How does Max Power affect weapon systems?

[Hurkaleez]

For example

Atlatl 270C Missile Launcher
Range 4,000
Hull DMG 156
Shield DMG 156
Max Power 4
Cost 22,675


Atlatl 290B Missile Launcher
Range 4,000
Hull DMG 101
Shield DMG 101
Max Power 10
Cost 12,075
(Requires Starship Design Rank 4)


All other stats are the same.

How does Max Power affect things here?

[Korgoth]

Long answer but a ship system having more max power requirements isn’t necessarily a good thing or bad thing, the max power stat just means it takes that much power allocated for the system in question to perform to its full specification. For example, a 40S Protector Shield Generator can generate 520 shields and has a max power rating of 6. This means it will only generate that potential 520 shields if you allocate all 6 units of power to the shield, which may limit how much power you can allocate to other systems. Compared to the 10S Protector Shield Generator’s 310 shields and 3 max power, if you only have three ticks of power to spare on a shield, the latter will actually perform better at full power than the former will at half power as an example. So don't overload your reactor or you'll in fact be operating a systems performing below the one you just got rid of if you can't support it. For some weapons systems, they may fire slower if you don't allocate the full range of power as with missile systems. I have found that lower power for lasers and ballastics tend to mean lower damage output.

Hope that helps.

[Hurkaleez]

Thank you for reply, but I feel like we are all missing something as why would more power requirements ever be a good thing(disregard the potential for higher damage, etc) so why do these show up in blue on the reader when comparing?

In short:
- Why do people rave about higher power requirements if lower power ones offer more shield/damage?

- Why did the Devs post higher power requirements as 'blue' rather than 'red' on the comparison chart if power alone offers no benefits?

- In my comparison of the 2 missile systems on OP, why does costing more power(for lower damage) require rank 4 whereas the other requires no ranks?

Either the Devs were VERY sloppy in their decisions or I have to assume there is something else at play.

[Korgoth]

Two real questions unless I misinterpreted you.

Color Changes?
Disregarding the color scheme, which I agree can be misleading if you don't understand the point of the power allocation mechanic, I would not place importance (good over bad) with a specific color but instead simply whats being added or removed. You'll have to interpret whats best for your ship and your flying habits which also can be affected by your crew as well.

Specific equipment performance between the two?
Likely a balancing issue with multiple devs putting in multiple versions of equipment. Maybe a patch fix later, who knows. I agree, there should be something more clear on why each would perform differently without us performing the testing. But I just thought of this, that is how real life works. Go down a coffee machine aisle at Walmart and see 20 different coffee makers perform the same job but all demand different amounts of power. How skill comes into play, got me brother. Ironically, I doubt Bethesda meant to put it in because of that and likely was simply a balancing overlook.

[Imaginary Friend]

So the above is correct, the reason why higher power can be more useful is: As your systems take damage, their max power ability is reduced. (shown in combat as bars turning red) So if you use a missile launcher that has 3 power max, it will use less of your reactor space, which is good for using multiple systems at once BUT as you take damage, your missiles damage and reload speed will be reduced by a third is its ability each tick instead of if you were using a 10 max power missile launcher and only losing a tenth of your missile power each tick... Hope that helped clarify. TLDR: pick lower power if you wanna burst people. pick higher power if you wanna live through sustained engagements. :)

[TaterNuts]

Thank you!! This was throwing me through a loop trying to figure it out, because if you compare the mentioned Atlatl 290B Missile Launcher and the CE-49 Missile Launcher, every stat is exactly the same (even the price) except for the max power and class requirement.

To add to this though (I'm playing with it as I'm typing this out), a lower power also allows you to add more of that weapon before getting the error for exceeding reactor power. Using the 2 launchers I just mentioned as an example since they're identical, you can only have 1 Atlatl 290B, but you can have 4 CE-49's before you get the error.

IMO, lower Max power is always better. Same logic should apply to engines.

[ZombieHunter]

From what I can see weapon power or damage is purely stat based. The power to it simply means that it can fire for longer before needing recharged. But if it requires more power to get this ability then you need a better reactor to power everything. I have not noticed weapons being more powerful with more power allocated just that they last longer before needing to be recharged.

As for recharge speed I'm unsure how this works or what is related to it. Obviously the more pips you put to the device the quicker it charges but that is also relative to how much power it requires. So something that requires more power will take longer to charge at 1 pip than something that takes less power. At least that is how I understand it. I think of my reactor as the value per pip that is going into my various components.

I'm not quite sure I fully understand it yet. I haven't built enough ships to understand the exact relation.

[Hurkaleez]

Originally posted by ZombieHunter:

... power to it simply means that it can fire for longer before needing recharged...

OK, now that would make sense and nobody seems to mention this and does that only apply to weapons? How does higher pips in engines affect boosters/recharge? And as for shields, do higher pips mean shields recharge faster?

I find it hard to believe they introduced this system and the only reason was to set a damage gauge yet they have a separate health stat so I question the validity of this belief.

[Roaming Zombie]

Originally posted by Reximus:

Originally posted by ZombieHunter:

... power to it simply means that it can fire for longer before needing recharged...

OK, now that would make sense and nobody seems to mention this and does that only apply to weapons? How does higher pips in engines affect boosters/recharge? And as for shields, do higher pips mean shields recharge faster?

I find it hard to believe they introduced this system and the only reason was to set a damage gauge yet they have a separate health stat so I question the validity of this belief.

For example something with a higher power requirement can also be lighter thus affecting your mobility to a lesser extent. It is not just about destruction. Though 99% of the engines require only 3 power. So there you just look at the mobility/speed balance you want on your ship.

[HappyCamperBubbleBelow]

Max power for weapons doesn't effect its damage output.
It effects its fire/recharge rate.

Also avoid anything but particle cannons.
The best dps setup is 3 sets of particle weapons.
1 non pulsed that gets max weapon charge.
2 others that are pulsed weapons which you can put as little as 1 point in combat and go max shields/engines.
If you have a Class 3 particle cannon and a class 3 pulse particle and class 2 pulse particle you can generally wipe out any ship in seconds before you are even in range for missiles to start locking on.

Particle weapons can hit targets at 4000m
Missiles generally wont even lock on till 2000 or less.
Missiles do more DPS on a single "charge" but they recharge slower.
Pulse particle weapons of the same tier out DPS missiles in any engagement due to the extra range and faster recharge(Damage per second recharged)

[Shwaffles]

Been doing some testing on various systems and these are my findings and suggestions:

How much power you allocate affects different components in different ways. Each component group can have a maximum of 12 power, so lower max power per module means you can have more of that module in a group before getting an error

Shields cap at the % of power you supply relative to their max power, scaling linearly. A shield with 10 max power with 5 ticks on it will cap at 50%, 8 ticks at 80%, etc. Thus, better to half-power a 1000hp shield with 10 max power than full power a 400hp shield with 5 max power. I'm ignoring shield recharge rate because you're better off just using more weapons to end the fight before shield recharge kicks in anyways

Engines the same linear scaling applies but to your top speed and maneuverability. This means you will go significantly slower with extra unpowered engines compared to removing them from your ship entirely. Prioritize thrust to power ratio and mind the cap on top speed depending on ship Class. Consider using smaller fuel tanks / cargo holds to increase maneuverability if you are short on reactor power.

Weapons stats are not affected by % powered except for recharge speed. This means single shot weapons like basic cannons, lasers, and beams will have their fire rate affected since they can only fire when 100% charged, HOWEVER -

Automatic Weapons and Missiles maintain full dps until their "magazine" is depleted, and will stay charged even with only 1 power tick allocated. Magazine size is unfortunately entirely hidden and varies wildly from weapon to weapon (missiles alone vary from at least 2-8 shots), I recommend making a save at a shipyard and save scum to try different ones out, as their resale value is very poor

Optimal Weapons IMO -
By far the most powerful loadout I have found is 6 Vanguard Obliterator Projectors and 6 Vanguard Hellfire Autocannons, unlocked by completing the first Vanguard field mission started in MAST on Jemison, Alpha Centauri. They're the only weapons I've found with a 2 max power requirement. Hellfire requires a Class B reactor but the guns themselves are very inexpensive. Obliterators are class A and fairly expensive but the more powerful of the two weapons. Toss some suppressors, missiles, or turrets on for your third slot, you really won't need them but more guns is fun and rear-facing turrets are really helpful in bigger fights as pursuing enemies will peel off of you when their shields go down.

These things will delete the strongest ships in the game in a couple seconds, and the vast majority will die in a fraction of that, making recharge rate inconsequential for 90% of fights as long as you land your shots. Just make sure weapons are all charged then drop them to 1-4 ticks before jumping into a fight

There are some very late game (lvl 40+) Class C particle beams that can outperform those options, but the Obliterators can be obtained as early as lvl 3 (if you have the creds) and you'll truly never need more firepower than they put out. Without spoiling anything, the mission to unlock them can be completed without ever entering combat by being cautious and sneakily performing the optional objectives then waiting.