Research Project: Zeus Array

[xivim]

From: CO, KRS
To: All Fleet personnel
Subject: Project Zeus
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KRS Is looking for 3-5 Officers to help with Design and Testing of the "Zeus Array" For fleet use in PvE and PvP encounters. If you are at all interested in Project Zeus, please reply to this thread.


Description: Project Zeus

Project Zeus involves the design and implementation of the Zeus Array. While not a physical weapon installed onto a ship, the term Zeus Array describes multiple Attack-Ships working in unison, in formation to pummel the shields and hull of 1 opponent in as short a time period as possible.

How does the Zeus Array work? (at this point in development)

For the Zeus Array to be fully effective, a mix of Tactical or Science vessels, no fewer then 3, will be used in the formation. Both types of ships will execute the ZA (Zeus Array) at the same time, but the method of use for each ship varies.

The object of the ZA is to utilize any shield dampening or damaging attack in conjunction with the rest of the Squadron at the same time. Immediately after these abilities are used, the highest version of High Yield Torpedo should be used on a Quantum Torpedo.

If everything works, The High Yield Quantum's should hit right after the shields drop. 3-5 HYQTs hitting an unshielded side at the same time should take out any ship we come across.

Science Vessels and Escorts both have different means to take out shields. It will be the responisbility of this research team to find out which combination of vessels, weapons, and abilities work best, and how to set up the attack formation.

After testing is completed within the research team, the team will use its new abilities against another group in a set of scenarioes, that will be set up in multiple stages:
A) An opponent that knows nothing about Zeus, and is not expecting it
B) An opponent that has seen what it can do, but doesnt know how to fully counter it yet
C) An opponent that has worked out the counter to this weapon.

The research team should also look into ways to counter Zeus. Finding its flaws before deployment will allow us to narrow its margin for failure.

[Morgan Shackelford]

Let me know what I can do to help out

[Morgan Shackelford]

Get with me when you can on this Mr. Greenhaven. I think I may be on to something. I'll do a writeup if I don't get a chance to talk to you soon about it.

[xivim]

i should be online today, if not, then very likely over the weekend.

[Morgan Shackelford]

If you were on this weekend Mr. Greenhaven, I missed you.

Here's a very simplistic version of what I'm thinking.

5 man squadron. 3 cruisers; 2 escorts. If a science vessel is available, then it could be subsituted for a cruiser; I leave it out of the initial setup because I want something that works with what we generally have available; and there aren't a great many science vessel captains most of the time.

Cruisers carry an array of full broadside layouts - 8 beam arrays, preferably phasers and tetryon or a mix of the two. 8 beams is doable, given that the engineering consoles are setup with 2x EPS power transfers and 2x plasma manifolds. BO powers for the cruisers should include Emergency power to weapons and Beam overload. Tachyon beams might be considered as well.

Escorts carry quantams and High yield torp III, along with disruptor banks. Mask energy signature might come handy for the surprise factor.

Formation would initally be the three cruisers in loose chevron, or possibly abreast. Escorts would be high and behind.

Once the target is acquired and within 10km (or 12km if target is closing on formation), cruisers make 90 degree turns to form the classic naval 'T' - allowing the full brunt of 24 arrays to be brought to bear on the target.

Once the light show starts escorts drop 'cloak' and torpedoes away. Given the flight time, the shields should easily be down by the time they strike.

Timing may have to be adjusted on the torpedo volleys depending on the situation. Hardened PvE targets like tactical cubes would take longer to drop the shields; PvP targets may pop shield buffs and those would have to time out first.

In any case, it's a starting point that we can begin experimenting with. I would recommend we try and establish some wargames with the Marines and regular Fleet personnel to test this out and see if it as devestating as I'm hoping it will be.

[xivim]

Sounds like a good plan. I do know that the EPS consoles are no longer necessary for a full "broadside" of Arrays. EPS only affects energy transfer (like from shields to weapons) but has nothing to do on your energy pool when firing weapons. a ship with 4 EPS, one with 2 EPS, and one with 0 EPS will do the same dmg via a broadside (if everything else is the same)

[Morgan Shackelford]

Hmm, I'll have to experiment with my consoles some then. I'm running with the 8 arrays, 2x EPS and 2x manifolds. If the EPS isn't really doing anything for the weapon power pool then I don't care to have them; I don't often switch up energy configurations in mid combat, so they'd be fairly useless to me.

As far as I know, and correct me if I'm wrong, but the actual energy weapons level at the time of firing doesn't effect the damage output at all. You just want to avoid hitting 0, because then they will stop firing. Correct?

[xivim]

The higher the weapon energy at the time of firing, the more damage it will do. 100 energy = 2x damage. 50 energy = normal damage. so having something like 118 is alot of damage. each weapon that fires uses some energy. Lets say you have 4 weapons.

Weapon energy is at 100. Each weapon fires 0.01 seconds after the one before it. so the available energy for each weapon would be:

100 For Weapon 1
95 for weapon 2
90 for weapon 3
85 for weapon 4.

Lets say it takes 3 seconds to complete firing. At the end of the firing cycle, all energy used is refunded. so weapons 1-4 finish, your back at 100.

[Morgan Shackelford]

I see. Well... might be better to go with 4x manifold to get to as high a starting point as possible, then.

[xivim]

thats what i was thinking. Big Mac is set up mainly with Armor Plating at the moment, kind needed when facing the borg. I may place her in Drydock to strip the armor and place in some manifolds

[Morgan Shackelford]

Well, the EPS consoles are definitely doing something in regards to my weapon power pool. With two of them, I can fire all 8 arrays and rarely drop below 50 (from a start point of 117).

I took them off last night and could barely keep power levels on the weapons above 40, and was dropping to 0 with alarming frequency.

[xivim]

yeah the same thing happens on Big Mac, with no EPS. i never dip bellow 50 weapons energy. remember, if each weapon takes 5 energy (i think thats what arrays take) then 8 of them will take a max of 40 energy. so you should never dip bellow 50-60 depending on weapon energy setting. of course using abilities changes this

[Morgan Shackelford]

You're forgetting the -10 energy for firing a beam while firing other beams.

I guess all I'm saying is that you can't really run 8 arrays without some kind of EPS.

[xivim]

Cryptic has stated that EPS will not effect weapons in any way, only transferring power from one system to another. I have no EPS in the Big Mac, and never dip bellow 50 weapon energy. (unless i use something like Beam Overload)

I have tried putting 1 and 2 EPS into Big Mac, and it makes no difference on available weapon energy as i fight.

and i run 6 Polaron arrays and 2 Disruptor arrays.

Edit:

From what i remember that -10 energy for firing multiple arrays is a one time deal, per firing "cycle"

so, lets say 100 WE, 5 arrays. You fire Array 1. now your at 95 WE. 1 Mil Second later, Array 2 fires. Before it calculates damage, 10 WE is removed from the pool. so Wep 2 fires At 85 WE instead of 95 WE, and the WE pool is now at 80. Array 3 fires, now its at 75. Array 4 Fires, 70. Array 5 fires, 65.

Its not like you lose 10 energy every time you fire an array, its a one time deal per cycle.

WARNING, i have not 100% verfied this as of yet, will attempt to test it this afternoon.

[Morgan Shackelford]

Maybe it's some kind of skill/spec/class issue. All I know is I took my EPS off, went and fought something, and my power pool died.

Let me know what happens when you do it.