Auto defense devices should be treated as weapons for slots.

[Arisaya]

Slight thing I wanted to point out first, is that the Iocrym repeller -> auto defense system should probably still not be treated as a weapon even though it does act as one. And it would have to stack anyways, given its use (and using virtual devices is gimmicky at best.), and its not meant as an offensive weapon. There are going to be exceptions to the standard outlines, and each device needs to be dealt with on a device-by-device basis.

[Atarlost]

#3 is definitely not good.

Practically the only reason to allow autodefense devices to target ships is to make playable capships. They absolutely need to stack.

[Arisaya]

I just re-read #3, and if its implying that this no-stacking things is automatically applied, that would be a terrible thing to do
I'm not against having the option there to implement no-stacking as a boolean value in the autodefense xml element, but it should not be automatically done.

[PM]

The current auto defense devices (i.e., ICX and Longreach) are fine as misc devices. Stacking them puts the player at a slot disadvantage for very little gain. If new devices that target ships (and more) will be added, then they should be treated as extra weapons like those on a capital ship. Such a device is like adding an enhancer to cause more damage. Actually, such devices treated as weapons can give another reason to use the Wolfen. Many weapon slots mean little if I can only use one at a time.

Idea: Let an auto-device count only toward maximum slots. It takes a slot, but does not count toward weapon or non-weapon slots. This is probably a bad idea because ships with few weapon slots, such as the EI500, can equip many weapons, as long as they are not manual primary weapons.

One minor problem with stacking is all of the weapons fire simultaneously. If the devices are all the same, you will see one shot that is really multiple shots overlapping with each other, provided they originate from the same spot. The player will also hear the firing sound at higher volume due to the sound played several times simultaneously. On the other hand, stacking lets the player emulate a capital ship, and playing with that much power is fun, though it is a bit excessive.

Idea: If auto defense devices are treated as weapons, maybe the player can se them to take manual control and turn them into omnidirectional weapons, or vice versa. For instance, let the player se an omnidirectional turbolaser to convert it into an ICX-like turbolaser that shoots automatically at ships and missiles (or one of them only). I am working on such a mod, which should be ready soon.

[george moromisato]

#3 is definitely not good.

Practically the only reason to allow autodefense devices to target ships is to make playable capships. They absolutely need to stack.

I was assuming that there would be XML control for stacking (I meant that it would be on the device itself, but maybe it should be on the ship class as well).

[Arisaya]

XML control is fine, as long as its an "opt-in" system (where the current behavior is default, and the no-stacking must be explicitly provided)