Nobody uses Class B thrusters right now. In rare cases you might go for class d, when on a lightweight build, and generally you will go for class a, and of course you need Class E for new ships, and you might rarely go for Class C if you are low on cash, but what about class B?
At the same time, I was thinking about the large number of ships which might be good if not for the fact that they simply cannot move very fast. The federal gunship, for example, or the type 10. The inability to get from point A to point B in a reasonable time frame makes them fall behind other ships, no matter what their other stats might be.
So, what if we put these two problems together?
Class B afterburner thrusters would have Baseline stats slightly inferior to class A, offering slightly slower cruising speed and slightly less agility, but in exchange, would offer a modified boost. It would have a dramatically longer cooldown, but offer a flat increase to maximum boost speed!
A type 10, for example, might normally boost to around 350, but with an afterburner thruster, could boost to 450! However, this would use more energy, and would have a much longer cooldown, so you would have to use it correctly. Plus, at such a high speed, so far outside of the blue zone, your agility would be significantly diminished until you slow down. It would be primarily for gaining distance, or getting from point A to point B, or closing on an enemy.
On naturally faster ships, the benefit would be more modest. Since they already boost to a higher speed, the slight loss in performance from the downgrade to class B would reduce their maximum boost benefit. A mamba, for example, might only boost 50 speed faster. It may still be worth it in certain circumstances, but the sacrifice in short-term agility would be much more noticeable.
This could be a fun way to get slower ships into the action, without unduly intruding into the niche of the faster ships!
At the same time, I was thinking about the large number of ships which might be good if not for the fact that they simply cannot move very fast. The federal gunship, for example, or the type 10. The inability to get from point A to point B in a reasonable time frame makes them fall behind other ships, no matter what their other stats might be.
So, what if we put these two problems together?
Class B afterburner thrusters would have Baseline stats slightly inferior to class A, offering slightly slower cruising speed and slightly less agility, but in exchange, would offer a modified boost. It would have a dramatically longer cooldown, but offer a flat increase to maximum boost speed!
A type 10, for example, might normally boost to around 350, but with an afterburner thruster, could boost to 450! However, this would use more energy, and would have a much longer cooldown, so you would have to use it correctly. Plus, at such a high speed, so far outside of the blue zone, your agility would be significantly diminished until you slow down. It would be primarily for gaining distance, or getting from point A to point B, or closing on an enemy.
On naturally faster ships, the benefit would be more modest. Since they already boost to a higher speed, the slight loss in performance from the downgrade to class B would reduce their maximum boost benefit. A mamba, for example, might only boost 50 speed faster. It may still be worth it in certain circumstances, but the sacrifice in short-term agility would be much more noticeable.
This could be a fun way to get slower ships into the action, without unduly intruding into the niche of the faster ships!