Top Tempest missile fix suggestions.

[Richard LeMoon]

Since last week's testing, there was a lot of talk on what could be done with the Tempest to make it more useful and not OP in PvP and Alliance. The Current Tempest MKS is too OP based on release reactions.

Suggestions highest to lowest based on discussions. Yellow changes would likely need code changes, due to the Tempest unique properties. Orange are art changes. These would take more time to happen.

1. Change Shatter to Fire. Reduce damage to either 7/7 or 6/8 Explosive/Fire. Add 1 second to reload time.
      Popular since it would make it a guided Banshee with reduced angles, very suitable (and fun) as a 'nub gun'. Removes effectiveness against guns and engines (main complaint), improves effectiveness vs armor somewhat, substantially increases effectiveness vs balloon and hull, which is why the reduction in damage. This would also be very useful in Alliance. Maybe more useful than Shatter and fire stacks (at least more rewarding than just burning the AI down with useless shatter damage and OP fire stacks)

ADDITIONAL:

Far too much smoke/explode effect for such a fast firing gun. Reduce or remove explode effect, and add something to reflect the new 'fire' nature of the missiles if option 1 is chosen.

2. Switch Primary and Secondary damage to Shatter/Explosive
      This would reduce the effective missile count as far as breaking components without reducing its effectiveness at hull damage or having to reduce the actual missile count.

3. Fewer missiles. 8 if no damage stats are changed. There are currently 13.
      Fewer missiles means less damage and graphical effect.
 
4. Slow down gun movement to make it harder to keep a lock on targets.
      Only helps against fast ships. Galleons, Mobs, and Spires would still be cannon fodder.

5. Slow down missile speed.

6. Reduce gun arcs.
      Not a popular option.



Reducing ROF was not considered as an option due to players not liking having to sit on the gun while the missiles were in flight. Reducing ROF would have increased this time.

[Daft Loon]

I'd be fine with explosive/fire on the basis that, for the sake of variety one of the gas mortar/tempest/lightning coil needs to stop being a shatter based weapon and the tempest is probably the best option.

As far as the effects go it already looks fiery enough to me, just needs the screen shake/smoke toned down in skirmish. (how does the smoke work on the light flak?, It looks impressive to the person shooting but never causes problems on the receiving end.)

[GurasOguras]

One thing for sure: it is low skill high reward weapon. Either nerf it to the point where it was at initial testing (low impact, more as fun gun than useful) or increase skill requirements like increased turning radius of missles and operating time required. It must either be high skill or low reward. Another idea is to make it useful only as gunner or gungineer gun (main gun on the ship) or make it only effective under certain conditions like mortar is. Something that would not be rewarding to take 2 or more on one ship

Shatter damage has to go. Hwacha is already a huge problem if it hits and requires high skill to dodge it. With this there is no way of dodging, essentially one of the most important mechanics in the high level play.

[Naoura]

I would say a combination of Rotation speed and the Explosive/fire.

Explosive fire would make it at least mostly balanced, as it's not longer a guided hwacha. That was my fear the moment I saw it coming to Skirmish, Mobs and Junkers simply able to stun-lock ships with swarms that could not miss. Combination on that with the Rotation speed nerf, which would require some skill to keep the target in arc at closer range, but at longer they would be able to keep the target 'locked'. Plus, it would make it more difficult to land swarms on more maneuverable ships that are more vulnerable to disable.

[Daft Loon]

How about removing the aim dot if possible? That would make it at least a little harder to hit with, definitely more 'immersive' and hopefully more fun. Clouds would also provide useful cover even when spotted.

[Richard LeMoon]

What if it treated clouds and tar like solid objects (like the flare does...ish). Once the missiles get to the cloud, they fly in circles as if there is a ship there. New use for tar.

[MightyKeb]

Ah yes, let's expose the back of our ship to negate tempest so that our enemies get easy artemis shots on our engines.

A noble idea, but it doesn't show promise.