Transport Powerplants

[Benjamin]

I am a total transport whore - I use them to sate my desire for huge ships without becoming a 'capwhore', but I like that a couple of them can actually handle themselves fairly respectably in a fight (Like the pirate transport). But you really couldn't call it overpowered, and, like people have said, compared to even gunboat turrets, transport turrets are really really awful.

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[Jessica.Cannon]

I have to agree that the transports weapons quite sucks at the moment, we definately need more choice in thems (more powerful ones, higher fire rate ones) it's at the moment impossible to destroy a fighter with a transport (not counting the twoshotting bomber armed with a supernova cannon)

So I wouldn't say it's the powerplant that have a problem, but rather what is supposed to come with it.

[douglas_brad]

Now, I've yet to find my way into a lux liner, and I don't agree with those who use them as primary traders. However, from an Albatross Large Transport standpoint, You can fire all day and never drain past a single bar. It'd be nice to have a bit more variety in firepower. Maybe miniaturized/weakened gunboat hardware, Small Missile Turrets, whatever. Just enough of a boost to make pirates think about actually working in groups and RPing heavier instead of the Sabre whoring 2milordai solo pirates. For me, trading is monotonous, and I enjoy a lengthy conversation with a group of pirates

Unselie: Transports are not trucks. They're not even tankers. These things are Merchanter ships from the age of sails. The seas are stars, and they're even -more- dangerous. And people think our merchanters wouldn't sail with cannons? That's pirate bias.

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[WilliamVitalArrow]

Too much power. Sure traders should hire escorts while going in dangerous areas. That will boost up RP.

An idea: - To make people RP, in order to think twice before risk his life, make an certain amount credit loss, when ship is destroyed.

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[Unseelie]

Like, the up to 24 million possible loss from the cargo risk we accept every time we deiced to fly from one base to another with full holds? That's not enough credit loss? You want Transports to hire escorts? Pirate in groups. It'll force escorts. RP isn't encouraged by people flying in packs, btw. That's a personal decision made whether or not the trader has an escort.

Besides which, RP has almost nothing to do with Balance. It doesn't belong in this discussion.

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[Benjamin]

It's not impossible to kill a fighter in a transport. I ran into two spatials (lol, admittedly) fighting a pal of mine in my pirate transport, and within about 30 seconds I'd made them both flee through fear of extremely imminent death. But a lot of the 2-3xxx capacity transports have a lot of guns and hull, even if those guns and their shields are terrible. I think they're pretty much fine as they are, although I've not had much experience with the energy-draining shield - maybe that's too cruel from what I've heard.

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[Rudo]

It's not impossible to kill a fighter in a transport. I ran into two spatials (lol, admittedly) fighting a pal of mine in my pirate transport, and within about 30 seconds I'd made them both flee through fear of extremely imminent death. But a lot of the 2-3xxx capacity transports have a lot of guns and hull, even if those guns and their shields are terrible. I think they're pretty much fine as they are, although I've not had much experience with the energy-draining shield - maybe that's too cruel from what I've heard.

It's enough to give a Pirate Transport serious plant drainage issues in combat.

But, the PTrans is unique in how many guns it fires forward compared to the size of its plant, so that itself might be the issue. Even if this drain is equal across the board, it's fine. Transports are floating fortresses but shouldn't be able to shoot at 100% firepower forever.

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[mjolnir]

If transport power plants re going to be made less great, I think they should get cap style weapons...razors, pulse cannons, missiles. If not, what tenny said. Their weapons re crap....Give them interesting weapons, or leave their power plants alone.

Yes cause transports are meant primary for fight or? :unsure:

Furthermore, Transports are supposed to be fortresses.

Always good to learn something new.

They're expensive because devs want to lengthen the time it takes to get capitalships...And now, the profits you can earn are lower.

This is b******* and you know it as you followed the discussion very closely over there. The "increased" price on the top one is there to encourage use of smaller transports => make server more colorful.

They cost up to four times the price of Gunboats. They should be on at least even footing with them.

Sure then why would you fly a GB when you can use a transport for that?

They can -already- (and will always, unless severely, severely, retardedly gimped) take out other transports. Giving them better guns will -not- make them better pirates.

Giving then better guns won't make them better? :wacko:

And people think our merchanters wouldn't sail with cannons? That's pirate bias.

Let's put it this way. I fly my transport (with 6 guns) an since start of 4.85 I have had 6 pirates trying pirate me. Not a single time did they had a chance.
(1 VHF, 3 bombers, 2 gbs).
VHF I can simply kill
Bombers I can kill if they are not so good, if they are good I can get 50k away and dock no problem
GBs I can get out of gun range from easily and they can't catch up.

So why in the hell would I ever even think about hiring an escort?

You are usually saying how "we should promote teamplay on both sides". Yes now we are doing that just on one side.

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Igiss says: Martin, you give them a finger, they bite off your arm.

[Doom]

to be honest...in 4.84 i never payed any pirates in my transport...when they tried to pirate me my choice was always to fight...it wasnt important if they were if fighters or bombers...i had 6 endless firing turrets and rather powerful shield...in any case i could wear them down...and from GB i could run with relative ease...

on a side note i flew medium transport which gives you best chances against pirates...


Now, in 4.85 i fly IMG transport...devs put it into fight capable transports...sure it has 7 turrets, but it is rather large and very slow...turrets seem same if not better then in 4.84...but now when i am stopped by pirate i pay gladly...despite 7 turrets i cant use them effectively enough....

and that is fine...its a transport with more then 4k cargo...

so...conclusion is...large transports can have some defense mainly good against NPCs...but smaller faster transports like my all time favorite GMG miner is very tough nut to crack for a lone pirate...

this is how balance was made...not entirely guided by logic, but to support diversity...otherwise we would have container transports and liners all over the place...

as for transport turrets only thing i would like to see (and i did propose that long time ago in dev forum) is transport missile turret with about 2k damage, medium power consumption (about 15k) and it should use ammo...

other then that weapons are fine...you have slow heavy hitter and fast fighter repellents...razor or pulse like thingies for transports are a bit too much at this point...

[douglas_brad]

Maybe I went about this in the wrong way. Having a never ending power supply with weapons that hit as hard as Transport Turrets may be a bit overkill. Hell, the only way to drain past half a bar is to mount a Hvy CM! I'm by no means saying nerf power cores, but saying maybe a boost in Turret drain. Also, I find it kinda funny the Justice/Starbeam sound coming off 2's and 4's. When you think of a large turret like these, you usually think "Giant Cannon" kinda like the sounds off the 1's and 3's and I think the energy drain should support those thoughts.

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