Reactor Overload Improvements

Suggestions PvP
#1

I’m pretty sure we can all agree, the Reactor Overload still sucks.

 

I have a possible fix for the module that would actually improve it and make it a viable module for a covops. My idea is similar to particle purge, but in reverse. Basically, the lower the percentage of health of the user, the more damage the reactor overload will do in the AOE cloud, but the lower the blast damage will be (and same in reverse).

 

 

Note: no final blast will occur unless total hull drops to zero. Cloud will persist after host dies. Damage from AOE before death does not harm the host. Cloud/AOE damage harms all who fly into it. Pressing the module button a second time will cause an instant self-destruct dealing P thermal damage.

 

For instance, have the proportions be similar to the following:

 

If total health (hull and shields) is above 25% (for reference, 1/2 hull, but any combo of hull/shield resulting in over 25% total hull and shield), DPS of the cloud will be X.

If total health is between 10% and 25%, DPS of the cloud will be X+Y.

If total health is below 10%, DPS of the cloud will be X+Z.

 

For final explosion:

If host’s total health was lower than 10% upon activation, final blast deals P thermal damage.

If hosts’s health was between 10% and 25% upon activation, final blast deals P+Q thermal damage.

If host’s health was above 25% upon activation, final blast deals P+R thermal damage.

 

This is the tradeoff for using the module. If you activate with higher health, your final blast will deal more, but the cloud will deal less, but you also have to make sure you can die if you want the blast to happen. If you activate with lower health, your blast won’t do as much, but the cloud will deal quite a bit. I feel that activating at either end of the spectrum could prove useful in different situations. Using Mk4 stats: if you had less than 10% total health, you would deal 500 DPS with the cloud, and 3500 blast damage upon death. If you have more than 25% total health, you would deal 300 DPS with the cloud, and 4750 blast damage upon death.

 

Upgrade related stats:

Mk1:

Active time (includes time bubble persists after death): 5 seconds

Recharge: 75 seconds

Energy Use: 130

Blast/Cloud radius: 500m

X=150

Y=75

Z=125

P=2000

Q=250

R=500

For clarification’s sake: max DPS of the cloud would be 275, max blast damage would be 2500.

 

Mk2:

Active time: 6 seconds

Recharge: 70 seconds

Energy Use: 125

Blast/Cloud radius: 600m

X=200

Y=100

Z=150

P=2500

Q=500

R=750

 

Mk3:

Active time: 7 seconds

Recharge: 65 seconds

Energy Use: 120

Blast/Cloud radius: 700m

X=250

Y=125

Z=175

P=3000

Q=750

R=1000

 

Mk4:

Active time: 7.5 seconds

Recharge: 60 seconds

Energy Use: 115

Blast/Cloud Radius: 750m

X=300

Y=150

Z=200

P=3500

Q=1000

R=1250

 

Ion diffuser/ion beam warheads will stop the effect entirely.

 

Please note: these numbers are just one’s I thought would be balanced, they could be changed if necessary.

 

Thoughts?

 

EDIT: added blast/cloud radius stats. added additional info on use

 

EDIT 2: A new possible way to use the module:

 

Make it an active similar to an engineer aura or command aura.

 

Once your hull reaches 25%, the module automatically activates dealing an AOE cloud with scaling damage as stated above.

Pressing the button twice with greater than 25% hull (or once after your hull reaches 25%) will result in an instant self-destruct, for the most possible damage in the blast, but letting the module run its course will cause the blast to do less damage (same values as above).

Pressing the button when your health is above 25% will instantly reduce your health to 25%, and begin the effect.

(The module would do self-damage if this version were used).

#2

I was thinking of another change that involved reactor overload simply dropping a cloud of radiation wherever you activate it. Though this seems interesting. Only problem I see is the final blast. It is meant to deal a lot of damage in an AoE, and if it deals less damage the less hull you have, then it is pointless. I use it all the time just to catch inties and low-health players that are running or are too difficult to hit. Making the blast deal less damage would hurt its purpose…

The point, as far as I can tell, is to make them regret killing you.

There are many possible changes to this module, but if it came down to this, or what it is right now, I’d choose the current one.

#3

I was thinking of another change that involved reactor overload simply dropping a cloud of radiation wherever you activate it. Though this seems interesting. Only problem I see is the final blast. It is meant to deal a lot of damage in an AoE, and if it deals less damage the less hull you have, then it is pointless. I use it all the time just to catch inties and low-health players that are running or are too difficult to hit. Making the blast deal less damage would hurt its purpose…

 

Not really. Reducing blast damage only happens if you activate the module with extremely low health. If the module were to be buffed like I suggest, you wouldn’t want it dealing more damage on the final blast if your health was low upon activation, as then it would be overpowered. Reducing the blast damage as I suggest gives the module 2 purposes, either dealing AOE damage in a group of enemies/near an objective, or finishing someone off. The concept for these changes would make timing crucial for the use. If you want to deal a lot of damage to someone upon death, you activate the module at 25% total health, and then if you die, it will do a large amount of damage. It makes for a catch 22 situation for whoever is shooting at you. They can continue shooting you and risk dying themselves to the bigger blast, or they can stop, and make sure  the final blast doesn’t happen, but then you survive and can take them out with main guns or run back to your engie.

 

But don’t be mistaken, the final blast will still be fairly significant if you activate below 10% total health. 3500 damage is more than enough to finish off a ceptor or fighter you have been dogfighting with.

 

Edit: I added a function that would allow an instantaneous self-destruct upon pushing the module button a second time.  

 

I made it possible to achieve both max blast and max cloud DPS. If you activate with above 25% max health, but you continue taking damage (to the point where you die), your blast will be max since you activated the module with above 25% health, and your cloud damage will grow to max as your health decreases. I wanted the cloud DPS to scale because if you activate this without taking damage, the cloud damage will remain the same.