Is module "max power" something good or bad?

[BrokenCloud]

The game doesnt explain on this too much, and im wondering, lets say:
I have 2 weapons that are exactly the same, A and B.
A, has a max power of 2.
B, has a max power of 4.

Is B better than A, or backwards?

Because to run A at max power is cheaper, but.. is it "max power" or is it a level of boost ? so in that second case B is better.

If im using the module A with only 1 power, does that mean:
- "running at 50% of capacity" or...
- "using lvl 1 boost" ?

Like i mentioned before, this would change if A is better over B because its easier to run A at full power compared to B.

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Now a real case:

Missile launcher "Atlatl 280B" vs "Atlatl 290B"

"Atlatl 280B" (Req. lvl 3 design skill)
DMG: 141
MAX. POWER: 4
HULL: 3
- Cost: $ 22.344

"Atlatl 290B" (Req. lvl 4 design skill)
DMG: 96
MAX. POWER: 10
HULL: 6
- Cost: $ 13.524

i would have expected the "290B" to be better since it has a higher req. skill lvl, but.. has less DMG, so... i guess that means the MAX POWER is really worth it to be higher... but the module is 50% cheaper than the older version, so the older is better? thats why is more expensive? im lost here, any opinions?

[fauxpas]

I generally look at the stats and ignore the "max power" ... assuming of course that I have enough power.

[zpc]

I haven't played around (literally ^^) with missile launchers yet - but for some ballistic weapons max power icreases the rate of fire. I also observed that same effect on lasers.

Max power also describes how long you can hold the trigger down. In your example it's either high damage, few shots or less damage, a lot of shots - IF you assign enough energy to the weapons. Later, with better reactors you can afford to max out weapon energies - for the beginning of the game it isn't that important.

[illuviar]

Not just that, but with enough max power and reactor capacity to fuel into it you practically don't run out of weapon energy and can constantly fire. I've only upgraded the weapons of my current Shieldbreaker and I can fire the particle beams until any encounter I've fought so far is over. This practically increases your effective firepower in combat, and ensures you can maintain it for longer if you lose shields and take hits to your weapon systems.

[Agayek]

Originally posted by BrokenCloud:

i would have expected the "290B" to be better since it has a higher req. skill lvl, but.. has less DMG, so... i guess that means the MAX POWER is really worth it to be higher... but the module is 50% cheaper than the older version, so the older is better? thats why is more expensive? im lost here, any opinions?

So the important thing with max power, as far as I can tell, is that you have a total of 12 power to split between however many of the same type of weapon, and it repeats for each different weapon. It's a limiter on the number of a given weapon you can have installed on any given ship. The lower the max power of the weapon, the more of them you can have, and vice versa.

For example, if the weapon has a max power of 4, then you can have 4 of them mounted on your ship. If the max power is 10, however, you can only have the one.

[BrokenCloud]

Originally posted by Agayek:

[...]
For example, if the weapon has a max power of 4, then you can have 3 of them mounted on your ship. If the max power is 10, however, you can only have the one.

Thats an interesting point you make, which proves my point (only applicable at weapons tho). Based on that i would think that in the example of the missiles , the "280B" is a better option, beacause you can place 3 of them (12 power), instead of just 1 "290B" (10 power).

So.. "the lower the max. power, the better" ? according to that logic.

Im pretty sure not everyone would agree with that. thats my point, its not very clear if we should look up for a weapon/shield/engine/etc that maxes that stat or minimizes it.

[cdarklock]

Originally posted by BrokenCloud:

The game doesnt explain on this too much, and im wondering, lets say:
I have 2 weapons that are exactly the same, A and B.
A, has a max power of 2.
B, has a max power of 4.

You know how you can give different systems different amounts of power in your ship?

This is where that comes from. If you mount weapon A, you can put two units of power into it. If you only give it one, it fires at half speed.

If you mount weapon B, you can put FOUR units of power into it. If you give it one, it fires at one quarter speed. Give it two, it fires at half speed. Three, three-quarter speed. Four, full speed.

Think of it like a progress bar in an idle game. You can fire your weapon when the bar fills up, and each point of power fills the bar faster - but you can only use so many points and it is, of course, limited by how much power you have available.

[BrokenCloud]

Originally posted by cdarklock:

Think of it like a progress bar in an idle game. You can fire your weapon when the bar fills up, and each point of power fills the bar faster - but you can only use so many points and it is, of course, limited by how much power you have available.

Yeah i understand that, because thats one of the options i thought it worked: as "percentages from 0 to 100", but makes no sense for some other cases, thats why im wondering if its not a system of:
a) "0% up to 100%", and instead a system of,
b) "lvl 0 boost up to lvl 12 boost"

Because then how would they explain that in the Missile launcher example, the "290B" is a harder module to unlock, and the name suggests its the "next version" (from 280B) of those launchers, it has to have some sort of "pro", otherwise it has: less DMG, requires more power to run at 100%, and its harder to unlock, the only pro is its cheap.

[BrokenCloud]

with the "boost" system i mean that for example 2 equal modules (weapons in this case), that have different "Max Power" would work like this (imagine 30% increase by each power lvl) :
the module "A" at 2 of 2 max power would recharge with 60% increase rate (x1.6).
the module "B" at 4 of 4 max power would recharge with 120% increased rate (x2.2).

In that system, if the module has more "max power" slots, its a good thing. Totally the opposite of the "0% to a 100%" system, where you would imagine the less "max power" its better, because its cheaper to run it at full capacity.

[cdarklock]

Originally posted by BrokenCloud:

it has to have some sort of "pro"

It has double the fire rate.

[Airtroops83]

Originally posted by cdarklock:

Originally posted by BrokenCloud:

it has to have some sort of "pro"

It has double the fire rate.

Is that FIRE RATE or RECHARGE RATE, because fire rate on missiles is barely important at all when the recharge is so long