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: Hull Mod Proposal - Vectored Thrust  (Read 2698 times)

StahnAileron

  • Commander
  • ***
  • Posts: 195
    • View Profile
Hull Mod Proposal - Vectored Thrust
« on: August 18, 2012, 04:32:02 PM »

Does anyone else feel like strafing in SF is a bit... underwelming? It works all right for smaller, faster ships (I think. It's been a while since I bothered since it's just faster and easier to just turn and burn instead.) But it's pretty useless for larger ships, though I can sorta understand why. So here is my proposal for a new Hull Mod:

"Vectored Thrust Engines - Some of the ship's main engine thrust output is redirected to side exhaust ports, increasing lateral (strafe) speed at the cost of cruising (forward/reverse) speeds."

I was originally thinking of a 33% - 50% decrease to top speed, but your strafe speed would match your new top speed. Cost in OP would be somewhere between Aux Thrusters and Augmented Engines. But thinking back on it, I'm not sure if that's very balanced or not. My other idea for balancing it would be like a 10%-25% top speed decrease and loss of like 10% flux venting capacity for maybe a 50% increase in strafe speed. ("Some flux vents on the ships are now used as engine exhaust nozzles, increasing lateral speeds.")

Or some other combination of numbers for buff (strafe speed) and nerf (top speed or even vent rate, like Aug Engines.) Maybe even use per-class/size numbers (like Aug Engines' speed boost: a flat +40/+30/+20/+10 depending on hull size/class). Half the reason I'm submitting this idea is for feedback on balancing it. Please don't take the number I just pulled off the top of my head here as serious suggestions for the actual buff/nerf numbers. They are simply examples to give you a rough idea of what I had in mind for effects with the hull mod.

Thoughts and (hopefully constructive...) criticisms?
Logged

Faiter119

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 1402
    • View Profile
Re: Hull Mod Proposal - Vectored Thrust
« Reply #1 on: August 18, 2012, 04:44:28 PM »

Couldnt you just strafe to your target instead of just driving there normally? Would be just a normal speed boost.
Logged

Catra

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 599
    • View Profile
Re: Hull Mod Proposal - Vectored Thrust
« Reply #2 on: August 18, 2012, 04:56:41 PM »

Couldnt you just strafe to your target instead of just driving there normally? Would be just a normal speed boost.

ohhhhhh,

the fond memories of X3:R and X3:TC where capitals fly faster using their strafe drives rather than their main engines.

though really, i dont see why the top speed needs to be nerfed and why we can't just have aux thrusters also just increase strafe speed.
Logged

StahnAileron

  • Commander
  • ***
  • Posts: 195
    • View Profile
Re: Hull Mod Proposal - Vectored Thrust
« Reply #3 on: August 18, 2012, 05:54:55 PM »

Couldnt you just strafe to your target instead of just driving there normally? Would be just a normal speed boost.

ohhhhhh,

the fond memories of X3:R and X3:TC where capitals fly faster using their strafe drives rather than their main engines.

Ah, yes, I recall that as well. I haven't touched those games in awhile because the UI is so... cumbersome now. Especially when you consider stuff like XTM.

though really, i dont see why the top speed needs to be nerfed and why we can't just have aux thrusters also just increase strafe speed.

There is that. You'd just need to change (increase) the OP cost appropriately and add the desired strafe speed boost.

On the flip side, I'd like to to be a bit more modular so you don't waste OP on a feature you don't really want or need. (Turn rate vs Lateral Speed). Having a separate hull mod makes it more flexible, but I see where you're coming from. I never considered that approach for my idea.

As for the max speed nerf: that's just an idea to help balance the more viable use of strafing if vectored thrust speed = max speed. The original idea was thus:

"Vectored Engines: Vectored nozzles are installed to your ship's main engines. All engine output is available for strafing, though the installation of the nozzles decrease overall output."

I guess another way would be to make Strafe Speed = Max speed, but make it an expensive mod, like Heavy Armor or Aug Engines. Though I would fear some frigates more than I already do at times... (Elite Tempests...) Then again, the increase in OP cost comapred to my original idea could balance that out well enough, huh?

Couldnt you just strafe to your target instead of just driving there normally? Would be just a normal speed boost.

The strafe speed on something like a Paragon is like only 5-10. It's barely noticeable at all. Also, it doesn't seem to stack over the max speed of a ship anyway. Unless you meant while having the hull mod? I wouldn't want strafe speed to exceed cruise speeds, though that would make for some awesome (and perhaps hilarious) Conquest builds, no? (Can you image a Conquest with both Aux Thrusters, some form of Vectored Thrusterss, and its Maneuvering Jets coasting along, always sideways? Perpetual broadsides!)

Just keep in mind that even if you could strafe faster than you can cruise, which way you're facing while moving does matter (weapon arcs. Shield arcs too, for frontal types.)
« Last Edit: August 18, 2012, 06:02:02 PM by StahnAileron »
Logged

FlashFrozen

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 988
    • View Profile
Re: Hull Mod Proposal - Vectored Thrust
« Reply #4 on: August 18, 2012, 08:19:35 PM »

Personally, I'd rather just have a settable value for strafe speed or strafe acceleration ( it's mostly the slow acceleration since you can strafe up to your max speed but it takes forever to get there) in the ship_data.csv.
On the offhand, that might make balancing take slightly longer. But that's just me.
Logged

StahnAileron

  • Commander
  • ***
  • Posts: 195
    • View Profile
Re: Hull Mod Proposal - Vectored Thrust
« Reply #5 on: August 18, 2012, 08:30:11 PM »

Is it just an acceleration rate setting for the strafe stat? (I don't mess with the actual code much, even though I know it's mostly human-readable/accessible.) That would explain a bit, actually. That would just make my idea just set the strafe acceleration rate to match the cruise accel rate if that's the case. Not much balancing needed there. Could just make cost about as much as Aux Thrusters in OP.
Logged