Patch spiders and external weapons in 1.6

Ask any question about playing and surviving in the Transcendence universe. Newbies welcome!
Post Reply
Brzelius
Commonwealth Pilot
Commonwealth Pilot
Posts: 73
Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2009 5:37 pm

I noticed that disabling my patch spider didn't prevent it being damaged by armor hits as it did in earlier versions. Related, I can't install and deinstall them anymore by just using or disabling them, have to do it at a dock screen now. Is disabled patch spiders being destroyed intended behaviour?
Do external weapons, e.g. the external light ion guns and external mark V howitzers, also get destroyed every time your shield collapses? If yes, how are they supposed to be used then?
User avatar
sun1404
Militia Captain
Militia Captain
Posts: 527
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2011 10:32 am
Location: Heretic. (Finally!)

You can se installed patch spiders to uninstall and put them into your cargo hold, but only if you have enough cargo space left. Disabling them <might> prevent uninstalling, but I'm not sure. Never disabled a spider before.
Yes, look at my avatar, I have a wyvera type ship.
Brzelius
Commonwealth Pilot
Commonwealth Pilot
Posts: 73
Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2009 5:37 pm

Ah, I just did it the wrong way. Disabling them does not prevent them being destroyed, but does prevent them being uninstalled by using them. Using them can still install and uninstall them. Do the external weapons work the same, i.e. you have to use them when your shield goes down to uninstall them?
PM
Fleet Admiral
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 2570
Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2010 12:54 am

Only some. NM900 external pod may be removed by using it. Asian Pacific weapons used by Raijin or Omnithor's side-mounted weapons do not offer that option.
Download and Play in 1.9 beta 1...
Drake Technologies (Alpha): More hardware for combat in parts 1 and 2!
Star Castle Arcade: Play a classic arcade game adventure, with or without more features (like powerups)!
Playership Drones: Buy or restore exotic ships to command!

Other playable mods from 1.8 and 1.7, waiting to be updated...
Godmode v3 (WIP): Dev/cheat tool compatible with D&O parts 1 or 2.
Brzelius
Commonwealth Pilot
Commonwealth Pilot
Posts: 73
Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2009 5:37 pm

Ok, I just bought, installed and lost my first side-mounted mark V howitzer. Couldn't install or uninstall myself, as PM wrote. Are those only meant for players with way too many credits on hand?
User avatar
AssumedPseudonym
Fleet Officer
Fleet Officer
Posts: 1190
Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2013 5:18 am
Location: On the other side of the screen.

 That, and the ones who are good at not getting shot enough to have their shields dropped. …I am sooo not one of those players… x.x
Image

Mod prefixes: 0xA010 (registered) and 0xDCC8 (miscellaneous)

My mods on Xelerus: Click here!

Of all the things I’ve lost in life, I miss my mind the least. (I’m having a lot more fun without it!)
Brzelius
Commonwealth Pilot
Commonwealth Pilot
Posts: 73
Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2009 5:37 pm

I got a kaidun shield generator and am farming ferians now, ordering diamond field crystals at every trading post... I'll get it to 1600 HP, and then I'll use a dual fusionfire howitzer with two side-mounted mark V howitzers *evil laughter*

Edit: I actually got it to +110% (1680 shield HP) and my dual fusionfire howitzer to +150%. Shooting stuff with this plus the the two side-mounted mark V howitzers is great fun. I managed to lose another side-mounted weapon to a Phobos that burned through that shield and all but 60 HP of my light Iocrym plate when I felt too invincible, but otherwise nothing is really scary now with Domina restore on call.
PM
Fleet Admiral
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 2570
Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2010 12:54 am

Brzelius wrote:Ok, I just bought, installed and lost my first side-mounted mark V howitzer. Couldn't install or uninstall myself, as PM wrote. Are those only meant for players with way too many credits on hand?
Overlooked this. Given who makes the weapon, my guess is the weapon was made for the villainous Omnithor faction and allies (which the player is not included). In other words, it is made primarily as an enemy NPC weapon that happens to be useful if you can obtain it yourself. This is not unlike other hardware from various enemy factions such as Lumiere and Ares.
Download and Play in 1.9 beta 1...
Drake Technologies (Alpha): More hardware for combat in parts 1 and 2!
Star Castle Arcade: Play a classic arcade game adventure, with or without more features (like powerups)!
Playership Drones: Buy or restore exotic ships to command!

Other playable mods from 1.8 and 1.7, waiting to be updated...
Godmode v3 (WIP): Dev/cheat tool compatible with D&O parts 1 or 2.
JohnBWatson
Fleet Officer
Fleet Officer
Posts: 1452
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2014 10:17 pm

PM wrote: Overlooked this. Given who makes the weapon, my guess is the weapon was made for the villainous Omnithor faction and allies (which the player is not included). In other words, it is made primarily as an enemy NPC weapon that happens to be useful if you can obtain it yourself. This is not unlike other hardware from various enemy factions such as Lumiere and Ares.
I've always found Lumiere weapons to be pretty weak across the board. Ares weaponry, on the other hand, serves the player much better than it does the enemy, with Chasms and sentries not using their range, and the Capships rarely getting into turret range of a competent opponent.

You're right about the howitzers, they're explicitly intended for Omnithor's allies, though even considering that I think they could use a price adjustment to compensate for their frequent appearances and fragility. As is, they're rarely of use as anything other than expensive loot(often worth as much as the rest of the ships they are mounted on, Omnithor ships aside)
PM
Fleet Admiral
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 2570
Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2010 12:54 am

Lumiere weapons may be weaker than standard, but they do have nice battle auton chassis for upgrades given by a Constellation playership. The point is enemy factions have their hardware, some weak, some useful, and others overpowered. Some of it may be available for sale even in friendly stations. However, hardware meant for enemy factions are (often) designed primarily for use by enemies. Admittedly, some enemy hardware are assigned specifically as treasure if you destroy a major target.
Download and Play in 1.9 beta 1...
Drake Technologies (Alpha): More hardware for combat in parts 1 and 2!
Star Castle Arcade: Play a classic arcade game adventure, with or without more features (like powerups)!
Playership Drones: Buy or restore exotic ships to command!

Other playable mods from 1.8 and 1.7, waiting to be updated...
Godmode v3 (WIP): Dev/cheat tool compatible with D&O parts 1 or 2.
User avatar
Song
Fleet Admiral
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 2801
Joined: Mon Aug 17, 2009 4:27 am

Lumiere weapons.....well......the Thera cannon isn't very good, but should be a bit better now that radius fragments are able to damage things. The single muon cannon is terrible. The dual muon cannon on the battle auton I find to be exceptionally deadly when it first turns up, because of 1: The fact that shields suck and 2: Because particle resistance isn't quite a thing at that level yet unless you're lucky with armor finds. So while it's an unexceptional gun, its placement makes it surprisingly deadly.

Anyway. Side-mounts are not the same as disposable systems. Disposable (or 'clip on' as I'd call them) weapons like the DM600 and NM900 have invoke code that allows them to self-install. Side-mounted versions of regular weapons on the other hand are just a regular gun, modified with a pylon to be fitted outside the hull. They're not designed as a DIY system, and thus need to be installed at a shipyard or other docking facility.


Personally, I consider them useful for getting the 'fusion nightmare' (maximum enhancement side-mount fusionfires, a dual fusionfire, lithium booster, speed-loader, etc) setup. Which is completely impractical and very delicate, but also huge fun for the sheer raw DPS (1500-1800 thermo damage per second).
Mischievous local moderator. She/Her pronouns.
User avatar
sun1404
Militia Captain
Militia Captain
Posts: 527
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2011 10:32 am
Location: Heretic. (Finally!)

The Thera cannon will demolish just about any ship without a shield (ie. Manticore) in one or two shots.

As for side-mounts, they are useful for those who rely mainly on shields. They can only be damaged when your shield is down.
Yes, look at my avatar, I have a wyvera type ship.
Post Reply