Ships - question and idea

retro · Post by **retro** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 9:08 pm

I am very new to the Evochron universe and I have an inquisitive nature, so please don't mind the ideas popping out of my head from time to time.

While building a ship we have the opportunity to adjust the scale and position of the components applied to the design. While applying a wing set to my Raven the thought crossed my mind as to whether enlarging a wing would increase drag, thereby increasing maneuverability and decreasing top speed or if this was just for aesthetic purposes. Doing a fly-by view I noticed my wing set exactly as I designed it. I thought this was cool, dynamic programming in the visual sense, but do the adjustments alter the flight characteristics? The potential for customization would be amazing, almost no two ships would perform the same way.

Now owning a Raven I am allowed 4 hard points. As I said, I am new so I'm not sure if hard points are limited to missile racks or if other weapons can be added later in the game as I discover them. My fighting style is something learned from other flight sims, never rumble in a pack. Furballs are suicide, so I try and pick off one ship at a time by flying the perimeter, get someone interested in a fight and do a reverse thrust, let him exhaust his missiles, then engage. I spare my missiles and use my cannon and beam weapons almost exclusively. I guess what I am asking is if additional cannon or beam weapons could be mounted on hard points? It maybe a different style of fighting but a style that some of us may prefer. The downside is energy usage, but with more close engagement fire power.

Any comments, ideas or criticisms are welcome.

Post by **Vice** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 9:27 pm

I thought this was cool, dynamic programming in the visual sense, but do the adjustments alter the flight characteristics?

Not currently. The wing and thruster system you select determines the flight characeristics for the particular frame you install it on. In space, everything is thruster based anyway, even in atmospheres, thrusters do much of the work. However, the idea of having the scaling and/or positioning effect atmospheric flight is a possibility. One way I've thought about implementing it is to have drag and lift bar graph indicators that change depending on the scaling and positioning of the wings.

I guess what I am asking is if additional cannon or beam weapons could be mounted on hard points?

Only particular classes of weapons are compatible with particular installation points (ie, realistically, the wiring harnesses, plugs, electronics, protocols, etc only work with the weapon types they are designed for). However, when it comes to secondary hardpoints, they are a little more flexible and can carry devices beyond missiles. Equipment like probes, mines, and stealth devices can be installed on those same hardpoints.

[Edited on 7-25-2009 by Vice]