TANKER MiniMod

from Sins Forums

I'm working on small things (since that's all the time I get) and one I wanted to add was tankers.  We don't use fuel so they would replenish antimatter rapidly for fleets.  the idea is to add a small additional strategy and bring less useful systems and abilities into play more often.

Here's the models I might use (4500 polys for the whole lot) and I am hoping existing textures might work on them...

 

Here's the planned characteristics and abilities:

  • Fleet Refueling--a leveled and timed ability that works only within the volatile gas range of gas giants and within plasma storms and the gravity well of stars.
  • Ultimate Sacrifice--a leveled mini red button.
  • Plasma Ignition--in plasma storms an dying tanker causes damage to all units in the gravity well (friend & foe)
  • Fuel Detonation--on taking weapon damage has a chance to take additional damage.
  • She's Gonna' Blow--a passive ability that on death, gives damage all around within it's refueling range.
  • Slow Movement--not the speediest ships.  Made to remain mainly on station.
  • No Shields

 Tankers will be capital ships.

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5,184 views 8 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top

Interesting. Will they refuel more quickly in places like Stars and/or Gas Giants? I am assuming you will be using the Advent ability to transfer Antimatter.

Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top

Depending on how you have them setup, I would make them generate their own anti-matter very slowly (somehow not lose it while jumping between worlds?) ... that way you won't have infinite anti-matter loops ... (i.e. continuous Kol)

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Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top

They will not need antimatter for their own abilities (only refueling) but will rapid generate it in an AoE based on the tanker level and when in a plasma storm or within refuel range of a gas giant.  They are capital ships.

Their own antimatter regeneration rate is zero--they can only tank up at a suitable system or a star (I forgot stars) and they will have a large capacity for storage.

The fact that they are prone to blow up and cause area damage makes them risky to have in combat near a fleet.  The refuel range will also be their death damage range.

The ships above are modifications of the unused vanilla Sins refinery ship for the Advent, an enlarged and "winged" Vasari refinery ship and one of the robotic ship meshes attached to part of a phase inhibitor for the TEC.

The concept is these ships are ramscoops that siphon hydrogen, helium and methane from planets and stars by dipping into their atmospheres.

Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top

Hmmm..I sort of like using antimatter onboard the tanker as a damage modifier.  Any abilities out there that could be based on?

Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top

So they'll lose lots of AM via jumping then?

Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top

Over time yes--no more than other ships--but they will have larger reserves of AM and no use for it other than refueling other ships and jumping.

Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top

if they explode.... so you don't use them in combat... what stops you simply using them on suicide runs?

 

think you also need to mess with the Base Antimatter of current ships, most ships will regen there full antimatter before you can jump this more than a few jumps.  Esp Advent with 10 or so Disc vessels giving am

eg increase the AM on every ship by 300% and decrease regen by 300%

Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top

Well antimatter becomes an issue when you are in a big fight and losing it.  This means it can be practical to "make a stand" at a star or gas giant where you can "out-antimatter" your opponent.

It's more tactical than strategic but it could literally win a battle for you in some cases.

The random explodey part just makes it oh so fun.

The self destruct ability is it's ultimate and it would have to be leveled up to 6 to turn it on--then that has to be further leveled for maximum effect.  Leveling a ship that can blow up easy will not be the most easy thing--and the gains are lost if you torch it.  The fact that it takes logistics slots also means you aren't going to see it spammed and it's slow speed will make it difficult to sneak into an enemy fleet.

The increase in the AoE range and/or else target stack caps is what the other ability will get from levels and the other levelable ability will be improvements that make it less likely that you'll detonate from a random explosion.