Fractal Softworks Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Starsector 0.97a is out! (02/02/24); New blog post: Simulator Enhancements (03/13/24)

Author Topic: Slight change to the EMP Emitter  (Read 2275 times)

naufrago

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 511
    • View Profile
Slight change to the EMP Emitter
« on: September 03, 2012, 03:23:53 PM »

The EMP Emitter is useful, but the way it works now makes a lot more sense on an Omen than the Shade. The Shade will usually have to phase to keep from dying at some point during its activation while the Omen can keep its defenses up all the time. It would be nice if the EMP Emitter were equally useful on both platforms, so I have some suggestions to fix that.

I feel like you could make the cooldown for the EMP Emitter variable depending on how long it was active before being forced off and only generate flux per lightning bolt fired or for how long it's active, not simply for activating the system. Longer periods of activation would lead to a longer cooldown. You could choose to make it inoperable until the cooldown is over or not. Pressing 'f' would turn the system on as usual, but it should also be able to be deactivated with 'f' to be fair to the Omen. Alternatively, you could make it build up charges, but it would still have to generate flux per lightning bolt to be completely fair. I prefer the former option, since it keeps it closer to how it's currently implemented.

This would let the Shade duck in and out of phase to fire its EMP when it's opportune to do so. The way it is now, it bears the full flux cost of activating the system upfront, usually only gets a few shots before it has to phase, then has to wait for the cooldown to finish before firing again. This would make it about as useful on the Shade as it is on the Omen.
Logged

Gothars

  • Global Moderator
  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 4403
  • Eschewing obfuscatory verbosity.
    • View Profile
Re: Slight change to the EMP Emitter
« Reply #1 on: September 03, 2012, 03:40:05 PM »

Sounds sensible, but I'm not sure that weakness is not intentional.
Logged
The game was completed 8 years ago and we get a free expansion every year.

Arranging holidays in an embrace with the Starsector is priceless.

naufrago

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 511
    • View Profile
Re: Slight change to the EMP Emitter
« Reply #2 on: September 03, 2012, 03:56:18 PM »

Sounds sensible, but I'm not sure that weakness is not intentional.

I intended to say something along the lines of 'feel free to ignore if this is intentional' somewhere in the post, but forgot. *shrug*
Logged

Rowanas

  • Commander
  • ***
  • Posts: 140
    • View Profile
Re: Slight change to the EMP Emitter
« Reply #3 on: September 03, 2012, 05:12:56 PM »

Personally, I don't think it makes a lot of sense on any phase ship. It serves as a potent PD weapon, which really isn't necessary for phase ships, since the only thing they really excel at at the moment is quickly ducking underneath missiles and fighters.
Logged

PCCL

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 2016
  • still gunnyfreak
    • View Profile
Re: Slight change to the EMP Emitter
« Reply #4 on: September 03, 2012, 05:18:04 PM »

I think the idea is they decloak among a swarm of fighters and fire up the bug-zapper
Logged
mmm.... tartiflette

Archduke Astro

  • Captain
  • ****
  • Posts: 456
  • 99 AU from anywhere
    • View Profile
Re: Slight change to the EMP Emitter
« Reply #5 on: September 07, 2012, 04:14:36 PM »

I think the idea is they decloak among a swarm of fighters and fire up the bug-zapper

Like you, that's also the overriding viewpoint I've had about the Shade since it first went public. It's one hell of a potent method of swinging in on a vine at the last second like Tarzan and saving a friendly ship from massed fighters or missiles. While the Omen can accomplish some of that goal, the sudden-ambush capability of the phaseable Shade makes it even sweeter.
Logged
We thought our last moment had come
when we got a message up the voice pipe
saying that 'A' Turret magazine was on fire.....