Proposal Discussion The Suckerpunch Solution

Isinona

I
EDIT: Alric's response (post #8) has convinced me this idea is unnecessary in the grand scheme of the game, so feel free to ignore.

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I think I've stumbled upon quite an elegant solution to the issue of being attacked by surprise.

Currently the aggressor has the following advantages:

* Surprise
* Position
* Energy (as your shields will be down in no time from their opening salvos)

Solution:

When Hardpoints are closed, your full blue shields slowly overcharge to a gold state (or whatever colour suits the HUD).

As soon as you open your Hardpoints, this overcharge is deactivated (in the mythos, say that energy is required to use your Hardpoint weapons/systems).

How this works:

If you're attacked by a pirate they have to wear down your overshield first PROVIDING YOU KEEP YOUR HARDPOINTS CLOSED.

This means that you can actually try to turn into the fight before opening your Hardpoints and starting on a more level playing field with your attacker.

It would buy you time to:

* Get your bearings (and not be forced to IMMEDIATELY turn and fight like you do currently)
* Call for help (once this is implemented in game)
* Drop cargo in the hope they'll take the bait
* Decide to run or turn to face the threat

As the attacker had to have their Hardpoints open to attack you in the first place, their shields will be as they are in game currently, as will yours be once you open Hardpoints to fight. So the current combat balancing is unaffected.

The key thing it means is that you do not have to start in an overwhelmingly disadvantageous position and energy state, so it would no longer necessarily be the case that 'first shot wins'.

Players who prefer to shy away from combat can also keep their Hardpoints closed and this will give them that little bit of extra time to make a get away.
 
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Bromley86

Bromley86
RW's right, best wait to see what happens when you can customise your shields.

But on the subject of short-term, one-off boosts to shields (in the same vein as the OP), perhaps a module that boosts the power of your shields but doesn't recharge? That way you increase your total initial shield strength to failure, which is useful in surviving that first strike, whilst not actually increasing your max shield strength in a prolonged fight.
 

Razorwire

Razorwire
Bromley86 said:
...perhaps a module that boosts the power of your shields but doesn't recharge? That way you increase your total initial shield strength to failure, which is useful in surviving that first strike, whilst not actually increasing your max shield strength in a prolonged fight.
Click to expand...

I'm sure something like this has been mentioned... I'll see if I can find a source...
 

Isinona

I
Bromley86 said:
RW's right, best wait to see what happens when you can customise your shields.
Click to expand...

Yes, absolutely, there's lots more to come, the idea just came to me and it's just one more idea of many that Frontier or may not have a use for, they know what's in the pipeline best.

Bromley86 said:
But on the subject of short-term, one-off boosts to shields (in the same vein as the OP), perhaps a module that boosts the power of your shields but doesn't recharge? That way you increase your total initial shield strength to failure, which is useful in surviving that first strike, whilst not actually increasing your max shield strength in a prolonged fight.
Click to expand...

With my OP I was looking for something that would only assist the target rather than the assailant. The module you describe could be owned either party.

Linking the shield boost to (lack of) hardpoint deployment as I suggest would mean it is purely a defensive measure. Plus it would be available to all players, including new starters.
 

Togg

Togg
agree with RW... wait until FD adds in stuff that we can add to our utility/maintenance modules beyond the hull upgrades (which by the way rock) i'm sure shield upgrades are well on their way.
 

Alric

A
The balance of surprise and awareness is key to combat.
The game is about a dangerous universe including war zones and all out anarchy. Not gentleman's duels and combat sports.

Attacking first and hitting hard against an unprepared opponent rightly should increase your chances of success dramatically.

The answer to that is not game mechanics that let us breeze through the game without a care in the world, never worrying if we're in hostile territory because we'll be shielded from any unsportsmanlike conduct. It is to be prepared, be aware of potential threats and not let heavily armed ships get behind us with weapons deployed in dangerous areas.

Right now we have the separate problems that areas which should be well protected by the rule of law are not, that consequences for assault and murder are not significant enough, and that people go to the same spots a lot, and tend to arrive in very close proximity.

Once those are sorted, if you have let someone get close to you ready to fire in hostile territory, you have put yourself at a disadvantage and should deal with the consequences.
 

Isinona

I
Alric said:
The balance of surprise and awareness is key to combat.
The game is about a dangerous universe including war zones and all out anarchy. Not gentleman's duels and combat sports.

Attacking first and hitting hard against an unprepared opponent rightly should increase your chances of success dramatically.

The answer to that is not game mechanics that let us breeze through the game without a care in the world, never worrying if we're in hostile territory because we'll be shielded from any unsportsmanlike conduct. It is to be prepared, be aware of potential threats and not let heavily armed ships get behind us with weapons deployed in dangerous areas.

Right now we have the separate problems that areas which should be well protected by the rule of law are not, that consequences for assault and murder are not significant enough, and that people go to the same spots a lot, and tend to arrive in very close proximity.

Once those are sorted, if you have let someone get close to you ready to fire in hostile territory, you have put yourself at a disadvantage and should deal with the consequences.
Click to expand...

Great post, you've converted me, I agree with all points. As the others above also said, in hindsight this idea was reactionary for an incomplete game system.

As you say, the main issue is the lack of defenses around the safe areas and once you're out in space everywhere should be considered hostile.
 
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