MrDiao wrote:Bucca Zerodyme wrote:
running out of characters: I will finish here, any questions?
There is no doubt that you just roll into a "solution" before prove "systematically changing the missile damage formula is the only(or the best) way to improve the current system".
If you don't prove the latter, why should people bother to go for the simpler solutions which may achieve better result at the same time?
What I'm actually asking is: why should the missile damage reduction curve be smoother? It changes all missiles. Why should ccp changes all missiles just because the cruise and/or torpedo has problem?
All missiles have a problem. Not just the cruise, torps etc.
First, speed of the target and signature radius affect missile damage immensely. If it is high enough it can completely reduce it to 0 (zero) damage. It doesn't matter if you "hit" if there is no/negligble damage.
Missile mechanics for flight and range are screwed up. Presently missiles operate on a constant and instant max-velocity system. As far as any of us that actually use missiles can tell. Now, beyond the fact that is retardly unrealistic, it is also a problem. The problem is the insanely long flight time attributes. The main reason why nobody in their right mind snipes with missiles.
Though part of that is also the ROF rate of the launchers. Since for missiles DPS = damage/(flight-time + ROF). In other words, missiles are penalized twice in the DPS equation: once for the launcher rate-of-fire and once for the flight time of the missile to the target. In-game this nullifies or marganlizes the higher-base damage of missiles as range is increased.
Again that dps reduction due to the 'double-penalty' doesn't even count the reductions due to target velocity/signature. So in the end you might only be dealing 20% or less of the damage-potential. Turrets will always deal full damage within optimal range as long as tracking. Furthermore, turrets only have a 50% reduction of base-damage within their falloff+optimal.
In translation, even on your worse "day" as a turret user you will always deal more damage than a missile user. As long as both targets are not sitting on top of each other and in motion. Hagika explains that better...
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The solution to that would be to use an acceleration mechanic like that for ships. Then have it set up so that there is 'consistent' flight time to target within the engagement range of that missile. In other words it should take the same amount of time to hit whether you are close or just in range. The only way to do that is via an equation based on acceleration.
The result of that change would be to reduce/minimize the double-penalty to applied dps. In addition, it would allow for viable and reasonable ability to use missiles for long-range engagements (for that missile). With that in place then the damage of the missiles (base-damage) could be adjusted to bring them into parity with turrets.