Combat Tractor Beam OP vs Borg?

posted on September 7th, 2010, 12:42 pm

I think it may be a bit overpowered. Large ships more than twice the size of you and yet you can hold them with a tractor beam? I dunno but I think there should be a penalty on it if you try to lock onto it (like if you have less then X many locking it down. The ship using the tractor beam could be pulled apart from the sheer force of Borg engines pulling on the tractor beam).

posted on September 7th, 2010, 12:46 pm

i think you are right that there should be a number of ships required to target a large ship with combat tractor.

maybe 3 are required for sphere, diamond, tavara and dread.

4 for pyramid

5 for cube.

same would apply to disruptor bombardment.

or have it so that energy used per second of these depends on size of enemy ship.

so a chargh can pin a cube for a lot less time than a scube.

posted on September 7th, 2010, 1:37 pm

I'm not sure if it is possible to do this with the current engine.

That aside, i think this is one of the few situations when the combat tractor beam has actual use. Don't downgrade it further.

posted on September 7th, 2010, 1:39 pm

That aside, i think this is one of the few situations when the combat tractor beam has actual use. Don't downgrade it further.

that's not true, if an enemy is trying to run away u can guarantee a kill with the combat tractor. thats a free kill in every battle

and i think that making 3 of them for stopping a sphere is a good bargain.

posted on September 7th, 2010, 1:41 pm

That aside, i think this is one of the few situations when the combat tractor beam has actual use. Don't downgrade it further.

Think of it this way. How logical do you think it would be seeing someone tow the Disney Cruise Ship with a Pontoon Boat? It is a similar concept. A small ship like that shouldn't be able to halt a huge cube.

posted on September 7th, 2010, 1:59 pm

Must agree, either that or make the cube immune to tractor beams - Species 8472 was immune to tractors so it must be possible in the games engine.

posted on September 7th, 2010, 2:23 pm

A very nice ability, but it can be difficult to handle for most players it seems . Considering it is on the TaQ'roja Klingons, who already have the weakest defenses and hardest tech up time of the two, I think it is just fine the way it is now 

posted on September 7th, 2010, 2:31 pm

A very nice ability, but it can be difficult to handle for most players it seems . Considering it is on the TaQ'roja Klingons, who already have the weakest defenses and hardest tech up time of the two, I think it is just fine the way it is now 

As much as I'd agree on that statement. I still feel that the Tractor Beam ability needs some more work. The very fact that I can stop a cube with a little ship like that and fly circles around it just disturbs me. I find it way to OP when against Borg as is. I would like if maybe there was additional penalties when targeting a borg ship.

posted on September 7th, 2010, 2:46 pm

Think of it this way. How logical do you think it would be seeing someone tow the Disney Cruise Ship with a Pontoon Boat? It is a similar concept. A small ship like that shouldn't be able to halt a huge cube.

Actually in the vacuum of space weight does not matter, nor does friction, which is the major contributor in your example, only inertia and how to overcome it. This is why astronauts in space can handle enormous objects.

Besides the Charg does not have to move the cube. All it has to do is prevent movement, that's what the combat tractor beam is all about. The engines on a cube are designed to overcome the inertia of cube. All the Charg has to do is cancel out just enough of the cube's engines energy to prevent the engines overcoming the inertia.

posted on September 7th, 2010, 2:54 pm

Actually in the vacuum of space weight does not matter, nor does friction, which is the major contributor in your example, only inertia and how to overcome it.

A good point.  So its really just a matter of engines/power.  A sphere may be fast, but does it have powerful engine power?  Actually the whole concept of speed is a little warped anyway, as in space there is only one theoretical speed limit for any ship that can provide any amount of thrust.

Considering small tugs in the seas can pull bigger ships, size doesn't even come into on Earth either!

My final thought is more of a question.... who has actually suffered from the dreaded combat tractor in game?  How often has it been used against you?  Was it such a problem?  At the end of the day, if you are outgunned or need to run you're possible going to loose a ship or two regardless.  Its just another special that causes hurt (indirectly).

If you are combat tractored and you really want to save the ship, stop running, turn and focus all fire on the Charg.

posted on September 7th, 2010, 2:59 pm

Combat tractor can be a bit of an annoyance when you have a ship with a limited firing arc.

Overall the easiest solution is to simply focus on the Charg as mentioned.

posted on September 7th, 2010, 3:02 pm

Lol Klingon needs a way to stop the dancing spheres!

[Andre27]

posted on September 7th, 2010, 3:05 pm

Last edited by Andre27 on September 7th, 2010, 3:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

That's balance especially for you 

Edit: Oops, thought the text in the signature was the actual post 

posted on September 7th, 2010, 3:06 pm

Mass is still important fellas . Tractor beams never followed any real physical rules though in ST, so why should they in FO? We had certain crew holding certain several ton objects - not to mention using tractor beams to stop chunks of a sun, or to push ships without the slightest bit of inertial gain.

@ Loki - Gamer is talking about against the AI

posted on September 7th, 2010, 3:11 pm

Mass is still important fellas .

Mass has influence on the energy needed to overcome inertia. The cube in ST is almost the size of a small moon.
Large engines (lots of energy) needed to overcome inertia and begin movement, (relatively) small amount of energy needed to prevent movement.