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[j01]

Could be neat.

To elaborate:

(Scenario A)

• Venting flux damages surrounding enemies and objects. You could sometimes destroy, say, one missile in twenty just by venting, so you wouldn't feel as utterly defenseless while doing so. It might also be interesting to have weapons or hull mods that allow you to focus vented flux into a narrow, concentrated cone to deal damage or even push objects, enemies, and missiles away.

(Scenario B)

• Direct flux as a means of propelling your ship in a direction at a greater speed than you are regularly capable. A sort of afterburner button that requires built-up flux as fuel for quick bursts of uncanny maneuverability. Wouldn't that just be delightful?

Thoughts?

[Paul]

Venting flux is supposed to make your ship vulnerable, it's the cost of taking heavy shield damage and firing your weapons a bunch. If you could vent flux for a speed boost, or have it destroy incoming missiles, it would remove that vulnerability.

[Iscariot]

High flux already improves energy weapon damage. It's assumed that flux juices those weapons, and the bonus is actually pretty noticeable. But yeah, ditto on the post above me.

[j01]

Venting flux is supposed to make your ship vulnerable, it's the cost of taking heavy shield damage and firing your weapons a bunch. If you could vent flux for a speed boost, or have it destroy incoming missiles, it would remove that vulnerability.

No, that's not what I'm suggesting. I feel like I was pretty clear about normal venting only doing very minor damage, especially in the case where I specified that it MIGHT destroy one missile in twenty. As an alternative, it could merely slightly push at projectiles so it might only make a missile with an already awkward trajectory veer off and miss its first pass.

As for specifically using flux as a focused weapon or speed boost: in the case of being weaponized, it would still be of only marginal power, either dealing very small damage or just physically repulsing, and in the case of speed it would be VERY short lived, and both cases would require a customized loadout with systems just to enable them that take up space and/or ordnance points.

It's really not difficult to imagine any number of ways to create what I'm envisioning here that is still balanced with respect to the intended weaknesses of flux buildup. Flux buildup already empowers your energy weapons after you reach a certain point, you know.

The real question is: would this be fun and interesting enough to warrant consideration?

[RawCode]

flux venting shoud damage ship if it already damaged and shoud be much more slower if ship nearly disabled by damage.

[Ghoti]

Actually I thought Flux was starfarers way of representing a speculated real element of space combat.

Overheating in space is actually a big problem, any thing that works with the kind of energy required to fire a laser brighter than a flashlight is going to have issues with heat. Only way to get rid of heat is through radiators.
It's speculated that those vents would be an easy target in combat, crippling ships. see: http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/basicdesign.php#radiators

Given what we've seen, it's safe to say that the civilizations of starfarer have discovered some source of energy that violates the second thermodynamic law (which by the way, is theoretically breakable, maybe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell%27s_demon ). So the only concern is heat heat heat.

If there's anything I'd officially add to this conversation it would be this: Ships that are venting should be susceptible to debuffs or extra damage if they get hit. I don't really care either way though 

[Iscariot]

Actually I thought Flux was starfarers way of representing a speculated real element of space combat.

Overheating in space is actually a big problem, any thing that works with the kind of energy required to fire a laser brighter than a flashlight is going to have issues with heat. Only way to get rid of heat is through radiators.
It's speculated that those vents would be an easy target in combat, crippling ships. see: http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/basicdesign.php#radiators

Given what we've seen, it's safe to say that the civilizations of starfarer have discovered some source of energy that violates the second thermodynamic law (which by the way, is theoretically breakable, maybe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell%27s_demon ). So the only concern is heat heat heat.

If there's anything I'd officially add to this conversation it would be this: Ships that are venting should be susceptible to debuffs or extra damage if they get hit. I don't really care either way though 

YESSSSS Another reader of Atomic Rocket! You should come over to the 'Tactics' thread and help me explain why space fighters make no sense.

[Pentakill]

Could be neat.

To elaborate:

(Scenario A)

• Venting flux damages surrounding enemies and objects. You could sometimes destroy, say, one missile in twenty just by venting, so you wouldn't feel as utterly defenseless while doing so. It might also be interesting to have weapons or hull mods that allow you to focus vented flux into a narrow, concentrated cone to deal damage or even push objects, enemies, and missiles away.

(Scenario B)

• Direct flux as a means of propelling your ship in a direction at a greater speed than you are regularly capable. A sort of afterburner button that requires built-up flux as fuel for quick bursts of uncanny maneuverability. Wouldn't that just be delightful?

Thoughts?

Perhaps instead of damaging surrounding things/missiles/ships, it could have varying effects like making heat seeking missiles miss your ship(of course they could circle back), pushing  away debris, but also increasing energy damage taken because it allows the energy that would normally dissipate on your hull to arc through the vents slightly damaging inside bits? 

And a similar idea for movement where it could give you a burst of speed but if your ship is hit in the engines while using the vents it would hurt the gooey insides.

So this would give players more of a risk/reward option. Because they might be able to get away with that extra speed, but maybe there's a Salamander missile they didn't see that will hit extra hard wrecking the engines when your flux boost is over.

[Iscariot]

Why would venting more heat throw off heat seeking missiles?

[Pentakill]

Why would venting more heat throw off heat seeking missiles?

Because missiles are programed not to explode until they hit a solid target and if there's a massive flux(heat) wave all around a ship they could easily whiff.

[Iscariot]

But... the greatest concentration of heat is in the middle of all that flux. All that does is make a bigger signature.

Also, from completely gameplay mechanic, venting should be a dangerous thing to do when you have missiles locked onto you, when you have stuff coming at you in general.

[Pentakill]

But... the greatest concentration of heat is in the middle of all that flux. All that does is make a bigger signature.

Also, from completely gameplay mechanic, venting should be a dangerous thing to do when you have missiles locked onto you, when you have stuff coming at you in general.

Missiles aren't 100% accurate are they?

And if you'd take the time to read my post you'd know I said it could be a risk/reward system, so yeah it would be dangerous.

[Iscariot]

There's already a reward. You get to have zero flux and not overload. Why would you make the reward larger?

[Pentakill]

the reward AND risk would increase, its just another dynamic thing the player can decide to do. Take the risk that they might get blown to bits, and take the reward of a boost. Of course they could just let it vent normally. More options, more ideas, almost always a good thing for new games!

[Paul]

For fast ships, being able to zip away with a speed boost would let you avoid any danger - faster than missiles. You could do things like fly in, fire AM blasters, and zip away venting, then fly right back and repeat. You could stay in the speed boost mode the whole fight, flying away then coming back as the flux is close to being vented, firing guns, and flying away again.