Split tar into two tools?

[Omniraptor]

Just a simple possible change to accommodate multiple use-cases, and draw a kerosene/moonshine parallel.

Have one tool be the 'weak tar' (please someone give it a decent name) that does low self-damage and no shatter damage to other components. The purpose is concealment/stealth.
Other possible characteristics:
- they're closer in color to natural clouds, more stealthy
- the emitted clouds are bigger than regular tar
- the clouds are less dense- they rise and/or move with the wind
- can be burned away by flares.


The proper tar would be closer to what we have now, intended for concealment in combat and damage.
It would have intense self-damage and lots of shatter damage to other components.
Other possible characteristics:
- delay before emitting clouds and/or hydrogen-style lingering damage after tool is switched off
- the clouds are more dense- they sink and/or are unaffected by wind
- the clouds can extinguish flares is a cloud is placed around a flare


Super-crazy idea- the weak tar inherits the ship's initial speed. Maybe a third tool?

[Queso]

Well we shouldn't expect new tools anytime soon,

Heh heh heh...

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[Omniraptor]

Any thoughts on speed-inheriting tar? I want to be able to point at a puff and say, "that's no cloud..."

[Queso]

It's an interesting idea, but would probably be hell to deal with the interactions with the weather system.

[pandatopia]

Oh, a cloaking device "tar" that generates a moving cloud that goes with your ship?

That would be so awesome.

[Omniraptor]

Well, it would necessarily have to be difficult to use to prevent OPness. Because it inherits only your current vector and stays behind the ship, it would be more useful for ships with good acceleration- that way you could charge under cover of mist only if you're able to emit the tar, quickly slow down to let it in front of you, and accelerate again.

Additionally, you could use the vector-inheritance to create decoy clouds- for example, letting a cloud charge ahead of you to see if it gets shot and make the enemy possibly waste a volley. Or if you're fleeing, you could quickly spin around and create several clouds heading in wildly different directions to confuse the enemy.

[obliviondoll]

Since it's being expelled by your engines, wouldn't it make more sense for it to inherit 75% of your movement speed rather than being spat out backwards and still keeping pace with you? And of course, that doesn't mean it's a magical cloaking device that follows you around. It would keep moving in a straight line in whatever direction you HAD been moving, with direction changes only initiated by wind, not by someone in the cloud deciding to change course.

[pandatopia]

Since it's being expelled by your engines, wouldn't it make more sense for it to inherit 75% of your movement speed rather than being spat out backwards and still keeping pace with you? And of course, that doesn't mean it's a magical cloaking device that follows you around. It would keep moving in a straight line in whatever direction you HAD been moving, with direction changes only initiated by wind, not by someone in the cloud deciding to change course.

This would be neat as well.

Think of the tactical possiblities!

Say you see an enemy near a large (natural) cloud bank.

Now you can moonshine, drop cloud tar, then brake a tad...you can follow your cloud towards them.

When you get near the big cloud, now you have a choice, do you keep following your cloud in (they might expect this), or do you want to cut into the cloud and flank?

Now really the only way this could work is if the cloud also blocked hit crosses from showing, or you could easily cloud check.