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TRIBBLE Maintenance and Release Notes - May 11, 2012
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Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
We will be bringing the Tribble server down for maintenance to apply a new update.
ST.17.20120423a.19
General:
ST.17.20120423a.19
General:
- Updates the Tractor Beam for Federation Runabout Carrier Pets.
- These pets will only be allowed to use a single Tractor Beam at a time, within a 4km radius.
- Super secret server stability updates.
- Ok, they're not really secret. They're mostly boring, but secret sounds more fun.
Post edited by Unknown User on
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oh yes fun indeed!
So only one at a time? So basically it's possible to be under the effect of a tractor beam constantly now as one after another Runabout fires off its tractor when the last expires?
Yes. Kinda. It's definitely "possible" but not 100% guaranteed.
This is intended to be an improvement... until this patch the Runabouts would all lock down a single target in simultaneous Tractor Beams, completely preventing their escape thru any means other than Polarize Hull. With this change, a single Tractor Beam can potentially be overcome through countermeasures such as Engine Batteries, Emergency Power to Engines, Evasive Maneuvers, etc.
Additionally, please keep in mind that this is a temporary fix. A band-aid solution to an AI issue that has been corrected in our upcoming code branch. Smarter AI won't require this artificial limitation, and we can work on a more elegant solution when that code is live.
Does this mean the AI in general may be getting on overhaul?
Ya, I was well aware of the "lockdown".
It's 4km from each other. That said... yes, the range may need adjustment. Try it out and let me know!
for example... a runabout puts a tractor beam on the Bortas. Shouldn't the Bortas drag the runabout around through space, since the Bortas is like 100x bigger, and has the engine power to compensate?
I don't know how hard that would be to do, but it would make things a lot more believable if a runabout (or even an escort) can't stop a big cruiser dead in its tracks.
On it.. And will do.
Press the support button for additional help.
Doh! Foiled again!
This already exists. Not to a "true to physics" extent, but Small Craft ships (shuttles, runabouts, etc) only have a full effect Tractor Beam on other Small Crafts. When used on anything larger than themselves, the effects are diminished.
Borticus can u do someting with the Chroniton Debuff? There is no skill capable of clean the effect, and now that there are pets using chroniton torpedos is a big problem, the debuff is stacking and stacking an there is no defense against.
Tested this against a Borg sphere (Since I know Borg spheres have Emergency power to Engines)
The Shuttles only launch one tractor beam at a time. Correct.
The Shuttle Tractor Beam doesn't hold it if it EptE's. Correct. It might slow it a little, but doesn't hold it.
The Tractor Beams can be chaind? Negative from what I witnessed. They will fire it swiftly but there is a gap between each fireing with the gap being reduced by the amount of Danubes you have. This was of course tested with Advanced Danubes. Noticed Sphere Stoping only when etiher a Phaser engine Proc might hit it, or a Chronoton Proc would reduce it's speed.
I did also notice a little unexplainable Lag happening while I was testing this in Ker'rat but I can't be sure if it was related to the testing, or if some other unknown factor happened.
The Fer'jai Frigates have used Chronoton Torpedoes since WAY before the Federation got their Atrox Carrier..
More reason for do something about the chrono topredos.
I think that it's a bit ironic to call it a "smarter AI", when the purpose of the AI is to make the pets less brutally effective. Wouldn't that be kind of the opposite of smarter?
And with that said, aren't we running the risk here of creating a platform for things getting broken in the future? It seems that every other update something is unintentionally borked because of some arkane dependency or relationship to the (seemingly) unrelated things that are being changed. There's something to be said about the KISS principle (keep it simple, stupid). Instead of making OP pets and then adding on a whole bunch of AI tweaks to disguise the OPness, would it not be more efficient with less potential to lead to brokenness in the future just to change the stats to something that isn't OP?
Just some food for thought.
i have also noticed the kdf advanced interceptors firing chronoton torpedoes, is that seriously intended? they respawn so fast that a carrier can keep you permanently proc'ed with them.
They could on inital launch for maybe 1 second stack 2 Tractor beams but then one tractor beam shuts off leaving only 1 Tractor Beam.
EpTE, Aux to Damp, Attack Pattern O, and Polarized hull Works fine.
You'll only ever really, with random moments, have 1 Tractor beam. How ever the phaser Procs from Multiple Danubes and the Chronoprocs from the Torps they spam can also be problematic.
Sci check:
Sci ship moves slightly faster under Tractor Beam then the Escort. So the Shuttles Tractor Beam size differences seem to be working so far.
A Note while testing, was that if the shuttles get pushed away either During or after a Tractor Beam Cycle, (This seemed only noticable from Tractor Beam Repulsors) they ahve a good chance to Double Tractor Beam. The chances are greater with more Shuttles Deployed.
Cruiser check:
Tractor Beam was again differnt in slow vs the Sci ship and the Escort. How ever it took 3 Chronoton Procs + Tractor Beam to completely Stop a Cruiser.
Multiple Carrier check:
Out side of the random chance of 2 Stacked Tractor Beams. Multiple Carriers Launching Danubes vs the same target will never allow for more then 1 Tractor Beam among them regardless to who's pets are whom. For example: 2 Carrers Launch Danubes, One set activates tractor beams, the other 3 go into an unspecified cooldown, then begin a cycle between them with a cool down between to only ever allow 1 Tractor beam.
There's all my information based on what I saw and what we experienced. Really the only thing that probobly needs examination is the Chronoton Procs from Chronoton Torpedoes. (Not just for the Danubes, but from all Chronoton Torps)
thanks.
while your there please add type 2 & 3 window options to the T5 orion cruiser just like the other 2 orion ships... thanks.
nova
I believe due to some weirdness, even Polarize Hull was not enough to escape multiple Tractor Beams. I believe that may be a long-standing issue.
Which reminds me of something I've been finding to be odd in the game... why can't tractor beams actually -pull- something? :O
Any news on fixing the Bio-Neural Warhead being fired with Torpedo Fire keys?
Or fixing it so it exits your ship flying rearwards when fired from aft slot instead of having to do a lazy 180 to get to target.
Dude, if it was 10 then only one of your pets would use tractor beam.
4km means a pet 5km away from the pet using a tractor beam already, can also use its tractor beam.
If all pets are 4km away from one another, they can all use their tractor beams.
Thats what I read.