Of Missiles and Launchers

[F50]

This is the promised launchers thread.

I believe launchers are not very useful after the Civilian NAMI with the possible exception of the VIII lancher (can't spell it. Its the same people that make the Akan 600 turret). The main reasons for this are:

A: Availiabillity. I don't waste a commodity that runs out that fast and doesn't refill fast enough on ships that I can destroy with my primary. The problem is, if I can't blow it up with my primary, my launcher isn't likely to be much help. Exeption: Hurin + Mayakev.

B: Cargo space. I can't afford to carry 1.5 K strelkas all the way from St K's to Jang's Star. That isn't worth it to a wolfen for the punch they pack. I need to be able to collect some on the way. Unfortunately, I am likely to find only 200 strelkas over 5 systems. And they will be mixed types. I much prefer to carry one dominant type of missile and one special type of missile (tracking preferably).

The solution I have:

Make missiles more availiable.

How?

Hitherto I have been mostly thinking of adding missiles to soverigns like the Ranx-Akan relationship. However, this generates either lots of free ammo like the Ranx or not nearly enough to satisfy demad like the Kobols. I think the solution is making basic missiles (White and Green Strelkas, Gotha-non-trackers, and INSERT_HEAVY_NAMI_MISSILE HERE) widely avaliable via the corporate stations while adding the heaviest non-millitary MAGs to the Ranx in the form of a heavy gunship. The gunship should have lots of extra MAGs around for the player.

To be more specific concerning the corps involvement:

Thors:

At least 100 strelkas of either green or white but not both (ie. exclusive or). This should allow these missiles to survive.

Adventurer Outfitters:

200+ white strelkas OR (exclusive) 100+ green strelkas OR (exclusive) ~80 red strelkas (this is not meant to hold the market of red strelkas).

Some regular Gotha missiles. This is not meant to hold the market of Gotha missiles.

Teratons:

Heavy NAMI or Gotha missiles guaranteed. I don't really have a clue as to how many. 100+ NAMI missiles of a type though, don't care about Gotha missiles, the manufacturing plants should hold them. If the Ares launcher is implemented, the ares missiles would replace the Gothas.


I am not sure if Tailkon corp would have anything to do with Gotha or NAMI missiles.

Concerning the heavy NAMI launcher:

What is the main heavy NAMI missile? The basebusting missiles (V2?) look as if they are supposed to be fairly uncommon (I only got ~150 in a whole game. Most of that was from Point Juno). The Medusa is USELESS. Half of the missiles don't do anything. This missile is neither suitable as a long-range weapon due to how long its missiles survive, nor a short range weapon due to the fact that it niether explodes on imact nor fragments before it is off the visual screen. If the medusa exploded early, it would at least APPEAR to be helpful by harming enemies close to me. If the medusa lasted longer I could actually hit something with it. A regular frag, tracker, or even a lesser clone of the [V2?] would be nice...

Further notes:

The Gotha missiles are, for the most part, a usuable line of missiles for the late-mid or early-late part of the game. They become somewhat impotent for mid-late game however leaving vacums on either side of it as the Mayakev and MAG launchers debate who is barely palatable while the heavy NAMI tries desparately to find a usuable missile.

Please understand that this is just one proposed way to make missiles more generally useful. I think my post sounds a bit demanding so I thought I'd put this in. As a wolfen pilot you start off with a missile launcher and have a space that is made for a launcher but they are really hard to use effectively given the economy problems with them (the overall economy is GREAT btw, its just the missiles...). So it kind of irkes me.

[Yugi]

I never use launchers in my games, so...

[FAD]

Actually, the Medusa is a great missile but it requires having a targeting ROM installed just like any other tracking missile. What makes it unique is that each shard will home in on the target and will "pepper" it to death. Too bad it's not available during Dwarg season.

The Vulcan makes a good base cracker and is also quite effective on larger ships. Check the Teratons, you'll find them.

The Nemesis is premo, but very rare. Be lucky to find a dozen throughout the game, but again, check the Teratons.

[OddBob]

I don't think that you can hurt anything much by adding more ammo of any sort in shops. Late game needs more cash sinks anyway. I think AKan ammo is pretty much perfect pre-Ranx. You have a pretty decent chance of finding some, but it's also available pretty much everywhere (same with smartcannon rounds). I never hurt for akan ammo as long as I got cash (which is saying alot of cash, seeing as with 6 shots per second, 12 credits apiece they eat money - but it's worth it to get a weapon you can use from rigel all the way to endgame)

The problem is, if I can't blow it up with my primary, my launcher isn't likely to be much help. Exeption: Hurin + Mayakev.

Generally my launcher is stronger than my primary per shot - I'd much rather throw a few cluster MAGs into a pack of Dwarg raiders and take them all out with a four shot spread* than have to shoot each one individually with my Nandao (which yes, does kill them in more or less one shot, but I'd rather not make that shot thirty seven times).

Not to mention that launcher + primary is twice the damage even if they are equal. And when your shield level is dropping like a brick (or the shield level of that freighter you're protecting) being able to shoot in effect twice as fast isn't bas at all.




*One right, one left, two down the middle - OddBob's patented cluster spread pattern, guaranteed to take down almost anything. Yes, I have killed thirty seven dwarg raiders like this, as well as almost an entire slave camp.

[Betelgeuse]

I wouldn't mind more ammo available to buy if some ammos wasn't so easy to farm. That way people would need to buy things if they wanted to use ammo weapons.

Light versions of ammo could be available for an extra cost. Such as 1.5x the price for half the weight.

[OddBob]

I was also thinking - what if there were a sort of "ammo magazine" that you could get that allows you to carry say 10 tons of ammo at no cost to cargo space? It would of course have to be mounted externelly and thus prone to damage (with the possibly catastrophic loss of all your ammo)

If there were more types of ammo boxes and they were readily available you could carry them instead- because they mass less than the ammo they produce (I think) as well as keeping them separate from your main store in case something happens to it (cargo crate solvent - item stealing enemies, whatever)

[F50]

Ammo such as the Akan generally is easy to farm. Missiles are not. Few enemies leave significant amounts of them behind. That is why I suggest adding more to the cororations and Teratons. Teratons don't tend to carry missiles in large number except Tailkon stuff (and that doesn't come from a launcher) and mostly deal with other ammo (thermo etc).

The problem with the Medusa is that most of the "peppers" don't survive long enough to do thier work. If it is close (a little more than visual range), the missiles take too much time to veer around, if it is not (70ls say), they die before they reach the target.

I like the V2 but it is not common enough for use. My fusionfire enhanced +70% is quick enough at dealing with stations, and most other capships don't take enough damage from the missile to make killing them with it seem worth it given the strenuously limited supply. Now if I could get 700+ of them per game, then I would consider it.

Launchers can be used to double your damage yield, but see above problem with the added comment from before that . The only missiles I have used extensively so far in the game is the original NAMI frag. Seccond is the Lucifer. The normal Gotha really should be seccond but the launcher price has dettered me from getting it previously (should really try it).

The magazine would have to be like the patch spider (no device slots). It would also take some energy to keep deak with of all the diognostic and kinetic (moving the missiles when the time comes) tasks the magazine would also have to perform.

[Burzmali]

Am I the only one who has found a Teraton Fabricator?

[FAD]

Am I the only one who has found a Teraton Fabricator?

That was the point I was subtly making. It's a good source for getting rare items.

[dvlenk6]

I don't think it would be a good idea for the Ranx to have missiles. They are already a primo source of both rin and credit farming. Adding another valuable 'crop' to the Ranx would unbalance the entire economy; especially if the missiles are military for the Teratons to but.
I prefer MAGs myself.

[Burzmali]

Am I the only one who has found a Teraton Fabricator?

That was the point I was subtly making. It's a good source for getting rare items.

Actually, I was referring to the folks complaining that certain late game missiles are too rare.

[F50]

I did say non-millitary MAGs right?

Would you really would use a teraton fabricator to get ~200 missiles of something other than Kyrtin pods???

The one game I did that it was downright tedious. And there were three ferrain hives in the system! Using that thing is PAINFUL. I could outfit two Wolfen gunships with level X (Tailkon 200, IM90, ICX, 500MW reacotr) equipment for that much ore!

Akan ammo really should be worth 1 credit each when station are buying for systems with Ranx in them. Kilotons should be less in all cases. Kiloton ammo could probably remain the same.

I would like most stations to buy ammo at a lower price than they do now.

[Lord Trogg]

I also find the fabricater tedious, it would be very nice if there was an option to drop several of an item into the pit.

[F50]

Another idea:

A station completely devoted to selling ammo.

more specifically:

One missile from each launcher of level VIII and less (perahps: frag, frag MAG, green strelka) could be bought in quantities of 100 as much as the player desires similar to mining laser installation at a mining station (ie. a dockscreen item labeled "load launcher" or something like that) as well as the regular commodities exchange where you can buy and sell all types of ammunition according to availiabillity.

[Frits]

There are a few odd ends re missiles and ammo. Like it's odd some station will buy a thermocannon but not the shell cartridges, i think cos they are not labelled military. And when i tried ordering these at a corporate trader it couldn't recognize my order... perhaps it was my doing but i tried ten times. This is the solution of course for the player, order the ammotype or missiletype you need instead of aspiring to loot them.

But what i wanted to post i don't understand the incessant adding of new types of missilelaunchers to the game. Wouldn't it add to the balance of gameplay and the loot the RNG generates to limit this at three types? And possibly take launchers out of the early game?