I don't really play the plasma races that much.

Comments/suggestions welcome.

By John Trauger (Vorlonagent) on Saturday, December 21, 2002 - 02:37 am: Edit

As mentioned in the main topic,

Plasmas could have greater resistance to damage, the return of the 1-turn F-torp, standard torp is automatically a sabot, and perhaps a uber-torp more powerful than an R-torp, say a 60-pt torp.

By Dave Morse (Dcm) on Saturday, December 21, 2002 - 03:41 am: Edit

I haven't read X1 in a decade, but it seemed to me at the time the game was going towards ships that could move speed 31 while arming all weapons as standards.

If that is indeed the case in X2, I think you'd need speed 40 plasma minimum in order to ever hit anything.

By John Trauger (Vorlonagent) on Saturday, December 21, 2002 - 01:26 pm: Edit

Dave, I recommend that you check out the ADB's revision to X1. They made some changes recently. among them, no OL phasers, no one-turn plasma. Phasers are compensated by betting to use their ECCM shift.

By Mike Dowd (Mike_Dowd) on Saturday, December 21, 2002 - 02:01 pm: Edit

John and I are having a discussion already about bringing back a form of rapid-pulse phasers in another topic, but they could be balanced with Plasmas by giving X2 plasmas 4 points of ECM to protect themselves against defensive fire.

The 4 ECM will easilly be offset by most X2 (or X1) ships' ECCM suites if they are firing their phasers in a normal mode, but with my proposed rapid pulse, it would be in full effect against any rapid-pulse shots...

By Dave Morse (Dcm) on Saturday, December 21, 2002 - 02:28 pm: Edit

All the phasers in the galaxy won't help the plasma boys if their heavy weapons can't keep a speed 31 enemy out of range 12-15.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Saturday, December 21, 2002 - 03:04 pm: Edit

To face the new tactical Paradigm the Plasma races could develope a rapid fire mode for their large Plasmas. Basically you arm your torpedo as a Shotgun and then bolt the resulting Pl-Fs one per impulse max, all within 32 impulses. Cannot begin rearming until the tube is cleared of all shots. If held over a turn break a holding cost of one power for each remaining bold must be allocated. Unfired tubes could be held for multiple turns. One one is bolted you have 32 impulses to fire the rest of lose them. Call it the X-Plasma Gatling for now.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Saturday, December 21, 2002 - 03:09 pm: Edit

As a result of the above rule the X-Plasma Shotgun rule would have to be modified to allow the resulting Pl-Fs to be held in the same way. But must still be targeted on different targets. Seeking weapon targeting and DF targeting are different in that way.

By Jeff Tonglet (Blackbeard) on Saturday, December 21, 2002 - 03:24 pm: Edit

Speed 64 plasma?

By Stephan Fassmann (Stephanf) on Saturday, December 21, 2002 - 04:22 pm: Edit

For X2 I was thinking that the plasma races could do some things to give them more flavor. The romulans have a history of Big torps (Rs), so they would develop bigger torps. The Gorns have a tendency toward all around protection and well rounded ships so they might develop a more durable plasma that can take more phaser damage before being degraded. And the ISC would definately what an extended range plasma to help protect the captial ships and support the gunline.

Changing how plasma works may not be something the Steves would prefer There are just limits to differences you can put into the ships themselves. While in the X2 era most ships will have heavier plasma torp it would be fun to have the above be new tricks that would spread to the other races after a few years.

By Mike Raper (Raperm) on Saturday, December 21, 2002 - 04:59 pm: Edit

For the Roms, a plasma "X" might be nice. Figure a max warhead of 60, and a range of 40. Keeps the damage just a bit ahead of an R, and adds some extra range. For the Gorns, I'd love to see a variation on the plasma shotgun that lets you fire each F torp on different impulses...sort of a plasma gatling effect.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Saturday, December 21, 2002 - 07:31 pm: Edit

Hey Mike. How about going ahead with the 60 point Warhead but splashing 20 of it on side shields. like: 40 points on #1 and 10 on #2 and #6.

Not a full enveloping but it just so big that it has to wrap a little. Disreguard the splash effect when striking a base.

By Geoff Conn (Talonz) on Saturday, December 21, 2002 - 07:45 pm: Edit

IIRC, the X2 plasma CA had 2 Rs and 2 Ms and pseudo regeneration. Add sabot to this and they should do just fine.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Saturday, December 21, 2002 - 08:07 pm: Edit

I think they will need the DF option.

By Stewart W Frazier (Frazikar) on Saturday, December 21, 2002 - 11:10 pm: Edit

Loren, the Bolt isn't DF??

in 1X, the R is a base weapon, the M the main cruiser plasma, backed up by Ss, on the SC4 there's the L (upgraded F, acts as G) to go with an S (SKX) [SEA-X is 2 Ls I think]...

By Tos Crawford (Tos) on Sunday, December 22, 2002 - 01:03 am: Edit

The tricky thing with plasmas is to create something that can work on a floating map without making bases autokills.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Sunday, December 22, 2002 - 01:40 am: Edit

Stewart F. Sorry, that was in reference to my earlier posts. That post was kind of vegue.

Earlier I presented the X-Plasma Gatling. It is described above.

And yes, the Bolt is DF. Again, sorry for the vague post.

By Jim Davies (Mudfoot) on Sunday, December 22, 2002 - 12:23 pm: Edit

As I understand matters, we have one primary problem:

* Ships get very fast
* So plasma has to go very fast for a long way
* Which kills anything that doesn't go very fast, namely bases.

If bases become autokills, we need something to protect bases, implying a sort of auto-WW or cloak-like ability.

For example, equip every applicable base with a Masking device. This will cause the plasma to lose lockon unless the launching ship is quite close (and hence vulnerable to counterattack).

Alternatively, allow a base to carry an unlimited number of WW drogues. It'll still suffer collateral and be under WW restrictions, but not die horribly.

-----

As for the plasma itself, in the old X1 discussion I suggested an Overdrive mechanism, where the plasma could be launched at 64 on a ballistic trajectory. After X impulses it would start tracking normally at 32. This lets the plasma catch up to the target, but lets the target outmaneuver it.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Sunday, December 22, 2002 - 01:39 pm: Edit

If bases become autokills, we need something to protect bases, implying a sort of auto-WW or cloak-like ability.


Earlier I suggested a 1/2 space ADD drone relpacement. Basically a chaff for ships and bases. Replaces ADDs on a one for one. Resricted Availability.

By Tos Crawford (Tos) on Sunday, December 22, 2002 - 04:20 pm: Edit

Bases for one point of power can generate a proximity field that destabilizes the plasma warhead causing it to detonate some distance from the base. This damage is resolved as collateral damage. It takes 4-impulse to engage this function and if disengaged will take an extra point of power to re-engage. While engaged the base and every other unit in that hex suffers from 4 points of natural ECM. Units firing on the base or units within the hex suffer no penalties.

Pros: Minimizes plasma damage to bases.

Cons: Everything in the hex takes collateral damage making it difficult for defending units. EW.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Sunday, December 22, 2002 - 05:51 pm: Edit

Bases have a good supply of shuttles and it is likely that these shuttle would be further improved over the X versions.

One defencive device for one specific weapon, I believe, has been rejected before.

There is that Ship Chaff thing I mentioned.

By Jim Davies (Mudfoot) on Sunday, December 22, 2002 - 07:42 pm: Edit

While bases do have lots of shuttles, there's no point in improving them if their only job is to eat plasma. We just need something that isn't a shuttle, and is presumably usable only on a stationary platform. Something like a small drogue.

By Tos Crawford (Tos) on Sunday, December 22, 2002 - 07:57 pm: Edit

Improve the plasma bolt to-hit chart by 1 and allow overloaded plasmas to do twice the standard bolt damage.

Envelop or shotgun or sabot or normal plasma determined at time of fire would help.

Seeking plasma that doesn't degrade over distance? It would self destruct at the end of its normal run. This mode could not be combined with the Sabot and would be cost the same power as an overload.

The power to load a plasma also creates a PPT, max of one PPT held at any one time. PPTs can simulate any type valid for that launcher upon launch, including fast load G-torps. Did I mention fast load G-torps?

By Geoff Conn (Talonz) on Monday, December 23, 2002 - 12:22 am: Edit

If bases become autokills, we need something to protect bases, implying a sort of auto-WW or cloak-like ability.


Your problem is imaginary. Plasma at range 10 will still do the same damage as it did before. The only difficulties will be a sabot fleet at a range slightly greater than before or the setup of 2hex jumps right before impact (although I'm not sure if that can be done currently).

In short, the problem is not that a base cannot move against faster plasma.

By Tos Crawford (Tos) on Monday, December 23, 2002 - 12:53 am: Edit

The problem is imaginary if X2 plasma is equivilent to X1 plasma. There is talk of improving it in a variety of imaginary ways which, if implemented, could cause some problems for bases.