LFR Module: Different Charges

Suggestions Miscellaneous
1

I know, there are two different charges allready, one that deals increased damage and one that increases the speed.

But thats not what i mean, lets start:

 

While leveling my Guard, i noticed that i always laugh about LFRs.

I can just switch my shield to Thermal and they turn completely useless with the module.
If they start shooting me with the main weapon, i can switch again, they can only do one thing at a time.

 

With my Jericho LFR i noticed then very soon, that i stopped shooting Guards with my Missiles.

I totally love Jericho LFR and hope that they will get the “secret project” of them along with the other ships that may come in…atleast i heard that they want to implement the missing ships, so i hope that they implement both LFRs and not just one.

Using the Missiles to damage some interceptors or even kill them at long range is just nice, supporting my team from behind the lines is also great.

But the limitation to Thermal is a little bit…meh

 

So thats what the suggestion is about:

Two New Modules

 

Base effect:

 

The Modules will work like the “aura modules”, switch them on and they stay on, not just for one shot.

While they are active, your LFR Sniper/Missile will change to another Damage Type - EM or Kinetic (turning them off switches back to Thermal)

For Jericho this would also change the Cloud then.

 

Those modules would give your Sniper some additional use.
As far as i know most shields are weak against EM, while hull is weak against kinetic.

So if you see a guard with full shield, switch to EM to drain a good amount of his shield.

Switch to Kinetic to deal a good amount of damage against unshielded targets.

Or just use thermal to work against both until you find an enemy who ignores thermal damage…

 

Changing the “Ammo” would cause a Module cooldown of like 10s (imagine it as reloading)

 

Secondary Effect

 

Those additional effects would change the LFR Special even further, from pure long range damage support into a better long range Team support role

 

Since just changing the damage type might be usefull sometimes, it would not be worth it to sacrifice a slot for it.
So i thought about adding secondary effects to them.

Thermal would still be the usual “decent agains everything” type while Kinetic and EM will have a different role that is not based on pure damage alone.

Since the Missile and the Disintegrator work so different, it would be hard to find one mechanic that fits them both - so we would need two.

also it would benefit your team, so that you are not just the “killstealing camper”.

 

The two different effects could be:

 

Empire:

Since the Sniper is called Disintegrator in Thermal, why not thinking that further?

 

EM would be a Disruptor then. Disrupt the shield of the target, reducing the Shield regeneration (including the regeneration caused by certain Modules), works only if the projectile hits the Shield.

Leveling increases the strength and duration of that effect

 

Kinetic would be a Nanite Charge (yes i know, Engineers Nanite-Gun thingy deals EM…but whatever) , reducing the Hull resistance a little bit.
Works only if the projectile hits the Hull.

Leveling increases the strength and duration of that effect

 

Jericho:

Its a Rocket, its different from the Sniper since it Explodes and creates a Cloud.
As allready mentioned, the cloud would also change its element.

Actually…that one is a bit harder to think about, so i thought that the “Charges” will change the damage type of the explosion and the type of cloud they leave.

 

EM creates an EMP flash when exploding, removing locked targets for enemies in its range (not like a time based effect that the other LFR module has, dont know what it is called)

While inside the cloud, targets cant lock on anymore. Also it adds some visual interference.

Leveling increases the range of the blast and cloud

 

Kinetic creates a Shrapnell Cloud that jams enemies engine. This cloud deals damage based on the speed of the ship that flies through. So standing still or just floating through without the use of the engine would deal no damage.
The amount of damage could be 10x the speed you move through. So a slow frigate with around 200 speed would take 2000 damage per second, while a fast interceptor at capped speed with 700 would take 7000 per second.
Those number are just to show how the effect would work, dont worry :wink:

Cloud becomes active a short time after the detonation to give fast fighters a chance to not die instantly when you hit them directly, so they can react to it by releasing the acceleration key and float through the cloud as it forms.

Remember: just stopping to press the acceleration button negates that effect, since you would not use the engine and just float through it.

Leveling increases the duration of that cloud

 

Needed Faction Tokens

 

Kinetic Jericho (since they allready have all the other kinetic stuff too)

EM would be Empire
 

Summary

Pro:

Changing Element to increase damage against certain resistance types

Better Team Support besides pure long range damage

 

Con:

Less damage against the other mitigation type (EM deals more against shield but less against hull, Kinetic the other way around)

Uses a module slot each

 

Against Guardians, you would benefit from having atleast one of the Damage-Type changes equipped.

 

For Empire, Thermal would still have the advantage of dealing similar damage to shield and health.

EM would help your team against shield tanks

Kinetic would help against hull tanks.

 

For Jericho, Thermal would still be the usual damage cloud for some additional damage.

EM would help your team for example against slow long ranged projectile-users, since they could not lock your team inside that cloud.

Kinetic would help your team against fast enemies or to stop enemy movement inside the cloud

2

I like it! I support the idea.

3

think im done now…took me a while to think about all the effects

4

Yeah! I like it! But the “shrapnel cloud” damage would have to reduced to maybe 5-7x speed. Because 10x would one-shot inties. XD

5

Yeah! I like it! But the “shrapnel cloud” damage would have to reduced to maybe 5-7x speed. Because 10x would one-shot inties. XD

yeah, the  10x like all the other numbers are just to show what i mean :wink:

the idea is just that it stops an enemy from moving without disabling his engine like an ECM Fighter by punishing him if he uses his engines.

the Thermal Cloud is basically worthless when you are fast enough, just fly through it, get like 300dmg and you are still good to go. so with that you would punish someone the faster he flies throgh it.

6

I’m not so sure this idea is good. The reason the long range modules are both thermal is that neither one has an unfair advantage against hull or shield (empire or jericho). Also, being able to switch damage types mid-battle is a really huge advantage - It means that you can take down shield easily, and then take down hull easily, rather than one quickly and one slowly, or with thermal, both slowly. Add in secondary effects (which really belong on support or disablers, rather than damage support), and suddenly the whole thing is broken.

7

Yeah, the very concept of being able to change damage types on the fly is broken. In an era long past, you could do that with ammo/missiles and was taken out for obvious reasons.

Damage needs to stay thermal.

8

I don’t really know if this as broken as you make it out to be. If you exchange one of this modules for an existing module your LRF becomes much more offensive with the cost of being much less durable. There is a major opportunity cost involved, although there needs to be some tweaking.

 

I suggest that there be 2 modules for changing damage type of the special module. The first module would be to change in to and from thermal and kinetic while the second would change damage type to and from thermal and EM. This would increase opportunity cost even more. Furthermore, I add that switching damage types consumes alpha energy on top of the DPS energy of the aura. Switching damage types has a 30 second cooldown that decrease as you upgrade each specific module.

 

This adds to the number of available LRF specific modules an LRF pilot can choose from to 7. The pilot can choose from the EM Scattering Field, IR Pulsar, Tachyon Charge, Weapon Overcharge, Reverse Thruster + the two new LRF modules. Below is my thought process on the overpoweredness or lack thereof of players and what they would do.

 

Bad LRF pilot - Can’t be overpowered even if pilot brings both new modules because pilot can’t shoot.  NOT OP

 

Cocky LRF pilot who brings no multipurpose - His damage output may be tremendous but if someone catches him he will drop like a fly. He may use the RT, EM Scattering Field, or IR Pulsar for defense but that means he will not be able to use multiple offensive LRF modules.  NOT OP

 

Decent LRF pilot who brings at least 1 multipurpose - This leaves him only 3 LRF specific modules to choose from. The LRF pilot will probably choose at least 1 defensive LRF module leaving him with two offensive which would probably be tachyon charge and one of the 2 new modules. He is not very offense oriented. He can’t change between all three damage types unless he drops the tachyon charge which makes it easier for him to hit an enemy.  NOT OP

 

Careful LRF pilot who brings at lease 2 multipurpose - He would most likely bring 1 offensive and 1 defensive. That isn’t OP. If he brings two offensive he would decide which one the offensive LRF modules he wants. He could bring 2 of the new modules but that means less attack power or less ease of shooting. NOT OP

9

Yeah, the very concept of being able to change damage types on the fly is broken. In an era long past, you could do that with ammo/missiles and was taken out for obvious reasons.

Damage needs to stay thermal.

i dont know what you mean, as i said:

 

 

Changing the “Ammo” would cause a Module cooldown of like 10s (imagine it as reloading)

and

 

 

yeah, the  10x like all the other numbers are just to show what i mean :wink:

for exactly that reason.

so that you cant nuke down a shield with EM and then nuke down the hull with kinetic…

not to mention that huge laser beam or the loud “warning, incoming missile” on top of that…if someone ignores that, it would make no difference to get hit by EM or Kinetic several times in a row^^

 

to prevent it from being OP, i mentioned reload mechanics, the fact that the shots would be more specialised for one type of armor and not good against both like thermal is, the point that they would use a module slot, so you would need to decide what you want - pure damage through all the modules that change the special, or would you like to sacrifice some of that for some additional survivability, like EM scattering or shield/hull regeneration?

 

changing ammo on a normal weapon is another thing, there it might be broken if you can suddenly equip thermal into your mortar or positron…

but thats not what i have mentioned, just the special ability alone.

 

and to be honest…i dont play for long now, but i have seen only a very few long range frigs who used the special ability.

most i have seen use a beam with 7k range, deals more damage in less time and can hit better.

empire who cant lock on his target will rarely hit, so most i have seen either camp near the enemy spawn or just use long range beams. jericho used it just to finish someone or hit them behind objects.

atleast thats what i have seen so far.

 

all LFRs were just used to grab some quick kills, but they have never supported their team. maybe some minefields, but thats all.

with the idea i wanted to make a suggestion to implement some more teamplay elements for them by changing the damage type and adding an effect to make the sniper more usefull - through different types of damage support.

10

declined - the following rule has been decided: one weapon, one colour, one damage type