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Author Topic: Least Useful Ship System  (Read 6818 times)

Reshy

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Least Useful Ship System
« on: August 09, 2012, 12:28:26 AM »

What ship system does everyone think is the least useful in Starfarer?



Personally my vote goes to high-energy focus.  Extra damage for taking the same in extra damage and being unable to use your shields.  The AI doesn't know how to use it, and even a player can't use it terribly effectively anyway.
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Griffinhart

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Re: Least Useful Ship System
« Reply #1 on: August 09, 2012, 12:38:11 AM »

HEF is useful is you've got a range advantage - say, HILs or Tachyons (although, with the nerf, Tachyons aren't as powerful anymore - though they still have the best range outside of missiles).

I haven't played with enough ships to try out all of the ship systems, though I don't really see the AI (or myself) using IFed's Titan's Hadron Transporter very much - sure, seeing a 25FP siege carrier teleport around the battlefield is hilarious/terrifying, but you only have three charges (and, from what I can tell, either they don't recharge, or recharge so slowly that I've never noticed).

The AI is also pretty bad with IFed's Mercury's Sensor Drones, for some reason. I once watched my AI-piloted Mercury deploy drones at the beginning of a battle (which is fine), but as soon as it was engaged in an actual shootout, it sent its drones out to free-roam... for them to be destroyed. (The Mercury still won, but still. Way to waste your advantage?) Granted, this is just my observation of a single fight, though I wonder if it was just a fluke, or a regularly occurring thing (which would smell like a bug to me).

Accelerated Ammo Feed is pretty awesome, if you fix Railguns to work with them (Railguns need to be swapped from 0.6 charge-up to 0.6 charge-down; known bug, fixed for the next patch). Only downside is that the IFed Toa tends to cap-out with a load of Railguns firing while under the effects of AAF (which is Working As Intended™, I feel).

-- Griffinhart
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TaLaR

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Re: Least Useful Ship System
« Reply #2 on: August 09, 2012, 12:45:09 AM »

I'd say flares - both active and not. Very situational and often you have enough other means to handle missiles (like speed + shield on tempest). Of course it's largest detriment is not having actually powerful system...

While AI pretty much doesn't use HEF (only if it outranges enemy & is completely not threatened, which is pretty much never), in player hands it's one of the most powerful systems. Just use it any second you are not threatened: drop shield & fire HEFed blasters or something else with high per shot damage. You'll usually be able to raise them before any projectiles hit you, if you didn't mistake timing. Or shield tank enemy before he gets to high flux and go HEF-berserk on him after - he won't be able to fire back a lot anyway. And of course as soon as something starts venting close to HEF-capable ship, it's pretty much dead. As simple as that.
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Griffinhart

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Re: Least Useful Ship System
« Reply #3 on: August 09, 2012, 12:50:31 AM »

You don't even need to drop shields to HEF, HEF will do that automatically for you.

(Turning HEF off won't automatically raise your shields for you, though. Y'gotta do that on your own.)

ETA: I wonder how the damage taken penalty is applied. Is it from base value, or from modified value? E.g., if you have Elite Crew and already take reduced damage (damage taken is 90%), does HEF increase damage taken by 50% base (so damage taken is now 140%), or 50% of the modified value (so damage taken is now 135%)?

-- Griffinhart
« Last Edit: August 09, 2012, 12:53:22 AM by Griffinhart »
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TaLaR

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Re: Least Useful Ship System
« Reply #4 on: August 09, 2012, 12:59:57 AM »

My meaning was more like "it's ok to drop shields, HEF is worth it", than "press right mouse button to drop shields" :). As to disabling HEF - http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=3590.0 , it'll probably be auto too in next build.
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Catra

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Re: Least Useful Ship System
« Reply #5 on: August 09, 2012, 01:24:08 AM »

What ship system does everyone think is the least useful in Starfarer?



Personally my vote goes to high-energy focus.  Extra damage for taking the same in extra damage and being unable to use your shields.  The AI doesn't know how to use it, and even a player can't use it terribly effectively anyway.

750*3*2*1.5
1000*5*1.5

come back to me when you find something that can burst for that much.

as for my opinion: active flare launcher. it's on a ship that neither needs it nor can use it effectively, which belongs to a faction who has a ridiculous amount of PD all across the board.
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Gothars

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Re: Least Useful Ship System
« Reply #6 on: August 09, 2012, 04:42:56 AM »



Personally my vote goes to high-energy focus.  Extra damage for taking the same in extra damage and being unable to use your shields.  The AI doesn't know how to use it, and even a player can't use it terribly effectively anyway.

That's  *deleted* , I would rank HEF as one of the must useful systems. If you equip a Sunder class with Autopulse and 2 Blasters, and add expanded Magazines it can smash a enemy destroyer in one and a cruiser in two attack runs. You can either give it the range advantage with with integrated targeting or dash in when the enemy is distracted with augmented engines.

I think the fast missile racks are not overly useful, at least not on the ships that have them (could be nice on a dedicated missile ships with large missile slots).

e/ really, q u e e r  is autofiltered? oO
« Last Edit: August 09, 2012, 04:54:54 AM by Gothars »
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leonvision

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Re: Least Useful Ship System
« Reply #7 on: August 09, 2012, 05:20:23 AM »

i havent really tried an AI with HEF as a system, but i know it works marvel with the sunder in my disposal, i use the autopulse on it for devastating damage spikes, can mostly flank and take down all frigate and same destoyers in one full volley of autopulse. the autopulse is(and said in the description) very good at managing flux, i never have to worry about flux usage on my weapons on my sunder, i have phasebeams for the medium slots. one of the very important things that works very well with HEF is to have greater range than your opponent, so i think integrated targeting unit is very essential to maximize the usage of HEF.

just a question, does anyone know if the bonus from HEF and the bonus damage from flux are additive or multiplicative?
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armoredcookie

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Re: Least Useful Ship System
« Reply #8 on: August 09, 2012, 10:56:09 AM »

HEF in combination with the high flux energy weapons damage bonus of around 40% means that your energy weapons are dealing near double damage. Pretty impressive I'd have to say.
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Reshy

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Re: Least Useful Ship System
« Reply #9 on: August 09, 2012, 12:32:18 PM »

HEF in combination with the high flux energy weapons damage bonus of around 40% means that your energy weapons are dealing near double damage. Pretty impressive I'd have to say.

You also take near double damage and can't use shields.  Good as a finisher, but poor in all other situations.
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Doom101

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Re: Least Useful Ship System
« Reply #10 on: August 09, 2012, 08:18:00 PM »

clearly the least useful ship system is the phase skimmer/ phase teleporter.

now with the trolling out of the way.

in my opinion the least useful ship system is probably.... actually that's a hard question, i haven't used the HEF on the aurora ( not sure where else it is) but since it takes away shields i'd have to agree its a good finisher but nothing else unless your far out ranging whatever your shooting at. i mean imagine turning that on to completely own a low tech ship then suddenly he burn drives right into your face? your shields are down and your staring down the frontal firepower of a low tech ship and without your shields AND taking extra damage well your just asking for trouble.
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icepick37

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Re: Least Useful Ship System
« Reply #11 on: August 09, 2012, 08:19:54 PM »

You also take near double damage and can't use shields.  Good as a finisher, but poor in all other situations.
Well ALL is a little harsh, but I do agree with the sentiment. It's a hard system to use. To the point that I don't know if I've ever used it, haha.

So it get my vote as well. Though I do recognize it's potential.
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Gothars

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Re: Least Useful Ship System
« Reply #12 on: August 10, 2012, 03:01:56 AM »

HEF in combination with the high flux energy weapons damage bonus of around 40% means that your energy weapons are dealing near double damage. Pretty impressive I'd have to say.

You also take near double damage and can't use shields.  Good as a finisher, but poor in all other situations.

Hey, that's just not true! There are many ways to use it to great effect. It's a instant system, so you can actually turn it on when you fire and turn it of when the enemy returns fire. My Odyssey killed three Onslaughts in a Hegemony fleet that way.

And sometimes you can actually afford to just take the fire, since the enemy last only a few seconds under your HEF energy-storm.

Well, the very best place for a HEF would be on board a phase ship, but that might be a bit to imba.
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Reshy

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Re: Least Useful Ship System
« Reply #13 on: August 10, 2012, 06:51:57 PM »

HEF I feel is the least useful because it's only effective on ships you out range really.  The AI also has no concept of how to handle it.


The other I would have to say is Fast Missile Racks.  Mainly because the ships that it's on don't get much benefit out of it.  There's no real dedicated missile ship besides the Buffalo 2, and presumably if given FMR then it'd be less of a joke.
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Aratoop

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Re: Least Useful Ship System
« Reply #14 on: August 11, 2012, 01:02:34 AM »

That is useful- on the vigilance, I discovered that it takes 4 harpoons to kill a lasher, so I used the missile racks to stomp his face :).
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