Rocket launchers

[zrisher]

Example 100mm, 200mm, 400mm: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=493809682

[drNovikov]

That's the mod I was talking about! There are 2 versions for small ships: reloadable and non-reloadable. Small ships probably should get non-reloadables, especially considering the 10X inventory.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=495377785

I have tested them vs various blocks. Here are the findings:

1. The 200 mm launcher is equal to the default one, and uses the same 200 mm rockets.
2. To destroy a big heavy armom block it took:
   • 100 mm -- 30
   • 200 mm -- 43
   • 400 mm -- 6
3. To incapacitate / kill a gatling turret:
   • 100 mm -- 3 / >50
   • 200 mm -- 1 / 2
   • 400 mm -- 1
4. To destroy a small ship heavy armor block:
   • 100 mm -- 8
   • 200 mm -- 2
   • 400 mm -- 1
5. To incapacitate / kill a big ship big thruster:
   • 100 mm -- 6 / >40
   • 200 mm -- 2 / 12
   • 400 mm -- 1 / 2

Will test their ability to incapacitate small ships.

[drNovikov]

Tested the 100 mm rocketspam vs small ships to see its ability to incapacitate an opponent in comparison to the default launcher. Important note: the numbers below are direct hit. Blast radius makes a difference in combat!

1. To disable / destroy a small ship big thruster:
   • 100 mm -- 2/3
   • 200 mm -- 1
   • 400 mm -- 1
2. To disable / destroy a small ship small thruster:
   • 100 mm -- 1
   • 200 mm -- 1
   • 400 mm -- 1
3. To disable / destroy a small ship fighter cockpit:
   • 100 mm -- 7 / 10
   • 200 mm -- 2 / 3
   • 400 mm -- 1

My personal impressions on missiles vs small ships:

1. A salvo of 2 400 mm will almost always be crippling of fatal for most small ships, but it is well balanced by ammo capacity, refiring speed and missile velocity. Those factors make the choice between the default and 400 mm launchers not so obvious.
2. 100 mm rocket pods seem fine, although the 10X server inventory size makes their ammo capacity quite... distinctive. The numbers above show the damage of direct hits vs a simble block. Circling around a small ship and spamming it with 100 mm rockets showed they aren't overpowered, although, I would decrease their rate of fire and, probably, max speed too.
3. The default launcher remains an excellent choice (probably, the best choice overall), so the newly intoduced ones don't make it obsolete.

Conclusions: I'd recommend the non-reloadable small ship launchers for the server. The big ship launchers need separate testing (I am concerned about the big ship reloadable 400 mm).

[drNovikov]

Tested the 400 mm against the Spirit of Elysium (HighGround's PVP base with anti-missile defences). With my fighter and agile piloting I am able to defeat it with the default 200 mm rockets, but the 400 mm ones are slow and get destroyed by anti-missile turrets. I had to get much closer where enemy turrets could actually hit me.

This is good, because it does not allow just spamming huge missiles from a huge range, but rather requires getting closer.