21 replies to this topic

[OneEyeGuy16]

I'm starting to think they do. Although they can one shot most ships I find the AI tends to hang back and let their bombers destroy them. Maybe it's just me but I'm finding it to be pretty frustrating. What do you think?

[Lord Stark]

No they don't.  In canon the Covenant did just that; sent in their borders/bombers to destroy them.  Guard your platforms with Sabers/ Longswords?

[XtremeRoflcopter]

Or you build the SMACs so the limits to their range just touches the exit radius for approaching ships. Since an SMAC outranges all covie ships (except super-cruiser) itll snipe a lot of them out quickly.

[Death]

Or do both and make two defensive rings of SMACs.

[HolyMith]

I think the cooldown on their MAC's is too high. I Halo 2 I'm sure they fired a lot more often. In any case, My usual tactic is to have a ring of SMAC's covering the entry points to the system, a secondary ring to snipe heavies that make it past the primary ring, and as many squads of sabers as I can muster. Works well against harass forces, but any fleet big enough will swat it aside with little effort.

[Unikraken]

I think the cooldown on their MAC's is too high. I Halo 2 I'm sure they fired a lot more often.

In canon they fired every 5 seconds with a round that would literally destroy any Covenant ship that shows up. That doesn't work in a game. SMACs are not the end-all be-all to planetary defense, they're the start. They keep the AI from dropping a planet bomber on a world while you're busy elsewhere. You need hangars, a starbase, and potentially a back-up fleet to mount a good defense. That is canon right there.

[HolyMith]

In canon they fired every 5 seconds with a round that would literally destroy any Covenant ship that shows up. That doesn't work in a game. SMACs are not the end-all be-all to planetary defense, they're the start. They keep the AI from dropping a planet bomber on a world while you're busy elsewhere. You need hangars, a starbase, and potentially a back-up fleet to mount a good defense. That is canon right there.

They fire every 15-20 seconds in Halo 2 (which I would consider more authorative than books), so maybe you could nerf them by upping the price/construction time? I actually haven't timed the firing in-game. What is the actual cooldown?

[m468]

The cool down in game for the SMACs weapon is 5 seconds. The ability that we gamve the SMAC disables it for 250 seconds after it is produced. That is how we nerfed the SMAC.

[SPECTRE]

The cool down in game for the SMACs weapon is 5 seconds. The ability that we gamve the SMAC disables it for 250 seconds after it is produced. That is how we nerfed the SMAC.

I think that should come down just a bit, 180 seconds seems reasonable.

[m468]

It is designed to make the UNSC player pick what world he/she will defend particularly earlier in the game. The SMAC will not be the be all and end all defense for the UNSC. The SMACs are the cornerstone of your defense they must be backed up by sabers and a small fleet, whose only goal is to defend the SMACs.

[SPECTRE]

It is designed to make the UNSC player pick what world he/she will defend particularly earlier in the game. The SMAC will not be the be all and end all defense for the UNSC. The SMACs are the cornerstone of your defense they must be backed up by sabers and a small fleet, whose only goal is to defend the SMACs.

Thats the thing, when me and scifi were playing him as cov, and myself as the UNSC, the sabres did nothing to his own fighter spam, and within 2 mins all my ODPs were orbital rubble, he cut straight through my fleet, and withing another 30 seconds the colony was gone, all the meanwhile i'm spamming destroyers and makos, to try and slow him, no effect at all.

[Defender0]

The cool down in game for the SMACs weapon is 5 seconds.

Actually, i decided to figure out the cooldown based on its DPS of 2400 and total damage of 30k, its got a cooldown of 12.5 seconds

 

EDIT: checked the entity file, has a ROF of 15 seconds, which doesnt make sense as ive never seen an SMAC with a DPS of 2000 (30,000/15)

[m468]

Thats the thing, when me and scifi were playing him as cov, and myself as the UNSC, the sabres did nothing to his own fighter spam, and within 2 mins all my ODPs were orbital rubble, he cut straight through my fleet, and withing another 30 seconds the colony was gone, all the meanwhile i'm spamming destroyers and makos, to try and slow him, no effect at all.

Your defenses will not protect from a large covenant fleet. There is no way they would either. If the covenant come at you with their fleet you have to respond in kind as the UNSC you need to rush expand. Then you fortify what choke points you can. You use your fleet to support those defenses. That is how you defend. I've done it and many other playtesters and devs have done it.

[firewarrior1705]

Try augmenting your SMACs with mines. Place your SMACs in a ring pattern around your planet (make sure your other buildings are behind the SMACs so that they won't block their LOS) with overlaping fields of fire from 3 or 4 covering one zone at each time and place your mines at the very limit of the planet's gravity well. The enemy will be pounded by the mines as soon as they jump in, and if they try to move out of the kill zone and advance on your planet, your SMACs will give them a warm welcome.

[nightlight.zero]

Yeah, see, I do that, and then I don't have to worry about enemy fleets at all, playing against Hard AIs.

[Spartan-117]

I like the SMAC's as they are. Don't want to make it too OP. I do enjoy sitting back and watching the covies slowly get destroyed.

 

I wouldnt mind a cove defense turret that takes up like 3 or 4 millitary points per turret, that way the covies have SOME defense but it is limited.

 

Il just... go and sit in the corner now.

[m468]

The covenant's main defense is its ability to jump from any planet with a stabilization node to another they can show up at any planet that comes under attack if they build those structures.

[Defender0]

a stabilization nod

the only tactical structure youll ever need to build as the covenant

[Mrripley9]

the only tactical structure youll ever need to build as the covenant

Wait, what? I haven't seen that yet, what is it?

[SPECTRE]

I can see too many stabilization nodes breaking the game. If you build more than 10 the game gets a bit jumpy