Ah, nostalgia. The yearning for simpler times is ever the catalyst for a game restart...Poseidon wrote:...and the Fujin Raider. Geez, how long ago was that? My first ship capture. It still had the 2MJs of shielding and 4x IREs. I pulled up the commlink.
Ambition and Ambiguity. X3:AP DiD
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Song Of Obsidian
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It did bring back a yearning for simpler times, yeah.... but not nearly strong enough to induce a restart. :-p I'm generally only good for one long X-series play session a year, then I have to cleanse my palette.
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Atilio hadn't called in a while, so I was surprised when his face showed up on my commlink. He looked grumpy, which was less surprising.
"I've got good news, bad news, and bad news. How do you want it?"
"Black with some sugar, no cream."
"Ok," said the dwarf. "I need more money."
I blinked. "100M wasn't enough?"
"Yes and no. But the short version is, I'm staring at future costs, and I need another 100M."
I tried not to sputter. I'm not certain I succeeded. "Ok. So what's running the price up?"
He fingered his beard, and I thought I saw a flicker of a hint of a smile, but it vanished quickly. "I was able to implement everything you requested. Some of it is less useful than first imagined. Its ugly, and clunky, but surprisingly effective. That brings us to the other bit of bad news... it still handles like Skiron."
I groaned. "So the P steering system didn't solve that."
"It helped immensely, as did the reduced ship mass. But a hull is a hull is a hull. There's very little you can do to change the location of the steering vents, and thrust vectoring will only take you so far. We need to do a full rebuild, along with some optimizations, into a new chassis."
"What did you have in mind?"
"A Paranid Hades."
"The cargo on that isn't exactly impressive."
"I have plans to address that, although they'll be expensive too. Some of the other optimization will make room, either way."
I thought for a moment. "Alright, I'll transfer another 150M. Let's get this done."
Atilio gave a half-smile. "This is going to take a while. Oh, and I'm going to need another P."
(grumble)
-----
The Sidhe Keening was a wonderful, terrible ship. I flew it for about an hour, and no matter how I attempted to rationalize it... it was just too damn powerful in the hands of the player. Even after tuning it back repeatedly, I couldn't find a good balance without intentionally unequipping things. So it's going to be a showroom piece, while I work on a more balanced ship... and hopefully one that is more fun to fly. This will require some 3D editing, so it may take a bit.
-----
Atilio hadn't called in a while, so I was surprised when his face showed up on my commlink. He looked grumpy, which was less surprising.
"I've got good news, bad news, and bad news. How do you want it?"
"Black with some sugar, no cream."
"Ok," said the dwarf. "I need more money."
I blinked. "100M wasn't enough?"
"Yes and no. But the short version is, I'm staring at future costs, and I need another 100M."
I tried not to sputter. I'm not certain I succeeded. "Ok. So what's running the price up?"
He fingered his beard, and I thought I saw a flicker of a hint of a smile, but it vanished quickly. "I was able to implement everything you requested. Some of it is less useful than first imagined. Its ugly, and clunky, but surprisingly effective. That brings us to the other bit of bad news... it still handles like Skiron."
I groaned. "So the P steering system didn't solve that."
"It helped immensely, as did the reduced ship mass. But a hull is a hull is a hull. There's very little you can do to change the location of the steering vents, and thrust vectoring will only take you so far. We need to do a full rebuild, along with some optimizations, into a new chassis."
"What did you have in mind?"
"A Paranid Hades."
"The cargo on that isn't exactly impressive."
"I have plans to address that, although they'll be expensive too. Some of the other optimization will make room, either way."
I thought for a moment. "Alright, I'll transfer another 150M. Let's get this done."
Atilio gave a half-smile. "This is going to take a while. Oh, and I'm going to need another P."
(grumble)
-----
The Sidhe Keening was a wonderful, terrible ship. I flew it for about an hour, and no matter how I attempted to rationalize it... it was just too damn powerful in the hands of the player. Even after tuning it back repeatedly, I couldn't find a good balance without intentionally unequipping things. So it's going to be a showroom piece, while I work on a more balanced ship... and hopefully one that is more fun to fly. This will require some 3D editing, so it may take a bit.
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Song Of Obsidian
- Posts: 305
- Joined: Wed, 19. Jun 13, 19:46
Good interesting, or Bad interesting?Song Of Obsidian wrote:A Hades corvette? That'll be...interesting...
I'm running into this problem that I'm certain all X players do in the late game... You want to recapture the adrenaline and excitements of the early days, but your needs have changed due to combat rank and actual player skill. You don't want to go out in 25MJ shields, but you need speed. You want to have interesting options to engage more difficult challenges, but you shouldn't have an iWin button. The Springblossom is a valiant attempt, but it's not quite right.
My plans for the modified Hades are probably old, boring, and likely done before somewhere in S&M. It's the natural evolution of late-game desires for a fighter pilot. The hard part will be finding a middle ground between the Springblossom, Hyperion Vanguard, Acinonyx, and the Albion Pride, without stepping on any toes.
Kestrel. 'Nuff said.Poseidon wrote:[..]You want to recapture the adrenaline and excitements of the early days[..]
One of the coolest ships ever in the X games - at least under player control
As the size of an explosion increases, the number of social situations it is incapable of solving approaches zero.
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Litcube wrote:Don't succumb to the "I figured it'd be ok".
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Song Of Obsidian
- Posts: 305
- Joined: Wed, 19. Jun 13, 19:46
Tycoon Warlord ftw.
I'm hoping my real-world technical skill is up to the challenge of the Hades. I'm leaving a legacy behind for when you transition to AP.
I love the Kestel, but my character isn't suicidal, and it is a DiD.Idleking wrote:Kestrel. 'Nuff said.Poseidon wrote:[..]You want to recapture the adrenaline and excitements of the early days[..]
One of the coolest ships ever in the X games - at least under player control
Amusingly enough, I've haven't done any unattended idle during this playthrough. I'm almost through day 23, and I've got about 6 days 'saved' in SETA... mostly from towing asteroids. I do run it in the background at the office during the day, but I'm still engaged and present. When I need a break, I get Administrative work done, and I listen for Ship Under Attack alerts constantly. When I get home in the evening, I transfer the save and do my combat and capture ops there. It's not clean, but it does make the game feel more like a realtime experience... for better or worse.Song Of Obsidian wrote:Combat rank - the best reason to leave the game idle all night. Combat at higher levels is more tedious than fun.
I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with the Hades.
I'm hoping my real-world technical skill is up to the challenge of the Hades. I'm leaving a legacy behind for when you transition to AP.
Xenon Sector 101 was kinda pretty. A decently bright star, a nearby planet with a well-formed atmosphere… and plenty of asteroids to hide behind.
I’d spent the morning clearing the sector. Anything smaller than a frigate wasn’t much of a problem, and even M7s fell with a little patience and care. I was up to 47 kills on Qs alone. Xenon ships continued to jump into the sector, but without their deathball formation, they weren’t nearly as much of a threat.
My job was to keep their population below critical mass. Taranis sat by the North gate, waiting for me to draw a P into range. On board were eight of my best marines. I stripped the shields in a single pass, and boost towards the gate. It would regenerate mostly by the time it got there, but 400MJs was nothing to fret over. Internal defenses were another matter… I’d attempted frying them off with Ion Disruptors, but it had completely destroyed the shields. In the end, I blew up the ship, and went looking for another one.
The P reached 15km, so I Boost towards it, and stripped off the shields again.
“You ready for this, Jackson?”
“A hell of a lot more ready than last time. Also, everyone here has done this before. Go time?”
“Go time.”
I kept the shields down with Poltergeists, and circled the P. It didn’t really help, since the damn thing turned so fast. I used this to my advantage, and kept the worst of the P’s weapons occupied while the boarding pods approached.
After dealing with the massive Ryus and Carracks, I was surprised at the swiftness of the capture. It was almost painless in comparison, and all marines got out with minor injuries at the worst.
“Well done, Marines. Glad to see you’re ok. Go home and get some rest.”
I escorted the P back to Legend’s Home, so Atilio could start dismantling it.
I’d spent the morning clearing the sector. Anything smaller than a frigate wasn’t much of a problem, and even M7s fell with a little patience and care. I was up to 47 kills on Qs alone. Xenon ships continued to jump into the sector, but without their deathball formation, they weren’t nearly as much of a threat.
My job was to keep their population below critical mass. Taranis sat by the North gate, waiting for me to draw a P into range. On board were eight of my best marines. I stripped the shields in a single pass, and boost towards the gate. It would regenerate mostly by the time it got there, but 400MJs was nothing to fret over. Internal defenses were another matter… I’d attempted frying them off with Ion Disruptors, but it had completely destroyed the shields. In the end, I blew up the ship, and went looking for another one.
The P reached 15km, so I Boost towards it, and stripped off the shields again.
“You ready for this, Jackson?”
“A hell of a lot more ready than last time. Also, everyone here has done this before. Go time?”
“Go time.”
I kept the shields down with Poltergeists, and circled the P. It didn’t really help, since the damn thing turned so fast. I used this to my advantage, and kept the worst of the P’s weapons occupied while the boarding pods approached.
After dealing with the massive Ryus and Carracks, I was surprised at the swiftness of the capture. It was almost painless in comparison, and all marines got out with minor injuries at the worst.
“Well done, Marines. Glad to see you’re ok. Go home and get some rest.”
I escorted the P back to Legend’s Home, so Atilio could start dismantling it.
“Hey Stacy. Long time no see,” I greeted her as I entered the reception area.
“I thought you said you’d call,” she teased. “I didn't have time to get dolled up for our date.”
I looked at her quizzically, until she produced a combat knife that glinted orange through the openings in the sheath. Understanding dawned on me as she set the knife down, and stepped around her desk. I noticed a slight spring in her step, and shifted my weight onto the balls of my feet.
She started as we had before: a lazy jab followed by a right straight. I recognized the motions now… they were fundamentals from Argon boxing. I slapped both away, keeping my elbows in and guard tight.
She followed with a left elbow cross that led into an aggressive right knee. My style changed to kickboxing, to match hers. I blocked the elbow with my own left forearm, brought my left leg in and up, then swept it out, pushing her attack wide. I pivot on the downstep, launching my own right elbow at her head.
Her torso dipped low and she brushed my attack high with her left arm, while simultaneously launching a shovel hook with her right. With no means to block, I tightened up my stomach and leaned into the attack. The low pivot position and early impact left her off balance. She stumbled backwards and resettled while I took a deep breath to replace the one she’d knocked out of me.
As the Major began to circle, I noticed her hands open, then her fingertips gathered into loose points. Another form I recognized: Paranid Martial Arts had a minor semblance to Kung Fu.
Her next few strikes were blindingly fast, coming from strange angles, and targeted critical points. Her right hand darted forward from her left side. I tilted my head to avoid the temple strike. Her left wrist flew forward from under her right arm. I tucked my chin and leaned back; the strike lightly brushed my jaw. Her right hand magically appeared under her left arm, her index finger bent and reinforced with her thumb, the knuckle angling towards my solar plexus.
The motion brought her too close. My left hand shot downward, blocking the strike, while my right hand simultaneously drove a ridge-hand towards her sternum. Her left forearm got in the way, but the difference in our sizes caused her to fall back a couple steps anyway. I lashed out with backfist as she retreat, but she blocked it easily.
She dropped her guard, and nodded. “Not bad.” She turned, grabbed the sheathed blade from the table, and twirled it around her fingers a couple times. “You've earned this.”
The knife flashed. I caught her wrist with a hook block, and then snapped a ridge-hand into her elbow while pulling with my blocking hand.
This feels familiar…
The knife dropped from her grip. I saw a shadow of movement from her off hand. I continued pulling on her weapon hand, twisting her torso 90 degrees to my own. The incoming elbow couldn't reach now. I used a short reverse inside kick to sweep out her front leg while sliding my left arm across her torso. I dropped low, pulling her into an outside headlock draped backwards across my knee.
Through a strained breath, she muttered, “So you studied the Split too. Good.”
I never felt her bodyweight shift. Her knee flew into my temple without so much as a hint of prior motion.
I dropped her, of course, and we both rolled to our feet. I was slower to rise, and when I regained my footing and bearings, she was holding the knife again.
“What was that?” I asked.
“Boron Martial Arts. They don’t put much value in gravitational direction, so their styles include motions from just about any orientation. It’s one of the benefits of living underwater most of their life.” She tossed me the sheathed knife. “You’re good enough to use this, at least. Not quite CMC levels, but much better than most. Welcome to the Not-A-Victim club.”
I grinned at her. “Hell of a date. I’m not sure we should do it again though; Maddy might get jealous.”
Stacy chuckled. “I could train her if you like.”
An image of those two fighting flashed through my head, and I coughed politely. “You two all sweaty, and inflicting violence on each other? That might be a little too much for me to handle.”
She raised an eyebrow at me. “Get out of her, you smarmodon. The Colonel is waiting.”
That killed the banter pretty quick. Time to see how bad things could get.
“I thought you said you’d call,” she teased. “I didn't have time to get dolled up for our date.”
I looked at her quizzically, until she produced a combat knife that glinted orange through the openings in the sheath. Understanding dawned on me as she set the knife down, and stepped around her desk. I noticed a slight spring in her step, and shifted my weight onto the balls of my feet.
She started as we had before: a lazy jab followed by a right straight. I recognized the motions now… they were fundamentals from Argon boxing. I slapped both away, keeping my elbows in and guard tight.
She followed with a left elbow cross that led into an aggressive right knee. My style changed to kickboxing, to match hers. I blocked the elbow with my own left forearm, brought my left leg in and up, then swept it out, pushing her attack wide. I pivot on the downstep, launching my own right elbow at her head.
Her torso dipped low and she brushed my attack high with her left arm, while simultaneously launching a shovel hook with her right. With no means to block, I tightened up my stomach and leaned into the attack. The low pivot position and early impact left her off balance. She stumbled backwards and resettled while I took a deep breath to replace the one she’d knocked out of me.
As the Major began to circle, I noticed her hands open, then her fingertips gathered into loose points. Another form I recognized: Paranid Martial Arts had a minor semblance to Kung Fu.
Her next few strikes were blindingly fast, coming from strange angles, and targeted critical points. Her right hand darted forward from her left side. I tilted my head to avoid the temple strike. Her left wrist flew forward from under her right arm. I tucked my chin and leaned back; the strike lightly brushed my jaw. Her right hand magically appeared under her left arm, her index finger bent and reinforced with her thumb, the knuckle angling towards my solar plexus.
The motion brought her too close. My left hand shot downward, blocking the strike, while my right hand simultaneously drove a ridge-hand towards her sternum. Her left forearm got in the way, but the difference in our sizes caused her to fall back a couple steps anyway. I lashed out with backfist as she retreat, but she blocked it easily.
She dropped her guard, and nodded. “Not bad.” She turned, grabbed the sheathed blade from the table, and twirled it around her fingers a couple times. “You've earned this.”
The knife flashed. I caught her wrist with a hook block, and then snapped a ridge-hand into her elbow while pulling with my blocking hand.
This feels familiar…
The knife dropped from her grip. I saw a shadow of movement from her off hand. I continued pulling on her weapon hand, twisting her torso 90 degrees to my own. The incoming elbow couldn't reach now. I used a short reverse inside kick to sweep out her front leg while sliding my left arm across her torso. I dropped low, pulling her into an outside headlock draped backwards across my knee.
Through a strained breath, she muttered, “So you studied the Split too. Good.”
I never felt her bodyweight shift. Her knee flew into my temple without so much as a hint of prior motion.
I dropped her, of course, and we both rolled to our feet. I was slower to rise, and when I regained my footing and bearings, she was holding the knife again.
“What was that?” I asked.
“Boron Martial Arts. They don’t put much value in gravitational direction, so their styles include motions from just about any orientation. It’s one of the benefits of living underwater most of their life.” She tossed me the sheathed knife. “You’re good enough to use this, at least. Not quite CMC levels, but much better than most. Welcome to the Not-A-Victim club.”
I grinned at her. “Hell of a date. I’m not sure we should do it again though; Maddy might get jealous.”
Stacy chuckled. “I could train her if you like.”
An image of those two fighting flashed through my head, and I coughed politely. “You two all sweaty, and inflicting violence on each other? That might be a little too much for me to handle.”
She raised an eyebrow at me. “Get out of her, you smarmodon. The Colonel is waiting.”
That killed the banter pretty quick. Time to see how bad things could get.
One does not simply bring up something like this at the first datePoseidon wrote:[..]“You two all sweaty, and inflicting violence on each other? That might be a little too much for me to handle.”[..]
You should try to 'steal' her wallet on your next .. *cough* .. engagement.. and tell her 'Teladi Style'
Nice OP on the P though - you should probably make that a hobby
As the size of an explosion increases, the number of social situations it is incapable of solving approaches zero.
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Litcube wrote:Don't succumb to the "I figured it'd be ok".
Turns out, things could get pretty bad.
“So what you’re telling me, Captain, is that you've failed,” Tarquin glared.
“Yes and no, sir. I‘m still-“
“One out of three isn't success last time I checked,” the Colonel interrupted. “I’m still blind in the contested sectors. I still don’t have schematics for the Tyr, and you just informed me that the ATF is clamming up. The only thing you've accomplished so far is your research center, which happens to produce a modest quantity of useful weapons.”
“I have three separate contingency plans in progress, in case the initial plan to acquire the Tyr schematics fell-“
“Shut up, Mr. Clery," the soldier interrupted again. "War is on our doorstep. This morning, we lost an entire fleet to the most massive warship I've ever seen, so your plans are meaningless to me. The Terrans are claiming a training accident.
"I’m done playing games. Forget about the Tyr; I want schematics for the Woden, and anything you can dig up regarding this ridiculous ship that wiped us out today. Also, I expect missile production facilities and refueling stations in every sector from here to Omicron Lyrae. Have I made myself clear?”
I stood silent until he finished his tirade. “Perfectly clear, sir. I will conclude my negotiations with the ATF, and turn my attention to the war effort.”
“Good. Dismissed.”
“So what you’re telling me, Captain, is that you've failed,” Tarquin glared.
“Yes and no, sir. I‘m still-“
“One out of three isn't success last time I checked,” the Colonel interrupted. “I’m still blind in the contested sectors. I still don’t have schematics for the Tyr, and you just informed me that the ATF is clamming up. The only thing you've accomplished so far is your research center, which happens to produce a modest quantity of useful weapons.”
“I have three separate contingency plans in progress, in case the initial plan to acquire the Tyr schematics fell-“
“Shut up, Mr. Clery," the soldier interrupted again. "War is on our doorstep. This morning, we lost an entire fleet to the most massive warship I've ever seen, so your plans are meaningless to me. The Terrans are claiming a training accident.
"I’m done playing games. Forget about the Tyr; I want schematics for the Woden, and anything you can dig up regarding this ridiculous ship that wiped us out today. Also, I expect missile production facilities and refueling stations in every sector from here to Omicron Lyrae. Have I made myself clear?”
I stood silent until he finished his tirade. “Perfectly clear, sir. I will conclude my negotiations with the ATF, and turn my attention to the war effort.”
“Good. Dismissed.”
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Song Of Obsidian
- Posts: 305
- Joined: Wed, 19. Jun 13, 19:46
He's probably going to shit his pants when the Valhalla shows up, pft.. 
As the size of an explosion increases, the number of social situations it is incapable of solving approaches zero.
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Litcube wrote:Don't succumb to the "I figured it'd be ok".
My message to Tomes was short and simple.
> What's your price?
< 500M credits in cold storage.
His response didn't take long, so either he knew about the massacre, was involved in it, or was a very quick sellout. It didn't matter to me which.
> One week, Darkspace Installation, come prepared.
< Agreed. Likewise.
> What's your price?
< 500M credits in cold storage.
His response didn't take long, so either he knew about the massacre, was involved in it, or was a very quick sellout. It didn't matter to me which.
> One week, Darkspace Installation, come prepared.
< Agreed. Likewise.
I stopped by the shipyard on the way out. "Atilio, you said you had news? I hope it's not a request for more money... I need that ship soon."
The dwarf scowled into a smile. "Ship's done. It's kind of ridiculous, frankly. I'm quite proud."
"Talk to me."
"The Hades frame worked even better than expected. The Xenon P steering tunings and Terran Springblossom engine tunings dropped in with some finagling. The chassis still handles like a Hades, but that's a damn sight better than a Skiron. It feels like a fighter now."
"I'll bet." In the back of my mind, I was cheering. Corvettes were never fun to drive.
"I swapped out the shield generator for the one from the ATF Vali, and dumped the stacked 25MJ shields for a single 1GJ shield."
I whistled.
"Don't get your hopes up... even with the new reactor, it takes a damn long time to recharge."
"Understood. How'd the weapon systems go?"
His voice took on a conspiratorial tone. "Absolutely ridiculous. Bad news first... I couldn't add those extra turrets you wanted. You're stuck with the single on the back. I did managed to adapt it for high speed energy weapons though... PRG, PBE, Kyons, and even strange configurations like a Tractor Beam if needed. The ATF Vali proved itself useful again, and I was able to hack in its weapon energy battery... but the recharge rate is anemic."
"How bad?"
"Uhm... 650kW/s."
I flinched. That would have been excellent for an M3, but the Boron Hydra had a faster recharge rate. "Alright. I assume weapon energy regen wasn't a bottleneck?"
"It can be, depending on the weapons you use, but in general it shouldn't matter. You've only got three guns, including the turret. But I've adapted the rigging to handle capital ship weapons. PPC? IBL? Gauss Cannon? No problem. If you can get your hands on a Plasma Beam Cannon, it'll take it. Kyon Emitters too."
"Now THAT is something worth writing home about... although last I checked, an IBL drained almost 500kW/s each, and the other weapons are similar. Not exactly a lot of staying power."
"Hey, you wanted a fighter. You've got a big battery... buzz the bridge, drop your load, and bug out while you recharge. This ship is a utility knife, not a destroyer. I should mention that you fly slightly faster than the PSG payload, so I recommend you slow down a bit when using it. For that matter, you can outrun most of your own munitions if you use the Turbo Booster, so check your friendly fire."
"Can I still fire Tomahawks?"
Atilio chuckled. "Uh, no. I had to put those heavy weapon mounts somewhere. You've got a fairly limited missile selection too, although I managed to fit another surprise in there."
"Boarding Pods?"
"Nope. Flails."
I laughed. "Hammers too?"
"Now you're just getting greedy. No Hammers, no mid-size missiles... I managed to keep light and heavy launchers, but that's about it."
We walked over to the workshop window in silence, and watched the Hades chassis wander down the assembly line. Occasionally, a robotic arm would poke it, and sparks would fly, then it moved on. "So, somewhere between a utility knife and a scalpel. You did better than I expected; thank you. Does it have a name?"
"I couldn't find an old irish phrase that translated well into Glass Cannon," he joked. "I settled for Fear Dearg... although it was shortened to Dearg pretty fast."
"Fear Dearg... as in, the prankster? The murderous leprechaun?" I said, amused.
He shrugged. "Considering how bloody things are about to get, calling it a Redcap seems apropos."
I couldn't argue with him there.
"You remember when I joked about strapping a huge shield and reactor to a Nav Sat? I'm not joking anymore; that's your next project. What can you do?"
The old engineer stroked his beard, and thought. "I can take a break, get drunk tonight, and think about it tomorrow. Sound good?"
We laughed. That always sounded like a good idea.
The dwarf scowled into a smile. "Ship's done. It's kind of ridiculous, frankly. I'm quite proud."
"Talk to me."
"The Hades frame worked even better than expected. The Xenon P steering tunings and Terran Springblossom engine tunings dropped in with some finagling. The chassis still handles like a Hades, but that's a damn sight better than a Skiron. It feels like a fighter now."
"I'll bet." In the back of my mind, I was cheering. Corvettes were never fun to drive.
"I swapped out the shield generator for the one from the ATF Vali, and dumped the stacked 25MJ shields for a single 1GJ shield."
I whistled.
"Don't get your hopes up... even with the new reactor, it takes a damn long time to recharge."
"Understood. How'd the weapon systems go?"
His voice took on a conspiratorial tone. "Absolutely ridiculous. Bad news first... I couldn't add those extra turrets you wanted. You're stuck with the single on the back. I did managed to adapt it for high speed energy weapons though... PRG, PBE, Kyons, and even strange configurations like a Tractor Beam if needed. The ATF Vali proved itself useful again, and I was able to hack in its weapon energy battery... but the recharge rate is anemic."
"How bad?"
"Uhm... 650kW/s."
I flinched. That would have been excellent for an M3, but the Boron Hydra had a faster recharge rate. "Alright. I assume weapon energy regen wasn't a bottleneck?"
"It can be, depending on the weapons you use, but in general it shouldn't matter. You've only got three guns, including the turret. But I've adapted the rigging to handle capital ship weapons. PPC? IBL? Gauss Cannon? No problem. If you can get your hands on a Plasma Beam Cannon, it'll take it. Kyon Emitters too."
"Now THAT is something worth writing home about... although last I checked, an IBL drained almost 500kW/s each, and the other weapons are similar. Not exactly a lot of staying power."
"Hey, you wanted a fighter. You've got a big battery... buzz the bridge, drop your load, and bug out while you recharge. This ship is a utility knife, not a destroyer. I should mention that you fly slightly faster than the PSG payload, so I recommend you slow down a bit when using it. For that matter, you can outrun most of your own munitions if you use the Turbo Booster, so check your friendly fire."
"Can I still fire Tomahawks?"
Atilio chuckled. "Uh, no. I had to put those heavy weapon mounts somewhere. You've got a fairly limited missile selection too, although I managed to fit another surprise in there."
"Boarding Pods?"
"Nope. Flails."
I laughed. "Hammers too?"
"Now you're just getting greedy. No Hammers, no mid-size missiles... I managed to keep light and heavy launchers, but that's about it."
We walked over to the workshop window in silence, and watched the Hades chassis wander down the assembly line. Occasionally, a robotic arm would poke it, and sparks would fly, then it moved on. "So, somewhere between a utility knife and a scalpel. You did better than I expected; thank you. Does it have a name?"
"I couldn't find an old irish phrase that translated well into Glass Cannon," he joked. "I settled for Fear Dearg... although it was shortened to Dearg pretty fast."
"Fear Dearg... as in, the prankster? The murderous leprechaun?" I said, amused.
He shrugged. "Considering how bloody things are about to get, calling it a Redcap seems apropos."
I couldn't argue with him there.
"You remember when I joked about strapping a huge shield and reactor to a Nav Sat? I'm not joking anymore; that's your next project. What can you do?"
The old engineer stroked his beard, and thought. "I can take a break, get drunk tonight, and think about it tomorrow. Sound good?"
We laughed. That always sounded like a good idea.
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Song Of Obsidian
- Posts: 305
- Joined: Wed, 19. Jun 13, 19:46
It sounds insanely overpowered, but everything is implemented suboptimally.
Top speed is 275; still working on the cargo bay... no smaller than 750, no larger than 1500, but upgraded to hold XL. I'm considering downgrading the weapon energy battery as well, to something around 10k... to give that perspective, 10k would translate to 1.1M shield damage over the course of about 15 seconds, if using a PPC. Then you get to wait another 15 seconds for the battery to charge, assuming your back turret isn't firing. The timings make for a very interactive fight.
Limited weapon energy regen, only 2 weapon mounts, slow shield regen... You wont be threatened by a single corvette, or a small swarm of fighters... but taking a Q still requires some finesse, and a large capital ship should be an exercise is patience and persistence, and still be challenging.
Will post full stats once I finish the fine tune, and I'll post the updated mod along with it. This is intended to be a Player Ship, and a very dangerous toy... something to enable a different experience within the game without making you a god. How often do you get to doge around your own IBL fire?
Top speed is 275; still working on the cargo bay... no smaller than 750, no larger than 1500, but upgraded to hold XL. I'm considering downgrading the weapon energy battery as well, to something around 10k... to give that perspective, 10k would translate to 1.1M shield damage over the course of about 15 seconds, if using a PPC. Then you get to wait another 15 seconds for the battery to charge, assuming your back turret isn't firing. The timings make for a very interactive fight.
Limited weapon energy regen, only 2 weapon mounts, slow shield regen... You wont be threatened by a single corvette, or a small swarm of fighters... but taking a Q still requires some finesse, and a large capital ship should be an exercise is patience and persistence, and still be challenging.
Will post full stats once I finish the fine tune, and I'll post the updated mod along with it. This is intended to be a Player Ship, and a very dangerous toy... something to enable a different experience within the game without making you a god. How often do you get to doge around your own IBL fire?
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Song Of Obsidian
- Posts: 305
- Joined: Wed, 19. Jun 13, 19:46
Lol, nasty little bugger you've come up with there...
1GJ shielding sounds a bit too much for my taste, but then again, if you want to keep "one shield slot", maybe go the whole nine yards and put 1x1gj in it instead of 1x200mj
Moving faster than your own ordnance isn't a very smart thing to do. I'd say limit your topspeed to match it instead of outrunning it.
You'd get two advantages. First, you can't blow up yourself. Second, all your payload would hit your target at the same time, or at least a very small time frame.
Since AI ships don't "see" incoming fire until they are hit, they can't dodge, outrun, or otherwise counter your attack before their shields are gone
Just a small note though:
"Watt" already is "Energy/time", so "W/s" doesn't make any sense in regards of reloading your weapon energy.
1GJ shielding sounds a bit too much for my taste, but then again, if you want to keep "one shield slot", maybe go the whole nine yards and put 1x1gj in it instead of 1x200mj
Moving faster than your own ordnance isn't a very smart thing to do. I'd say limit your topspeed to match it instead of outrunning it.
You'd get two advantages. First, you can't blow up yourself. Second, all your payload would hit your target at the same time, or at least a very small time frame.
Since AI ships don't "see" incoming fire until they are hit, they can't dodge, outrun, or otherwise counter your attack before their shields are gone
Just a small note though:
"Watt" already is "Energy/time", so "W/s" doesn't make any sense in regards of reloading your weapon energy.
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