Stealth Harbinger bombing run protocols

[Shadow Reaper]

~placeholder so I don't lose my notes~

Layout:

Q Drive: SparkFire, Range 459, Calibrate 10 s, Spool 6 s, cooldown 10 s (26 s cycle, ships rotate 80*/s in the first (onto target) and last (toward destination jump) second of each cycle)
Reactors: 2X Eclipse
Coolers: 2X Nightfall
Guns: 6 X CVSA Ballistic Cannon w/ 1,800 DPS, 2 km range and 1X Deadbolt V Ballistic Cannon w/ 800 DPS, 2 km range (2,600 total times 6 craft/attack wing --15,600 DPS)
Missiles:
Salvo 1: 24 Thunderbolt III (109.3k), 6 Reaper V (58.8k) 168k total at 10 km
Salvo 2: 24 Thunderbolt III (109.3k), 6 Reaper V (58.8k) 168k total at 10 km
Salvo 3: 6 Reaper V (58,8k), 25 seconds guns (390k) at 2 km
Salvo 4: 30 seconds guns (468k) at 2 km

Total: 1,094k damage (will kill a Void Bomber, but not an Idris)

Protocol:

Start in stealth at 10 km, Calibrate, spool, launch missiles, rotate about 80*, and jump to another location 10 km from target. Rotate about 90* onto target, calibrate, spool, launch, rotate, jump to another location 2 km from target. Rotate about 90* onto target, calibrate spool, launch, fire guns while strafing, rotate about 20* off target and jump past and behind target to 2 km distance. Rotate onto target and shoot until dead. Three jumps total, battle less than 2 minutes.

Test: this method to see if you can power everything with one or two Eclipse reactors and if Nightfall coolers are sufficient. Test detection range for a Sentinel frame running cold 10 km from an Idris. Test changes by overclocking guns and Y Axis acceleration thrusters (boost from 50-75m/s strafe?) Can a single pilot do all this in 26 seconds per cycle?

 

[Black Sunder]

You really need to just play the game because you can't jump 10km and Stealth isn't just something you turn on.

 

[Shadow Reaper]

What is the minimum you can jump? I watched a guy in an Eclipse jump 4 times in 2 minutes, looked like he was only in quantum for a second or two each time. In what sense can you not jump just 10 km? Is just not that precise?

Yes, I know how stealth works, and how it will work.

 

[Thalstan]

Your signature needs to be below the detection threshold at the distance you are at.

as for quantum, you need to find a place you can calibrate to (no blind jumps), and the quantum and turn the quantum off real quick, but there is no precision to it and I would certainly not want to try it with a squadron and attempt to maintain formation, especially with a flight of 6. It is certainly not as precise as “jump 10 km...”

 

[LoicFarris]

What is the minimum you can jump? I watched a guy in an Eclipse jump 4 times in 2 minutes, looked like he was only in quantum for a second or two each time. In what sense can you not jump just 10 km? Is just not that precise?

Yes, I know how stealth works, and how it will work.

That had to have been video trickery, the stealth drives are super slow to spin up and jump. Unless the video you're referring to is before the various drives were adjusted based on their type. To give you an idea, a stealth drive will take a good 10 seconds to accelerate into QT, you'll usually drop out at approximately 75-50 km out or so and have to fly in with regular engines.

 

[Shadow Reaper]

That had to have been video trickery, the stealth drives are super slow to spin up and jump.

At the top of the original post in this thread, I noted the calibration, spool and cooldown times of one particular drive. It has a 26 second cycle, and the guy was microjumping a fraction of a second at a time.

BTW, this is why I have said many times that a micro-jump calculator needs to be coded for TEST. The Sparkfire jumps 74.5 megameters per second, or 74.5 kilometers per millisecond. To jump 10 km with that drive (which is the slowest), you need to jump about a seventh of a millisecond. Given voice command can turn the Q drive on and off, one could set it to jump any arbitrarily short distance, with not much coding.

Just saying, this guy jumped twice per minute, and only about a second each time. We all need to learn how to use the Q drive like that.

 

[LoicFarris]

It sounds cool, if you think you have an idea of how to do it, maybe setup an event where you can show some of us. It would be very cool, I've been in dog fights where pilots will jump toward a moon then back in the other direction but never as quick as you're describing.

 

[Shadow Reaper]

I think with fighters that need to jockey for close position in a dogfight it makes less sense, and remember the 26 second cycle time. That's the fastest medium drive. The others are mostly 33 seconds, so really not going to help much in a dogfight.

Micro-jumping is best used for bombers or capital ships that want to get into range, fire, and jump away, hopefully to a position the enemy will not be able to respond to immediately. So, if you're using the spinal mount on an Idris, or the torpedo tubes on a Polaris, to bring fire on a Vanduul Void Bomber, and that ship has three spinal mounts, you don't want the bastard shooting at you. So you jump into range of your torps on his beam, launch, and jump away.

I don't think it's difficult given there are sufficient points to calibrate to, but who knows we may even be able to drop stealth markers that will work as calibration points. I know we'll be able to drop sensor bouys. If they'll seve to give us calibration points, they'll be even more important to bring to battle.

But I'm not a code guy. I have just mentioned this several times since micro-jumping was extremely difficult but extremely rewarding in SWC, where we mastered it both at Alion Nova Guard and The Wraith. Casual players who can't think past pointing their ships and shooting their guns do not learn advancd techniques like what I'm describing. Using voice command, you should be able to automate a jump measured in milliseconds or less. Then by overclocking the drive you may shorten the time to calibate, spool or cooldown. Suddenly you have a huge advantage on the battlefield.

 

[Blind Owl]

@Shadow Reaper , will you link the page (again) that you use for calculating/figuring all this stuff out? It's time to start playing with this stuff methinks.

 

[BUTUZ]

Ima gonna build a stealth retaliator. No weapons no shields just BOMB THEM ALLLL OR DIE TRYING!!!!!!

 

[Blind Owl]

Ima gonna build a stealth retaliator. No weapons no shields just BOMB THEM ALLLL OR DIE TRYING!!!!!!

I heart this. I shall man a turret, if only to have a front row seat!

 

[Shadow Reaper]

@Shadow Reaper , will you link the page (again) that you use for calculating/figuring all this stuff out? It's time to start playing with this stuff methinks.

There are two main calculators each of which I use often, and each with its own limitations.

The Hardpoint calculator generally has the more detailed information. So for example, you can quickly click on a reactor or cooler and see all the options, and look at the details of how much EM each of those produces, etc. That is key when designing for stealth. However, Hardpoint updates less often so for example, it does not yet include the Prowler.

The erkul calculator updates more often and it's prettier. It is a pain in some ways as it does not provide nearly as complete data as the Hardpoint, so I use both.

Both calculators have errors, so tread humbly. It is however really useful to stick your favorite ride in and see what you can do with it. Often that will be impossible. So for instance, for some reason you cannot change out the Sentinel turret weapons in Hardpoint, but you can in erkul. When you do design configurations keep a couple points in mind.

First, large bore ballistic cannons are not adequately represented by their damage in the calculators. We already know that S2 Strife and Sledge do more damage than almost all S3 weapons because they penetrate and kill inner components. So take DPS as a figure of merit, but not a sole guide to design. Slower firing, heavier ballistics do the most damage in each class until you get to S5 weapons where things seem to slant toward lasers.

Second, note that in general when designing for stealth, you want to leave most systems off (especially shields), regardless that contemporary experience says this makes little difference. For now, switching off your guns makes no practical difference. It is switching on the stealth button that trades reduced IR for enhanced EM, and IR is commonly the largest signature. However, when fully implemented, your ship will act just how the calculators are designed to act, so you need to be fully aware that this much IR reduction means that much EM enhancement, etc. Also keep in mind that EM will reduce instantly when you switch a system off, whereas IR signatures decay over time. This is why if you come out of stealth in a hard engine burn that lights your IR up, you want to be able to quickly switch on a secondary, humungous cooler to suck away that IR signature quickly, then switch it back off for reduced EM and return to stealth. This is how Chris described what he wanted in gameplay years ago, that is seen in the calculators but not in current, pre-EM warfare implementation.

 

[Shadow Reaper]

2nd iteration (removes jump between 1st and 2nd salvo)

Layout:

Q Drive: SparkFire, Range 459, Calibrate 10 s, Spool 6 s, cooldown 10 s (26 s cycle, ships rotate 80*/s in the first (onto target) and last (toward destination jump) second of each cycle)
Reactors: 2X Eclipse
Coolers: Primary: 1 Nightfall. Secondary: Snowpack
Guns: 6 X CVSA Ballistic Cannon w/ 1,800 DPS, 2 km range and 1X Deadbolt V Ballistic Cannon w/ 800 DPS, 2 km range (2,600 total times 6 craft/attack wing --15,600 DPS)
Missiles:
Salvo 1: 24 Thunderbolt III (109.3k), 6 Reaper V (58.8k) 168k total at 10 km
Salvo 2: 24 Thunderbolt III (109.3k), 6 Reaper V (58.8k) 168k total at 10 km
Salvo 3: 6 Reaper V (58,8k), 25 seconds guns (390k) at 2 km
Salvo 4: 30 seconds guns (468k) at 2 km

Total: 1,094k damage (will kill a Void Bomber, but not an Idris)

Protocol:

Start in stealth at 10 km, Calibrate, spool, launch first and second missile salvos. Anytime before second salvo, rotate about about <10* off target, calibrate, and spool. Immediately after second salvo launch, jump to another location 2 km behind target. Rotate about 180* onto target, calibrate spool, launch, fire guns while strafing, rotate about 20* off target and jump past and behind target to 2 km distance. Rotate onto target and shoot until dead. Two jumps total, battle less than 90 seconds.

Test: this method to see if you can power everything with one or two Eclipse reactors and if Nightfall coolers are sufficient. Test detection range for a Sentinel frame running cold 10 km from an Idris. Test changes by overclocking guns and Y Axis acceleration thrusters (boost from 50-75m/s strafe?) Can a single pilot do all this in 26 seconds per cycle?

 

[Shadow Reaper]

I am curious what others can tell me about Q travel. When the drive spools, it emits about 10X the EM so will be easier to spot. What I'm curious about is if it emits this much higher level of EM when it reenters normal space. Does it generate an EM spike at point of reentering normal travel?