Tractor Beams

posted on August 24th, 2009, 5:27 pm

in a post of self destruct, it was mentioned...

I personally think every ship should have tractor beam, though its strenght depends on how powerful, and self destruct, but the systems can be knocked out

WHAT IF...

certain class of ships, say 5% had tractor beams, (2 from the little yard, myabe 1 from the big yard) but they used up special energy while the beam is engaged. 

you could send a scout to grap a disabled ship and tow it a real short distance,  maybe drag it into a nebula where a better equiped ship could retrieve it later.  or take many drags, and wait to recharge the energy to pull it another few feet.

posted on August 24th, 2009, 5:44 pm

certain class of ships, say 5% had tractor beams, (2 from the little yard, myabe 1 from the big yard) but they used up special energy while the beam is engaged. 

you could send a scout to grap a disabled ship and tow it a real short distance,  maybe drag it into a nebula where a better equiped ship could retrieve it later.  or take many drags, and wait to recharge the energy to pull it another few feet.

Nah.... Wasting energy of a tractor beam seems ridiculous. It is a standard system, not a special one! Though tractor beams should be given to civil units. Civil units should be able to do something other than just build or mine.

The Combat tractor Beam is a modded version allowing to lock on to any enemy ship to basically make it stop moving. I propose that Modified Tractor Beams could use up energy.

posted on August 24th, 2009, 5:52 pm

Nah.... Wasting energy of a tractor beam seems ridiculous.

tell that to the monkeys who made Star Trek Encounters.  there is a section where you have to tow a 'widget' out of a maze of sorts, if you dont transfer all energy to weapons, your beam  cuts out midway, and you have to wait to rebuild energy to grab it again.  Annoying, but it could be useful in FO. 

again, scout ships could use all there energy to get 1/8 of the way across the map
ships from the little yard cold get 1/3
and the construciton ships could get 100% (use no energy)


again,  just spitballin some ideas here.

posted on August 24th, 2009, 5:56 pm

Hmmm... I'd like to see a energy use free cloak just as much...

[move]:shifty:   [/move]

posted on August 24th, 2009, 8:51 pm

I agree  about giving the Feds Newton or constructors a Tow Beam aka tractor beam. I would not prefer a "combat Tractor beam" for the factions. Nor  does it make sense for it to use special energy. Just my  2 cents.

posted on August 24th, 2009, 8:54 pm

If the standard Newton gets a Tractor Beam, then the Mixed-tech one should keep the Combat Tractor.

posted on August 24th, 2009, 11:36 pm

But still give it a normal tractor beam, or make it work as a normal tractor on disabled ships. Dunno how possible that it.

posted on August 25th, 2009, 2:43 pm

why is everyone so hot and bothered for a COMBAT tactor beam?  the only time i can recall a tractor beam being a useful tool was in Starfleet Acadamy,  haveing a capital ship going up against a small klingon shuttle, you could never get a phaser lock.  but if it went on a straffing run, you could lock on to his 'soon to be dead self' and once the tractor pulled him to point blank range, you could obliterate him.  you would take some mild damage to your shields and or hull, you COULD potentally take out both your and your enemys ship.

the only pheasible advantages i persoanlly see to the "COMBAT" tractor beam, if you were to station a ship or 3 with said ability around a starbase, set there movement to nill and should a enemy capital ship approach your starbase, the ships could hold it from getting away, while your starbase destroys it.

but the way i tend to play,  if the enemy is ON your doorstep, you've done something wrong! and defeat is close at hand.


ALSO,  not to go off-rant,  something about A2 (maybe A1, cant really recall)  if your constructor looses its engines, you take a combat ship there, why cant the constructor lock on to the ship and that ship tow the constructor back to a shipyard.  Tractor beams should work both ways. 

IN FACT,  maybe if a ship has a speed of 10, when it tows something, maybe the speed should drop in half.  or if two ships have tractor beams, and they get into a 'tug-o-war"  whoever has the better engines wins? 

Ship A has a engine stat of 8 pulling left and
Ship B has a engine stat of 6 pulling right, 
the TWO should be going left at a speed of 2

i'm not sure how realistic it is to have mass and drag as factors in space, but that is a little more of my thinkings

posted on August 29th, 2009, 6:57 am

If the standard Newton gets a Tractor Beam, then the Mixed-tech one should keep the Combat Tractor.

A Newton  should not get a "Combat Tractor" beam. How about the mixed tech version gets a "civilian phaser " like the  Klingon Chor does . However  set the  weaponds strenght to that of the Scouts class  would be at. A Newton is a SUPPORT Vessel, NOT a Combat Vessel.What you propose is like taking a 15 foot Flat bottomed Jonh boat with a 4 horse outboard to do torpedo runs  on a Battle ship. Not very useful or wise, allthough you would  will not  have  to worry about haveing enough gas for the return trip home.

[Tyler]

posted on August 29th, 2009, 2:08 pm

Last edited by Tyler on August 29th, 2009, 2:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Baleful already said one thing the Combat Tractor is good for. The Newton already has a Phaser, that gets stronger (I think) if it is half-Klingon. If it bothers you that much, just rename the weapon.

the only pheasible advantages i persoanlly see to the "COMBAT" tractor beam, if you were to station a ship or 3 with said ability around a starbase, set there movement to nill and should a enemy capital ship approach your starbase, the ships could hold it from getting away, while your starbase destroys it.

A single-use ship is completly alien for the Federation. Even Repair ships should be able to help in some way when repairs aren't needed.