How the Energy Bomb works theory...

[Thargoid]

Should I feel smug or worried that at least two of the ideas in this thread so far (the energy bomb replacement that takes ships energy/shields and the last-minute random jump displacement instead) are already in two of my OXPs (Armoury and Vortex respectively).

There are various weapons in Armoury which were conceived as e-bomb replacements (in a more balanced way) when the removal was originally announced.

[CommonSenseOTB]

You know, I think god needs a break. Remove the energy bomb from the core game and replace with a one-shot hyperjump device that instantly jumps you to random system within range like/as in Elite A.

And finally the 'esc' button would make sense!

On one hand, it might put the player into a worse situation. On the other, it would be a slick 'vanilla'/strict mode way of saving the player when stranded in interstellar space...

Bingo!...and bonus. A true escape button, eh? Would love to see that in the core game.

I think CSOTB's theory is the only one without faulty physics.

Surely it's the one with "fawlty" physics? Manwell, show this gentleman to his room.

@Thargoid I think Elite A beat you to the punch for the one-shot hyperjump device. It is a good idea though methinks.

[Smivs]

The Energy Bomb is

a powerful one-shot device that emits a high-powered electromagnetic pulse, disrupting plasma containment in drives of nearby ships, resulting in catastrophic damage. Well shielded larger vessels are capable of withstanding this assault on occasion, but small ships invariably do not survive. Triggering the Energy Bomb temporarily deactivates sensitive components. The pulse is harmonised with the drive of the firing ship.

The release of an energy bomb creates magnetic field shockwaves that can cause catastrophic vibrations in certain minerals, including most asteroidal rock types. This invariably results in the fragmentation of asteroids that are within the range of an energy bomb explosion.

Not my theory, just the 'facts' that we all have available on the Wiki.

[Selezen]

The secret is finally out.

The E-Bomb isn't a bomb. It's a one-shot quantum MacGuffin that instantly transports you to a universe where all the ships in your vicinity have exploded.

So simple, really, it's amazing no-one worked it out.

[maik]

Surely it's the one with "fawlty" physics? Manwell, show this gentleman to his room.

Love the series!

[DaddyHoggy]

The secret is finally out.

The E-Bomb isn't a bomb. It's a one-shot quantum MacGuffin that instantly transports you to a universe where all the ships in your vicinity have exploded.

So simple, really, it's amazing no-one worked it out.

A genius of an explanation! Bravo!

[DaddyHoggy]

Thought:

Give NPCs the E-Bomb (via OXP), create a new piece of equipment called the E-Bomb shield (via OXP), one cancels out the other obviously, but you have a piece of equipment that can be damaged in combat and therefore you get to have a sphincter pukering moment all the way to the Main Station until it can be repaired or replaced...

[Staer9]

Thought:

Give NPCs the E-Bomb (via OXP), create a new piece of equipment called the E-Bomb shield (via OXP), one cancels out the other obviously, but you have a piece of equipment that can be damaged in combat and therefore you get to have a sphincter pukering moment all the way to the Main Station until it can be repaired or replaced...

Now that, is a good idea.

[Thargoid]

I still don't like the concept of a player instant-death scenario like that (iirc that being why NPCs don't have e-bombs in the first place). I know the shield equipment would be proof against it, but for me it would be better if the shield was depleted on use and then slowly regenerated. Whilst it is depleted it would only be partly effective, and so exposure to another e-bomb would cause damage depending on how much shielding was left.

Kinda like an additional shield system on top of the existing shields and energy, but specifically against NPC e-bombs.

[Kaks]

Headaches, headaches!

<soothing voice on>
See, that's why Ahruman wanted to retire it, game-balance wise e-bombs are not that great...
<soothing voice off>

Did that help?

[Gimi]

I really think that the e-bomb should be taken out or disabled in mnsr. Make an energybomb.oxp or a setting in options to enable it.

If the e-bomb is replaced with an OXP, then make the tab key into a second "n, shift-N" equipment key and map the energy bomb there.
That will allow those who want it to have it and those who don't to leave it out.

I like the OXP solution best, but since the energy bomb code has to stay in anyway for strict mode, the first option is probably better. In case of the latter option, would it be possible to make the tab key into a "n, shift-N" equipment key only if the e-bomb is disabled in options.

Just my 0.2 credits worth.

[DaddyHoggy]

I'm just anti-player only (E-bomb and Torus drive) - if we have an E-bomb then take my idea and modify to Thargoids excellent suggestion.

Players get to keep/have an E-bomb, NPCs get to return the favour (to player and each other), E-Bomb Engine Shielding, negates the effect for both Player and NPCs, but only while energised and fully functional and thus balance is maintained... (or at least a new balance is reached). Big ships or Naval ships could have E-Bomb shielding built in to their engines - this allows for the argument we had elsewhere/earlier about Oolite-Tech moving onwards, this could be a recent improvement in "new" engine designs - not uber top speeds, but native E-bomb proof, with uberness coming from how good E-bomb shielding is and how quickly it recharges...

[Gimi]

The issue I have with that solution DH, is that I would prefer to also retain the "as is" scenario for those who prefer it. Personally, I would prefer the e-bomb to be gone and for the Q-bomb to replace the e-bomb on the tab key, so I would probably nag one of the OXP makers to make such an OXP if the e-bomb became an OXP. However, either solution is better than the one we have now.

[Smivs]

Just really a couple of thoughts to drop into the discussion.
Firstly, I should mention I don't use them (or q-bombs) as I feel any WMD is inappropriate to this game. If you can't kill it/them with lasers and the odd 'regular' misile, you're not good enough yet, or have got out of your depth.
Obviously some OXP foes will require special attention, but the means to deal with them would normally come with the OXP.
However e-bombs are a very useful aid when testing if you want to move on quickly through a battle or whatever.
Now we could keep them and either weaken the e-bomb (as in original Elite) so it will only kill small weak ships and only then within say a 10k radius of the user, and let NPCs have them.
As for q-bombs, well I don't think NPCs ever have them in the core game do they, so if we're keeping q-bombs let NPCs have them as well.
Final thought. If we keep e-bombs for player only, make them expensive (Cr 50 000?) and only available from TL14+.
In immersion mode this would explain why no NPC seems to have them.
As I said, just a few thoughts.

[Disembodied]

You can't give e-bombs to NPCs: like Thargoid says, player-instant-death is a bad idea. Even if you make a piece of equipment that you can buy to avoid random instant death (or even random serious damage), you're then forcing players to buy it and you're left wondering why other ships don't have it. If all ships have it fitted as standard, then nobody would use e-bombs at all: what would be the point in carrying one, in the hope that you might run into someone whose anti-e-bomb shield is on the blink? And if you restrict NPC e-bombs to only damaging small ships, then you're essentially making the game unplayable for players who want to fly small ships ...

Personally, I think a better solution would be to alter the Q-bomb by turning off the cascade effect. Let players and NPCs have the ability to drop a sudden expanding sphere of destruction, which everyone better run from or face the consequences, but don't have ships caught in the blast turn into new q-bombs themselves. It's a cool effect, and it could be a great way to end a mission, but it's impractical, I think, as an in-game weapon. NPC behaviour would have to be altered, to let them respond to, and properly use, the weapon, though.