test content
Logo
What is the Arc Client?
Install Arc
New idea to improve beam weapons!
amalefactor
Member Posts: 511 Arc User
I know there's a valid issue regarding beam weapon improvements where making them directly higher damage while retaining their firing arcs would detract from the use of cannons and make cruiser broadsides suddenly super powerful.
My idea is not to increase the damage necessarily (though I wouldn't mind this to some extent), but to give them a utility function relevant to their expected role: a threat generation bonus!
Beam weapons could be re-cast as the high threat weapons, say, 50% bonus threat per damage dealt (Cryptic can adjust this internally). All other mechanics stay the same, but now they are attention-getters, where even the old run of Federation cruisers can take full advantage of them to keep their group members safe (and to some extent, their fighters, shuttles, and deployables too!).
This, along with the suggestion to have a 360 degree beam turret available, would go a long way in making an underwhelming weapon type desirable again.
My idea is not to increase the damage necessarily (though I wouldn't mind this to some extent), but to give them a utility function relevant to their expected role: a threat generation bonus!
Beam weapons could be re-cast as the high threat weapons, say, 50% bonus threat per damage dealt (Cryptic can adjust this internally). All other mechanics stay the same, but now they are attention-getters, where even the old run of Federation cruisers can take full advantage of them to keep their group members safe (and to some extent, their fighters, shuttles, and deployables too!).
This, along with the suggestion to have a 360 degree beam turret available, would go a long way in making an underwhelming weapon type desirable again.
Post edited by amalefactor on
0
Comments
I know a lot of cruiser captains won't like this, as it means that they'll actually have to pay attention for once in an stf, but maybe as some compensation, CRYPTIC can do something that rewards points for whoever gets shot at the most or something and they get extra marks?
Support 90 degree arc limitation on BFaW! Save our ships from looking like flying disco balls of dumb!
Perhaps a Fire Rate modifier that adds one additional shot per volley,but would naturally increase power drain.
I also like the concept of heavy beams a cruiser only weapon type, an energy weapon that could fire a sustained attack, with increasing damage and weapon type proc rate the longer it fires on the same target. Effectively an engineering weapon that requires carefulness power drain of certain weapons. monitoring of an escalating power drain. In other words, you wouldn't be able to equip many heavy beams and still keep your power levels high.
Another nice modifier would be an Efficient modifier that would reduce weapon power,drain.
As this would destroy all beam escort builds.
There probably isn't many of them, but since lots of people always complain about how 99% of tacs go for DHC and they are OP, no need to bump off the 1% that uses beams and make it 100% NEEDED to use cannons.
I normally equip 8 beams on my cruiser to achieve the best dps since torpedo firing arc is too narraow for the slow turn rate of the cruisers. If u use a2b, you can boost the weap power lvl to compensate for the drain from 8 beams. I also use mines with cruiser in pvp to prevent escorts from kissing my TRIBBLE
If the torpedo firing arc is increase to 120+, we can fire the aft beams+torpedos+fore beams all together.
It'd seem pretty silly to watch a cruiser fire a torpedo perpendicular to the bay the torpedo leaves.
At least beams and turrets make sense with their firing arcs. One being simply emitted and the other is on a swivel-like apparatus.
120 arc doesn't allow you to fire perpendicularly. Sci skills and eng skills have 120-135 firing arc.
I'd like to set up a torpedo boat, but the cooldowns make it pretty much impossible. (the skills scatter volley or whatever, don't count)
Also, increasing fighter range would be nice. If I have a target selected 20km away, and tell my fighters to attack it, they should attack it. Not just sit around waiting for me to get within beam-weapon range of it. What's the point of having fighters then?
It would be like the navy having an aircraft carrier, but the planes it launches, can't attack a target until they're within the carrier's gun range.
-- Smoov
Underwhelming? Are you from the mirror universe?
but I love my super-duper-not-getting-hit tank-cruiser. I don't want it to get a scratch, so it may not generate threat whatsoever.
Honestly though, I don't like the idea. I fly an Exploration Cruiser Retrofit as an Engineer and the BOFF-skills I use work great. Just for the records my specs:
Front: 1 DBB Disruptor, 2 Beams Disruptor, OMEGA Force Torp
Aft: Kinetic Cutting beam, 2 Beams Disruptor, Photon Torpedo
Full MACO Mk XII Space Set
Consoles NO Field Generators (atm)
As skills I'm using Tac Team II, FAW I, Eng Team I, Aux to Bat I, Directed Energy Modulation II, Reverse Shield Polarity III, Emergency Power to Shields I, Boarding Party I (yeah, seriously), Aux to Structural II, Emergency Power to Weapons I, Polarize Hull I and Hazard Emitters II
So yeah, I'm using a build that allows me to take ridiculous amounts of damage, I'm able to heal so much done to me. Even with activated saucer separation I'm able to tank a tac cube while 5 people are firing at it. Note that this cube has me as first priority nearly the whole time so the aggro is working for me.
It's quite epic to be able to take so much damage while having not too bad DPS. Also Boarding Party I is quite fun. Maybe I only imagine that something happens when using this but I tend to believe that the cube I'm fighting doesn't hit that hard anymore.
I'm against this idea as a good tank should be able to get the threat anyways. Atleast this is what I notice, I'm the first to get attacked most of the time. This would render even more +Tr without any effect or making every enemy attack me as soon as they see me. Would be quite fun to have as that's my job as a tank but kind of make STFs even easier when one guy who is able to take ****loads of damage gets attacked all the time and no one suffers any problems finishing an STF in 5 minutes.
Wouldn't it make more sense just to regulate the procs on em? Say 5 or 7 % chance of whatever :rolleyes:
I like your suggestion of beams having higher proc effects. Though I'm not sure what advantage dual beams would have over singles unless it can proc 2x more often.
Helpful Tools: Dictionary.com - Logical fallacies - Random generator - Word generator - Color tool - Extra Credits - List of common English language errors - New T6 Big booty tutorial
At most, I'd say, perhaps add a console to the game to increase threat, something like;
-20% weapon power drain,
+10% all resists,
+100% threat
(Max 1 per ship)
Could be either an Eng or universal console.
Would help with DPS due to the reduction in power drain, help with tanking (due to extra threat) and if it stacks with the APD DOFF would be helpful
And you do all know, everyone in a team can take APD with the DOFF and all just cast it on 1 person - it stacks, so that one person generates a LOT of aggro
It was just something I threw out there while typing. But to stay with the concept dual beams could have a higher procs effect. More plasma damage or more energy drain etc than regular beams.
Call it proc crit severity or w/e
Making them a high threat weapon won't help science ships who aren't built around defense and would cause them to aggro entirely too often so that wont work in all cases by default.
Praetor of the -RTS- Romulan Tal Shiar fleet!
A drastic reduction in weapon power, Or an ability that dose the same thing
Stupidly simple, but they need it. I'd reduce the volley size to 1 per activation (down from 3) and just extend the phaser effects. Reduce the weapon drain on top and the problem of high sustained damage is solved. They might need to nerf the damage on arrays a bit, but frankly this is something they need to do. Weapon drain makes beam boats far more annoying to manage then they have any right to be. You should not need to time every dam major attack based on when you have a weapon drain reduction buff active.
An Effective AOE ability. Phaser Sweep ?
FAW is a mess. It's capable of decent damage, but once again the user-friendliness of the ability is in the toilet. It's a pain to manage & use effectively. What beam boats need is essentially an ability exactly like CSV, an attack that hits anything within 20/30 degrees of your primary target. Stupidly simple to use & far easier to control.
Outside of those changes I'd move all major weapon buffs around so they all start at T1, so CSV, CRF would all start at ensign level and move up. APO would have 3 levels starting at T2 (lieutenant). Tactical team's shield redistribution would be removed and placed on the standard shield distribution ability that everyone has access to at lvl1, but would act like you have 2 purple TT doffs active. So 10 duration 15 second CD with no doffs required. Team ability's would no longer share a cool down & TT would just become a buff of some sort.
I think that would solve my issues with beams, oh wait, add a full range of AUX weapons for science ships... now I'm done.
Perpendicular = 90 degrees
Beams and skills = up to 120 degrees.
So yes, they can.
Never saw a wide angle torpedo fire have you? it fires from the same place as normal torpedos but then turns to the target. It is what all torpedos should be able to do and we could have a special one like the wide angle that has an even better arc.
OT:
As for beams i think adding a whole new set of hybrids would make them more popular. beam only hybrids have the proc from 2 other energy types as well as its own but with 1/3 the chance of working and only 1 of the three will proc per beam. Have 8 beams and could get every proc happening at once.
Add normal hybrid beams to fleet stores with the same setups as normal fleet weapons but dual procs.
"I'm drunk, whats your excuse for being an idiot?" - Unknown drunk man. :eek:
That's crazy! You're saying there's a skill there, where with as few a 3 levels in it that you're extremely unlikely ever to lose aggro unless somebody else has at least 3 levels too?
Crazy! Next you'll say that it also provides damage resistance which can help reduce the damage you take while having that aggro...
Crazy! Yeah, yeah - and that thing about consoles that can increase and decrease threat - yeah, that'd be crazy if Cryptic ever included anything like that in the game!
/sigh
Yeah...folks need to leave my beams alone and learn how to use their own beams.
Was actually thinking about this myself (your thread beat me to it. gj
Lower base damage from beam turrets as compared to "cannon turrets" is a given and is something I would happily accept. Would love to see them added to the game and they would definately promote at least a slight variation in builds.
No you are wrong a 90 degree firing arc does not allow perpendicular firing. A 90 degree firing arc allows 45 degrees either side from straight ahead. (Or Behind)
A weapon arc that allowed perpendicular firing like the the Quantum that comes with the Regent would be 180 degrees that is 90 degrees either side of straight ahead. Only when the weapon is fired at 90 degrees to the left or right of straight ahead (Or Behind) has it been fired perpendicularly.
Why silly? Ships have been firing cannonballs/projectiles broadside since they first put them on ships. If anything Star Trek torp angles are the odd duck.
BTW have you seen how the Star Cruiser and some of the sci ships fire torps? they come out the sides and then do a 90 degree turn and head fore/aft.