Ability ideas

from StarControl Forums

Since there was a call for suggestions, naturally we should deliver.

Some thoughts upfront: given that multi-ship combat is a planned feature, there should be more abilities that allow for interaction between multiple ships.

Abilities:

Asymmetrical Area Matrix 
Secondary ability
7 second cooldown
Low energy cost
Fires a pulse that travels while button is held, on release the pulse becomes stationary but expands into a relatively large circle that lasts 60 seconds. Friendly ships inside the AOE only take half-damage from all sources, enemy ships inside the AOE take double-damage from all sources.

Flux Pulse
Primary ability
2 second cooldown
Low energy cost
(Ties into Flux Relocate below.) Shoots a relatively slow but sizable energy vortex, the vortex can travel over ships (it does not stop on impact). Significantly slows and deals damage while touching an enemy ship. Far range, lasts for up to 15 seconds, up to 4 Flux Pulses can exist simultaneously (otherwise the oldest ends if a new one is fired).

Flux Relocate
Secondary ability
1 second cooldown 
Medium energy cost
(Ties into Flux Pulse above.) When activating this ability, the ship instantly teleports to the current location of the most recent active Flux Pulse. The Flux Pulse in question ends. Keep in mind that multiple Flux Pulses may be active at the same time; thereby allowing the ship to jump from Flux to Flux in succession.

Note: Flux Pulse & Flux Relocate is a set of abilities that is probably best suited to a ship with high turn-rate but low acceleration/speed.

Hard Projection
Secondary ability
10 second cooldown
High energy cost
On activating this ability, the ship immediately comes to a complete standstill (including not firing primary ability) and remains that way until the secondary ability is activated again. A holographic projection of the ship continues flying and is controllable just like the original (including firing primary weapon). The projection cannot be damaged (but the original, stationary ship can be damaged as normal). Visually it is obvious that the projection is not the real ship. The projection lasts until the source ship is destroyed, or until the secondary ability is activated again.

Phantom Defense
Secondary ability, passive 
5 second cooldown
No energy cost
When an enemy is hit by the ship's primary attack, then an illusion-copy of the ship is instantiated that orbits the main ship. Up to 3 such illusions may be present at a time and they last 20 seconds each. Whenever the ship sustains any damage, one of the illusions is destroyed instead of taking damage. If no illusions exist to take the damage, the ship is damaged as normal.

Divine Retribution Cannon
Primary ability 
2 second cooldown
Medium energy cost
Ordinary projectile weapon that deals more damage the less crew is on the ship. Scales linearly to 4x more damage with only 1 crew on the ship.

 

15,934 views 3 replies
Reply #1 from StarControl Forums Top

Great feedback. :)

+1 Loading…
Reply #2 from StarControl Forums Top

Wow! =0 these are great!

(and i can actually see them in-game) =)

if i may, here is one suggestion of mine!

There should be a ability that allows you to sacrifice life/energy for energy/life or something like that, like a desperate measure, you have low energy but full of life, turn this on and everything that consumes energy, will consume your life instead (or vice-versa) it may give you an edge if you plan just right!

+1 Loading…
Groupy 2 - Organize multiple applications into grouped tabs on your Windows desktop
Reply #3 from StarControl Forums Top

You're most welcome ShadeDark. I think your suggestion is quite similar to the Druuge Mauler, is that what you had in mind?

Some more ability ideas:

Ammoc's Inhibitor
Secondary ability
20 second cooldown
Medium energy cost
Passive: always has an aura (3-ship-lengths radius) around ship. Enemies within the aura take damage when using acceleration (but no damage for passive flying and rotating).
Active: can shoot a projectile, if it hits an enemy the aura is also present on the enemy ship for 5 seconds (affecting the enemy ship as well as other enemy ships within the aura radius)

Kinetic Barrier
Secondary ability
10 second cooldown
Low energy cost
When activating this ability the ship shoots a fast projectile that deals no damage, but when the ability is used again the active projectile expands into a fairly large-sized area (about 7-ship-lengths in radius). The expansion setup takes about 1.5 seconds; once fully formed the area becomes a barrier that prevents enemy ships from entering or leaving the barrier (but ships inside can fly normally within the barrier). The barrier lasts for 6 seconds. Teleport effects can still move enemy ships into/out-of the area, but forced movement does not.

Hammer Driver
Primary ability
1 second cooldown
Low energy cost
(Ties into Dead Knock below.) A normal projectile weapon that deals low (initial) damage. Each subsequent hit against the same target increases the damage, such that it deals 2x damage on the 2nd hit, 3x damage on the 3rd hit, etc. If a target has not taken damage from the Hammer Drive in 60 seconds or a different target is hit, the damage multiplier resets.

Dead Knock
Secondary ability
10 second cooldown
Low energy cost
(Ties into Hammer Driver above.) When activated, current target of Hammer Driver ability is stunned for 1 second, then significantly slowed for a number of seconds equal to the current Hammer Driver multiplier. The Hammer Driver multiplier resets after using Dead Knock.

Dimensional Anchor
Secondary ability
30 second cooldown
High energy cost
When activated all nearby enemy ships and projectiles (within 4-ship-length radius) are immobile for 3 seconds. A complete standstill (no inertia, or gravity, or forced movement has any effect on stationary objects. Any enemy ships or projectiles that enter the area of effect during the duration are likewise immobile for the remainder of the duration.

Rotary Laser Drone
Secondary ability
2 second cooldown
Medium energy cost
Shoots a large rotary laser disc. The disc deals continuous damage to enemies it touches. When the ability is activated again the disc flies back to the ship. (Potentially it takes quite a while for the disc to reach the ship again, if the ship is actively flying away from it.)

Rupture Cascade
Primary ability
0 second cooldown
Medium energy cost
Fires a dark laser that deals good damage if it hits an enemy. If it doesn't hit anything, instead at the end point of the laser a dimensional rupture is created (by the flight of the ship and by rotation the rupture can be made to form lines and curves). Enemies that fly across ruptured space are significantly slowed and are dealt low continuous damage while on the rupture. Ruptures last 6 seconds.