The personal laser defense

[Deadly-Bagel]

Isn't that what a shield does? Consume power to block projectiles?

A shield for my shield... I like it!

Only way you get a "multiplicative" effect is if you have something blocking a percentage of incoming damage before it's blocked as a flat amount, but if you're scaling energy to damage reduced then it's pointless. It's hard to add complexity to shielding as there isn't much complexity to damage right now.

We hit similar problems with trying to add "support" abilities to armour. What do you do? Slow them down? I've personally never used a slow capsule (and never needed to), I'd rather put my points into more damage. About the only thing I can think of is modular equipment that affects the rate at which biters emerge from nearby spawners. Maybe also one to reduce biter resistances but I think this would be healthier added innately to armour piercing ammo (so it actually, you know, pierces armour).

Changing the way damage is spread out is a good option but we already have that with discharge defence. Properly applied this would be rather useful in a car or tank so you can't get boxed in as easily. Or maybe you wade in to a huge wave of biters, let your shields tank while you AoE them all to death.

Something I'll add though, I think personal equipment should be disabled while in a vehicle. This is already something of a pain when my roboports try to deploy a construction robot to repair the tank I'm in that is surrounded by a mob of biters. It will add healthier balance to the game and you have incentive to build more of each module.

[bobucles]

Isn't that what a shield does? Consume power to block projectiles?

It's the classic case of Specialization vs. generalized utility A specialized tool can be better at its job but useless for other things.

we already have that with discharge defence.

Can anyone unironically say they get good use out of the discharge defense? It's such a hassle to use and it doesn't seem to deal the damage. Better off using capsules and stockpiling more shields, which is its own weird area of balance.

[Deadly-Bagel]

Not yet, but combat in general needs a good overhaul. Having stacked discharge defence modules do more damage in a larger AoE would make them absurdly useful for vehicles. This would be especially good if the activation can be automated, and if personal lasers can be set to prioritise spitters (could be automatic when discharge defence is also equipped, or an option). So you drive up to a base, your modular equipment takes care of the bugs while you shoot out the nests.

[SirLANsalot]

Adding support abilities to armor is good, but the implementation of them was BAD, oh so very BAD.

Capsules, who uses them? There an item you have to MANUALLY deploy. In a game about automation....its kinda backwards when it comes to combat. Having a module on your armor that can auto deploy Slow or Poison caps (hard limit of one of each per a suit, so you could have one with slow and one with poison) would see people start to actually consider using them. If combat robots also deployed and used your ROBOPORT like every other robot in the game, would also see the use of them as well.


I have found that the PLD was a nice augmentation to the firepower of a tank, aka an automated secondary gun. Stacking multiple of them made that ROF so much better, but I agree that they should take advantage of the Laser Upgrade chain as well.

[bobucles]

Capsules, who uses them?

Capsules are NASTY. Poison capsules are basically a low tech super grenade, and bots will wipe the map at high levels. Don't bash on them just because they're tricky to initially build.

[SirLANsalot]

Capsules, who uses them?

Capsules are NASTY. Poison capsules are basically a low tech super grenade, and bots will wipe the map at high levels. Don't bash on them just because they're tricky to initially build.

its not the building part, its the deploying/using them part that is annoying while driving a tank. Having some automated system that launches them for you so you can focus on...well...driving and living.

[bobingabout]

Capsules, who uses them?

Capsules are NASTY. Poison capsules are basically a low tech super grenade, and bots will wipe the map at high levels. Don't bash on them just because they're tricky to initially build.

its not the building part, its the deploying/using them part that is annoying while driving a tank. Having some automated system that launches them for you so you can focus on...well...driving and living.

If that's your opinion... give my vehicle equipment mod a try (Though you'll need my Logistics mod for trains, or warfare mod for cars and tanks to use it), one of the items it adds is a plasma cannon, which has an effect similar to the grenade.

[Deadly-Bagel]

If that's your opinion... give my vehicle equipment mod a try (Though you'll need my Logistics mod for trains, or warfare mod for cars and tanks to use it), one of the items it adds is a plasma cannon, which has an effect similar to the grenade.

*drooling*

[SirLANsalot]

Capsules, who uses them?

Capsules are NASTY. Poison capsules are basically a low tech super grenade, and bots will wipe the map at high levels. Don't bash on them just because they're tricky to initially build.

its not the building part, its the deploying/using them part that is annoying while driving a tank. Having some automated system that launches them for you so you can focus on...well...driving and living.

If that's your opinion... give my vehicle equipment mod a try (Though you'll need my Logistics mod for trains, or warfare mod for cars and tanks to use it), one of the items it adds is a plasma cannon, which has an effect similar to the grenade.

I have a different tank mod on instead of your's, which is why I haven't used it (kinda pointless to double up on mods that do the same thing). The top tier tank in that mod has a cannon that will one shot an entire base from very long range, but the ammo cannot stack and takes a LONG time to build, so your limited to the trunk of the tank for your ammo count. The other tanks are fun as well, autocannon+shotgun, normal cannon+flamethrower are among my faves from it. Advanced Tanks is what its called.

The issue still stands that manual deployment of items, is usually a death sentence mid combat.

[bobingabout]

I have a different tank mod on instead of your's, which is why I haven't used it (kinda pointless to double up on mods that do the same thing). The top tier tank in that mod has a cannon that will one shot an entire base from very long range, but the ammo cannot stack and takes a LONG time to build, so your limited to the trunk of the tank for your ammo count. The other tanks are fun as well, autocannon+shotgun, normal cannon+flamethrower are among my faves from it. Advanced Tanks is what its called.

The issue still stands that manual deployment of items, is usually a death sentence mid combat.

I didn't actually load the link because I've looked at a mod named "Advanced tanks" before. If it's the one I'm thinking, there's also a version called "Advanced tanks for Bobs", designed to work with my mods.

[Thaeros]

Heyo, its 2017 and everything is op!

Probably a deadthread but hey, now the pld is 2x2 and power armor mk3 mod gives it an infinite research tab, so its actually useful now! Hooray!

[Jap2.0]

Nice necro. You almost beat the 1-year nark.

[stm]

Nice necro. You almost beat the 1-year nark.

Although he is right, it is quite overpowered now. 75 Damage/shot, come on. I don't think Laser turrets will ever get to that damage in a nomal game. Who needs weapons, when you can use your "defence" to level whole nests.
In my opinion the damage should be reduced but be upgradeable similarly to bullets.
Stm

[bobucles]

The new, upgraded personal lasers pack a mean punch but devour your suit's energy. I haven't tried using them in the early game so I don't know how they feel at that point, but they definitely are strong after fusion power. The only sad thing is they don't get damage boosts so they become pretty risky when green biters hit the field.

Using lasers from inside the tank is great. It doesn't overwhelm everything but you feel like a god damn beast.