Improve Stow / Deploy Weapons mechanic

[Craith]

The deploy/stow weapons mechanic is currently a bit under-utilized. You use it once when you drop from supercruise, and once when you want to go to supercruise/hyperspace.

It could also be a tool to use in normal space. Stowing your hardpoints could do one (or all) of the following:

• lower your heat signature (lesser surface area to radiate heat)
• refill all magazines of your weapons (no longer starting a new fight with 3/90 or similar)
• better internal module protection
• increased shield resistance (e.g. by counting WEP pips for SYS, with a small bonus for (virtual) 5 and 6 pips (e.g. 5% extra protection per pip)

It would make deploying weapons another tool you could use during combat, and for non-combatants it would add some protection to their ships (undersized shield and no HRP/MRP is still going to explode)

 

[CMDR Corlas]

I like the idea of using it to lower your heat (I assumed the game already did that though, and I know I've checked it before multiple times, but keep forgetting), reloading, and protecting your hardpoints (assumed it did that, again).

I'm a big fan of downsizing powerplants, and making then as tough/thermally-efficient as possible, so I use weapon stowing to do things like get away with a size smaller powerplant (armored/thermal spread), by having things like my cargo hatch, limpets, or scanners deactivate when hardpoints are out.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

[*]lower your heat signature (lesser surface area to radiate heat)

It already does this, because you no longer have to power the weapons so your plant puts out less heat. In practice the difference between the two resting heat levels is marginal, though.

[*]refill all magazines of your weapons (no longer starting a new fight with 3/90 or similar)

This would be useful

[*]better internal module protection

Treating hardpoints as internal modules for the purpose of missile damage when they're not deployed would make a lot of sense.

 

[Rubbernuke]

It would be great if your armour value was used as extra HP for retractable modules, or that you needed superpen munitions to damage them retracted.

 

[AdmiralXanos]

It already does this, because you no longer have to power the weapons so your plant puts out less heat. In practice the difference between the two resting heat levels is marginal, though.

I'm not sure that that happens currently in the game. From what I've seen the resting heat only lowers when I manually turn off individual weapons, you'll also see your fuel usage decrease turning off things like power hungry railguns. I power down weapons and shields when exploring to maximize fuel efficiency with the added bonus not cooking next to stars.

 

[Ezren]

I'm not sure that that happens currently in the game. From what I've seen the resting heat only lowers when I manually turn off individual weapons, you'll also see your fuel usage decrease turning off things like power hungry railguns. I power down weapons and shields when exploring to maximize fuel efficiency with the added bonus not cooking next to stars.

That... doesn't make a lot of sense. There's a reason why there's the separate "deployed" power requirements, the ship does not consume energy for those components when they're stowed. I know my fuel consumption goes down when I retract hardpoints, and goes up when they're deployed.

In terms of heat output, it would make sense to have it already behave in the way described, but I've never checked specifically. Maybe I'll remember tonight.

 

[AdmiralXanos]

That... doesn't make a lot of sense. There's a reason why there's the separate "deployed" power requirements, the ship does not consume energy for those components when they're stowed. I know my fuel consumption goes down when I retract hardpoints, and goes up when they're deployed.

In terms of heat output, it would make sense to have it already behave in the way described, but I've never checked specifically. Maybe I'll remember tonight.

I'm not saying it makes sense but that's what I observed I might be wrong but I was sure I saw my temp drop when turning off guns even though they were not deployed. So Id like to see the OP's changes but if temp is already attached to deployment state then no need for that specific change

 

[sandkid]

+1 on reload mechanic to be sure. Could make it where reload has a timer on it while hardpoints are retracted so you can't just 'tap twice' on deployment.

Would avoid adding another key-binding for a much needed QoL feature.

 

[Ezren]

I'm not saying it makes sense but that's what I observed I might be wrong but I was sure I saw my temp drop when turning off guns even though they were not deployed. So Id like to see the OP's changes but if temp is already attached to deployment state then no need for that specific change

I forgot the check this last night, I thought about it at some point mid-combat and then nothing after.

I will point out that since you have one big eye you can't wear sunglasses so you're not as cool as me, which I think is strong evidence of ....something.

 

[Sylow]

• better internal module protection

Mostly this. I mean, on one hand storing weapons in combat to protect them from one attack, then deploying them again, seems like something people would very rarely do. So the actual gameplay impact would probably be low. But yet it would make sense that the closed hatches would protect the weapons.

And as soon as this would be implemented, i guess somebody would figure out a way to profit from this mechanic.

 

[Steve Solo]

I believe stowing weapons already affects heat. Fuel usage changes depending on how many hardpoints are powered and such.

 

[AdmiralXanos]

I forgot the check this last night, I thought about it at some point mid-combat and then nothing after.

I will point out that since you have one big eye you can't wear sunglasses so you're not as cool as me, which I think is strong evidence of ....something.

I played a bit today and did the test while jumping around. turned off 2 pulse lasers watched my heat drop 5% turned them back on and nothing happened no change in heat. I think I mistook star heat for weapon power heat. ill just slink away in shame now...