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What if identification/lock distance was based on thruster heat signature?


Musclethorpe

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By heat signature I mean having an assigned value to each thruster and space brake, based on size and if it is currently active. There would of course have to be a delay (let's say a full minute), so as to not have locks lost the very second they are not in use.

 

 

The suggestion to have hit chance based on cross section could still be implemented, but having the ID/Lock distance based on heat signature could open up a few gameplay avenues.

 

 

1) Running cold would be a thing. Either coasting at a set speed, or remaining motionless would provide protection from would-be attacks. 

 

 

2) Advanced piloting skill ranks would be rewarded by allowing their ships to use fewer, and smaller, thrusters in their designs. 

 

 

3) A bit of forced survivability, as a ship takes damage and loses thrusters. Without closing more distance, it would become harder to target a ship as it either limps or tumbles away, organically increasing time-to-kill.

 

 

Just spit-balling here, as NQ has stated PvP is quite a ways away from where they want it to be, and the playerbase can effect some positive changes.

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Could you please clarify what you mean by "assigned value"  Do you mean that they are currently in use, for example a space engine with 20% thrust.  Or that the engine is simply connected to the chair and that removing its connection to the chair would enable you to go silent?

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2 minutes ago, Underhook said:

Could you please clarify what you mean by "assigned value"  Do you mean that they are currently in use, for example a space engine with 20% thrust.  Or that the engine is simply connected to the chair and that removing its connection to the chair would enable you to go silent?

What I mean is, there would simply be a "heat value" assigned to each size and type, scaling up as they increase in size. I used this generic term because it would be up to the devs to create this system and the numbers.

 

My suggestion is that engines (or space brakes) would generate the heat bloom other players lock onto, and to "run cold" you would have to not use any type of thrust for a full minute. That's a fairly arbitrary amount of time, but sounds reasonable I think. Any amount of thrust generated after going cold would reset that timer. No disconnecting would be necessary.

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Interesting idea.  I feel that it would make pretty much every player very hard to find.  Most players work on being at full speed b4 they leave safe space.  So, the entire trip in open space will not require any engine heat.  That would mean that the only chance for detection would be when players are slowing down.  This will (I think) result in cargo ships being absolutely covered in brakes.  It will increase the importance of space only ships that would be maximum size that the core will allow and the entire surface will be brakes.

Not sure if thats a bad thing or not.  Some people currently dont like the cube fighters, so, it might be an issue for some.

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1 hour ago, Underhook said:

Interesting idea.  I feel that it would make pretty much every player very hard to find.  Most players work on being at full speed b4 they leave safe space.  So, the entire trip in open space will not require any engine heat.  That would mean that the only chance for detection would be when players are slowing down.  This will (I think) result in cargo ships being absolutely covered in brakes.  It will increase the importance of space only ships that would be maximum size that the core will allow and the entire surface will be brakes.

Not sure if thats a bad thing or not.  Some people currently dont like the cube fighters, so, it might be an issue for some.

Unless the engines were slow to cool down and the faster you went, the slower you cooled.

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any game with a real PVP component would have multiple signatures.

 

 

"Real signatures"
Surface Material reflectivity / absorption properties and other Visual signatures related to Crosssectional area 

EM radiation from electronics and Active Radar on board /

Thermal radiation from energy consumption / conversion (yeah, I know thermal it technically EM)

 

 

Gamey signatures might be

 

Cargo signatures from elements or materials on board

AGG signatures those big blue disks must be pumping out something!

Core signatures these cores must be damn powerful!

 

pure sci fi signature

 

Mass distortion signatures based on total mass of ship or mass compression signatures from the container technology

Onboard gravity signatures if the ship has internal gravity

Energy signatures mythical quantum fluctuations ala startrekWarp signatures again star trek
 

 

any of these with measures and countermeasures would make the game more immersive and interesting and ship design would be more than just paste a multilayer cube around it.

 

 

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51 minutes ago, GraXXoR said:

any game with a real PVP component would have multiple signatures.

 

 

"Real signatures"
Surface Material reflectivity / absorption properties and other Visual signatures related to Crosssectional area 

EM radiation from electronics and Active Radar on board /

Thermal radiation from energy consumption / conversion (yeah, I know thermal it technically EM)

 

 

Gamey signatures might be

 

Cargo signatures from elements or materials on board

AGG signatures those big blue disks must be pumping out something!

Core signatures these cores must be damn powerful!

 

pure sci fi signature

 

Mass distortion signatures based on total mass of ship or mass compression signatures from the container technology

Onboard gravity signatures if the ship has internal gravity

Energy signatures mythical quantum fluctuations ala startrekWarp signatures again star trek
 

 

any of these with measures and countermeasures would make the game more immersive and interesting and ship design would be more than just paste a multilayer cube around it.

 

 

Some cool ideas in there.  Material colour could be used to counter heat radiation.  For example polished metalic (silver like) radiate less heat than say matte black.

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1 hour ago, GraXXoR said:

any game with a real PVP component would have multiple signatures.

 

 

"Real signatures"
Surface Material reflectivity / absorption properties and other Visual signatures related to Crosssectional area 

EM radiation from electronics and Active Radar on board /

Thermal radiation from energy consumption / conversion (yeah, I know thermal it technically EM)

 

 

Gamey signatures might be

 

Cargo signatures from elements or materials on board

AGG signatures those big blue disks must be pumping out something!

Core signatures these cores must be damn powerful!

 

pure sci fi signature

 

Mass distortion signatures based on total mass of ship or mass compression signatures from the container technology

Onboard gravity signatures if the ship has internal gravity

Energy signatures mythical quantum fluctuations ala startrekWarp signatures again star trek
 

 

any of these with measures and countermeasures would make the game more immersive and interesting and ship design would be more than just paste a multilayer cube around it.

 

 

100% agreed and it would be cool if you have to specialize your ship in terms of detection. different types of radars/detection devices and you cannot put all on one ship because of energy and coresize.(maybe only on massive ships)

 

i wanna build a stealth ship thats hard to detect but with its downside of expensive material, devices, smaller cargo size and only smaller weapons or no weapons at all.

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3 hours ago, Underhook said:

Interesting idea.  I feel that it would make pretty much every player very hard to find.  Most players work on being at full speed b4 they leave safe space.  So, the entire trip in open space will not require any engine heat.  That would mean that the only chance for detection would be when players are slowing down.  This will (I think) result in cargo ships being absolutely covered in brakes.  It will increase the importance of space only ships that would be maximum size that the core will allow and the entire surface will be brakes.

Not sure if thats a bad thing or not.  Some people currently dont like the cube fighters, so, it might be an issue for some.

I think you missed or misunderstood part of my post. Detection range is still 2 SU, but lock range is what your heat determines. Also, as I stated in the meat of the post, space brakes (technically reverse thrusters) would also generate a heat sig, so while they may be moving at 30k km/h, they would have to slow down at some point.

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19 hours ago, Musclethorpe said:

I think you missed or misunderstood part of my post. Detection range is still 2 SU, but lock range is what your heat determines. Also, as I stated in the meat of the post, space brakes (technically reverse thrusters) would also generate a heat sig, so while they may be moving at 30k km/h, they would have to slow down at some point.

Your right, I did miss your point, sorry.  As for the brakes, thats why I was saying that ships would be covered in brakes.  So they can stop in a short distance.  ie. hit the safe zone doing 30k and then have enough brake power to stop in the safe zone.

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