Firing while at Warp Speed

thedoctorbluebox · August 2012

One of the Federations advancements, and that seems to be unique compared to other SCIFI series (and species within star trek), is for federation ships to be able to fire their weapons at warp speeds (FTL.) Since we've seen it in the show, and we know they can fire phasers and torpedos at warp speed, will we, and can we, see this implemented in the game?

It feels like more could be done at warp speed. We should be able to fire our weapons, and have fights at warp speed. In fact, you could even develop some scenes in a future episode series mission where we have to fight at warp speed. Perhaps even putting this capability into the foundry so people can make missions with the ability to have warp speed fights. I think it would be a great addition, and fits with the show nicely.

hypl · August 2012

Warp speed battles would be limited to targets firing at one another from static positions, as you can't really maneuver at all at FTL speeds, aside from making minor course adjustments. This would be terrible for escorts since they rely on forward firepower, so their enemy would have to be in front of them at all times.

Some kind of controlled positioning mechanic would have to be utilized, accelerating and decelerating to position your ship within optimum firing range to destroy a target. Maybe dropping out of warp into empty space could also be utilized. Overall I wouldn't mind seeing this in-game if it can be done, and done right.

zerobang · August 2012

ship in front places tractor mines -> I WIN BUTTON

azurianstar · August 2012

thedoctorbluebox wrote: »

One of the Federations advancements, and that seems to be unique compared to other SCIFI series (and species within star trek), is for federation ships to be able to fire their weapons at warp speeds (FTL.) Since we've seen it in the show, and we know they can fire phasers and torpedos at warp speed, will we, and can we, see this implemented in the game?

It feels like more could be done at warp speed. We should be able to fire our weapons, and have fights at warp speed. In fact, you could even develop some scenes in a future episode series mission where we have to fight at warp speed. Perhaps even putting this capability into the foundry so people can make missions with the ability to have warp speed fights. I think it would be a great addition, and fits with the show nicely.

In a way you could easily replicate this right now in the Foundry with with the starstreak effect. Though for Cryptic to pull it off, they would have to greatly reduce manuverability (like we have with slipstream) to give that feeling you are at warp.

oneklump1997 · August 2012

Phasers couldn't be used, the beam travels at the speed of light. Weapons are limited to torpedoes, which travel at warp.

lostusthorn · August 2012

You know, we really don't have to have every gimmick, writer failure and other nonsense that came with Voyager in the game.

commadorebob · August 2012

lostusthorn wrote: »

You know, we really don't have to have every gimmick, writer failure and other nonsense that came with Voyager in the game.

But, I want salamanders.

ufpdewolfe · August 2012

This is not from Voyager,

Star Trek had this before all. Most combat was done at warp, it was actually a disadvantage to be fighting at impulse speeds.

kimmera · August 2012

ufpdewolfe wrote: »

This is not from Voyager,

Star Trek had this before all. Most combat was done at warp, it was actually a disadvantage to be fighting at impulse speeds.

This.

It wasn't until the movies that they did a retcon and decided that warp drive was some sort of wormhole drive instead of how it was originally written.

synthscanner · August 2012

If Cryptic can add the ability for Foundry authors to lock out the starship movement controls, then all the Foundry author has to do, is place star streaks in a space map, along with a spawn point for the player and the enemy, set an objective, make it so the ships can not move anyway but forward and you then have a combat scenario while at warp.

azurianstar · August 2012

kalecto wrote: »

If Cryptic can add the ability for Foundry authors to lock out the starship movement controls, then all the Foundry author has to do, is place star streaks in a space map, along with a spawn point for the player and the enemy, set an objective, make it so the ships can not move anyway but forward and you then have a combat scenario while at warp.

I already said that. :P

oneklump1997 wrote: »

Phasers couldn't be used, the beam travels at the speed of light. Weapons are limited to torpedoes, which travel at warp.

In RL physics perhaps, but in Star Trek they fired Phasers and other energy weapons at Warp all the time.

josephdridgeway · August 2012

azurianstar wrote: »

I already said that. :P

In RL physics perhaps, but in Star Trek they fired Phasers and other energy weapons at Warp all the time.

Actually, it can already be done right now. Just place invisible walls around the ships, so they can't move in either direction, use the star streaks background, and place your ships accordingly.

With a bit of work, and careful planning, authors can do this now.

synthscanner · August 2012

josephdridgeway wrote: »

Actually, it can already be done right now. Just place invisible walls around the ships, so they can't move in either direction, use the star streaks background, and place your ships accordingly.

With a bit of work, and careful planning, authors can do this now.

That only works for single players (but even then it's still possible to turn without forward momentum), and if more than one player spawns it'll get messy, some possibly spawning outside the invisible walls.

zerobang · August 2012

this discussion is futile

if you really pay attention to it, in EVERY series they said at one point that it is impossible for whatever technobabble reasons to shoot Phasers at Warp.
Usually in the very next episode they did it anyway.
If the Story needed shooting at warp, they just ignored the technical facts and did it.

True for DS9 / VOY / ENT after my observations so far.

This is one consistent inconsistency and i am at the point by now where i think it was just a running gag to TRIBBLE with the Viewer, kinda like that Number 47 thing.

bluegeek · August 2012

I watched one episode (forget which one at the moment) where they needed to get close enough to overlap their warp fields in order to fire phasers.

So there was a technobabble explanation for it, even though it's not a great one.

EDIT: Oh, now I remember... I believe it was in "Defiant" from DS9.

radkip · August 2012

Firing from warp always sounded like a terrible idea to me and the only way I could see it being done reasonably was the Enterprise-D dropping a few torpedoes behind them when that Borg cube was chasing them.

Same with beaming people up from warp speed, that never felt right either. You'd need god-like timing and reflexes to do it properly.

vespha · August 2012

Yeah sorry, but no. That is a STUPID idea. Hows about we let them fix the broken **** first ...and give us actual content for endgame ...instead of this TRIBBLE.

lordmalak1 · August 2012

bluegeek wrote: »

I watched one episode (forget which one at the moment) where they needed to get close enough to overlap their warp fields in order to fire phasers.

So there was a technobabble explanation for it, even though it's not a great one.

EDIT: Oh, now I remember... I believe it was in "Defiant" from DS9.

Thats likely true since at warp the ship isn't moving but warping space time to bring the destination closer to the ship. Firing phasers would always be a miss as phasers travel at light speed, and if your target was further away than a few million miles away in real space, the time the phaser reaches the target it would've move somewhere else.

0.5 LY= 6 months@ lightspeed

IIRC, its about 8 seconds lightspeed from earth to the moon.

drasketo · August 2012

lordmalak1 wrote: »

Thats likely true since at warp the ship isn't moving but warping space time to bring the destination closer to the ship. Firing phasers would always be a miss as phasers travel at light speed, and if your target was further away than a few million miles away in real space, the time the phaser reaches the target it would've move somewhere else.

0.5 LY= 6 months@ lightspeed

IIRC, its about 8 seconds lightspeed from earth to the moon.

The moon averages about 240k miles away from the earth, thats only 1.3 seconds at c.

lordmalak1 · August 2012

drasketo wrote: »

The moon averages about 240k miles away from the earth, thats only 1.3 seconds at c.

Tnx, sounds much better as I don't have a calculator handy. Was prolly thinking of the sun@ a few minutes.
Coffee hasn't kicked in yet

daan2006 · August 2012

only time you warp in the game is in sector space so i dont see any thing like this comeing to the game plus with the way they put us in box's you be at the end of the box in like 2 mins maybe less

Firing while at Warp Speed

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