Is it time to nerf cruise disruptors?

[Grumblesaur]

Except that you're not considering that CDs as they are are a reason why many types of ordinance are balanced, because they can be stopped.

But should they be stopped so easily?

CDs have always been the defense against ordinance as well as a stopping tool since the beginning of FREELANCER ITSELF. It is the only multipurpose weapon in this game and does not COMPLETELY rule out the use of other missiles or equipment amongst fighters and bombers in every situation.

Appeal to tradition is not strictly a good reason to keep something around.

In my experience, which admittedly is mostly dated (I find it difficult to get into a proper brawl as of late), few people were willing to equip missiles because they pretty reliably got out-turned in a furball and CD'd in a joust. Only half of that is the CD's fault, of course, but the turning radius point you mention farther down your post is kind of irrelevant in the sort of fight where missiles have a good chance of hitting.

Yes, and this is in place to balance out the abuse of the aforementioned types of equipment that would otherwise rupture balance if the current aspects of CDs were removed completely. If CDs couldn't stop cloaks, JDs, than what would stop people from avoiding interaction? What would stop people from avoiding you in all cases, mounting a cloak disruptor? Yea as if someone would gamble their CM slot for that, nevermind how much money it costs to get a cloak disruptor on top of the ammo for it. New players would struggle to keep up in basic interactions on discovery. If Jumpdrives were allowed to thrive with no regulation we'd see even more obnoxious instances of avoiding interactions in general or just fleeing from fights to deny bluemessages - attitude that is already very prominent among several members of this community including some in this thread.

This is beside the point of the thread, but, instead of having the cloaking devices and jump drives (and thus needing a device to counter them), what if we just removed them? Yes, they're most of the reason to even operate a POB at all, but what benefit do they really bring to the server if all they do is give players with a lot of cash or patience a free pass to just yeet themselves out of an interaction?

I agree -- we can't pin this one on CDs. But if CDs are needed for this specific purpose to begin with, maybe we should cut this one off at its source? It leaves me wondering how many populated systems I've passed through not to see anybody at all. Were they just out of range, or stalking me like a perverted Harry Potter with his invisibility cloak?

Food for thought. This might be worth its own thread, though it'd probably generate at least as much ire as this one.

Actually it does, there is a very very large distinction between the effectiveness of trains vs mosquitos depending on what situation you are diving into and what class you are running. The most effective CD for fighters has been and always should be mosqs. They have less range, but more ammo, and a very very noticeable difference in turn rate which effects the ability to stop mines and missiles. If you are running a fighter, the mosq is always the prime pick, even in some cases as a bomber where you need to defend yourself against snubs - the mosq is the prime pick.

Trains are better suited for stopping the enemy, they can be used against capital-ship torpedoes but do not always guarantee that you destroy the missile. They are also less effective at stopping mines and or snubs in combat due to their lack of turn rate in comparison to the mosquito. Though they have more range, they have less ammunition.

I personally haven't noticed, so that might just be my bad. I scarcely see anyone running a mosquito even if it is superior in a high explosive sort of situation, purely because the TCD is so versatile that a few flubbed shots doesn't really hurt since you get a fairly healthy stock of them anyway.

I was in a bit of a furball the other day and TCDs seemed to do just fine detonating mines. It was five different ships too, so not just a plain old joust either. What you're asserting might be true by-the-numbers but in practice it doesn't seem to be (given what recent experience I do have) that much of a distinction.

Discovery Freelancer is the best at ensuring the effectiveness of all types of equipment and loadouts among its classes in comparison to any other FL mod I've seen. CDs do not rupture ship roles or undermine certain types of ordinance completely - they regulate them so there is not a 100% guarantee for their effectiveness everytime. The amount of CDs right allows someone to be well suited for different situations as they move out to interact with other people - often times alone. CDs burn pretty quickly when combat arises, especially if you're stopping multiple targets, nevermind if you get into a fight with someone who is ammo-happy.

25 is ridiculous, mosqs were lowered to 60 and everyone quickly saw the flaw in the change. Why was the change done? Because of 1 person in power getting upset they lost once in a brawl, the fault was not on CDs - but their faulty flying style.

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

This seems like more a matter of opinion than the rest of your post. And also playstyle -- I don't know that I've ever run out of CDs, even in a long fleet fight. Most of my combat experience in Disco has been from flying bombers since I enjoy fighting caps more than other snubs, so that probably has something to do with it.

Those differences aside though, you can get a disruptor refill from someone who goes down early in the fight. Even if Tenacity is putting this idea forth in bad faith (I don't know his habits personally so I'm not going to take a stance on that one way or the other), I really don't think burning through them is as big a concern as you seem to think it is.

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brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs.