Hypothesis: Battleship thrusters: an alternative take.

[Pinko]

So, I was just discussing with some people the possibility of using thrusters on Battleships, and a single method came out of it, which would entirely change the dynamic of battleships:

Battleships would have no speed at all, and would have no possibilities to use Cruise engines. They'd have to rely only and entirely on their thrusters to move, slowly gaining momentum from 0 to 300. Only in a single complete thruster charge you could reach your maximum speed, and letting go of the thruster button would slowly reduce the speed of the ship (as if it were EKing), and reversing would reduce the speed even moreso, and would also let you back up.

As a result, Battleships would have less mobility than most ships, while giving them the potential to have more firepower as a result, while still keeping considerable speed. They would still have to gauge their speed continuously while fighting to keep up decently with other ships and not outspeed them, since they would still be able to fire even if they head at a speed of 300 m/s. This would, also, make them undisruptable. Bombers would also likely have to cruise up to catch up with them and do some sort of weird EK dance around it to try to keep up if it decides to flee, so I don't know how this part would be balanced.

Thoughts?

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I want to get off Mr. Igiss' wild ride.

[Maelstrom]

I like this thought. It would give the battleships more the illusion of being truely massive. I can see a lot of people hating it because the battleships wouldn't be near as fun to maneuver without plenty of jump lanes nearby and handy, though. On the other hand, battleships are supposed to be giant mobile forts and the need for real scouts would open up plenty of role play. Light forces could be used to scout, interdict, and hold until the main fleet arrived. It opens up plenty of tactics and role play.

It'd be a lot of work for the devs, though. I can see a myriad of things that would need rebalancing with just a quick glance.

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[Rommie]

Caps vs bombers will be a much lengthier engagement. Coupled with cruise drain, it would be downright horribly long.

And your EK example wouldn't really work, because:

a) EK'ing out of cruise means you're only heading one direction. Means that as soon as you're in it's weapon range, you're dead. Also means that if they're chasing a battleship which is at full speed, they'll need to read the future in order to position themselves correctly.

b) if the bomber strafes while in EK, it ends up in impulse, and won't be able to throw a single Snac at the battleship, especially if it's at a full speed.

And what happens when the Thruster gets missiled off?

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In space, nobody knows I'm a panda

[Zynth]

Adding to the critique:

A thruster and an immobile battleship will result in an inability to dock with ANYTHING. (almost, JGs and Trade lanes are going to be a problem)
We need some degree of impulse speed to actually dock with something. You don't see thrusters going online while in a docking sequence do you?

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[Camtheman]

No.

Physics lesson...

a mouse fart would push something in space and get it to accelerate.

There is no resistance. It would continue forever.

As a result, Battleships would have less mobility than most ships, while giving them the potential to have more firepower as a result, while still keeping considerable speed. They would still have to gauge their speed continuously while fighting to keep up decently with other ships and not outspeed them, since they would still be able to fire even if they head at a speed of 300 m/s. This would, also, make them undisruptable. Bombers would also likely have to cruise up to catch up with them and do some sort of weird EK dance around it to try to keep up if it decides to flee, so I don't know how this part would be balanced.

Although the balance portion of it is purty cool =P

[Aphil]

Have fun in an asteroid field.:)

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[Rodent]

Have fun in an asteroid field.:)

Battleships should be useful in an asteroid field...why exactly?

[Jinx]

the idea is good - really

the tools available are insufficient.due to a bug that happened to my ship ..... i had something you may compare to it

- my ship would accelerate very slowly ( battleship with a mistaken liner engine )
- it would take around 3 minutes to get from 0-100 .... but it wouldn t stop there....
- it would go on ( linear ) - so after 6 min, i d be at 200 ( transit speed ) ... after 10 min i d be almost at cruise speed, after 15 min - i d overtake anyone cruising
- stopping was equally slow - the best way was to hit a rock... or turn and counter-accelerate

flying a circle or making any turn - would be similar to drifting.

all that happened, cause i attached a weak engine to a high mass. ( cannon emergency attached a BB engine to the persephone in the end )


what effect does that have?

the GOOD effects:

- it FEELS awefully much like it OUGHT to feel like. you are a BEHEMOTH - once you are in motion.... nothing short of an immobile rock will stop you
- your HUGE engines produce thrust - and while snubs will speed away like flies ..... YOU are the one overtaking them when it comes to linear and long range travel - cause you ll reach speeds FAR beyond their cruise engine

the BAD effects:

- well - it was the time when many cried "final nail, cruise drain" ..... and my ship was the only one that would not only travel 800ms + ... but also keep its energy
- a silly NPC or a player would "alter" my course when in full motion. - you "reflect" away from the thing in your way - and due to your mass and speed, you end up 50k off course - cause someone was in your way.


however


if it could be fine tuned - that system was one that was much closer to capital ship motion. - it required a different approach to flying - the battleship did NOT feel like a sluggish fighter anymore.

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Shipdesigns made for DiscoveryGC

[Camtheman]

Battleships should be useful in an asteroid field...why exactly?

Another Physics lesson.

Those asteroids would be pushed away from the ship due to massive gravity.

Or pulled in and destroyed by laz0r defense systems.

[AshHill07]

Give battleships barge engines.

Anouther issue I could see with your thruster idea would be that if someone shot it off thats it. The account is pretty much useless unless you get someone to kill you, or anouther fight happens in the same place.

No towing ability. (Possibility for it if this does get added)
No impulse speed so you cannot move without a thruster, which blew up. (Or previously mentioned towing)
F1 obviously won't do much you'll just log in and be stuck in the same place still.
Can't kill yourself without getting shoved into a starflea.
Getting someone else to kill you would be OORP. (But probably the most used method out of the above)

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