Hand phasers

[VonHelsing]

Will area effect stun be an option for hand phasers?

[Silverspar]

Will area effect stun be an option for hand phasers?

If it is, expect it to eat a lot of power from the hand phaser and probably also to be a long recharge effect.

[curtst]

I would probably vote no. Just because normally you get experience from killing something. But this isn't really a normal game so there is no telling how it will work. But either way I don't think there will be.

I missed the area part. I could see that in there as a special ability depending on your "class." An area of effect type deal, but I still don't expect stun will be an option. Maybe though. Maybe missions will require to get something but not kill.

[MajorD]

It better be. I want to be able to stun, heat, peirce, explode, and vaporize, and do beam, big pulse, small rapid pulse, and wide beam, with every weapon. Wide beam would limit the range but of course be useful in close quarters combat, especially against tight groups. Big pulses are used against the Borg, presumably the big pulse would pack a very powerful high intensity pulse that would be good against shields in general. In Nemesis, small rapid pulses were used, this is probably an energy saving practice, to get a good accuracy effect without the energy drain of sweeping a beam, or the range penalty of wide beam. The beam would have highest accuracy but need to stay on target slightly longer.

You would want to use kill level energy against shields, and switch to stun once they're down to capture people. Stun would use the least energy and be the fastest firing, allowing for long firing sweeping beam shots. Kill would just kill and be an efficient method of killing in general but wouldn't be able to bypass cover, even some sorts of concealment. Peirce would go right through cover and concealment but take more energy. Vaporize would completely eliminate concealment and targets, and would take the most energy.

Different combinations of attack style and damage style would use differing levels of energy and relate to different firing rates. Ideally, you would have an capacitor bar that limits for how long you can fire. The bar would drain faster with more energy intense shot/attack styles.

Because this isn't a normal MMO, where you can have area of effect attacks and focused attacks with magic and melee, the phaser settings more than make up for this.

Phasers also have non-combat functions. Most notably, they can be used as cutting torches by focusing the beam to an extremely narrow setting and reducing the range dramatically. Those make the beam far more controllable and reduce the amount of energy output, allowing the beam to fire at a very high setting for a long duration. They can be used as a welding torch too, by using the same beam settings but putting the power level to heat.

There are non-standard functions, such as turning the phaser into a grenade, as well as setting it as a sentry device by placing it on the ground and having it automatically fire a beam every few seconds. Wesley did that last one to trigger a shield, in order to distract security.

[BMontague]

I could see it in there. yes in normal games you gain experience from a kill, but it has already been stated that there will be no levels in STO, so I could see them adding stun since we wont need experience to lvl.

[curtst]

I could see it in there. yes in normal games you gain experience from a kill, but it has already been stated that there will be no levels in STO, so I could see them adding stun since we wont need experience to lvl.

I can't seem to find this in the FAQs, maybe you can point me in the right direction?

[BMontague]

I remember someone about it in the dev vid, and I got in rein from the fourms, let me look for it

[Desterion]

I can see having to specialize in a special function like that. Or a certain specialization only has access to a few of them. Combat needs to be diverse among classes, not everyone can do everything.

[curtst]

I can see having to specialize in a special function like that. Or a certain specialization only has access to a few of them. Combat needs to be diverse among classes, not everyone can do everything.

This I agree with.

[Silverspar]

I remember someone about it in the dev vid, and I got in rein from the fourms, let me look for it

He didn't say there wouldn't be levels per se, he siad there would be ranks, he never claimed how it would be earned. And I do believe he mentioned experience a few times to, which would sound like some sort of levelling is involved, whether it be levelling skills or levelling the character.

[BMontague]

I can see having to specialize in a special function like that. Or a certain specialization only has access to a few of them. Combat needs to be diverse among classes, not everyone can do everything.
STO will be a MMO so it should have that.

I remember reading that Cryptic wont have a lvl system, its somewere in the fourms, but its 1 o'clock here and Im to tired to look. sorry curtst -Silverspar has a better answer

[curtst]

STO will be a MMO so it should have that.

I remember reading that Cryptic wont have a lvl system, its somewere in the fourms, but its 1 o'clock here and Im to tired to look. sorry curtst -Silverspar has a better answer

No worries, I am looking. Midnight here.

Go get some sleep.

[MajorD]

The majority of phaser functions are quite standard. One button adjusts power, one adjusts beam width. Standard training would cover those functions since they're so easy to access. Setting your phaser to detonate is a special function, and we've only seen higher officers do it. That's the sort of thing that should be something security personal learn early on, and should mostly be about training to use it safely, but high rank should also let you learn it, even without a special security rating. That way, low ranking officers of other specialties can't use their phasers as grenades.

[Trekkie]

There isn't very much information about the different types of equipment in the game, but I think that this is a definite possibility.