Dev Update (11/02/2016)

[smartroad]

Michael, it would probably be worth flagging in these updates which bits of new functionality will be available for Horizons vs the base game. Clearly if this 2.1 point release is delivering content that would be available to the base game it does beg the question "why did I buy the expansion?".
Obviously buying the expansion funds the ongoing development for everyone but it might be worth making clear who will get what.

What are your thoughts on this?

For me 2.1 is about the engineers and being able to craft and loot, that is the Horizons only part. I have no issue with the improvements for missions being cycled down to Elite only owners as it is only a side benefit (i.e. fix) for the way the missions should have been before Horizons.

[StaticRadion]

I have looked at the damage of weapon for a long time now and can say that, at least since 1.2, cannons have had a lower power requirement, lower EPS (energy per second), a higher damage output via total damage per clip, and total DPS including reloads when compared to MC.

A Huge MC will be a great addition and I am looking forward to using them, but not because they are superior to normal Cannons. I am looking forward to them because using a huge cannon round on a small ship is overkill. I always feel like I am wasting the shot even though it is an almost instant kill and as a result end up using lasers for the kill and wasting time.

[Falcon_D]

Hello,
I'm really on the fence with the addition of Beams, Pulses and MCs as huge weapons. Even a Large MC is quite devastating. I used to love flying with my medium MCs, they strip shields and hull fast on small ships. Only reason why I don't use them anymore is because of limited ammo.
Weather fixed or gimballed, huge Beams and Pulses can be devastating as all you would need to do is point your craft at the target and open fire. Instant hit. Fixed MCs will be a bit of a problem. you need to anticipate and track your target. The ships that can carry these are highly maneuverable. If I can hit with a PAC on my Python more times than miss, then my Corvette should have no problem keeping a target inline long enough for the huge lasers to take effect. The only downside to mounting these huge weapons as someone pointed out would be the ability of the ships power plant to support them. But if the ships can currently support a huge PAC, then I don't see why they can't support a huge beam, pulse or MC.
FD will have to balance the NPCs to account for these weapons, which then might leave the smaller ships in the dust. I was always of the opinion that the huge weapon mounts were for Big C to Big C fights (or in the case of the FDL, to go after a Big C). So the huge PAC and Canon work out just right.
Oh well. Just my opinion.

Have fun, fly safe. o7
P.S.: Big C = Conda/Corvette/Cutter

[Loriath]

Even if I avoid the Huge MC and stick to just Large (Assuming Large are Gimbal and Huge aren't) the ammo question for me is now Mute as you can synthesize ammo now. So reloading yourself in a CZ/RES makes it less of an issue. But I am a little excited to see what a HUGE MC can do to a target.

I imagine it would be the equivalent of when the Spitfires went from the the 7.5 mm small calibre guns to the 20mm cannons. Now assuming firing rates are the same between the sizes and the ammo counts are the same, That is going to be an Oh Boy moment. If they could have done that with the 7.5-20mm on the Spitfire or even the Hurricanes......

[uvelius]

Well a Huge MC sounds like Time for the Subwoofers! (I hope).

Yet for the Huge Beam, with THOSE Power Distributors we have, well, that will be a feast of roasted ships ... and I do not mean target-wise ...

[StaticRadion]

Well a Huge MC sounds like Time for the Subwoofers! (I hope).

Yet for the Huge Beam, with THOSE Power Distributors we have, well, that will be a feast of roasted ships ... and I do not mean target-wise ...

LOL, in the case of the huge beam and pulse weapons I am actually hoping for something that looks and functions more like a weapon array. Like maybe something that looks like a large beam flanked by a handful of small beams and uses about the same resources, but has the damage output in line with normal scaling.

You know, something that looks less realistic and more like a transformer.

[Nethaufer]

Anyone got definite proof that one of the new sizes for multicannons will be gimbal only and one will be fixed only? I have a suspicion that the Large, at least, will have gimbal, turret, and fixed options, as the Large cannon has those options as well. The Huge cannon also has gimbal and fixed as well, so there's no reason why the multicannon won't, for both size classes.