Gunship Concept

[-Streven-]

I've been daydreaming about a complete overhaul to the gunship class to take them out of the realm of snipers and change them into dogfighters that emphasize long range capabilities. It goes something like this.

 

 

Decreased engine pool similar to bombers and increased turn radius on par with strikes. Reduced range to 10k for railguns along with 50% reduction to damage and 35% reduction to charge up time. Remove scopes and make them have to hit the targeting reticle. When charging railgun you continue moving normally rather than come to a complete stand still as they do now. Then tune the rest of the components around the concept of being a slower moving yet maneuverable dogfighter with significant range advantage. Remove ion rails and replace with ion missiles. This would make them gunships instead of snipers. My numbers are rough guestimates but the concept is all about bringing them into the realm of dogfighting while maintaining the uniqueness of having the longest range weapons.

 

 

This is a fantasy that I don't have any expectation to see happen. Just wondering what other people think about the idea. I was also wondering if people had any other fighter concepts for tweaking classes that currently exist or adding entirely new classes to the game.

 

This is not meant to be a game balancing thread just a place for sharing interesting ideas.

[Verain]

I would like for the different gunships (and all the ships really) to have bigger interclass differences. A gunship build that is more of a dogfighter could certainly have a place, with reduced range but better turning and such.

[Verain]

Also I'm pretty sure bombers have a decreased weapon pool, not engine.

[Zoom_VI]

Also I'm pretty sure bombers have a decreased weapon pool, not engine.

 

Every ship has the same engine pool, the differences are with the rate engine power is consumed. That's why ion railgun hits all do proportionally similar drain to all pools.

[Morgrid]

Bombers have 110 engine pool but only 90 weapon pool.

[Verain]

Bombers have 110 engine pool but only 90 weapon pool.

 

Bombers have 100 engine pool and 90 weapon pool.

[Morgrid]

Bombers have 100 engine pool and 90 weapon pool.

 

I forgot about the Jawa.

 

My bad.

[Ryuku-sama]

In fact bomber do have 90 engine pool and 90 weapon pool. My own bomber have 99 engine pool with the +10% pool crew passive. It's just not intended and will probably be changed as soon as possible.

[pzarr]

I've been daydreaming about a complete overhaul to the gunship class to take them out of the realm of snipers and change them into dogfighters that emphasize long range capabilities. It goes something like this.

 

 

Decreased engine pool similar to bombers and increased turn radius on par with strikes. Reduced range to 10k for railguns along with 50% reduction to damage and 35% reduction to charge up time. Remove scopes and make them have to hit the targeting reticle. When charging railgun you continue moving normally rather than come to a complete stand still as they do now. Then tune the rest of the components around the concept of being a slower moving yet maneuverable dogfighter with significant range advantage. Remove ion rails and replace with ion missiles. This would make them gunships instead of snipers. My numbers are rough guestimates but the concept is all about bringing them into the realm of dogfighting while maintaining the uniqueness of having the longest range weapons.

 

 

This is a fantasy that I don't have any expectation to see happen. Just wondering what other people think about the idea. I was also wondering if people had any other fighter concepts for tweaking classes that currently exist or adding entirely new classes to the game.

 

This is not meant to be a game balancing thread just a place for sharing interesting ideas.

 

This is honestly in line with what I thought the class would entail when I first glanced at it at release, a long range support/heavy damage ship. Why a flight-sim based game would incorporate a pure sniper class is beyond me.

[Altheran]

I have proposed a similar idea, but as an exclusive weapon of the Cometbreaker, maybe three times on the forum.

Each time reactions were "LOL, a gunship with mobility, it's OP"

Why reactions are positive when it's you who bring that, is beyond me.

Edited April 8, 2014 by Altheran

[Yndras]

I've been daydreaming about a complete overhaul to the gunship class to take them out of the realm of snipers and change them into dogfighters that emphasize long range capabilities. It goes something like this.

 

 

Decreased engine pool similar to bombers and increased turn radius on par with strikes. Reduced range to 10k for railguns along with 50% reduction to damage and 35% reduction to charge up time. Remove scopes and make them have to hit the targeting reticle. When charging railgun you continue moving normally rather than come to a complete stand still as they do now. Then tune the rest of the components around the concept of being a slower moving yet maneuverable dogfighter with significant range advantage. Remove ion rails and replace with ion missiles. This would make them gunships instead of snipers. My numbers are rough guestimates but the concept is all about bringing them into the realm of dogfighting while maintaining the uniqueness of having the longest range weapons.

 

 

This is a fantasy that I don't have any expectation to see happen. Just wondering what other people think about the idea. I was also wondering if people had any other fighter concepts for tweaking classes that currently exist or adding entirely new classes to the game.

 

This is not meant to be a game balancing thread just a place for sharing interesting ideas.

 

I like this. This fits much more than the current design and sounds like fun.

[-Streven-]

I have proposed a similar idea, but as an exclusive weapon of the Cometbreaker, maybe three times on the forum.

Each time reactions were "LOL, a gunship with mobility, it's OP"

Why reactions are positive when it's you who bring that, is beyond me.

 

It was probably just a timing thing. We're far enough in the game's life cycle now that there's probably just more people comfortable with talking more drastic changes to the balance. I know I prefer taking a very conservative approach to making changes.

 

Also this kind of change would need to be very carefully planned out and no matter how well implemented would still likely alienate the sniper crowd.

[Armonddd]

I also had an idea similar to this.

 

Clearly the fact that three people independently came to the same approximate idea means it's a valid idea that should be implemented immediately.

 

Also, one of these reworked gunships should have access to a healing railgun.

[-Streven-]

I also had an idea similar to this.

 

Clearly the fact that three people independently came to the same approximate idea means it's a valid idea that should be implemented immediately.

 

Also, one of these reworked gunships should have access to a healing railgun.

 

Heal Cannon is a good idea. Wish you could target friendlies. Kinda hard to use many of the support abilities out in open space.

[Korithras]

I would say if you want to have gunships retain their long range but make it so they emphasize on dogfighting, change them so that they don't stop and snipe. Instead, just give them conventional blasters that have the longest range but keep the railgun name. I think the longest range blasters for any other ship is what, 5-6k? So let's give them the ability to shoot their lasers from 10k and call it even. No more sniping, no more one-shot kills with slugs, no more having to stop the ship entirely in order to shoot.

 

Hell, if they made them like this? I might actually fly mine.

[SammyGStatus]

Heal Cannon is a good idea. Wish you could target friendlies. Kinda hard to use many of the support abilities out in open space.

 

With the new scout and sf, why do we need a GS to do even more heals?

[Zoom_VI]

With the new scout and sf, why do we need a GS to do even more heals?

You can never have enough heals, plus I'm pretty sure a gunship would make a better healer than a scout.