The Ion Cannon needs to be changed...

[Greb Jnnayr]

I hate how the Ion Cannon hits everyting in my sights. Every dogfight I get into their are friendlies near by and they always get hit. Also my wingmen always seem to get hit, or I get hit by one if I give one of wingmen one. They need to change the Ion cannon to only hit the ship that is targeted. In this game Friendlies are in every sector so the Ion cannon that hits everything does not belong or make any sense. please change this in a patch, or can we change it in a script.

[Lothmorg]

I know this is oversimplified, but, if you don't like it, don't use it.

[Animal Al]

AMEN!

The chain lightening effect was interesting but I am tired of losing my license every time because a "buddy" is nearby.

FIX THIS PLEASE

[Serpentillius]

definately should be the targeted ship only that gets blatted with it, its damn annoying when your trying to keep/improve relations with a race by killing Khaak or Pirates and there is one of the races ships too close and you forget to turn it off!! or maybe needs something on it that won`t let it hit freindly ships? Dunno something needs to be done.. hint hint.. Egosoft?

[Greb Jnnayr]

The Ion cannon is the best tool to capture ships. It is a bounty hunters tool. I want to be a bounty hunter. It is real stupid to have chain effect when every sector is going to frienlies in it. So there is no point in saying "don't use it" because they put it in their to use it, but some Einstien didn't reliese that friendlies are always near by. They really need to change this.

[Azzkicka]

The Ion Cannon is already to powerful, and the fact that it hits multiple targets and doesn't do any damage to hulls is the only reason it isn’t an absolute super weapon like the PSG.

You will know what I mean when you come across a pirate with a ion cannon...

Takes about 2-3 seconds to take down your 50-75MW shields…

[Lothmorg]

It takes almost as much effort to complain about it as it does to nerf it yourself. Need some help with that? There are many, many threads on how to do that.

[RUN]

My last battle was with 4 novas 3 busters and 8 discos.
Results 3 novas 2 busters and 8 discos all captured two destroyed from them running into me go figure. All with my baracuda and 2 ion cannons and a bire. time 30 mins the ion cannons were hiting as many as 6 ships at once nice show I must say. SO DONT CHANGE THEM you need to learn how to use them. Side note I cureently have 200 ships captured and sitting in 4 stations as part of my grand scheme. I am pre khaak as I am in presidents end if i leave they invade so I am getting my army ready.

[Momaw]

The Ion Disruptor is, if anything, far too powerful right now. It strips shields in seconds. If it's a problem for you, just buy an Alpha IRE and use it to get your enemy's attention, then lure them out somewhere far away from friendlies. It helps to set your gravidar range to 10Km so you can be sure you won't hit anybody else.

[Lunar Crayon]

The area effect idea of it is a good way to balance it. Helps to stop folk going willy-nilly with it.

-LC

[vabtek]

My last battle was with 4 novas 3 busters and 8 discos.
Results 3 novas 2 busters and 8 discos all captured two destroyed from them running into me go figure. All with my baracuda and 2 ion cannons and a bire. time 30 mins the ion cannons were hiting as many as 6 ships at once nice show I must say. SO DONT CHANGE THEM you need to learn how to use them. Side note I cureently have 200 ships captured and sitting in 4 stations as part of my grand scheme. I am pre khaak as I am in presidents end if i leave they invade so I am getting my army ready.

I tend to agree with the Learn how to use it point of view. What usefulness differents weapons type are if the player doesn't change is combat tactics with it and continues acting with a rocket launcher as if he still had a 9mm in his hands and no brain? I imagine the swat member in a hostage situation comming back saying... Man I wanted to shoot the terrorist in the room where the hostages were with the grenade launcher, cause I find it really cool... Dam it's not fair it kills all the hostages! And asking himself why after the commander made revomed the grenade launcher of his weapon... It's not the Ion guns the problem but the one who decide where and when to pull the triger! I keep safe distance from frendlies when I want to use it (Think part) and use cheap missiles, one on each target that I want to get their attentions... And dont worry they will come say hello to you away from frendlies. Meaby that before complaining about weapons it would be a good idea to try transposing those claims in the context of another game that also have range of weapons power and area effects that are more conventional (grenades/rocket launchers) and ask yourself if it make sens using those weapons shooting in a direction whyle frendlies are in range. It's not because this game plays in space and use weapons nomentlature that doesn't directly relate to real life type weaponry that their is no need for similar weapon cathegories... Reading complaints about Ions look to me as if I was reading a complaint saying that the flamethrower in game XYZ was burning frendlies just on the side of the target... Noooo is that so?... samething for PSG's that do comparable damage than a rocket launcher in game XYZ... Man the rocket completly destoyed the building and everything in it... You dont say...

[Mehrunes]

Jesus Christ, I already reduced the damage of the Ion Disruptor and I still think it's a tad overpowered. It can capture any ship eventually without doing any additional hull damage, plus it destroys any missile in it's field instantly. Here's a hint look where you're shooting before pulling the trigger.

[vabtek]

Addon.

Ions are the equivalent of flash grenades in FPS and behave in the same way and I love using them in FPS before entering a room full of ennemies. Flash grenade are range weapons temporally disabling your enemies defenses... Their blind and vulnerable to any attack and effect has a limited time until thay can see you again and can be experience by the player too. Ions do exactly the same type of range effect in temporarelly disabling ennemies defenses (shields) making them vulnerable to your attack and can also be experience by the player. Now if you ever played on-line FPS, ask yourself if you would have the brillant idea of throwing a flash grenade near your team mates without pissing them off or if you would think before using it... When it occasionally happend when playing on-line that one of the team mate throws one flash grenade that bounce back of the wall, all our team was wipe out in seconds by the other teams during the time we were all blind if not ending killing each other. same thing apply for Ion I think.

[Benj]

I'm not sure why a stream of ions would 'bounce' in space - there's nothing conductive. If it did bouce off shields, why would it seek out another ship instead of ricochette randomly? Are these ions extra smart somehow? I'd prefer the shot get absorbed by the first target hit. Hunting spaceflies would be harder, thought...

[Momaw]

The weapon fires a spray of ion in a cone in front of your ship as it's firing, that's why it can hit anything on front of you (and why it arcs).



As far as changing how ion disruptors work... Leave the arcing. It's a good balance to a weapon that does altogether too much damage.

[kylereich]

It can capture any ship eventually without doing any additional hull damage

How many ships have you captured with 100% hull? I don't think that's possible. Everything I've read on these forums says 87% is the highest that an enemy will bail at.

Kyle

[heff978]

actually I don't mind the effect, just fix the damn noise it makes , its like 100% louder than any other laser or weapon!

[caleb]

Agree with most of you. The area effect help balance it off. It's still great for capturing, but far too powerful. It should NOT knock out systems, just shields. Would be fair on other weapons.

[Acidic]

The Ion Disruptor IS balanced. Its primary purpose is to do maximum shield damage. Thats what it DOES. It is incapable of damaging hulls, and is a mass-targeting weapon to add skill to using such a powerful device which stops folks going bonkers with it. I agree with the Ion wrecking software, but I disagree with it wrecking hardware.

Also, 90% hull is the theoretical limit upon which ships can be captured.

What needs changing, is the weapon loadout on AI ships. For christ sakes, equip Nova's with Ion Disruptors. Make them change their weapons during combat periodically or on some other set event happening in the game world.

[Drastic]

The ID's more or less balanced as-is; it could be tweaked minorly here and there, I suppose. Reduce the range at which it arcs to other things in range, for instance--and I think it would be nice, as a counterbalance to the point-blank nature of the other guns, that if you were too close, it would arc right back to you. Thus making it a good idea to use it only at range, and not with the quick-kill combo of pairing one ID with a heavy slow hitter.