|| Archive || Basewars ||

Quick Rundown - Weapons
02/09/2006

Primary Weapons

All of the weapons have been completed. After the first test of the first semi-stable alpha build, I'd encountered several bugs and errors with them. After clearing those up (missing textures, incorrect sound formats, table flag typos) I'd gotten down to testing. In total, there are ten guns and ten missiles. There are two groups of weapons - player weapons and faction weapons. Player weapons consist of five guns and five missiles (plus two clips) that can be found in the Base Armory. The armory has been scripted so that each weapon has it's own seperate respawn time - This is very important for two reasons, A - It reduces the overall lag and B - It balances things out and prevents hoarding.

Basewars doesn't go as crazy as it's predacessors - The weapons are simplified, yet elegant in their design. The first group is the player owned weapon group. Or, in Basewars terms - Weapons produced by the Earth Alliance.

It starts with the Small Blaster. This weapon is a semi-fast gun that delivers a simple bolt of energy toward it's target. The blaster guns are best known as the glowing blue "bolts" that you see in all three Hyperspace levels, more commonly in Apotheosis. The effects have been upgraded of course,

The second gun is the Medium Blaster. This is just a larger version of the small one, and it delivers a more lethal charge at the cost of ROF, velocity and energy usage.

" Blasters operate on a low-energy rule. They are capable of producing fast bolts of firepower that can be directed toward targets with efficiency, while still using a minimal amount of energy compared to other guns of it's time. Blasters and their sister technology, Ion cannons, are among the most widely used weapon in the alliance and all neighbouring corporations due to their ease of use and fitting. "

The third and fourth guns are Artillery Cannons. These are not like your regular projectile guns - They are slower moving and intensely shield ripping - Among the most damaging weapon in there. It comes in two types, the C4L and C6H Artillery. The only difference is damage, ROF and ammo storage. Typically, the smallest artillery will come with about 5000 rounds, and the larger no more than 500 rounds. Additional clips can be collected in the armory of course.

" Projectile weaponry isn't as common in the Alliance today as it once was. The problem with any projectile weapon is that it has to be constantly reloaded, and requires huge storage space for the ammo - Especially when used on Battleships and Carriers. Despite that, it still is widely available on the market and deployed at alliance outposts due to the cost-effectiveness of any projectile weaponry, and despite their age, projectile weapons have a sheer brute force that smaller energy weapons lack. "

Then we have the Rail Cannon. This gun has a fast ROF and a fair amount of damage. It's essentially an accelerated version of the blaster, and is not as accurate as a mass driver.

" Railguns are accelerated bolts of energy, similar to blasters yet compressed into a stream that is propelled through a chambre - Spewed at a speed that is over 100% faster than regular cannons. Railguns are capable of piercing targets armor from great distances, and they are increasingly becoming popular on ships throughout the populated areas. Capital version of Railguns are a recent development - And are slated to replace the beam technology that has, while effective, used up many resources within the alliance. "

That is all the player will start with, just those five guns. The following guns must be obtained from NPCs or other players who have already looted them. Some of the weapons are harder to find than others, and some might come in a limited supply.

The first is the Maltu version of the rail cannon. It's just an improved version that can make your enemy jealous if they don't have it. The next two are the Heated Plasma Railgun and Shock Prototype Railgun. These rails are lethal, and use up much bigger chunks of energy. They have limited range and slow ROF, but if you score a hit on an already weak opponent - It'll probably explode in a ball of flames. These railguns are the most powerful guns that a player can use.

The final two primary weapons are the 25mm Ion and 50mm Ion. These are just alternative weapons to Blasters. They have a slightly improved damage vs rof ratio.

Secondary Weapons

Now let's move onto the secondary weapons. Again, we have two groups - five missiles per group. The first five are available in the Base Armory.

Hornet Missile

Standard dumbfire rocket with a limited heat seeking ability. Hornet rockets are small and effective, and are used on nearly all fighters and bombers in the alliance. Delivering an explosive charge with good ROF and velocity - They are not to be sniffed at.

Tornado Missile.

Tornadoes are upgraded versions of the Hornet's. They have a slightly better heat seeking system, and deliver a unique kind of explosive charge designed to tear apart hull plating.

Paradise Missile

Paradise missiles are the smaller brothers of the famous Cruise Missiles. They contain a substance dubbed as Thor Energy - It's fairly bright and pretty, making them a unique weapon - Mixing beauty and destruction. Like all Cruise Missiles, the Paradise is fitted with the most advanced tracking system that can be used on missiles of this size.

Blood Cruise Missile

This is a smaller version of the Cruise Missile used on Battleships. It's designed to be carried mainly by bombers, but can be fitted to smaller ships that have the latest missile launchers. It tracks with deadly accuracy, able to make a full 360 degrees turn before it'll burn it's fuel up - And even if it can't find it's target, the warhead will still detonate hoping for even a bit of damage to be delivered.

Doom Vulture

The Doom Vulture is a warhead that has recently been developed by the Alliance. It's barely out of the testing stage, but scientists believe it is ready for deployment. Despite that, anyone using this warhead should be advised to get some distance before detonation. The Doom Vulture uses a large amount of Thor Energy combined with a chemical that produces a terrifying reaction - It opens up a brief subspace portal in the layer of space itself. Much like the Paradise that paved the way for it's creation - the Vulture is both pretty and deadly.

Palermo Invader

This special issue Palermo Invader has been engineered for use on Mercenary Confederation craft. It has no special computers onboard, but packs a pretty big punch if it actually hits it's target. The Palermo Invader is their answer to the standard Hornet Missile. It is packed with Gleam Energy making it a very effective dumbfire missile, and it is rarely found outside Mercenary controlled space.

Rekhmir Cluster

The Mercenary Issue Rekhmir Cluster is another brilliant weapon mastered by Confederation scientists. It is believed the Maltu Orion Legion were originally behind their creation, but somehow, the Confederation were able to obtain the prototype and all related documents. The Rekhmir Cluster was a weapon originally conceived as an upgrade to the Swarm Cluster bomb, widely used on many platforms. The popular "blue" flashing effect was a sight well known to pilots - But the Rekhmir uses Gleam Energy in an attempt to improve the damage of it's warhead. Cluster bomblets from the Rekhmir are also capable of dodging objects to reach their target.

Sphinx Bomb

The Gemini Sydnicate construct the most brutal ships and weapons alike. The Sphinx bomb is a classic design inherited from many hundred years before. Although not commonly used by the Alliance today, the Sphinx is still an effective warhead to be deployed during a dogfight. It sits silently for 30 seconds before exploding.

Berserker Missile

Many Gemini Syndicate ships use a weapon that is unique to their design, and the Berserker is mainly found on larger ships. The Berserker is designed to melt away the opponents armour, leaving it open for attack from an artillery volley. It uses a simplistic heat seeking system and effective thruster to quickly reach targets.

Orion Corona

The Orion Corona has been used by veteran pilots for many decades. It has always been a product of the Maltu Orion Legion, but it's distribution has reached every corner of the galaxy. Although the Orion missiles are nowdays constructed by the Alliance, many suppliers do provide them at a hefty price. It is fortunate these cluster bombs are still costly on the market for pirates and bandits, otherwise there could be some serious damage done.