Weapon Size Compared

[DarkMere]

I have been wondering when I have looked at different ships weapon points, about size versus number. We all know that in the case of weapon size, size really does matter

Firstly let me nail my colors to the mast and say that I am asking because I really do not have a clue what I am talking about here, and would like to be able to draw better comparisons. So for example.

Is one class 4 beam laser better than, equal to or worse than two class 3 beam lasers? Likewise one class 3 beam laser v two class 2 beam lasers.

I have often wondered if was was a case of class 4 being worth 4, and class 3 being worth 3, so two class 3 = 6, and so being better than one class 4. However I am probably looking at it all wrong. So how can they be compared?

[Orochimaru]

Hello CMDR

Check this post below with DPS and DPE graphs, that might answer some of the questions you have. https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthrea ... Shield-DPS)

Fly safe
o7

[RD-83]

Yeah, as the linked forum post suggests, its not as simple as that. There are kinds of variables, not to mention the damage penalty that small weapons have on larger ships etc

[DarkMere]

Hello CMDR

Check this post below with DPS and DPE graphs, that might answer some of the questions you have. https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthrea ... Shield-DPS)

Fly safe
o7

Thank you for that Commander, very interesting

[Xebeth]

Yeah, as the linked forum post suggests, its not as simple as that. There are kinds of variables, not to mention the damage penalty that small weapons have on larger ships etc

Exactly

Small weapons do 33% of their damage to large ships, and 66% of their damage to medium ships

There is a penalty against a weapons base damage, so if a small weapon's base damage is say 12 (a made up number for illustration purposes), then against a small target it does 12 damage, 8 damage against a medium target, and 4 against a large target.

But, if a large weapons base damage is say 36, it will do 36 damage against small, medium and large targets.

So in essence you loose more that the 33% reduction when dropping from large to medium weapons, you in fact loose the difference between the large and medium's base damages and 33% of the medium's base damage when attacking a large target.

[de Carabas]

Wow, you really do learn something new every day!

[JustSomeGuy]

Small weapons do 33% of their damage to large ships, and 66% of their damage to medium ships

There is a penalty against a weapons base damage, so if a small weapon's base damage is say 12 (a made up number for illustration purposes), then against a small target it does 12 damage, 8 damage against a medium target, and 4 against a large target.

But, if a large weapons base damage is say 36, it will do 36 damage against small, medium and large targets.

So in essence you loose more that the 33% reduction when dropping from large to medium weapons, you in fact loose the difference between the large and medium's base damages and 33% of the medium's base damage when attacking a large target.

And according to the pictures on the official forums, this damage reduction is against the hull only, not shields.

[William Wolfen]

Small weapons do 33% of their damage to large ships, and 66% of their damage to medium ships

There is a penalty against a weapons base damage, so if a small weapon's base damage is say 12 (a made up number for illustration purposes), then against a small target it does 12 damage, 8 damage against a medium target, and 4 against a large target.

But, if a large weapons base damage is say 36, it will do 36 damage against small, medium and large targets.

So in essence you loose more that the 33% reduction when dropping from large to medium weapons, you in fact loose the difference between the large and medium's base damages and 33% of the medium's base damage when attacking a large target.

And according to the pictures on the official forums, this damage reduction is against the hull only, not shields.

Correct. This is why I have medium lasers and a huge multi-cannon on my FDL. Keeps the hull damage penalties away from my primary hull damage gun.

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[Falcon_D]

I believe also that not all ships are equal. I seem to have read somewhere that even though the FDL is a medium ship when calculating damage taken it is treated as a large ship.

[William Wolfen]

I believe also that not all ships are equal. I seem to have read somewhere that even though the FDL is a medium ship when calculating damage taken it is treated as a large ship.

My current understanding is that the system is a little more complicated now. The penetration number of the weapon is compared against the hull hardness of the target ship to determine the damage penalty. Some ships have higher than expected hull hardness, and some weapon types have higher penetration than others.

As to the fer de lance, it has a hull hardness equal to the corvette and cutter, which is the highest available IIRC.