The Current combat system is not solid, or balanced, we need refinement to the current concept (not necessarily change)
Current combat system gives us around 5-6 seconds of survivability when fighting. This is vastly to low, and needs to be buffed to around 20 to 25 seconds.
In order to do this, we need to reduce damage by around 70%. Now, keep in mind this is not actual weapon damage, but the amount of damage done upon a target. The difference is what you actually deal, to what the weapon actually has as a base. This change can be made by changing the mechanic damage done to shields or hull (or armor).
So if you hit now for 3000 damage, your damage will be changed to dealing 900 damage.
900/2sec = 450 dps.
If your damage is 150-250 now, you will deal 75 damage.
250/1= 250 dps
((note i picked here the highest damage, and lowest damage from plasma for examples for damage as the other weapons are similar in dps or impact (Beam/Rail)).
Now, we need to test this ratio’s of damage Vs the current defensive mechanics to see if they are balanced or not.
(T2 Shield Booster)1427 shields over 8 seconds. 179 Hps
(T4 Shield booster)14712 over 21 seconds. 700 hps
At the above damage rates, Frigate will be unkillable (rank 4) and rank 2 will die quickly.
we learn from this that this module needs to be fixed with the above damage rates.
Correction made
T2 shield booster duration increased from 8 to 16. 358 HPS.
T4 shield booster reduced from 14712 over 21 seconds, to 7500 over 20 seconds. 375 HPS.
This places Tier 2 attack ship at regenerating 358 shields per a second, and the interceptor doing 250 hps. From here, we further the dps increase of interceptors by boosting their amount of rockets carried, and making them relay on rocket use to kill attack ships. Frigates, however will be not killed by an interceptor unless there is more then one interceptor. The desired effect sought, as interceptors at the moment are just running around killing everything. Their role should be changed from a damage ship, to a support / scout role.
From these changes we will see shielding tanks last around 20 seconds of constant fire, possibly 25 or 30 with superior items. This leaves us to the last correction of shield tanking mechanics, Passive regeneration.
Passive Shield Regeneration
The levels of these mods are simply to high. with the above changes, shield tanks will be indestructible. So, these modules need a change.
Capacitor power relay needs to be reduced from 100% to 30-35%.
Shield Capacitor Needs to be increased from 20-50% to 55-65%.
Additional Shield changes needed
All resistance passive modules need to be added, for 55 all resistance.
All Specific Resistance Passive modules need to be increased to 75 Per each type.
Shield Capacitor resistance to all damage needs to be increased to 75 or 100.
Add New “specific” Resistance shield capacitors, for 125 resistance to each type.
Armor (Hull) Tanking
Unlike shield tanking, armor should work in another capacity. Resistance on armor should be higher then shielding, but the repair of armor should have cycle intervals. The reason for this is because if you are being hit, every 2nd or 3rd hit go’s to natural shield regeneration (that every ship has) If we do not want the armor tanks to have shields, we should consider changing these races to have regenerative armor (Bio-organic Armor) Plating. Then we can work both on the same concepts. empire for example with armor/hull as a life, and jericho with hull/shields.
Other wise i will continue on.
Since we are regenerating in intervals (because of natural shield regeneration) we want it so that the ship can take a beating. this means, armor tanks should excel at taking damage through mitigation, not raw regeneration (like shields). For this reason we will change the war armor repair works to the following concepts
Repairs 650 armor, ever 3 seconds for 15 seconds. (216 HPS)
If we look, the hps is lower then shields (350+) but the repair amount is higher. because there will be cycle intervals (heals every 3 seconds) The armor needs to absorb a large amount of damage (min 50% of it) as a result resistance items to armor should be near double of that which shields have (Its hard to say with out knowing the exact X amount of resistance = X % of damage reduction). but we will work off the principle of 50% Damage reduction via resistance modules like
Increases all resistance by 215 for 15 seconds 35 energy per second consumed (8s CD).
(Shield resistance will be typically around 25-30%)
(Armor resistance will typically be around 35-40%)
Lets say the above is true
T2 rapid fire does 250 dps
T2 Heavy plasma does 450 dps
40% Of 250 dps = 150 dps - 150/216hps - Live
40% of 450 dps= 270 dps.- 270/216hps - Dead
So i this case, we find the same as the above damage ratio, captors cannot kill a target with out rockets,missiles or another partner helping. in both situations, the game becomes balanced.
Concerns
some people may say this will delegitimize the interceptor, causing them to be useless. But this is in fact not the case, this will cause interceptors to want to be flown in packs, which will cause you to have a wing man to depend on. this will improve the chances of survival not only because the damage is lowered, and the interceptor tank is increased, but because you also have a wing man to break off and get the guy on you. All other ships will be balanced. Attack ship vs frigates will put up a good fight, however in the end frigates will win because of the superior tank.
This leaves us to our last address of battle
Mobility
our last issue is mobility based issues
Interceptors run circles around other ships, and the gap of speed and mass is vastly two different, as a result the following should be changed.
Interceptor Weight
From 40-60mt to 75-85mt
Attack ship Weight
From 200mt to 125-135mt
Frigate
From 4350 to 225-250
Destroyer
From 8700 to 320-340
Cruiser
From 16500 to 430-450
Additional Changes
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Adding a “skill” for each ship research.
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Each ship now has a Level 1 to 5.
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Each ship also has a passive bonus per each level researched.
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Tier 1 is no longer vastly inferior to Tier 2, Rather, each ship has a role.
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Tier 2 ships now require the previous ship skill to reach level 4 to fly, and is no longer based on rank.
Example, Tier 1 frigate is now a combat ship, but tier 2 is now a mine laying -support frigate. It has an ability to drop a mine field of suicidal drones (that have explosives strapped to the head of their hull) These drones heals allies in the field, but suicide themselves on enemies (basically a mine) These fields last 3 minutes.
Making changes like this will make strategy in both matches, and in the open universe. This will also resolve the problem that when open universe is released, of tier 5 ships running around destroying anything in their path.
Still yet more change
things like mine fields are great, and they really help the matches to be more dynamic, mine fields should all last min of 3 minutes. we also need more things like this in the game. one idea is as follows
Tier 2 Destroyer - Interdiction ship Skill: Drops a 5km bubble, that slows ships traveling through it by 50%. lasts 2 minutes. 45 second cool down.
adding stuff like this will make the game dynamic, and combat much more realistic, and fun.