Damage threshold

[ceyan]

I'm not sure if this is just my copy, or something everyone experiences, but every time I get damaged (which granted, isn't a whole lot because I can usually take out aggressors with missles and I've gotten pretty good at using the thrusters to stay out of the line of fire) my comp and sensors blow. Literally, even if I take just a few shots, to the point where my hull meter doesn't even register any damage, my computer and sensors are in the red. Sometimes it's not a big deal, but I've run into my second mission it's caused me to big points. It wouldn't bother me so much except every time I take initial damage it's down for the count, and that just seems ridiculous. I know it probably seems like I'm exagerating, but I'm dead serious, EVERY SINGLE TIME. Does anyone else have this problem?

[TheDeadlyShoe]

Which fighter are you using?

[Deathifier]

I find fighter systems (all of them) to be very fragile so after a single firefight half of them end up damaged in some way (i'm not terribly good at dodging, so I get hit quite a bit).

The choice is either to stay out of the furball and shoot missiles from a distance (or, if you're a precision marksmen, use the fighter cannons from max range) or go in weapons blazing and learn how to fly without any proper range estimates, targetting or weapon power

- Deathifier

[iconoclast107]

I've only played the demo version but some of the more superficial systems (i.e. everything besides reactor and engines) seem to be pretty vulnerable. What I noticed most was the loss of ability to shoot missiles. I'd usually use up my medium range ones but I tend to hold on to the shorter range ones as 'just-in-case' weapons. Luckily they tend to knock the mediums offline most out of the two and it's not an issue since I've fired them all.

Whenever I play as the carrier and launch attack craft there always seem to be a few that either run out of gas or have their engines knocked out and they drift off endlessly often pursued by enemies. I'd go after them but it's hard enough (once again still demo version here) to get the functional fighters to land properly without crashing seemingly at random into the backside of the carrier.... even when i manually manipulate pitch/yaw/roll/speed to try and help line up their approach.

[Kuokkanen]

ORIGINAL: iconoclast107

Whenever I play as the carrier and launch attack craft there always seem to be a few that either run out of gas or have their engines knocked out and they drift off endlessly often pursued by enemies. I'd go after them but it's hard enough (once again still demo version here) to get the functional fighters to land properly without crashing seemingly at random into the backside of the carrier.... even when i manually manipulate pitch/yaw/roll/speed to try and help line up their approach.

Should be mostly fixed in 4.0.0

[TheDeadlyShoe]

Yeah fighters are far better fuel-wise in 4.0, and crashing is extremely rare so long as the carrier is not changing directions. Advised that you stay at zero speed for recovery ops however.

+ Had few problems with fighters suffering total reactor/drive failure. But hey, s'all good.

[Comet]

Even in modern jet fighter sims few cannon hits are enough to rip big holes and KO most of your on board systems.
Don't forget those are quite-a-caliber bullets, and fighters are small and delicate things... not B-52s.
As for SS, you get mostly hit by energy weapons, and having no shields to count on, your hull and your (exposed) missiles are going to suffer a shock for every single cannon hit.
Thinking in these terms, you see how losing systems after few hits ain't that crazy.

However I'd lower AAA Guns abilities.
They have too many advantages: always clustered, extraordinary rate of fire, infinite energy reserve for lasers, terrible accuracy, long attack range and strong hull (is "hull" the correct word?).
It's too much easy to get badly damaged just to destroy 2/3 of them (imo).

Regards
Ciao [:)]

[Deathifier]

ORIGINAL: Comet

However I'd lower AAA Guns abilities.
They have too many advantages: always clustered, extraordinary rate of fire, infinite energy reserve for lasers, terrible accuracy, long attack range and strong hull (is "hull" the correct word?).
It's too much easy to get badly damaged just to destroy 2/3 of them (imo).

That's why you have AGM's, couple of those and SAM/AAA go boom.

You can also try and send wingmen in to distract them, and weaving about as you dive towards one helps avoid most of the damage.

Just cross your fingers that your guns don't get trashed from the hits you do take

- Deathifier

[John DiCamillo]

I'm not sure if this is just my copy, or something everyone experiences, but every time I get damaged (which granted, isn't a whole lot because I can usually take out aggressors with missles and I've gotten pretty good at using the thrusters to stay out of the line of fire) my comp and sensors blow.

Unlike most of the systems on your fighter, the sensor package is not well shielded by hull armor. The sensor array is located in the nose of your ship under a thin ceramic radome. Sensors are very prone to damage from incoming weapons fire in the front quarter.

[ceyan]

ORIGINAL: TheDeadlyShoe

Which fighter are you using?

The Falcon and the Thunderbolt. I've only gotten to day 3 of the first campaign.

[Comet]

ORIGINAL: Deathifier

That's why you have AGM's, couple of those and SAM/AAA go boom.
You can also try and send wingmen in to distract them, and weaving about as you dive towards one helps avoid most of the damage.
Just cross your fingers that your guns don't get trashed from the hits you do take

I already do as you say, and works.
What I dislike is to sacrifice my wingman while I deplete my 4 missiles on only 2 targets, with other 4 targets still shooting at us, well outside our guns range.
Can't say it's a normal situation [8|]
Which commander would ever send his pilots and precious fighters on a suicide mission?
I'd propose: more ordnance -or- more fighters in the wing -or- less powerful SAM/AAA Guns.
Leaving things as they are means that pilots are gonna need lot of skills and luck to succeed.

-peace-
Ciao [:)]

[Kuokkanen]

ORIGINAL: Comet

I'd propose: more ordnance -or- more fighters in the wing -or- less powerful SAM/AAA Guns.

And you tell this after the game is (finally) published!

[Comet]

Not to start anything or what, but things can still change.
Ever heard of patches?
We would be fools to think SS is perfect as it is and needs no changes.

Now, I'm not saying it should change... just considering the eventuality.
I took my time to surf the old forum (on the main SS site).
Milo proved to care very much about SS and the community's feedback.
Therefore we cannot exclude the possibility of a patch somewhere in the future.

Mine was a proposition, anyway.
-peace-

Ciao [:)]

[Kuokkanen]

ORIGINAL: Comet

Ever heard of patches?

Unfortunately yes. I'm just bit amused about flood of bugs, complains and other stuff which never got mentioned during beta testing.

I have a bad feeling entire .DAT files need be replaced to get fixes work. What is it going to be milo?

[TheDeadlyShoe]

Well not to be snide but the landing-fighter-disappearance bug didnt show up in the last Beta- it was the opposite way, fighters lost commanding a carrier automatically replenished. And I am *positive* the quantum-ship-intersection bug was mentioned, more than once. [:'(]

[ceyan]

Most of the bugs aren't that bad. And my complaint about the damage wouldn't bother me at all if it wasn't for the fact that without the computer I can't give orders to my wingmen (since Break & Attack doesn't work that well). Since I found out that using "End Mission" won't adversely affect your ship count without reason, that bug is switched to the "minor" level.

The only real problem (at least for me) that has to be addressed is a few minor tweaks to the AI. I can live with the poor fighter AI because it's really only a major problem when taking command of a carrier, but the capital ship AI & the AI used for assault craft needs to be fixed. Capital ships should stay at range, not approach recklessly only to collide with the target because they the AI doesn't begin a manuever until it's too late, and Assault missions should let lose their missiles from max range and run home, not continue foward to use their guns in a suicide missions.

[TheDeadlyShoe]

Only Bombers will continue forwards to use their guns, and right-clicking a Bomber flight and ordering them to return to base will get them away. Bomber guns can, however, actually inflict damage on Capital ship targets; although they are far more effective on Frigates than Destroyers, and barely effective at all against Cruisers, CVs, and Fortresses. All other fighters will break off immediately.

IMPORTANT NOTE! Once a fighter group is ordered to Return to Base, they will be pretty much locked into it and will not divert even to defend themselves! So make sure you are maintaining an active patrol if you have reason to fear marauding enemy fighters.

Capital ship AI is better than it was (thank god!) but it probably could use some more tweaks. Max range, meh. I dunno about that. 1 v 1, torps arn't going to do anything from range, but they might have a chance closer in. I would prefer if ships would fire their fraxing missiles from beyond 50km!!!! god!

I dunno about collisions- the complaint used to be that the AI was so scared of collisions, it would turn off ridiculously early and get waxed every time! I've only seen one so far in retail, I don't mind it so much.

[Comet]

ORIGINAL: Matti Kuokkanen

[...] I'm just bit amused about flood of bugs, complains and other stuff which never got mentioned during beta testing. [...]

Why? Think about it: how many people did beta test what became the actual game?
And how many, instead, played just the demo 3.9.0?
Final release is now public and everyone is playing the same thing.
A lot more people, each with different ways to approach different situations, are now playing the game.
It is normal that so many new bugs and minor problems are being reported.

For example, was already mentioned that from the Radio interface, "Sensors" sub-menu, you can issue the "Launch Probe" command to fighters too?
They do not carry Probes, and the command should be either grayed or unavailable.

Ciao [:)]