Do you want a beam sword in the game?

richardyangran · 2013-10-04T15:57:00.000Z

We have laser guns in the game, but I think beam sword is as much cool as laser guns, why can’t we have one?

GlyphGryph · 2013-10-04T16:44:56.000Z

I want a beam sword to NOT be in the game. Because they are silly. And not good silly, just bad silly.

EkarusRyndren · 2013-10-04T17:14:29.000Z

GlyphGryph:

I want a beam sword to NOT be in the game. Because they are silly. And not good silly, just bad silly.

I agree, plus we’ve already got flameswords.

Iosyn · 2013-10-04T17:23:42.000Z

Thing is, it’d be terribly OP anyway. Think lightsaber-- if you used it to block an attack there’d be bodyparts flying everywhere-- and if we toned down the damage it might end up being inferior to weapons already ingame.

Mrnocamera · 2013-10-04T19:07:36.000Z

I agree with the past two statements.

Also, [quote=“richardyangran, post:1, topic:3353”]beam sword is as much cool as laser guns[/quote] Makes little to no sense.

FunsizeNinja123 · 2013-10-04T19:10:51.000Z

No. Just, no.

John_Candlebury · 2013-10-04T19:18:08.000Z

I myself have a false lightsaber (like in a katana that is named lightsaber) in my game so I am all for it

Also why it is so silly we just could avoid the Star wars approach and make it something like a solid sword that simply emits an arc of plasma as its edge

Chiko · 2013-10-04T19:24:46.000Z

First thing that came into my head was a sword with glowsticks taped on it, for some reason.

kevin.granade · 2013-10-04T20:20:57.000Z

The first thing I though of was a huge sword made from a steel girder, a.k.a. “steel beam”, so “beam sword”.
Anyway, pretty much right out, since we’re focusing on sci-fi, not space fantasy, which is where beam swords go.

aside: The most reasonable-ish beam swords I’ve ever seen balance wise were in Armored Core, where it was only powered up for the duration of a swing, and even then it would put a serious dent in the power reserves of most mechs. Nice that they actually put some thought into how much power such a thing would expend.

Anyway, I don’t have a problem with something reasonable that acts in a way reminicent to a “beam sword”, but the problem is, as with many unrealistic tropes like dual-wielding, the end result probably isn’t going to be what the person was asking for in the first place. For example a plasma arc, from what I understand requires a massive amount of power, a HUGE high-pressure inert gas supply, a very significant chunk of hardware, and you end up with a plasma jet on the order of several inches long. This is not remotely weaponizeable. An acetelene torch would probably be far easier to weaponize, and even then would have extremely poor performance.

If you’re talking about an open-air electrical arc, we already have that with the electroshock CBM, could add that effect to a craftable weapon, but again, not what OP asked for.

GlyphGryph · 2013-10-04T20:32:32.000Z

Now you know what WOULD be cool?

A plasma fork!

Work with me here for a moment - Imagine you have a two-pronged fork with the back end using a cable to plug into your UPS. There’s a powerful charge sent through the fork to the tips, where it creates a plasma arc from one or the other.

Stabbing it into something gives only two small points (maybe one for a glancing blow) of resistance, but also adds a sharp line of burning damage as well!

… Okay, technically this would basically amount to a giant taser or arc-welder but tell me that isn’t still awesome?

An0n3 · 2013-10-04T20:39:17.000Z

I’ve been thinking of making my first foray into coding by implementing a chainsword.

Because they’re cool and if we have a flaming sword a gas powered sword with a chainsaw chain goin’ nuts on it would be cool too. Basically a faster, more accurate chainsaw with a good block but it’s just as loud and holds so little fuel you’re constantly stopping to fuel it back up (maybe only 20 units or so?).

Cool weapons that are actually not-that-great in game are my favorite. FN FAL’day err’day

EkarusRyndren · 2013-10-04T20:46:31.000Z

[quote=“An0n3, post:11, topic:3353”]I’ve been thinking of making my first foray into coding by implementing a chainsword.

Because they’re cool and if we have a flaming sword a gas powered sword with a chainsaw chain goin’ nuts on it would be cool too. Basically a faster, more accurate chainsaw with a good block but it’s just as loud and holds so little fuel you’re constantly stopping to fuel it back up (maybe only 20 units or so?).

Cool weapons that are actually not-that-great in game are my favorite. FN FAL’day err’day[/quote]

…Why not have a fuel/battery back for that kinda stuff? (well, maybe not a battery pack so much as an expanded UPS that can be used in place of batteries…)

John_Candlebury · 2013-10-04T20:51:12.000Z

Or alternatively, a special UPS backpack some fusion cells for power and a handwavium core

I mean it really doesnt matter if it is Realist it just has to look like it could “potentially” work in reality. After all we already have pretty unrealistic stuff like that charge rifle that somehow transforms electricity into explosive shells but that is barely a justification for my point of view.

Still I am completely fine with my cheap quick fx lightsaber version

An0n3 · 2013-10-04T20:52:22.000Z

Because that would make it too good.

The ability to slash through jabberwocks and whatnot with the effectiveness of a chainsaw but the portability and accuracy of a sword needs to be offset by SOMETHING other than just being hard to craft. Otherwise it’s an easy choice “Oh I’ll always use this chainsword” and forget about all the other cool weapons. Until someone else comes along and makes something EVEN MORE OP and then everyone forgets about the chainsword and uses that. And so on.

To balance it with the flaming weapons, for example, it would hold less fuel, give you no light, and actively attract anything that can hear it. Probably be a bit heavier (and therefore slower) too.

I think anyone adding items to the game should think carefully about how the stuff they add in relates to the stuff that is already there. If it’s strictly better in every way than everything else you should probably go back to the drawing board and try to think up ways to reign it in. “It’s hard to get” is bad balance design.

Iosyn · 2013-10-04T20:56:51.000Z

by the way… chainswords… has anyone made one yet?
I mean, is it in? because if not we gotta make one.

An0n3 · 2013-10-04T20:58:53.000Z

Stop stealin’ muh ideas!

I’ll work on it asap.

GlyphGryph · 2013-10-04T21:11:39.000Z

Heh. I’m thinking of the major problems with a chainsword, the most hilarious one is that not only would it be incredibly ineffective at blocking, anything you try to block with it will, in fact, be drawn TOWARDS you at a very high rate of speed!

Chain-anythings are meant to be held against stuff, not really swung at it anyway. Hmm…

An0n3 · 2013-10-04T21:15:01.000Z

Chainsaws make horrible weapons for lots of reasons.

They don’t slash, they basically just chew anything you hold them against. They also have a kick to them, and can careen off anything you hold them against because of the way the chain moves and fly towards you. The flat of the blade doesn’t do anything, so they can easily get stuck in things or wedged in a cut.

I’d invoke the rule of cool on this one though. Mutilating zombies with a big chuggin’ mechanical monstrosity is fun!

FunsizeNinja123 · 2013-10-04T21:21:36.000Z

If you do however manage to block something with it, you might end up taking their arm/hand/sword/long stick/awlpike/spear off.

An0n3 · 2013-10-04T21:24:00.000Z

I guess I’ll have to look into how to implement how something would do damage on a block. Or maybe not add that until someone more capable pioneers it.