Buff Chomper Please!

[DumbMarine]

One idea mentioned was giving the chomper a grappling hook/tractor ability to use against asteroids and ships. You shoot a projectile, and if it hits, both the thing you hit and the chomper get pulled toward each other. You could use this to move between asteroids better as well as defend yourself. This change could come with changing the chomper from a one-hit kill to something that does a lot of damage, like 500. It would still one-hit asteroids, but a wraith with shields and full hull upgrades would take 3 chomps to eat.

[Red-Rocket]

The pull should only work on all but a destroyer and BC and maby minelayer as it is a spellcaster and pretty much messes with peoples minds and create a minelayer strong v chomper situation where minelayers are more viable mid game and i do agree with the 500 dmg to a ship (Except destroyers and BCs (not including minelayers here) )

[Racism Minerbane]

I changed my mind, a hook skillshot that drags the chomper at whatever it hits seems way cooler make that happen.

[Siretu]

I do read all posts on this forum. So don't worry, I'm hearing your concerns and as DumbMarine said, we talked about a grappling hook.

I also moved this thread to Cruiser Command Balance Discussion.

[DumbMarine]

@dumbMarine, you still need minerals in the mid to late game. You can use them for missiles and ships like minelayers and destroyers. Getting a mineral bank is extremely important at all stages of the game, and getting chompers out is extremely rewarding when ships get destroyed and need rebuilding. There is no such thing as too many minerals!

Since this is a balance discussion now I will respond to this. There is a big problem currently (and for a long time) regarding the pacing of the game. You've likely experienced this, where you spend 35 minutes mining and then instantly lose when the enemy BC blows your BC up before you get a chance to get back and dock. It feels weird and is probably very frustrating. A lot of people lose sight of the fact that the point of the game is to kill the enemy BC, not mine every last mineral on the map. The 'get broadsides and attack the enemy BC at 10 minutes' strategy is making a killing right now.

This isn't strictly a problem with the chomper, it's just as much of a problem with people in miners, but the issue with the chomper is that it requires this kind of strategy in order to be useful. You can't get it early game without sacrificing early game tech. If the BC runs off the chomper loses it's advantage at mining and becomes extremely vulnerable to attack. If the BC stays behind it's not doing any damage (it has the most firepower in the game its kinda important you use the firepower by midgame/lategame) and it's at risk of being attacked at long range by destroyers or the enemy BC. As long as this is the case, the chomper will remain a late-game trap to buy.

I think buffing the chomper is still a good idea, but the real problem is go kill the enemy already.

[Racism Minerbane]

Its where your putting your minerals, if you max out mining lazor and ship engine your going to be an easy target for anyone that builds weapons. Minerals that could be spent on a chomper could score you a bunch of rockets that you can gg the enemy team with.

If your scoring a chomper your a sitting target and you can't escape. If the argument is your BC has to baby you then it probably won't be baby sitting your other miners because it would be ineffective to have them mining the same rocks your chomper can instantly eat.

The chomper is a big nooby trap, needs more offensive capabilities because at the moment I can only laugh when I see one. They are so slow you can probably dive them even with enemy BC protection.

[Corinthian]

Siretu

Thank you reading and responding to comments.

Chompers are now a viable mining vessel.

[Siretu]

That's nice to hear. I am still considering adding the grappling hook thingie because it feels like a nice idea. However, it'll have to wait for a while.

[Tempest]

Not even sure if it needs the hook, i like the strategy and coordination behind it needing an escort. The buffs it has recieved make it capable of retreat and defending its self if the upgrading player desires :p A chomper should be near the bc to make drops, the bc should be near the chomper to defend, those two together make for a refreshing bit of teamwork. The hook would make the chomper more independent in a bad way and also would seem not very sci fi ish unlike every other ship in my predictions of it :o having its own little tractor beam to suck in distant asteroids and small ships would be nice, but with reflex you should be able to full throttle out of it. or push them away a little and hop into your escorting bc :o the bc should be there its part of the whole make a drop and go mine some more concept, the hooks ehhh its awesome but with the buffs it has recieved i wouldnt want to push things o.o id fly that ship now, its great.

ooo make the tractor beam slowly drain acceleration from the targeted ship requiring not only a turn around but acceleration that would be sweet. that mixed with its pulse to suck you in further, thats scary stuff right there. i wouldnt take them lightly anymore :p

[Red-Rocket]

its because after the ability of upgrading your lazers and kinetics you can very quickly destroy the enemy BC while defenses have received no extra benifits besides hull upgrades and starting hull health but unprotected hull can burn through quite quickly as of the moment