A cloud gun for Skirmish

[Unarmed Civilian]

A utility gun that simply deploys up to 3 regular clouds at once. The clouds last 30 seconds each and the gun has a reload of 30 seconds (use clouds wisely). Would function similar to the lag mortar in Alliance, except it's just a cloud. For lore you could say it's a discharge of steam.

This is a stealth weapon, giving yourself a smokescreen of clouds to obscure your position at long range or to break spots for a retreat. It is countered by flares, obviously (faster reload, designed for this purpose), though it technically can put one more cloud than the flare gun can put flares.

Spires might like it. Flare enthusiasts might like it, too. People might name their ships after clouds and Cloud. Others might put lightning guns and this on an alliance ship and pretend they're thunderclouds. Others still may make jokes about how Cloud is overpowered due to his disjointed hitboxes. Yet others won't care for your poor taste in humor and just gat-mortar you.


This has also probably been suggested before. So you should totally add it some day.

[Naoura]

Idea I emailed Muse a while ago.

Steam Vent: Active ability that creates a 1500 meter friendly cloud around the ship as it flies, but comes at a -70% thrust from all engines. Vision is obscured normally for both enemies and allies. Requires 3 seconds to form and to dissipate after activating. Centers on ship's hull in order to make the cloud balanced around the ship.

[Richard LeMoon]

It would need some sort of negative effect to reward direct hits on ships. Perhaps a temporary minor slow down of all mechanical parts with a little damage. Just to know you got tagged. The shame.


Personally, I would make it charge up like the lighting gun. The longer you hold the trigger, the bigger it gets.


Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

On second thought, this could be a secondary function of the Aquilon. Early detonation would cause a decent cloud. If you don't recall, the Aquilon is a heavy weapon concept based on liquid nitrogen filled projectiles that have damage multipliers on chemsprayed parts. Visual design based on the RBU-6000.

[Unarmed Civilian]

The thing is that piloting tools are already pretty cluttered,  and I feel like this would actually be a really powerful tool for certain long-range ships, so they should give up a gun to compensate.

The three shots are to give the cloud's appearance and distance more variance, so you can't just estimate the center and blast away.

The projectile nature allows using it to support allies potentially, though it shouldn't be absurdly long ranged else it be a bit too silly.

As for a tag, it is supposedly firing what is basically a pipe bomb, so it could be rather damaging. At the same time, it is no flare gun, and can be used for its intended purpose much more easily. 50 shatter should be noticeable enough, though it may be hard to miss a literal cloud erupting in front of you.

A more thematic effect would be a slight push upon the cloud forming, making it more disruptive and disorienting, though that might encroach too much on the minotaur.

Point is people want to make clouds. Clouds are fun. Except the sand clouds. Those are not so fun.

[Richard LeMoon]

But I wants me a heavy gun. A cloud pooter would have to be a little gun. Too many little guns. Not enough big guns.

[Naoura]

It could fire out a cylinder of Titanium tetrachloride, which could work similar to the regular gas mortar and have rather high shatter damage if you get an instant impact, due to the possibility of TiO2 forming hydrochloric acid. In reality the hydrochloric acid would be waaay too weak to really generate any kind of actual damage, but for the game purposes, it would work.

And I'm working on another heavy gun right now, @Richard. Read on the Calais and let me know what you think.

[Unarmed Civilian]

But I wants me a heavy gun. A cloud pooter would have to be a little gun. Too many little guns. Not enough big guns.

Me too, but I can't imagine anyone sane trading their kill-all-of-a-ship's-components-and-the-ship-itself-while-we're-at-it gun for a strict utility effect. I also want this to be usable by more than 3 ships.