Prediction time! More Gaurdian goodies? Praise Salvation!

[DemiserofD]

It wouldn't be a terrible thing to have an all-guardian shielded build as an alternative to the shield-less cold-running meta. As for the odd hardpoint, I don't think it does force players to think differently: the poor placement basically gives two options: Multicrew or Gimbled Thermal Vent beam. Multicrew isn't much of an option for a solo-player and thermal vent is already the default (and the fighter already provides a Multicrew option).

If I were trying to push a Multicrew option, I'd let the ship break the 4 AX weapon limit, give extra small/medium hardpoints with terrible convergence and release turreted versions of the modified guardian weapons. Maybe something like three Larges with tight convergence (intended for the pilot), one medium with lousy convergence siting up and back on each wing/pylon with convergence comparable to an Imperial Cutter's wing mounts. Size the PD so that you'd need multicrew (extra pip) to make effective use of he medium hardpoints. Release a shield-less fighter with meta-alloy/guardian hull reinforcement (Fluff... basically no shields, much more armor, and immunity to corrosive). Armed with AX Missile and Flak.

I'm fine with all Guardian being a viable option oh, but the last thing you want is for the only viable option for Guardian gear is all Guardian. I would certainly be down for Guardian gear tending to work together synergistically, but I think the bonuses should be independent of other Guardian gear, in a similar vein to the guardian power distributor. I often use that module on ships that need a little more power, and are not particularly distributor hungry. In my ideal world, all Guardian modules would be like this; I only wish they would add a similar effect to the guardian power plant.



I'd also be very careful of allowing players to break the 4X experimental limit. Much of the high-level thargoid content is balanced around very specific DPS totals. Adding even a single ax hardpoint could quickly take a fight from difficult to easy.

Lastly, I disagree with your assessment of the odd hardpoint; Yes, it would be difficult to four primary damage weapons, but given the other advantages of the ship, players may be incentivized to attempt to use it anyway. Alternatively, they might find a way to use a weapon with slower projectile speed, to maintain combined fire at a certain distance and orbital speed. I do that myself, using my Corvettes and different sizes of cannons.

This often doesn't work with current ships, but that tends to be because they are bilaterally symmetrical, which requires more of a rocking motion, which can become too complex to handle, especially given the other distractions of combat. A single offset hard point is something that we haven't really seen before; especially not with such a large amount of Firepower concentrated into it. Sure, it might not work, but at the very least, it would be a very different and intriguing ship, giving something for players to play with. And hey, even if it doesn't work out, what's the harm? You can always just design another, and then you've got another unique and interesting ship in the game. To me, that's a no lose scenario!

 

[Tividar]

I'd also be very careful of allowing players to break the 4X experimental limit. Much of the high-level thargoid content is balanced around very specific DPS totals. Adding even a single ax hardpoint could quickly take a fight from difficult to easy.

For that reason, it'd be important that PD limitations and fire convergence would make effective use of the extra hardpoints dependent on the presence of multicrew. Possibly you could mount Medium AX multi-cannons - I'd have to crunch numbers to see if you could make AX multi's non-viable solo while making Turreted Medium GPCs viable in multicrew. Worst case you need a modified medium GPC with abnormally low distributor draw as the convergence would take care of solo cheese.

 

[Tividar]

I'm fine with all Guardian being a viable option oh, but the last thing you want is for the only viable option for Guardian gear is all Guardian. I would certainly be down for Guardian gear tending to work together synergistically, but I think the bonuses should be independent of other Guardian gear, in a similar vein to the guardian power distributor. I often use that module on ships that need a little more power, and are not particularly distributor hungry. In my ideal world, all Guardian modules would be like this; I only wish they would add a similar effect to the guardian power plant.

I don't know that you could hit the balance point, but ideally if Guardian modules are roughly G4 equivalent, synergy would push them to roughly G5 equivalent. e.g. If you're using a GPP and GPD, GHRPs would provide the same effective health as G5 HRPs

 

[DemiserofD]

For that reason, it'd be important that PD limitations and fire convergence would make effective use of the extra hardpoints dependent on the presence of multicrew. Possibly you could mount Medium AX multi-cannons - I'd have to crunch numbers to see if you could make AX multi's non-viable solo while making Turreted Medium GPCs viable in multicrew. Worst case you need a modified medium GPC with abnormally low distributor draw as the convergence would take care of solo cheese.

You can override a lot of that using heat sinks. For example, I can exert and kill a Medusa heart in about eight seconds with the new modified plasma Chargers if I dump four heat sinks at once.

Not to mention you start running into issues of not being effective for anything, let alone multi crew. Multi crew turret operators tend to be significantly less accurate than fixed weapons in skilled hands, so reduced power distributor output will tend to hurt them more than standard vessels.

I don't know that you could hit the balance point, but ideally if Guardian modules are roughly G4 equivalent, synergy would push them to roughly G5 equivalent. e.g. If you're using a GPP and GPD, GHRPs would provide the same effective health as G5 HRPs

In my ideal world, each one of them would add something unique, rather than simply adding up to the same thing. An idea I had today was if a theoretical Guardian Shield generator would drain your heat as long as it's regenerating. Basically, stuff that is useful in specific scenarios that tend to be beneficial in thargoid combat, but are not necessarily only good there.

(A bit of a tangent, but honestly, I think a good argument can be made that ghrps are already in a relatively decent balance state. Class 1 through class 4 definitely. There are two factors people often don't consider with them; the first being that they also improve the durability of your modules(particularly relevant since the main thargoid Cannon does caustic damage) - people often don't account for the increased module durability, and just look at the reduced Hull integrity - the second Factor being that increased resistance means you can regain a larger percentage of your total health per repair limpet(because your raw Integrity is lower, but your effective Integrity is nearly the same), so especially in longer fights, you will eventually make up the difference as long as you are repairing yourself. A great example of this is the standard krait build; swapping out reinforcements for Guardian variance costs you about 200 effective caustic HP, but increases the strength of your repair limpets by about 45; after 5 repair limpets, you have made up the difference, even completely ignoring the increase in module integrity. From that point forward, you are effectively superior. The only real downside is that suicide missiles don't do caustic damage, but in my experience, if I am being hit by Suicide missiles regularly, the fight is over anyway, since my modules all get trashed, and it's generally faster to just go back to the station to repair then to bother with trying to fix them.)