Executor ability idea

[kucsidave]

Since the Executor has a looooot of shield points, so it tajes it takes a lot of time to recharge it.
And to offer both a method to solve this and a nod to EaW abilities there could be an ability for it to redirect power to shields.
This would also solve the problem that in the last few levels there is nothing to spend your points to.
The ability would basically make the ship unable to move or shot but would recharge the shields with great speed until deactivated which you can't do within some time, like the dominator's interdict ability.
The inability to shot and move would serve as a counter to use it in battle making the unit unkillable, or if activated it would be rendered useless.
So my idea is to be:
Level 1: 50 shield/sec restored, available from level 1
Level 2: 75 shield/sec restored, available from level 3
Level 3: 100 shield/sec restored, available from level 6
Level 4: 150 shield/sec restored, available from level 9
This would also give the unit some variety about which ability you could chose, making the unit less linear in terms of progression route.

[Corey]

To be honest, I'd prefer this for the Viscount over the Executor.

[kucsidave]

Hey, Viscount is suffering from the same issue, so it would fit there well too.
If you want to give it to Viscount, do it. I am just happy if it can solve a problem

[kucsidave]

then an another idea for fleet tender units is a targeted ability called energy transfer:
It takes away 50% firepower, 15% speed and drains their shields with 5 shield/second, but would give
25 shield/second regeneration rate for the targeted ship. basicly they would transfer energy from their ship to the targeted one.
Or something along these lines

[Revanchist]

I think something more Executor-themed would be something like "Intensify Forward Battieries" that would increase its defense against projectiles and fighters or some such (like Piett ordered—albeit too late—in RotJ)

[derp]

I think something more Executor-themed would be something like "Intensify Forward Battieries" that would increase its defense against projectiles and fighters or some such (like Piett ordered—albeit too late—in RotJ)

I second this, its fluffy and from the movie.

[kucsidave]

that is great. it could give the executors the ability to target fighters too and increase it's firepower all on it's own, but for cost of shields or movement speed. In the movie it did not matter since the shields were down either way.

[Revanchist]

that is great. it could give the executors the ability to target fighters too and increase it's firepower all on it's own, but for cost of shields or movement speed. In the movie it did not matter since the shields were down either way.

Or only activate once the shields are down.

[Pali]

Or only activate once the shields are down.

...that could actually be a really interesting higher level ability for an Executor.  An autocast upon shields dropping ability with a heavy cool-down that, say, gives the ship 10 seconds of invulnerability and a big damage boost?

[kucsidave]

yeah. one of the things I loved most in sins were that the titans could be customized. So even if there were 2 advent loyalist players their titans could be entirely different. I think this could be implemented into Ascendancy too to customize titans, but at least Executors. Since the IR here also represents the warlords, it would make sense that every executor could be different after all look at Night Hammer, the Reaper and the Iron Fist. They were all very different. Night hammer was the most modern with upgraded weaponry and black stealth armor. The reaper was an the center of an empire(Pentastar Alignment), the current boost allegiance would fit that category well. The Brawl(Iron Fist) was more of a really military asset...

[Revanchist]

yeah. one of the things I loved most in sins were that the titans could be customized. So even if there were 2 advent loyalist players their titans could be entirely different. I think this could be implemented into Ascendancy too to customize titans, but at least Executors. Since the IR here also represents the warlords, it would make sense that every executor could be different after all look at Night Hammer, the Reaper and the Iron Fist. They were all very different. Night hammer was the most modern with upgraded weaponry and black stealth armor. The reaper was an the center of an empire(Pentastar Alignment), the current boost allegiance would fit that category well. The Brawl(Iron Fist) was more of a really military asset...

Hmm. That just gave me a cool idea (I have no idea how Sins works so this might be unfeasable) for different "paths" instead of standard upgrades. For example:

Knight Hammer track would decrease the upkeep cost and fleet supply each level, with the last level making it black and giving it extra fighter supply (as the Knight Hammer required fewer crew and actually carried closer to the number of fighters an Executor actually could carry if I recall)

Iron Fist track would increase hyperspace and sublight speed, with the last level giving it a one-time use "Save me" button activateable at low HP that would make it appear to be destroyed while actually jumping to the nearest capital shipyard (as the Iron Fist was used in hit-and-fades and that trick was used by Zsinj).

Reaper track would boost allegiance in your space and decrease enemy allegiance in theirs, with the last level also giving it an ability to generate a large amount of diplomatic points in other Imperial or Pentastar territory (as the Reaper was, in Imperial hands, used as a tool to attempt to reestablish faith in the Empire and bring wayward Imps "back into the fold.")

Lusankya track would provide a bonus against fighters and projectiles, with the last level giving it an ability to "activate sleeper agents" on a target ship, causing havoc in some way (as some of the heavy weaponry was replaced with more point defense systems and it was Isard's prison/reindoctrination center)

You can purchase any combination of these, but you could only get the highest tier if you invested all your points into that track.

[kucsidave]

I like the idea. and I think it could be somewhat plausible since there is one occasion/faction for a crossroad in the tech tree.

[Pali]

Eh... I'm personally not too keen on trying to use abilities to turn an SSD into any specific SSD from the lore.  Let's be honest here, none of those ships other than Night Hammer was truly described as acting all that differently from any of the other Executor-class SSDs, and even the Night Hammer's one showing didn't really have it acting any differently than a normal SSD would in its position.  I'll grant that Daala's an idiot an didn't use it well, but the truth is that it never got any real chance to distinguish itself past Cronus's dramatic reveal of it.

I'd rather have abilities that are considered to be ones general to the Executor class of vessel than ones that are supposed to be tied to a specific warlord.  If we're talking hero units, that is something different.

[kucsidave]

WEll, that is true. But the executors should have more abilities to becustomizeable. In fact, all "titans" should. It would give them some dimension other than them being them.
My main problem is that their progression trough the levels is too linear. there is nothing that could surprise you in level 2,4,6 and above 8.
Even level 1 is the only when you know nothing about a titan. in level 3 you know it has at least level 1 in every ability, in level 5 at least level 2 in every and in level 7 at least level 3.
If you know which titan has wich abilities then you can roughly guess what you can count with.
Now if there is 1 extra ability so being 5, you already have a much rougher estimation...
level 1 becomes much more of a wild card. instead of 12, you get 20 variations.
level 2: instead of 1, you get 120 possibilities
level 3: instead of 12(since the level 1-1-1-1 is a fix.), you get more than 150000 variations... And it only increases from there...
Not to mention that normally there is nothing you could spend points above level 8. Now you get. and only level 10 becomes a fix.

[derp]

Eh... I'm personally not too keen on trying to use abilities to turn an SSD into any specific SSD from the lore.  Let's be honest here, none of those ships other than Night Hammer was truly described as acting all that differently from any of the other Executor-class SSDs, and even the Night Hammer's one showing didn't really have it acting any differently than a normal SSD would in its position.  I'll grant that Daala's an idiot an didn't use it well, but the truth is that it never got any real chance to distinguish itself past Cronus's dramatic reveal of it.

I'd rather have abilities that are considered to be ones general to the Executor class of vessel than ones that are supposed to be tied to a specific warlord.  If we're talking hero units, that is something different.

What about the super secret stealth armor that's black.

[Pali]

What about the super secret stealth armor that's black.

Like I said, it got a dramatic reveal - and did nothing for the rest of the book that any other generic Executor couldn't do.

If all you want is to have a black SSD, play a round of Interregnum or two.  In that mod, having multiple SSD options fits in nicely to the Warlord faction because you are building a specific ship tied to the Warlord sub-faction you choose to go with - each of these ships is, in many respects, a warlord-specific hero unit as a Titan.  Ascendancy's IR faction is not like this; you've got a named doctrine or so to research, but these aren't exclusive and don't represent that specific leader taking power over the faction.

[Pentastar Enforcer]

Since us Sins folks can only pull one SSD into battle, I like this a ton, adds heroes to the game without being too constrictive.

[kucsidave]

I have a new idea but this time for all "Titan" class vessel(though mainly had the executor in mind when thinking about it)
The ideas is that particepating in many battles the crew would learn more about the vessel and it's weaknesses therefore strenghtening them and learn how to simplify things like fighter takeoff procedures to be more effective at fielding fighters and such things
War Machine
Requirest level 4/6/8/10 Titan
For Executors, since the IR is still about strenght than anything else:
Extra Armor 1.5/2.0/3.0/3.0
Strike craft build speed increase: 5%/5%/15%/25%
Rate of fire increase: 2%/5%/5%/15%
Range increase: 2%/5%/7%/10%
This would be like something in the lines of an ultimate, but since it is ascendancy not sins it would have it's drawback too. Since Corey said somewhere that they are working on a method that ships would take up resources instead of the ship supply I think that a ship like that would need more maintenance to keep up to speed, so
upkeep increase: 2%/5%/7%/10%

For Bellators, since the PA is fighter focused it could be
Extra Armor 0.5/1.0/2.0/2.0
Strike craft build speed increase: 10%/10%/20%/35%
Rate of fire increase: 2%/2%/5%/10%
Speed increase: 5%/7%/10%/15%
upkeep increase: 2%/5%/7%/10%

For Viscounts on the other hand could be more about agility than brute force, since that is what NR excels at.
Strike craft build speed increase: 5%/5%/15%/25%
Speed increase 2%/5%/15%/15%
Turn rate increase: 2%/5%/5%/15%
Range increase: 5%/10%/10%/20%
upkeep increase: 2%/5%/7%/10%

Also since the hand has no Titan class all their capitals could get a passive ability for free at level 10 which would give them, just to be fair
Extra armor0.5
Turn rate increase: 5%
Hyperspace charge up decrease: 5%

[Pali]

I hate to say it, Kucs, but I think you're going the wrong direction there.  Titan abilities I think, given how each ship is unique, should be more than just stat bonuses - they should be what make the ship unique, not just a bigger capital ship.  The Sov is a great example of this - the superlaser is something no other ship in the game has, and it has grav wells to boot, making it truly terrifying if you're not ready for it.  The Bellator's power to weapons functions differently than lesser abilities of capital ships and requires micro to use properly, again making it stand out (that and the crapton of lasers that it lets fly ).  This I think is the direction Titan abilities should be developed in.

[tlmiller]

I hate to say it, Kucs, but I think you're going the wrong direction there.  Titan abilities I think, given how each ship is unique, should be more than just stat bonuses - they should be what make the ship unique, not just a bigger capital ship.  The Sov is a great example of this - the superlaser is something no other ship in the game has, and it has grav wells to boot, making it truly terrifying if you're not ready for it.  The Bellator's power to weapons functions differently than lesser abilities of capital ships and requires micro to use properly, again making it stand out (that and the crapton of lasers that it lets fly ).  This I think is the direction Titan abilities should be developed in.

I agree.  Also the reason I'm a big fan of the NR capitals, they have interesting abilities as compared to the IR (Overwhelm + tractor beams).