Are disruptors any good?

[fishfritters]

So right now there are basically three ways of taking out a shield: 1) Destroy it directly with kinetic, HEAT, frags, etc. 2) Destroy it with EMP via missiles, CRAM, particle cannon or advanced cannon. 3) Destroy it with an advanced cannon using disruptor conduit shells. The disruptors seem very weak right now compared to the other methods; to take a shield out in fewer than four hits you need huge shells that take minutes to reload. The other methods (especially particle cannons) don't take much time to reload and can still deliver a desent to massive EMP burst that can knock out the shield block (unless the shield is protected by lots of armor). The only reason I can see the disruptor being better is that because it damages the shield block by hitting the shield, no amount of EMP protection can stop it. Are disruptors worth using over all the other methods?

[An Ning]

Disruptors SUCK.

They decrease your accuracy GREATLY -making you more likely to miss- AND decrease the EMP damage you do.

I did some tests a while ago with a 6m long 500mm shell slowed to 300m/s and the rest EMP with a disruptor cap vs a 450+ m/s with frag.

In the time it took me to blow the shield with a disruptor, the frag had bored through 2m of heavy armor, destroyed the shield generator, and move on to the next target.

Don't use disruptors.... ever.

[FourGreenFields]

Originally posted by An Ning:

Don't use disruptors.... ever.

Layered shields backed up by good anti-missile and smoke systems?
HE won't do much if the shields are at a distance, and frag will get deflected by the second layer.

I once had a design with a fastish-fireing disruptor cannon. Took out shields at a reasonable rate. Might be that smaller shells are better in this case (or maybe not).

[An Ning]

Disruptors still have to hit, which, with the reduced accuracy, has shown dang near impossible when I use it unless firing at something hardly moving/manuevering or being VERY close-in (in which case you may as well go with a Devourer setup and have a ton of drills).

As for shields and anti-lasers... you can always use 20 particle cannons on 10 sec reload times

[FourGreenFields]

Originally posted by An Ning:

Disruptors still have to hit, which, with the reduced accuracy, has shown dang near impossible when I use it unless firing at something hardly moving/manuevering or being VERY close-in (in which case you may as well go with a Devourer setup and have a ton of drills).

Accuracy shouldn't be as much of an issue with smaller shells, as you can build longer barrels (relative to the shell size). And with higher RoF, tracers might be viable too.

[luxon001]

why do you guys hate ditruptors? I have a thrustercraft with emp only weaponry (including a distruptor minigun) and it works great... distruptor should be used with a small gauge (due to the accuracy penalty) and high rate of fire.

[fishfritters]

Ok, after a little experimentation disruptors don't seem quite as bad. A 1800 RPM minigun firing 70mm disruptor shells took down a strength 10 shield in 7-10 seconds. However, the shield was under a kilometer away and many shells still missed despite the 15m barrel. It seems that unless using a railgun buffing the accuracy, the disruptors are most effective at close range (or maybe using fins or flares on the shells?). Even if the shield is repaired within 5 seconds that's still enough time for a cannon (especially high-speed shots that the shield would have reflected) to cause a decent amount of damage to the formerly shielded area.

[rditto48801]

I would second using fins to improve accuracy.
Although I have not used them in a while, don't rail guns have the option to divert power into improving accuracy instead of muzzle velocity?