Like a scout module to reveal ship mods?



But in retrospect, sending suicide scouts to reveal enemy defensive fleets is your best bet.....bemuse that's exactly what the AI does.

maybe, still don't know way to balance that idea out anyway, the increase detect range from high tier scout module is ok, give me enough time to know that they're up to business.



send scout in and pull retreat off is what i do but mostly they die if enemy fleet have load of kinetic + beam.

Igncom1 wrote:
Its their accuracy that's the problem because they do more damage then any other weapon type overall.



A increase of the accuracy is in order to retain it as a effective back up weapon.



(Logically this makes no sense as beams should be short range and kinetics medium range. Make beams decrease in damage over the rounds rather then accuracy, and let missiles and kinetics keep average accuracy levels.)

Say what? Light speed weapons should be short range weapons, and kinetic "bullets" that can be dodged should be longer ranged? What physics are you smoking?



That aside. I design my ships with no kinetics. Between the buffs for deflectors and flak, used depending on what the enemy throws, means my defenses shrug off the first round in most cases. As always, my ships are beam only with balanced defenses to deflect/shields/flak. Support and defense modules taking a third of hull space early game, half in mid to late game once cargo caps are raised via tech (Always Pilgrim). Still typical for me, Destroyer as base example 2 deflect, 2 shields, 2 flak, 1 armour, 5/6 beam. Extra beam and armour with first cargo space expand. More defense support in the larger hulls, such as the %15 booster one, whose name I choke on. (think it's the second in the module list, first line) The deflect/shield/flak combo goes up by one module per hull class. If anyone recalls my earlier posts, my design hasn't really changed since then. Kinetics have no place in my fleet unless I'm forced to build a defense fleet before having the ability to field beams. Such as pirates or early contact/invasion.

DeamonStorm wrote:
Its been a while for me, so here is my first post back.



I rarely use kinetics. I might have one or two on a ship, this includes Dreadnaughts.



Do kinetics need serious attention? If so, what can be done to make them a viable combat option?

Bout the only thing to make them viable is to get the high research lvl ones on your ship. And lots of them. Kinetics byt their nature, are, and should be, short range weapons. Since if a ship moves the least bit from the point they were aimed at, they miss. Movie broadsides aside, ships evade. I design my ships around beams only. But have played against AI's that use heavy kinetics, and when they throw those triple shot purple kinetics at me, they hurt, even long range. If you want kinetics, ya gotta use LOTS of them to overload deflectors and to make up for long range misses. AND design your defenses around getting your ship into melee range, tho those nasty triple purples can mess up your day at long range when you get multiple enemy DDs full of em. Wont ever recall the name of any of the kinetics, never using them and all. Course, I never use missiles either. Survivable beam ships is my philosophy. With a smallish, but powerful fleet. Works out for me far more often then not, when I lose, it's rarely militarily.

Sleel wrote:
Say what? Light speed weapons should be short range weapons, and kinetic "bullets" that can be dodged should be longer ranged? What physics are you smoking?

Over an area an energy weapon would become less effective as it spreads out over space uncontrollably, after all we aren't using basic pinpoint lasers any more.



And with it being space and all, kinetic weapons would be some of the most basic and powerful weapons ever invented, able to be shot faster then missiles, and don't dissipate in strength like energy weapons, deflection is the only defence, you don't adsorb that kind of mass impact, especially if the projectile has a warhead inside.



Accuracy is the only true barrier to their range.

Shouldn't we wait for the EXP to discuss things like this. Won't the system change a lot with the new ship fittings?