first step is too accept you are using bad stuff.
The age of the Pulse Lasers
- Thread starter Soulkiller
- Start date
first step is too accept you are using bad stuff.
This is correct, I have tested this with other Commanders.
I must admit, I do find gimballed pulses tend to be the most productive, best all-round weapon at the moment. You have to look at a load of factors, of course. I'm finding them effective in my Vulture; I can almost continuous-fire 2 large gimballed pulses with 4 pips, and on larger ships they get the shields down at an acceptable rate - and then have a RIOT smashing through the hull and subsystems once the shields are down. No ammo to worry about. And accuracy beyond 500m is not worth worrying about because ships generally move around too much to make sniping at 1k+ a realistic hope, other than against BIG stuff (more on that later....)
When I was playing for challenge and fun, I'd use fixed beams and rail guns because there's more skill and challenge to using them, but you feel like you achieve something when you take someone down with them.
Now I'm past that, I just want the quickest, most productive route to bringing down all the piddly little ships I come across - because I *can't* take on Pythons or larger any more, they are simply unachievable targets or not worth it for the risk v reward. So pulse lasers on a gimbal are just a great means to an end for me, now. Very effective. I've always had an opinion of gimbals, which I won't re-iterate here, but rather than trying to change the game I'm now more of the mindset of just going with it...
When I was playing for challenge and fun, I'd use fixed beams and rail guns because there's more skill and challenge to using them, but you feel like you achieve something when you take someone down with them.
Now I'm past that, I just want the quickest, most productive route to bringing down all the piddly little ships I come across - because I *can't* take on Pythons or larger any more, they are simply unachievable targets or not worth it for the risk v reward. So pulse lasers on a gimbal are just a great means to an end for me, now. Very effective. I've always had an opinion of gimbals, which I won't re-iterate here, but rather than trying to change the game I'm now more of the mindset of just going with it...
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NPCs just need more realistic load outs: shield cells + double or triple chaff launchers.
Then we'll see how hardcore the gimbaled pulse kids really are.
FD should never had made gimbals auto aim at subsystems. Bad gameplay mechanic is bad.
Then we'll see how hardcore the gimbaled pulse kids really are.
FD should never had made gimbals auto aim at subsystems. Bad gameplay mechanic is bad.
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They do carry SCB or chaff, but do not use them often enough or use them too late. Having NPCs pop a cell as soon as their shield drops to 60% would make combats much more interesting...currently, by the time they do, it's too late and their shield drops completely.
but then some player would whine that NPCs are too strong...
I blow the powerplant of Anaconda in less than 20 seconds with 5 gimballed pulse lasers.
But I guess that you can do the same by deselect target of your gimbals, right?
EDIT: "because I am Groot" is not an acceptable answer
EDIT2: "I am Batman" could do.
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I was fighting an Anaconda last night in a Vulture that had 2 SCB's. It was using them at the last minute. Used them twice, finally got him though. This was in a HICZ, and was being attacked by 5 other ships.
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I blow the powerplant of Anaconda in less than 20 seconds with 5 gimballed pulse lasers.
But I guess that you can do the same by deselect target of your gimbals, right?
EDIT: "because I am Groot" is not an acceptable answer
EDIT2: "I am Batman" could do.
I am not
NPCs fire their weapons way less aggressively than players.
I have seen many NPCs enabling a SCB (you see then some blue rings going from front to rear of the shield) when they had 1 to 1/2 ring of shield left. But since it takes about 5 seconds for a SCB to take effect, it's too late and I am already melting their powerplant.
But anyway, as i said, i believe that if you get them using continuous chaff, SCB on time, increase their rate of fire...then we would see a lot of new posts complaining that NPCs are too strong and it's harder to bounty farm them, and blah blah.
I actually try to avoid blowing the PP of ships as you don't get the full bounty I was just making the point that so many think chaff renders gimbals useless, they do not if the pilot knows what they're doing.
They are annoying but you have to overcome them like everything else, improvise, adapt, overcome
I was just making the point that so many think chaff renders gimbals useless, they do not if the pilot knows what they're doing.They are annoying but you have to overcome them like everything else, improvise, adapt, overcome
Didn't want to believe it myself, but ran some tests last night and pulse lasers DO seem to work better on the Vulture.
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The time you spend waiting for re-charge is lost DPS, where as my pulse just keep on going. Once I burn thru the shields, they burn thru hull faster. Again, I believe this is because the weapon recharge time is wasted DPS and not included in the weapon rating.
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While they are both on, the beam is better. Factor in recharge time, if you can't sustain long term continuous fire, and pulses are better.
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The time you spend waiting for re-charge is lost DPS, where as my pulse just keep on going. Once I burn thru the shields, they burn thru hull faster. Again, I believe this is because the weapon recharge time is wasted DPS and not included in the weapon rating.
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While they are both on, the beam is better. Factor in recharge time, if you can't sustain long term continuous fire, and pulses are better.
Still prefer the bursts though, even if it goes against the math. Pulse and beam require you to keep your nose on target longer than in the case of bursts. Bursts allow me to concentrate on manoeuvering the ship and quickly snipe rings of shields while constantly re-adjusting position. That's worth something. Surely, there are different situations, like NPC anacondas and certain PC playstyles you encounter. But, overall, I prefer bursts on a vulture due to the psychological effect. Double beams could work in a similar fashion too, but I feel they are a bit too much for level 5 power distributor.
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I actually try to avoid blowing the PP of ships as you don't get the full bounty
Since when? Source?
Wait, you use double fixed lasers on a Vulture? how do you do with a so bad weapon convergence?
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I have always got the full bounty while bounty farming Anaconda, Python, Clipper...targeting their powerplant. Would not make sense to get less of the bounty.I actually try to avoid blowing the PP of ships as you don't get the full bounty
Or were you joking/trolling?
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I don't know, I guess I got used to it .. the convergence doesn't seem bad to me at all. Besides, my second fire group consists of just one lazer, so it isn't too difficult to deal with crazy diamondbacks (and such) pulling stunts, running away and around you.
I also used 1 fixed beam, one gimballed cannon; 2 pulses; one beam one burst; one beam one pulse; two beams. Two bursts is my loadout of choice, don't have any mathematical reasons aside from what I described in previous post about manoeuvering, sorry!
They just feel right.
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I don't troll! Happened loads of times in nav beacons etc unless it was a bug that was sorted out. Haven't hunted condas for a month or two.
It's kinda like when 2 different ships are attacking one and the bounty goes to whoever, I found whenever I killed the power plant, I got a fraction of the KWS bounty.
It's kinda like when 2 different ships are attacking one and the bounty goes to whoever, I found whenever I killed the power plant, I got a fraction of the KWS bounty.
The great battle of burst over sustained damage. Both have their place, and neither is "best".
That's only if you can maintain an on-target lock longer than the duration of the beam's capacitor. If you have a slippery opponent that can get out of your field of view quickly and often... your "Damage per minute" or "Damage per battle" will be higher with a beam. A target that is easy to keep a bead on for long periods of time, you will get more overall damage with the pulses. It 100% depends on your target.
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Pulses have a lower DPS than beams. Their "damage per timeframe" goes up, the longer the time. For example, Damage per MINUTE or HOUR will be higher with pulses... but per second? beams do a LOT more.
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yea energy guns in the game really at hi levels just destroy anything else. projectiles are just horribly broken other then multi cannons and plasma guns.