @ Virus: They're actually closer to old-fashioned B-52 carpet bombing runs rather than a strafing run, with how they launch charges a short distance behind/around them.

    The ability is really only useful if you have GW1 or a player with GW, and using it close enough that the bombing run delivers most of the assault in the middle of the run rather than the end. Otherwise, you lose some of the AoE damage at the end when they warp out.

    Hilariously, they can apparently be shot down with enough firepower; I've seen at least one Defiant/T'Varo/BoP blow up midway through the run or near the end of the run just before they warp out.
  • ssbn655ssbn655 Member Posts: 1,894 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    I agree this is a very useless thing. You would assume they would start firing when they got near the enemy but no these useless things just start lobbing around at random which would be fine if they did it near the target! I get the depth charge idea behind it but blowing up empty space and depleting ammo bunker or whatever is before getting even in the same county as the target is a waste and zero help when you really could use the extra punch say in a pug with players who have no idea and agro everything and due to the messed up AI you get the brunt of it not the player that bleeped the mission up. I have unslotted this ability as it stands right now its pretty useless.
  • virusdancervirusdancer Member Posts: 18,687 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    ssbn655 wrote: »
    I agree this is a very useless thing. You would assume they would start firing when they got near the enemy but no these useless things just start lobbing around at random which would be fine if they did it near the target! I get the depth charge idea behind it but blowing up empty space and depleting ammo bunker or whatever is before getting even in the same county as the target is a waste and zero help when you really could use the extra punch say in a pug with players who have no idea and agro everything and due to the messed up AI you get the brunt of it not the player that bleeped the mission up. I have unslotted this ability as it stands right now its pretty useless.

    It's not random. They fire at a given interval along a straight path. It just requires some thought before using it. Sending it off at a solo fast moving target vs. having lined up say a bunch of Spheres, the Tac Cube, and the Gate.

    ...now, as far as the damage for things it actually hits - hrmm, definitely could probably do with some tweaking considering how inconsiderate the NPCs are for lining up for runs like that.

    edit: Oh, as an aside about how easy they are to pop...heh, I /facepalm when I'm not paying attention and call them in right as something else is about to pop...they're obliterated by the breach.
  • robertcrayvenrobertcrayven Member Posts: 355 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    angrytarg wrote: »
    "Was"? You are implying anything changed :D

    I was thinking some more about the ability. What we have right now is the equivalent of three warriors, setting themselves on fire and charge the enemy, screaming and waving loudly. Aside from momentary, mild confusion they don't contribute much to the battle.

    Indeed, nothing has changed about this in all the years that have elapsed since it was implemented. Saucer / Aquarius pets are as broken as this new shiney is.
  • lianthelialianthelia Member Posts: 7,921 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    It doesn't buff your energy weapons in any way so I doubt they care much...
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