People on the Steam forums recently suggested that gatling guns were overpowered. Since gatlings are meant to be strong against light armours and weak against heavy ones, I'm curious as to what armour types you use in your designs.
Of light/med/heavy wood/steel, which ones do you use? Do you think armour types are well-balanced?
I use wood and light steel for my smaller ships, and normal steel for my bigger ships. It really depends on the ship, since I require nearly all of my ships to go above 140M. It's also an aesthetic choice, since a steel ship looks more 'modern' than a wooden ship.
Specifically because it makes rifles and gatling guns completely useless.
I focus on fewer but more expensive ships in my fleets, so spending the extra ~$300 to upgrade to Steel is worth it imo.
I almost never use heavy wooden armor, it weighs to much and requires tech to use in campaigns and heavy steel 'feels' better is every way.
I feel that steel walls are like tissue paper and while looking nice hardly protects anything - but i guess is appropriate for the light-weight and low cost.
Steel armour and steel wall hybrid. Armour on important stuff, wall for corridors, berths, quarters, and other unimportant modules. works well along with a keel.
Straight steel armor unless I have heavy steel and a ship with a flight ceiling far higher than the upper limit of my acceptable (the top of the starting box). I like to use heavy steel questions lot on land ships because they can take the weight, so might as well.
Reinforced wood because it is armoured enough for combat yet light enough to build capital ships that have a height ceiling higher than I can throw :). I have a problem with building big ships, I know they are underpowered but it's just too much fun!
I use swarm tactics. Maybe upgrade to reinforced wood? Though I usually just get swarms of airships/ground units. Seems to work. (Found this out, when my dreadnought class ships would die extremely easily)
Almost exclusively steel armour, heavy steel armour, and steel walls on less-essential parts for weight-saving.
Despite the fact that I like the look of reinforced wooden armour, it usually never seems worth it. It's about as protective but weighs 1.5x what steel armour weights. Yeah sure it costs slightly less than its steel counterpart, but usually the stuff underneath that I want to protect is what costs the most money.
I kind of wish its cost was increased to $8 and its HP buffed appropriately (I would prefer to keep the weight and absorption differences as they are part of the theme), though I'd like to hear other people's thoughts on the matter first.
I used to aim for 130m but I found the 25m or so can be advantageous, as it puts you above most of the floating islands.
It depends on role of course. For high altitude bombers I aim for 200m at a minimum.
My largest and heaviest warship did about 70m but I found even with all the guns and armour being trapped in a corner or with someone on top of you usually leads to a loss. I recently spent a good deal of effort getting that ship up to 103m, mainly by replacing all of the wood with steel (something I also recently did for the rest of my ships).
Anyways, the weight is expensive. Switching to wooden armour means adding more suspendium chambers and more coal.
Aerial Emperor
People on the Steam forums recently suggested that gatling guns were overpowered. Since gatlings are meant to be strong against light armours and weak against heavy ones, I'm curious as to what armour types you use in your designs.
Of light/med/heavy wood/steel, which ones do you use? Do you think armour types are well-balanced?
Air Lord, Engineering Corps
I only use light steel armour, but i design my ships to have as many redundant systems as possible (scattered ammo stores, multiple bridges, etc).
To me if you know how to do that steel armour is really well balanced!
Midshipman
I use wood and light steel for my smaller ships, and normal steel for my bigger ships. It really depends on the ship, since I require nearly all of my ships to go above 140M. It's also an aesthetic choice, since a steel ship looks more 'modern' than a wooden ship.
Commander, Engineering Corps
Steel Armor and Heavy Steel Armor all the way.
Specifically because it makes rifles and gatling guns completely useless.
I focus on fewer but more expensive ships in my fleets, so spending the extra ~$300 to upgrade to Steel is worth it imo.
I almost never use heavy wooden armor, it weighs to much and requires tech to use in campaigns and heavy steel 'feels' better is every way.
I feel that steel walls are like tissue paper and while looking nice hardly protects anything - but i guess is appropriate for the light-weight and low cost.
Midshipman
Steel armour and steel wall hybrid. Armour on important stuff, wall for corridors, berths, quarters, and other unimportant modules. works well along with a keel.
Commander
Straight steel armor unless I have heavy steel and a ship with a flight ceiling far higher than the upper limit of my acceptable (the top of the starting box). I like to use heavy steel questions lot on land ships because they can take the weight, so might as well.
Lieutenant
Reinforced wood because it is armoured enough for combat yet light enough to build capital ships that have a height ceiling higher than I can throw :). I have a problem with building big ships, I know they are underpowered but it's just too much fun!
Warrant Officer
I use the simple wooden armor because any army die so fast that they won't do much damage. Fire-power > Defence
Captain, Engineering Corps
I use swarm tactics. Maybe upgrade to reinforced wood? Though I usually just get swarms of airships/ground units. Seems to work. (Found this out, when my dreadnought class ships would die extremely easily)
Aerial Emperor
Note that light armour is getting a +50% HP upgrade in dev 8 as well to encourage its use. :)
Commander, Engineering Corps
Is that light steel or light wood?
Aerial Emperor
Both, and also brick walls.
Captain, Engineering Corps
@Zarkonnen. But the only downsides of wood armor, is that it's easy to burn, making Steel the choice for end-game units?
Commander
Almost exclusively steel armour, heavy steel armour, and steel walls on less-essential parts for weight-saving.
Despite the fact that I like the look of reinforced wooden armour, it usually never seems worth it. It's about as protective but weighs 1.5x what steel armour weights. Yeah sure it costs slightly less than its steel counterpart, but usually the stuff underneath that I want to protect is what costs the most money.
I kind of wish its cost was increased to $8 and its HP buffed appropriately (I would prefer to keep the weight and absorption differences as they are part of the theme), though I'd like to hear other people's thoughts on the matter first.
Captain, Engineering Corps
@Harpy Eagle. I have one question for you. About, what's the service ceiling of your ships?
Commander
Between 70m and 150m.
I used to aim for 130m but I found the 25m or so can be advantageous, as it puts you above most of the floating islands.
It depends on role of course. For high altitude bombers I aim for 200m at a minimum.
My largest and heaviest warship did about 70m but I found even with all the guns and armour being trapped in a corner or with someone on top of you usually leads to a loss. I recently spent a good deal of effort getting that ship up to 103m, mainly by replacing all of the wood with steel (something I also recently did for the rest of my ships).
Anyways, the weight is expensive. Switching to wooden armour means adding more suspendium chambers and more coal.