Dalas120 Would much slower-firing, heavier flak make this easier? If flak only had to shoot once or twice a second (for a huge, powerful AOE), it might not be as big a deal if it takes an extra quarter-second to choose and aim at a target. Maybe flak shoots all 4 barrels in rapid succession at the same target, or maybe it just has one big barrel like a WWII flak gun.
I suppose if flak were balanced such that its reload time masked its targeting time, that could help.
Dalas120 What about having instantaneous detonation once a ship gets close enough, but use the blinking to indicate detonation range? So the closer my ship gets the faster the mines blink, and if I get close enough they explode instantly.
Or maybe a combination of range+time makes it detonate? (So the timer counts down faster when the ship is closer.) Right it's just binary, either an enemy ship is within range or it's not, and the countdown speed doesn't change.
Dalas120 I think that mines need to explode when they hit an ally ship. Otherwise ships can corall a whole bunch of mines into a tiny area, then barf them all onto an enemy. I also think this is much more realistic - if already-launched mines can be stuffed into a hole in your ship, why have storages or launchers?
Yeah, I was hoping that making mines repulsed by each other would make that strategy less viable, but since you can literally make an enclosed compartment and then blow it open with explosive charges, it's probably still a problem.
I think ideally friendly mines would be repulsed by friendly ships, but unfortunately that has the same issues of being attracted to enemy ships.
Dalas120 Visually, at some point there needs to be a way to distinguish friendly mines from enemy mines. Maybe friendly mines get a green outline? (which also makes them easier to see, so you don't accidentally hit your own minefield)
Maybe the blinking light is just green? Not sure if that makes any sense lore-wise, but it'd be clear.
Dalas120 Of course, mines could always be hostile to all players, including the one who launched them. That's definitely the most realistic, and could be very interesting. But that could cause a lot of other issues.
I worry this would make minelaying very difficult and dangerous.
Dalas120 I do still feel like there needs to be a way to use mines in direct combat, but the current prototype feels pretty good so maybe it's not an issue.
I'll be curious to see how much mines get used in direct combat. They do fly through shields, which may or may not be a significant advantage.
Dalas120 Maybe have PD fire in bursts? That way there would be fewer projectiles on the screen at once, and PD keeps that rapid-fire machine gun feel.
I tried this briefly for the latest prototype, but it needs some extra code to not make it aesthetically weird. (The problem is that the PD's target will get destroyed or go out of sight mid-burst and then the PD will rotate back to center while still firing, which looks weird.) Might be worth doing though, especially if burst helps some other PD balance issues.
Tobi-wan_Kenobi I too would like this, and I thought flak would work this way. I'd prefer flak with a slower fire rate, but can destroy multiple missiles/cannon shells with AOE. That would make flak good against salvos but bad against singlets, and vice versa for PD. That would give us a comprehensive supplemental defense with clear roles.
I'm not opposed to this, I might try it. It'd be better for performance too to have fewer flak shots.
It's called Discord. 😛
Tobi-wan_Kenobi DO flak explosions currently AOE damage multiple missiles as they come in clustered? I can't tell for sure.
Yes, thought he damage falls off somewhat with distance, so some missiles will take more damage than others.