Assorted Questions

Tips, tactics, and general discussion for Evochron Legacy.
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Saturnine
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Assorted Questions

Post by Saturnine »

Hello,

I've been playing Evochron Legacy for a few weeks, and enjoying it immensely. I do have a few questions however. A cursory search of the forums and written material on the website didn't yield any answers, so here goes:

Fleets: I've noticed that NPC military ships will not trade with me, apparently barring me from bringing them in to my fleet. Is there any way to bring these guys on board? Higher rank, perhaps? (Mine is Competent/Commander, at the moment.)

Building Space Stations: Does it matter if turret/gun units are yellow in the build view? I assume there is no negative consequence for building turrets in such a way that they aren't 'connected' to the rest of the station's structure.

Weapons: Do different types of weapons (i.e, plasma, metal, rail, fusion) have different effects beyond their varying rates of energy consumption, damage, etc? I.E, is there a way to replicate the effects of the banshee cannon, trebuchet cannon, etc, with customized weapons? Also, does weapon yield take rate of fire in to account, with higher rate of fire weapons doing less damage per individual shot and slow rate of fire weapons doing inherently more damage per shot? For example, in a given space of time, does a weapon with a yield of 50 and a rate of fire of 300 do the same amount of damage as a weapon with a yield of 50 and a rate of 350?

Thanks!
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Vice
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Re: Assorted Questions

Post by Vice »

Hello and welcome. Answers below.
Saturnine wrote:Fleets: I've noticed that NPC military ships will not trade with me, apparently barring me from bringing them in to my fleet. Is there any way to bring these guys on board? Higher rank, perhaps? (Mine is Competent/Commander, at the moment.)
Military ships are independent in that regard and aren't available for fleet recruiting. With high enough rank, they can follow some combat directives in war zones while on missions (and that is without fleet recruiting). But otherwise, they stick to their own objectives.
Saturnine wrote:Building Space Stations: Does it matter if turret/gun units are yellow in the build view? I assume there is no negative consequence for building turrets in such a way that they aren't 'connected' to the rest of the station's structure.
Correct. And you want to keep them far enough away for a wide field of coverage/protection, but not so far away that they can't provide adequate protection. So they are best used when balanced in their placement, even though they don't require connecting to other modules.
Saturnine wrote:Weapons: Do different types of weapons (i.e, plasma, metal, rail, fusion) have different effects beyond their varying rates of energy consumption, damage, etc? I.E, is there a way to replicate the effects of the banshee cannon, trebuchet cannon, etc, with customized weapons? Also, does weapon yield take rate of fire in to account, with higher rate of fire weapons doing less damage per individual shot and slow rate of fire weapons doing inherently more damage per shot? For example, in a given space of time, does a weapon with a yield of 50 and a rate of fire of 300 do the same amount of damage as a weapon with a yield of 50 and a rate of 350?
Each class simply starts with a different base set of parameters. The specialized weapons (kinetic, energy depletion, etc) are unique in what they offer and aren't available for duplication in the lab. At the same time, they also generally come with some compromises that can make them less effective in general combat roles.

There is a general balance/equity between weapon designs (yield, firing rate, and range), however the end result can depend heavily on a player's tactics, combat style, gameplay interests, and ship being flown. Some players can be best effective for their skillset, interests, and ship configuration with a faster firing weapon that does less damage per shot and/or over time because of a ship's energy reserves, player's tactic(s) of maneuvering for duration of target vulnerability, energy settings, equipment configuration, and preferred ranges. Being able to reach out a little farther to limit counter attack can be another factor for a particular weapon design. Likewise, a player who flies a different ship with a different configuration and uses a different combat style might prefer a closer range, higher yield configuration. The system has been tuned/tweaked over the years based on player feedback, so it's generally good to try out some different configurations to see what aligns best for you.
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Saturnine
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Re: Assorted Questions

Post by Saturnine »

Thank you so much for your swift response!

With regards to weapons: I do understand that considerations of range, rate of fire, etc, hinge on playstyle. However, I'm not entirely sure that I understand the interaction between rate of fire and yield. For instance, let's imagine two particle cannons with the same yield but different rates of fire. Does one actually do more damage in a given space of time, or do they end up dealing the same damage, with the only difference being that the individual shots fired by the faster weapon are weaker? In the latter case, a slow weapon with a yield of 50 might fire two shots worth 25 damage each, while the fast weapon would fire five shots of 10 damage in the same space of time.

To frame the question differently, is weapon yield equivalent to DPS ("damage per second")?

Hopefully some of that made sense. I'm trying to think/type through the fog of a crushing headache right now, so I might not be explaining my question very well. :P
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Re: Assorted Questions

Post by Vice »

The reasoning behind the custom weapon design options is that relation between rate of fire and yield is simply one of inverse values, both within each particle class as well as across the range of classes. That is, the higher the yield level, the slower the firing rate as more power is charged into each particle (hence, taking longer, thus reducing the firing rate).

Then the different classes of particle cannons provide you with a different range set for those inverse value lines. So for example, a fusion cannon will let you reach a higher than other classes 84 yield rating (as of this writing), but at a lower minimum than other classes 337 firing rate. So to achieve that level of yield, you would have to go with a fusion cannon. Likewise, you can have a firing rate over 400 with a plasma cannon, with a similar compromise in the yield level to get there. The other classes can provide ranges in between for those looking for more balanced designs.

So in theory, if you arranged a scenario where two different classes of weapons had the same yield, yet different firing rates, then yes, the weapon firing faster will do more damage over time, while each pulse of the particle cannon will inflict the same level of damage per shot. So both metrics plus time/duration factor would need to be taken into consideration when designing a weapon for your combat style.

So to answer your second question, no, yield is not equivalent to damage over time. Yield simply provides you with a value of how much damage will be inflicted per shot (damage per shot). Combining that with the rate of fire factor is additionally helpful to gauge what kind of damage those shots will then do over time.

Yes, your post did make sense, so I hope that better answers your questions.
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Re: Assorted Questions

Post by Saturnine »

That clarifies everything, thank you. So far, when piloting my Night Hawk I've relied primarily on a Rail Cannon with all of the sliders set all the way to the right, and a Fusion Cannon with the same settings (everything maxed out) on heavier military frames. I've had good results, but I'd like to try something a little bit more creative at some point.
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