What Area Weapons risk damaging friendly or neutral ships or bases?

[Keston]

This was a problem in earlier versions. In Universe are there still risks to neutral or friendly vessels and bases from area weapon effects?

Thanks

[Extreme Boyheat]

Still a risk, but not as dangerous as they used to be. TBH the only area weapon that has caused considerable FF so far was the super-weapon class.

[feygan]

I think all of them do, that is the point of an area weapon I do not think the shockwave has a friend/foe detector.

[Keston]

I'm concerned that around a base its use vs. enemy ship may cause a big reputation and relations hit by using it and affecting neutrals. Or is unintended collateral damage (ie., to neutrals if enemy is in range) not an adverse act for those purposes? Hard to see it s usefulness if it has so many diplomatic risks.

[Darkspire]

None of them are worth worrying about, they were nerfed in damage moons ago due to mostly inexperienced folk not knowing how to use them correctly and posting that they wanted the damage reduced.

They were once a formidable weapon in a players arsenal against Pirates, and a joy to design with and watch, they are really not worth the build space anymore.

Darkspire

[Icemania]

Out of interest, what would you change the damage to Darkspire?

[Cauldyth]

I don't think it has anything to do with players not knowing how to use them, but everything to do with the AI not knowing how to use them. Many of us aren't interested in micro-managing battles, and if the combat AI routinely shoots itself in the foot with the weapons it's given, then that's a game-breaker.

[DeadlyShoe]

they don't cause any ff worth mentioning; they are targeted weapons now rather than zero-range shockwaves. The AI largely won't fire them if they have a chance for FF.

[Strat_84]

ORIGINAL: Darkspire

None of them are worth worrying about, they were nerfed in damage moons ago due to mostly inexperienced folk not knowing how to use them correctly and posting that they wanted the damage reduced.

They were once a formidable weapon in a players arsenal against Pirates, and a joy to design with and watch, they are really not worth the build space anymore.

Darkspire

Actually, the most stupid change wasn't really about damage, but about the way it works. Who would dare telling that turning omnidirectional weapons into targetting area weapons makes any sense precisely when a tractor beam that can bring targets into firing range was added to the game ?
On the top of that the displayed characteristics of traditionnal area weapons aren't even updated to the ones they have now. If I had to decribe area weapons in three words right now, that would be "broken", "misleading", "useless". [:(]

[Darkspire]

ORIGINAL: Icemania

Out of interest, what would you change the damage to Darkspire?

Same as they were before they were nerfed.

You have no idea how hard I have campaigned behind the scenes to get these put back to the way they were [8|]

Area recharge fitted to mines along with the Devastator Pulse (along with a myriad of other weapons), ships fitted with adequate shielding, repair bots, engine speed and good maneuvering capability really added depth to designing and making sure that your research worked in tandem to get the right components all at the right time were great, my old mine designs could hold off a whole fleet of attacking pirates, the area weapons were the only weapon in DW that has ever fired with ships on an approach vector to attack, mines are still the same now, and IIRC correctly star bases and research stations, no current weapon will fire till they actually get the first few shots in on those base types, the AOE weapons now do fire, but it really is a case of applying more shielding to mines in the space that the AOE weapons used to take up as they will only fire if there are no friendly ships in range, useless, I would rather replace a few ships than have to build another mine, I rarely lost any ships and the battles were really great to watch.

Darkspire

[ehsumrell1]

ORIGINAL: Darkspire

ORIGINAL: Icemania

Out of interest, what would you change the damage to Darkspire?

Same as they were before they were nerfed.

You have no idea how hard I have campaigned behind the scenes to get these put back to the way they were [8|]

Area recharge fitted to mines along with the Devastator Pulse (along with a myriad of other weapons), ships fitted with adequate shielding, repair bots, engine speed and good maneuvering capability really added depth to designing and making sure that your research worked in tandem to get the right components all at the right time were great, my old mine designs could hold off a whole fleet of attacking pirates, the area weapons were the only weapon in DW that has ever fired with ships on an approach vector to attack, mines are still the same now, and IIRC correctly star bases and research stations, no current weapon will fire till they actually get the first few shots in on those base types, the AOE weapons now do fire, but it really is a case of applying more shielding to mines in the space that the AOE weapons used to take up as they will only fire if there are no friendly ships in range, useless, I would rather replace a few ships than have to build another mine, I rarely lost any ships and the battles were really great to watch.

Darkspire

+1 [:)]

In full agreement!