Player Features and Ideas Discussion

I like this simple and effective idea.

You could just scrap defenders and and make a high slot module with no attack capability that launches missile interception.

Here's the issue:

Flares are intended to redirect heat-guided missiles. They won't have any effect on dumb-fire missiles or most other guided missiles.

Flack works on any missile provided it damages the missiles guidance system or damages its air-frame enough to redirect its flight. There is also the possibility of flak causing the missile to detonate, or redirecting the missiles flight path when the Flak detonates along its path or next to it.

EMP devices that function like flack would be potentially effective against missile guidance systems and internal electronics too, but I'm not sure anyone has bothered to design these.

Flares and similar distortions may affect Image recognition systems prior to confirmed target acquisition, but not after.

Direct radiation applied to guidance sensors on incoming missiles could prevent target acquisition and even guidance systems from operating properly provided they are accessible to targeted radiation.

Potentially, secondary guidance systems on a missile could theoretically use the targeted radiation to guide the missile to its source, removing its effectiveness. Also not known to have been designed or used by anyone.

There could be other methods, but that is more or less a breakdown of the effectiveness of conventional methods that are or could be in use.

Defenders function by homing in on the missile threats against the ship they are launched from, or by homing in on missiles that are determined to be targets by other means. Technically, provided intercept is possible and likely, they are more effective than many other means.

We have Smart-bombs. Provided the cycle is timed right or you have multiple overlapping cycles, you might have a reasonable missile defense available that way.

So, what you want is a ranged flak launcher capable of disrupting guided and unguided missiles with an EMP wave and shrapnel(standard flak), that is autonomous and not limited to a specific ship type. It would have to be an active module and require Capacitor, and it would have to acquire new targets and launch at incoming missiles and require ammunition.

So all you really need is one module, or variations of one module that serve the same purpose on different sizes of ships vs. missiles on a scale with those ships, (i.e: effective vs. Torpedoes and Cruise Missiles as a Battleship sized module).

Sounds like a not-bad idea, but it would have to have some limitations as it couldn't possibly wipe out all missiles in space and still be balanced. It also can't load both a script and ammunition, so dual function is questionable.

The most effective way to accomplish that dual purpose without creating questionable game-play elements is to break it up into two separate modules.

A mid-slot and high-slot module combination, where the mids module provides the computation and target acquisition and loads the script, and the highs module provides the bombardment and loads the ammunition for that bombardment. Probably the best way as it would allow for varying combinations of effectiveness vs. different targets.

It could also be a damaging module and be effective vs. Drones and various other threats. It could be targeted as an advanced weapons system and based on friend or foe aggression of the target, would either intercept or destroy missiles and/or Drones directed at the target or launched by it.

Kind of turning into an advanced weapon system. Without the mids module, it might be only partially functional or require pilot operation in some fashion aside from activating it in battle and monitoring cap consumption.

Well.. chew on that a bit and figure out what you think of it or how it applies or not to your idea(s).. idk, just thinking.

Another idea is missile defense drones. Right up to sentries, an alternative means of missile defense.

..back to the previous idea for a moment. I was thinking the operation as just a single highslot mosule could just be an activate and go thing where it only targets incoming missiles. Obviously it would have a ROF based on its size, and velocity and AOE based on munitions size that would determine its effectiveness in combat.

..and back to the drones. small, medium, and large drones, and sentries.

Small, Medium, and Large would seek and destroy missiles directed at the target they are orbiting if friend, and destroy missiles launched by the target if foe, (based on aggression again). Sentries would destroy missiles launched within their effective range in the same fashion.

I'm not sure how easy, hard, or feasible any of this would be. The complexity of determining target acquisition, complexity of combining modules, etc.. I can roughly consider what may or may not function within the game environment and how balanced it may or may not be, but that's about it.

For the Mid-Slot and High-slot module combination, I think the balance would be in that one Mid-slot module could effectively control Highslot modules up to a certain number and they could theoretically be grouped as a weapon group to identify specific combinations. The rest would be determined by effectiveness of ammunition and ROF.

The Mid-slot could even be designed to function with defender missiles in the same fashion it does with Flak launchers. This would improve Defender missile function and give options, and the defenders could be improved and even given their own launcher specific to this combination in addition to still be usable in standard missile launchers.

Game animations and graphics for Flak launchers could follow the turret model, with a simple straight line fire animation followed by an appropriate near-target explosion effect indicating an EMP wave and shrapnel spread.

Tracking, missile velocity, and the like would all determine effectiveness in the same fashion as turrets firing on ships does, but with the added consideration of Explosion radius and velocity, or a combination of missile and turret damage mitigation.

Defenders would still function as guided missiles vs. missiles, but might gain some benefit with regard to explosion velocity and explosion radius from the guidance computer. I suppose the guidance computer, (midslot component), could also be combined with missile launchers to improve upon their effectiveness if you wanted to get right down to it.

The script would determine the function of the guidance computer of course, and the quality of it would determine both effectiveness and how many launchers, (of whatever sort), it could be grouped with.

Potentially a lot of different applications here.

Script ideas:

Drone Defense System: sets parameters to defend vs. or destroy drones.

Missile Defense System: sets parameters to defend vs. or destroy missiles.

Guided Weapons System: Sets parameters to interface with missile weapons systems, improving on dumbfire weapons systems effectiveness and allowing better management of guided missile weapons systems.

Defender Missile Missile Defense: Sets parameters to interface with missile weapons systems and casue them to defend vs. or destroy missiles. Improves on Defender missile system launcher groups effectiveness.

Defender Missile Drone Defense: Sets parameters to interface with missile weapons systems and casue them to defend vs. or destroy drones. Improves on Defender missile system launcher group effectiveness.

A combination of Drone and Missile Defense for both Defender and Flak launcher systems with a separate script for each of those systems.

The midslot module should be an active module, but shouldn't consume a great deal of capacitor to function. Maybe not as little as a Damage Control, but not a lot. It could probably also use size variations to go with different size launcher groups, or even one type for Flak Launchers and another for Missile launchers with shared scripts between them.

One variation or another that produces the same end result is as good as any other variation that produces that same result. The best variation is the one combination that requires the least number amount of computational resources while still producing the desired result. (i.e: the one most easily integrated into the current game mechanics and requiring the least amount of resources on the server.)

So you only fly the overpowered missile ships and whine missiles are OP?

LOL.

Drake and Tengu are both grossly OP in PVP right now. Go fly a Caracal and tell me how effective missiles are at PVP. I'll wait.

Defender missiles need to be fixed and have a specific dedicated launcher for each class of ship (small, medium, large, cap).

Flak Cannons need to be introduced that work essentially the same way but for turreted ships.

Both defensive systems need to also target and destroy hostile drones as secondary targets to missiles.