Having built the LaserSwordModule script recently, waiting on the ship energy API for final touches, I find myself considering the MD device from Card's famous book. As an anti-particle weapon, it holds promise, but I am trying to decide whether it should be able to destroy other objects following a critical mass of particle consumption, or to bridge to other particle masses. Opinions?
Since emiters are very powerful and emit constantly unless you have figured a way for it to clear all particles over a certain area and freeze emits for a time, I would go with it being able to 1 hit destroy emitters. The reason for 1 hit destroy is I am guessing the reload time of the weapon to be much more than the rebuild time of an emitter.
I was thinking of chaining to be good for bulk particle destruction, but for low particle density to make it almost useless. Also, to require two or three ships to coordinate. This allows tactical Doppel-density area destruction, without breaking the balance entirely.
This probably won't target ships.
Quote from: GoodMorning on September 29, 2016, 08:34:07 AM
I was thinking of chaining to be good for bulk particle destruction, but for low particle density to make it almost useless. Also, to require two or three ships to coordinate. This allows tactical Doppel-density area destruction, without breaking the balance entirely.
This probably won't target ships.
Ahh I see where your going with this, So it would be able to clear an area that has been overrun and you would have to use ships to keep the area clear, I like that as well. Instead of targeting emitters you clear an area so that your lathes can get to them a little easier.
Can you make it like a stunner ball however with a attraction field like a grabber? It can be targeted along a certain line like you can with friendly emitters and collect particles along the way or even emergents then have a nice visual explosion, and have a high recharge time and energy expense so it is not overpowered
I'm considering the beam overlap model, where it takes comparatively little power to run, but it difficult to fine-tune and self-limiting in effectiveness, because the removal of particles will push the system into a subcritical state.
The magnetic shot cannon would be something different, possibly a fixed emplacement.
Your earlier suggestion of a one-hit kill for Emitters cannot really be anything but overpowered.