5.2.0.9

[Haste]

Discovery 5.2.0.9, released on Jan 19th.

- Added: New event-only lifter model carrying a Kusari BC engine, with the commodity icon to match.
- Changed: Made patch notes reference the actual Freelancer version number again, starting with this patch.
- Changed: Gunboat primaries now do energy damage at 25% of hull damage, bringing their shield damage up to 75% of their hull damage.
- Changed: Fighter and Bomber mass and strafe force increased by 33%. Example: the Defender previously weighed in at 150 mass, and now 'weighs' 200, with a strafe force of 20,000 instead of 15,000.
- Changed: Fighter gun balance pass: (very) low efficiency class 1 and 2 guns and class 5 turrets' damage has been reduced, improving their efficiency. Codenames and class 4 (heavy weapons) damage unchanged.
- Changed: Fighter gun balance pass part 2: fighter/bomber gun efficiency formula updated, reducing overall power usage. The guns least affected by this buff are low-refire 'shotguns'.
- Changed: Fighter and Bomber power plant recharge increased by 90.
- Changed: Both Nova and Incapacitor bomber torpedo models have been upscaled by 20% (including hitboxes).
- Changed: Nova and Incapacitor bomber torpedo HP increased from 1,250 to 2,500.
- Changed: Rage torpedo model now also uses a larger size model (like Novas and Incapacitators before it), and its HP has been increased from 900 to 3,000.
- Changed: Swatters damage and radius reduced, but detonation distance increased and the mine can now move and seek. Ammo decreased by 20 (50->30).
- Changed: Gunboat railgun hull damage reduced by 3250 (7000->3750), armor pen increased by 50 (150->200).
- Changed: Daisychain missiles now have a 200ms arming time.
- Changed: Shield adjustments:

• Shield Battery shield restore amount increased from 180 to 250.
  
• Shield Battery counts adjusted: larger ships like transports, gunboats and capital ships have had their battery count reduced proportional to the amount shield batteries themselves were buffed by -- meaning their overall amount of shield capacity 'stored' in batteries remains the same.
  
• Light Fighters also have slighter reduced numbers of shield batteries.
  
• Fighter and Bomber shield capacity & recharge increased by 10%.
  
• Fighter, Bomber and Freighter shield boosts now last a little longer per expended shield battery, but reduce damage by significantly less than they did before: Graviton: 75% -> 45%; Molecular: 65% -> 40%; Positron: 50% -> 35%.
  

- Changed: Nanobot repair quantity reduced by 100 (600 -> 500). Ships larger than freighters have had their nanobot counts increased to maintain the same amount of total effective hitpoints. Light Fighters have slightly more nanobots (mostly to ensure they can 'fuse').
- Changed: Battlecruiser Penitence has made it to the Tripoli drydocks for repairs. It is undockable for the duration. Its infocard reflects its latest adventure.
- Changed: Dresden updated to update Penitence's departure.

@Aingar - Coding
@Alex. - Keeping It All Running, Infocards
@Antonio - Systems
@Barrier - Infocards, Systems
@Haste - Art, Balance
@HonourWolf - Art, Balance

[Chuba]

thank you great update!!

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[Traxit]

where cap cahnges

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The best Video Game OST
Just Got Better

[Big Bison Bessie]

Hmmm, eager to see these changes in the wild and how that will effect stuff in a less controlled environment.

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☆The Ballad of Bessie Bishop☆ | ☆Elizabeth Bishop LPI Records☆ | ☆Feedback☆

[Oggdo Bogdo]

- Changed: Fighter and Bomber mass and strafe force increased by 33%. Example: the Defender previously weighed in at 150 mass, and now 'weighs' 200, with a strafe force of 20,000 instead of 15,000.

So do you now intend to explain how your latest balance overhaul solves any of the issues brought up?

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[Elvinos2003]

Best changes:
- Changed: Fighter gun balance pass part 2: fighter/bomber gun efficiency formula updated, reducing overall power usage. The guns least affected by this buff are low-refire 'shotguns'.
- Changed: Fighter and Bomber power plant recharge increased by 90.

Worse:
- Changed: Fighter and Bomber mass and strafe force increased by 33%. Example: the Defender previously weighed in at 150 mass, and now 'weighs' 200, with a strafe force of 20,000 instead of 15,000.

All VHF feels like flying a brick. The responsivity is very bad. The Titan feels slower than before with these change.

It was working so well and now, it is very mid. I did some duels in conn with my Odin and it feels so bad. There was a reason why some was teaching PvP and with these, it's like jousting and hope you have a better aim.

It needs to be reverted, especially the 'weighs'. Moreover, soon, it will just be caplancer and less snub.

Thank you.

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[Vlaicone(Ted)]

I do want to share my two cents on the issues as I do believe that is not ill intended but rather if there is space to give feedback, so here is my feedback:

The best thing that happened in this patch is that the power core formula has been redone and it does feel very good and even more forgiving then ever and it allows new players to have more shots which in theory can result in more damage, but all of this is in theory until proven and the recharge also feels very good.

The main thing with this patch that makes is less the desirable, is the changes to the mass. While I do understand that a slower pace can facilitate the newer players base, but I think the case is as such "It just dissolved into an aim battle with minor positional fighting." . This is the best way to place this new patch in simple terms. The new player will never be able to be evasive enough in this current meta in order to keep up with the ace pvp-ers, and such changes will make them feel ever more punished as they will be rather slow in their movements and will have not idea how to or where to start in order to address their issues.

I do believe that giving a new player the environment to grow is a great thing and that should be a very good priority, but this thing needs the be REVERTED, and I am only saying that the movement thing should be reverted, otherwise the patch seems solid in terms of snubs.

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[R.P.Curator]

New players - and by new player I do mean new players, not returning players - encounter this issue: New player Part 2 Part 3
Give this a test.
Also
For balance's sake:
- Since all fleet fights are Fleet fights with capital ships, and the most dragging fights are around snubs, time to make some friends:
- Remove the fuse save, since the ones who benefit from it the most are the Good to God tier snub players, not the beginners.
You want to incentivize the players to play snubs, cause why the hell not, everybody in their 40s likes mashing their fingers on the keyboard after a hard days work and burning their nerves fighting snubs, decrease the death penalty time for snubs to 15 minutes on the entire server.
No fuse, 15 mins death time or 30 mins. You die, see you later in a bit.
Also, crazy idea part 2:
- Add unlawful Intelligence factions in all houses
i.e.: Liberty has LH
Rheinland has ? (Bundshunch)?
Bretonia has ?
Gallia has ? (Maquis)?
Kusari has ? (Hogosha? Chrysantemums?)
Omicrons, Taus and Omegas have Order
This along with a small forum change - specifying that RP comms are Private / Hackable / Public would add and increase the RP and would spice things up in game as well.

[Chocola]

When I was driving my Osiris, I found that my health was close to that of a cruiser, and the HP of the battle cruiser I faced was twice as high as mine. I can only survive by staying 4k away and facing the enemy's fleet by spamming sleds, and mortars. Then randomly perform TS or STS. Finally, I watched helplessly as the cruiser danced within my 2k range and destroyed my shield, then diverted my attention to deal with the double Rage torps
CAPS CHANGE WHEN

[Nika]

snip

"Oh no, I can't tank in a light battleship, how terrible!"

You're flying the most busted battleship subclass and are still complaining. That speed advantage is a great deal.