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Heavy Beam Arrays: Your opinion?
kiloace
Member Posts: 488 Arc User
Hey all. I believe I made a post on this subject a little while ago, and I want to bring it back for more discussion.
How do you feel about the concept of 'Heavy Beam Arrays'? Additionally, as a replacement to dual beam banks? See, dual beam banks are nice, but I personally am only happy with them on about 10% of any ships that can use them. Something about their animation...the hard points...its just off. So I propose this: Heavy Beam Arrays. A beam accompaniment to Dual Heavy Cannons.
So, how would they work? Well, like dual beam banks, we would want them as a sort of middle ground between high damage cannons and wide arc beams and turrets. I propose first that they have a 135' firing arc. This is more than the 90 of DBBs, but it still doesn't quite allow for broadsiding*. The Heavy beam array is more centered on giving players a canon-looking beam weapon design without costing them damage. Additionally, they should deal about 85% of the damage old DBBs deal. This reductiin is to compensate for an ever so slightly larger firing arc. Aside from that, the only difference between these and standard beams should be an obligatory +10% critical severity bonus that accompanies 'heavy' weapons. The graphic of the heavy beam should remain the same as the standard beam (let's be honest, some of the beams coming out of ships these days are big enough.)
So yeah, that's my proposition. Thoughts?
How do you feel about the concept of 'Heavy Beam Arrays'? Additionally, as a replacement to dual beam banks? See, dual beam banks are nice, but I personally am only happy with them on about 10% of any ships that can use them. Something about their animation...the hard points...its just off. So I propose this: Heavy Beam Arrays. A beam accompaniment to Dual Heavy Cannons.
So, how would they work? Well, like dual beam banks, we would want them as a sort of middle ground between high damage cannons and wide arc beams and turrets. I propose first that they have a 135' firing arc. This is more than the 90 of DBBs, but it still doesn't quite allow for broadsiding*. The Heavy beam array is more centered on giving players a canon-looking beam weapon design without costing them damage. Additionally, they should deal about 85% of the damage old DBBs deal. This reductiin is to compensate for an ever so slightly larger firing arc. Aside from that, the only difference between these and standard beams should be an obligatory +10% critical severity bonus that accompanies 'heavy' weapons. The graphic of the heavy beam should remain the same as the standard beam (let's be honest, some of the beams coming out of ships these days are big enough.)
So yeah, that's my proposition. Thoughts?
Post edited by kiloace on
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Comments
Not gamebreaking? Check
Consistent with the rest of the game? Check
Reasonable (on the face of it) to do? Check
But...
Likely to happen?
Good for game balance?
Adds something significant to overall gameplay of most people?
Is new user friendly?
That's my gripe with it. Adding in a new weapon now is going to require a source of them; they'll have to be added to the dil store, start coming on new ships, get added to the loot table, the fleet starbase, the lockbox weapon pack drops, and the crafting options.
Adding a weapon that's basically DBB's with a better arc gives people yet another reason to run a Beam type frontal weapon with rear omni's; currently, turn rate and piloting skill make DBB's unfavorable for a lot of people, but getting 45 degrees more arc will soothe some of that problem.
Most people won't be affected by this, to be honest. Between the people who aren't going to use beam-type weapons, the people in ships with 4 rear weapon slots, the people who would do better with DBB's, and the people who lack the resources to swap to a new set of weapons, I don't see this weapon becoming popular.
And finally, I don't think it's user friendly. Heavy cannons have the narrowest arc and the most damage. So the heavy beam has the middle arc and the middle damage? While technically the precedent set by the set heavy weapons is that heavy just means twice the shot damage, half the firing rate, and does actually not include the 10% severity, adding yet a different heavy weapon would just add more confusion to players.
---
My suggestion is instead the following:
What you want is something that looks more like canon weapons? Ask for a weapon that works a la Vaad Pol Emitter Arrays - same exact mechanics as existing beam arrays, just different visuals.
SCM - Hive (S) - [02:31] DMG(DPS) - @jarvisandalfred: 30.62M(204.66K) - Fed Sci
Tacs are overrated.
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A new weapon type is unlikely, but choosing our weapon effects would be a nice touch. Just turn it off for PvP so the half dozen PvPers don't get upset.
^ Click image to listen to my favorite Trek theme song! ^
Welcome to 2013. Beams out-dps cannons.
SCM - Hive (S) - [02:31] DMG(DPS) - @jarvisandalfred: 30.62M(204.66K) - Fed Sci
Tacs are overrated.
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when stacked with powers like Beam Overload. Even single hits based around crit sev can be deadly.
Well...
- 120* arc,
- Innate [Pen] mod with ONLY 1 additional mod,
- Regular Beam base Dmg, boost from engine power similar to Quad Cannons.
- Synergy with Dual Heavy Cannons: Scatter Volley activates Beam Fire at Will and Rapid Fire activates Beam Overload.
RIP KDF and PvP 2014-07-17 Season 9.5 - Death by Dev
I am not sure how they can implement this. A few months ago I may have been a proponent of this idea, but upon seeing just how stupidly hard my Beam CBC and Beamitar can hit, I have to say probably not a good idea.
OP, your suggestion for Heavy Beam Arrays as they are will be completely irrelevant for performance before and after they come out. They will fail for the very same reasons people suggested Dual Cannons (not DHCs) should have a wider arc.
Why? Very simple.
Ships that can handle DHCs tend to be well handling ships and present narrow arc weapons very easily. I will never give up the hitting power of DHCs for my Battlecruisers, Escorts to stuff on weaker Dual Cannons that have a theoretical wider arc.
If your ship can turn well enough, optimized enough to support narrow arc weapons, you want the hardest hitting weapons possible. For beams, DBB>>> "Heavy Beam Arrays" and if you want area coverage, then Single Beam Arrays still will trump them with overlapping arcs as well as out damage "Heavy Beam Arrays" the way Beamboats are built and act.
If my ship is optimized for forward heavy builds, those DBBs are better choices than Heavy Beam Arrays because the arc is still generous enough and the damage is still punishing. 5 fwd weapon ships with 5 DBBs going BFAW will trump 100% of the time lower damage valued "Heavy Beam Arrays" because the theoretical weapons will have a wider arc at the cost of damage but still not get the same coverage and overlapping arcs of Single Beams.
The Dominion war scenes showed the Galaxy Squadron literally BTFO Galors with max phaser power.
I don't think you read what the OP wanted with Heavy Beam Arrays. Because if you wanted to do what was done in that DS9 scene, Heavy Beam Arrays would not be best for it. Not to mention have the firing arcs for it.
However, visuals aside there is little reason nowaday for a heavy array . The powerdrain from arrays is long since easily to mitigate.
And damagewise. . . we know who leads the dps boards.
I wish something could be done about the beam spam but i think thats more something a proper redesign of the arrays, away from multiple firing cylcles, could do.
A bit like a KCB, but as a standardized energy weapon that is boosted by damage type and beam attacks - with a narrower firing arc.
DBBs are already pretty much the DHCs of the beam world. Beams really don't need anything with a higher spike damage potential - my (poorly set up)Eclipse already fires off 100k+ volleys with its quad DBBs.
Though on a side note i wish they would change how the adaptivetranphasic torp (that is still bugged i believe) works, to where it starts with a lower shield pen than other transphasic torps, but would than gain additional shield pen from each usage against the same target. So like it might start with a 10%shield pen an gain 5-10 % shield pen each time it is used against that target, but than reset after switching targets, which could even give other transphasic weapons a portion of that shield pen as well (maybe like 1/3 of the bonus.).