OK, the title is a misnomer – this isn’t testing but explanation – but I thought I’d stick with my alliterative series header for now even though (sob) there may be rather less testing necessary in future...!
FDev’s recent Beta 2.1 videos revealed a lot of weapon statistics for a variety of pulse lasers, via the new outfitting screens. After comparing the figures to those from Cmdr StarLightBreaker’s original test thread and my own Adle's Armada testing I wanted to understand more.
The very, very obliging Mark Allen (Frontier Senior Programmer and weapon damage supremo) has responded to my PM pestering as follows (extracts):-
- - - - - - - -
Mark:
The stats in outfitting are the base stats of the weapons/shields not assuming any particular target or attacker.
Truesilver:
I think I understand now. The outfitting damage figure is the unmodified damage for the weapon, presumably based upon a range of 0 or 1 metre. So, for the pulse lasers featured in the recent FDev video, to achieve damage against shields we would need to multiply the outfitting figure by 120% and then reduce for damage fall-off by range?
Mark:
Exactly that - the damage shown in outfitting will include any modifiers engineers have applied, but otherwise everything situational like range, resistance, synthesis bonus, hardness etc all come after the displayed value.
- - - - - - - -
Therefore, using the methodology already explained and utilised in my earlier Hull Damage thread here...
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=226355
And Rail Gun thermic/kinetic ratio thread here...
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=240168
... we can now work out ‘hard’ developer DPS figures for various pulse lasers against shield and bulkhead targets as follows:
Note that above I use ‘Military’ to mean ‘unmodified hull' but the same figure would apply if firing the weapon at a ship with lightweight (i.e. no) bulkheads, reinforced, or military. (Contrary to the current outfitting description, reinforced and military bulkheads do not modify incoming damage, they merely increase base armour hit points – in the case of military, by 95% - and do not affect damage done to hit points garnered from hull reinforcements.)
Also note that the damage figures above assume that the weapon is being fired at absolute point-blank range (hence no damage fall-off at all) and do not take into account the hull piercing/hardness values under investigation by Cmdr Frentox and also to an extent touched upon in the new outfitting screens.
Thank you very much once again to Mark
and roll on Beta 2.1 …
TRUESILVER
FDev’s recent Beta 2.1 videos revealed a lot of weapon statistics for a variety of pulse lasers, via the new outfitting screens. After comparing the figures to those from Cmdr StarLightBreaker’s original test thread and my own Adle's Armada testing I wanted to understand more.
The very, very obliging Mark Allen (Frontier Senior Programmer and weapon damage supremo) has responded to my PM pestering as follows (extracts):-
- - - - - - - -
Mark:
The stats in outfitting are the base stats of the weapons/shields not assuming any particular target or attacker.
Truesilver:
I think I understand now. The outfitting damage figure is the unmodified damage for the weapon, presumably based upon a range of 0 or 1 metre. So, for the pulse lasers featured in the recent FDev video, to achieve damage against shields we would need to multiply the outfitting figure by 120% and then reduce for damage fall-off by range?
Mark:
Exactly that - the damage shown in outfitting will include any modifiers engineers have applied, but otherwise everything situational like range, resistance, synthesis bonus, hardness etc all come after the displayed value.
- - - - - - - -
Therefore, using the methodology already explained and utilised in my earlier Hull Damage thread here...
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=226355
And Rail Gun thermic/kinetic ratio thread here...
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=240168
... we can now work out ‘hard’ developer DPS figures for various pulse lasers against shield and bulkhead targets as follows:
| PULSE LASER | SHIELD | MILITARY | MIRRORED | REACTIVE |
| c3 fixed | 20.8 | 17.3 | 8.7 | 24.2 |
| c3 gimballed | 17.8 | 14.8 | 7.4 | 20.7 |
| c3 turreted | 7.2 | 6.0 | 3.0 | 8.4 |
| c2 fixed | 14.5 | 12.1 | 6.1 | 16.9 |
| c2 gimballed | 11.5 | 9.6 | 4.8 | 13.4 |
| c1 gimballed | 7.4 | 6.2 | 3.1 | 8.7 |
| c1 turreted | 3.0 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 3.5 |
| c2 disruptor | 5.6 | 4.7 | 2.4 | 6.6 |
Note that above I use ‘Military’ to mean ‘unmodified hull' but the same figure would apply if firing the weapon at a ship with lightweight (i.e. no) bulkheads, reinforced, or military. (Contrary to the current outfitting description, reinforced and military bulkheads do not modify incoming damage, they merely increase base armour hit points – in the case of military, by 95% - and do not affect damage done to hit points garnered from hull reinforcements.)
Also note that the damage figures above assume that the weapon is being fired at absolute point-blank range (hence no damage fall-off at all) and do not take into account the hull piercing/hardness values under investigation by Cmdr Frentox and also to an extent touched upon in the new outfitting screens.
Thank you very much once again to Mark
and roll on Beta 2.1 …TRUESILVER
