I really enjoy your mod, especially some of the flavorful weapons and junker ships. However, I think the weapons can use a little pass on balance, I think a bunch of them can use an OP reduction, specifically the Clyde Rapidfire Cannon. It already has less range and dps than the heavy autocannon, and ridiculous flux inefficiency. Heck, the heavy machinegun would be better in every way if not for the lower range. I think you could afford to knock it down to 9, or even 8 ordinance points, where it could directly compete with the arbalest as a discounted kinetic option. And the small mining collector.... I think it definitely needs to have an OP cost of 1, or at least have less flux cost.
Hey Cris.
I know we want to make weapons amazing and all but ahve you tried using the new weapons for their intended purpose: that is Mining? Spamming the small mining gen is pretty good for a mining build.
It's pretty crap as a PD though which really wants me to ask Alfonzo to create a hull mod or something that creates a scavenger/mining group because atm a dedicated mining group is really really boring and isn't as profitable as it ought to be. Don't get me wrong mining is a safe slow way to make dough but we're supposed to make a profit either way not a deficit
Possibly a new ship type/group that has an integrated hull mod that expands on the combat power of 'mining' type equipment. Doesn't seem too difficult to add in.
Also a distinct positive of nearly all ming weapons is that they're usually very very low on flux consumption and have high flux:damage efficiency. Just look at the large Xiu Liu Mining Gen for example.
Just like how the junker ships need a lot of time to experiment to make good, you need to dictate a ship to the weapons you equipped it.
Don't expect mining tools to stand toe to toe to actual combat weapons. Use your other strengths: did you realize the Brilliant and Scarecrow come in 25 and 28 DP only. They both bring good mount options as well as fighter bay. The scarecrow ever since the balance update is an amazing long range artillery. The Brilliant is just an overall beast of a ship (need to find the blueprint though, which I've gotten quite often at this point).
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I've really gotten a good look at this mod after all these hours in campaign and simulator testing.
King Roach not able to do enough? Try smack an aggressive officer onto it and strap Systems Override to it. Now you can make 3 chainguns and three machine guns meleeing capital ships to death. Hell the AI is smart enough to even use Fast Repair when needed. You can do the same with the cockroach as well. The more they die the more OP you get which allows you to fit integrated PD and EVEN MOAR mg/vulcans/your choice of pd support.
Your junker ships aren't going to live for long. But they can achieve some pretty amazing feats if equipped well. Make full use of their tankiness and turret placements. Fast Repair used to be crap on the scarecrow as it's way too slow too make full use of it, maneuvering thrusts is so much better and firmly tells the player that this can be a monster of a a long range support ship: smack some gravitons and Large Mining Gens/ Heavy Maulers and hardened shields. You literally just make the tankiest nearly full cover shielded cruiser in the sector.
Brilliant is a lot different to the other ships in the hmi arsenal because it's just flat out really good for what it provides on the battlefield.
Have you realized that the carrier options are all pretty fragile or have some massive drawbacks.
The Berserker is literally a piece of tissue paper that will explode in a moment's notice. BUT it has not one, not two but THREE fighter bays. All for 12 DP. That in itself is stupidly powerful. What better way to cover your SO cockroaches and King roaches than literally zerging the air. The Rampart is a bit more jack of all trades but you should build it similarly or make full use of that large missile slot.
The HMI fleet has some crazy good synergies is what I'm saying.
EDIT: also yes I'm still testing the Bastillon and other scav hulls.