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Author Topic: Starsector 0.65.2a (Released) Patch Notes  (Read 325226 times)

SafariJohn

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Re: Starsector 0.65.2a (Released) Patch Notes
« Reply #555 on: February 17, 2015, 07:14:04 AM »

The Pilum nerf has somewhat buffed them in one way: it is less common for them to run into ships that were just destroyed since they don't have as much momentum now.
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Megas

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Re: Starsector 0.65.2a (Released) Patch Notes
« Reply #556 on: February 17, 2015, 07:51:18 AM »

Have not played the new hotfix much.  Some quick comments:

Phase Lance is better, and it is fun zapping weak ships with it.  However, in serious fights, it is still inferior to Pulse Laser overall.  Less range, less DPS, and no hard flux.  Anything Phase Lance can kill easily, Pulse Laser does more efficiently (thanks to more damage and hard flux) and from further away.  The only time Phase Lance was worth considering over Pulse Laser is when I had Advanced Optics installed.  I will not install Advanced Optics solely to make Phase Lance compete with Pulse Laser; I will simply use Pulse Laser instead.  Bottom line, Phase Lance either needs more range, at least its old 700 or as much as Pulse Laser's absolute maximum, which is greater than the listed 600, or something else that sets it apart from Pulse Laser.  EMP without chain-lightning is not enough.

Pilums are very slow again, and only useful if you can saturate the field with them.  Cruisers with FMR can do it alone.  Ships that need to rely on missiles to do damage are better off with something else.

Salamanders are only good for harassment now, and not a must-have anymore.

After trying clips during the past few days, I am glad that clips are gone.  Either the weapon had enough ammo that clips did not matter, or it had so little ammo that DPS was effectively half for most of the fight.  Expanded Magazines did not help low capacity weapons enough to matter.

Expanded Magazines is only good for the few ships that rely on the few energy weapons that have charges.  It is a must for autopulse laser.

EDIT:  Plasma cannon is useful enough that it can be worth installing.  +100 DPS over Heavy Blaster is still not that much, but better than before, AND passthrough ensures that the plasma salvo makes it to the target.  I have seen my plasma salvos, among other things, neutralized by Annihilator sprays, and passthrough says "NO" to that.
« Last Edit: February 17, 2015, 08:09:32 AM by Megas »
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CrashToDesktop

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Re: Starsector 0.65.2a (Released) Patch Notes
« Reply #557 on: February 17, 2015, 08:18:46 AM »

@ Silver Silence & Histidine
Thanks a lot, much appreciated. :D

I loved the Phase Lance from the very beginning - in fact, so much so that I replaced my Heavy Blaster with it.  Now with that damage buff, it seems like it'll be even better.  Awesome.
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Megas

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Re: Starsector 0.65.2a (Released) Patch Notes
« Reply #558 on: February 17, 2015, 08:29:19 AM »

Yes, Phase Lance has potential.  It causes serious burst damage, good against shields that are ready to overload.  However, shot range is still a king in this game, and Phase Lance range is terrible, comparable to IR pulse laser, and its DPS is still less than other options, and none of the damage causes hard flux.  It needs its 700 range back, minimum.

I still prefer heavy blaster over any other medium (and some heavy) energy weapon if I want DPS, especially now that all ships have peak performance.
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Thaago

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Re: Starsector 0.65.2a (Released) Patch Notes
« Reply #559 on: February 17, 2015, 08:34:03 AM »

I hadn't made up a super firm opinion (hadn't played enough), but I'm glad the clips are gone. They seemed very complicated.

That said, they did do a nice job at balancing Heavy Mauler vs. Assault Chaingun. I think just a little damage tweak would balance them well however (Mauler down 25, Chaingun up 25 would open the gap wide enough imo).
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CrashToDesktop

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Re: Starsector 0.65.2a (Released) Patch Notes
« Reply #560 on: February 17, 2015, 08:36:25 AM »

Doesn't the Phase Lance now do a good hunk of EMP damage?  I remember that being one of the reasons why I choose it, although I don't know if that was changed at some point.
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Megas

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Re: Starsector 0.65.2a (Released) Patch Notes
« Reply #561 on: February 17, 2015, 08:41:15 AM »

It does, but it does not chain.  Just hitting them for big damage knocks out stuff just as well unless the ship has skills or if the EMP chains.
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xenoargh

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Re: Starsector 0.65.2a (Released) Patch Notes
« Reply #562 on: February 17, 2015, 08:49:58 AM »

The Phase Lance definitely moved into a better place.  It's doing enough to kill a Cerebus in two shots, with Tac Lasers helping out.  Two shots, and the first one is a cripple, because of the EMP.

It's slightly superior to the Heavy Blaster on efficiency and it hits, but it's not doing Hard Flux.  Honestly, I'm with Megas; if you can aim, you want the Blaster or IR Pulse.  It's close, though.  It certainly will work better for newbies, imo.

But it and the Tac Lasers at 1200 range kind of ends Low Tech as a thing until late game, to be frank.  

I just started over again, and "All You Need Is Wolves" isn't my favorite song, even if it's still very relevant :)
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Wyvern

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Re: Starsector 0.65.2a (Released) Patch Notes
« Reply #563 on: February 17, 2015, 09:02:13 AM »

I did like the reload mechanic.  Kind of sad to see it go.

(Damn, I wish I'd kept the weapon_data.csv file handy - I meant to do that, and then obviously I forgot.  Does anyone just happen to have that?)

A guy on the internet delivers.
Thanks!  I do want to play around with this as well; I think it should be usable as a good balancing mechanic for guns that are otherwise "too good" (Mauler, Mjolnir, etc.).  That said, I also think that expanded magazines should really improve the reload rate as well; hopefully Alex got that in so I can play with it.

On other changes... still not a fan of everything having a CR timer, but on the other hand, it hasn't been bothering me in practice.  So, insert minor grumbling, but that's all.

Tactical lasers have too much range now.  And they're somehow *cheaper* to mount than LRPD?  I could buy that if LRPD had the same range... or was even close enough to get up there with advanced optics...  Hm.  Okay, going to have to do some tinkering there, too.

The phase lance is kinda fun; my only current problem with it is that it maxes my wolf out on flux in two shots.  Have to be really careful with it.  But then, that's probably mostly just the wolf's fairly pathetic flux dissipation at work.

And, don't remember seeing this in the patch notes, but I really like the new cargo tooltips that show you recently observed prices for things.
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Thaago

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Re: Starsector 0.65.2a (Released) Patch Notes
« Reply #564 on: February 17, 2015, 09:06:50 AM »

Tac lasers are maybe a bit too long ranged... would lowering to 900 make a huge difference against low tech ships? Might give Hounds the chance to close without getting zapped too long.
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Megas

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Re: Starsector 0.65.2a (Released) Patch Notes
« Reply #565 on: February 17, 2015, 09:20:41 AM »

Tactical Lasers need both IPDAI mod and Advanced Turret Gyros to function well as PD.  Without Turret Gyros, tactical lasers sometimes have trouble tracking.  Also, Advanced Optics does not always work well with Tactical Lasers if used as PD.

Tactical lasers have much range, that is for sure.
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xenoargh

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Re: Starsector 0.65.2a (Released) Patch Notes
« Reply #566 on: February 17, 2015, 10:55:24 AM »

Quote
Tac lasers are maybe a bit too long ranged... would lowering to 900 make a huge difference against low tech ships? Might give Hounds the chance to close without getting zapped too long.
Against a Wolf?  Nah.  Skimmers. 

600 + 200 for AO was a least a contest with Tac Lasers and Heavy Blasters, but now with 800-range Phase Lances, it's not.

Agreed with Megas; it's definitely not an instant win, but I played up to Tech 8 and it started getting pretty funky by then.  I don't think the problem is with the Phase Lance, it's definitely the Tac Laser, where you can follow up a cripple-strike with skimming back and continue the kill.

I don't care for the Pilum change, personally.  I think it just about wrecked them for their job of killing Frigates and Fighters at long range.  Honestly, I'd rather see their reload speed go down than their speed get nerfed, if nerfing is required.  I don't think a damage nerf would work; then they're not able to do one-salvo kills on fighters or be a real threat.

I don't really get why that's even necessary, though; they only really became a major issue with ships that could mount them, which is mainly the big slow stuff that has enough PD to defeat them.  I can't see killing an Onslaught with Pilums; the number of missile-carriers you'd need would be pretty prohibitive, considering that they're either easy meat (BMK2, Gemini et al) or they're very expensive, Logistics-wise.  The only way I could see it happening is via Vigilance spam, and that's a weird squirrel case if I ever saw one.

The Salamander nerf is OK, but honestly, it doesn't change things all that much; now we have a missile whose primary job is crippling, rather than killing.  It's still very powerful en masse simply because of how it screws up the AI and I'd still pick it over Harpoons in most cases- 12 Salamanders from an Enforcer (or three) and the low DPS is almost irrelevant.
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SafariJohn

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Re: Starsector 0.65.2a (Released) Patch Notes
« Reply #567 on: February 17, 2015, 10:58:33 AM »

is via Vigilance spam, and that's a weird squirrel case if I ever saw one.

Don't mind me roflstomping everything over here. ;)
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xenoargh

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Re: Starsector 0.65.2a (Released) Patch Notes
« Reply #568 on: February 17, 2015, 11:18:56 AM »

Yeah, I read that, actually, and I'm still chuckling :D
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DatonKallandor

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Re: Starsector 0.65.2a (Released) Patch Notes
« Reply #569 on: February 17, 2015, 11:23:04 AM »

Tac Lasers will keep being ridiculous in the early game until there's no more ships that don't have shields. The fact that they don't have hard-flux is the only thing even remotely keeping them in check, and the early game being full of stuff without shields that disadvantage doesn't exist.
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