Resonance Capacitor, Resonance Battery and those things that touch them in their special place...

What is this dark magic of which you speak??

By: George Argyropoulos
a/k/a Dragon_Bane

I get a few requests and several questions randomly thrown at me. Most of the time it is a build question or a breakdown question but over the last few weeks I have fielded a few other ones that stand out.
What I have noted between this personal correspondence and some posted questions between the Forums, The Forsaken Council and the Battle Pirates on BV pages recently is that there is still a LOT of people who have questions about the Resonance Capacitor, the Resonance Battery and how exactly they work. So... to that end, we'll talk Res Cap, Res Batt. and triggering fields.

The Basic Misunderstanding

Let's start with the Specials themselves and explain away a big portion of the confusion.  These specials DO NOT affect other hulls. It is a special like any other in that it affects the hull to which it is equipped. It does not give bonuses unless the special (The Batt or Cap) is triggered. Having one on your Vendetta does not give any benefit to your Revenge that does not have one equipped.

The special itself has to be triggered by being in an activating field or aura. These fields or auras are not generic in nature- In other words, the field or aura has to actually affect the hull to which the special is equipped.
***To be triggered, the field has to be affecting the hull the special is actually on.***

Ok, Where do they go?

There is no limit to what hull you can equip these specials on. The effects of the special will work, ON ANY HULL, so long as the Cap/Batt is triggered. The special is NOT hull specific.
Likewise, the bonus drops once the hull leaves field/aura. Yes- this means it does NOTHING if it is not being triggered. It's just a shiny bit of pixel jewelry for your boat if it is not being triggered.

Ummm... ok, how do you 'excite' them then?

Only certain fields/auras will trigger it. The fields/auras need to be affecting the hull that the res cap/batt are equipped to. I can not stress this enough it seems. Particularly because you have to keep in mind the various ways in which the specials can be used.
Can this help enemy ships coming in to hit your base? YES.
Can it help your ships going to hit a base? YES.
This isn't a one way street. It is not new. But you have to remember to balance what you gain (or don't) with what you've lost. That's part of the build process. It's not something they gain and you can't take advantage of. The Batt was used in base defenses by some people for a while. Please try to understand the working first before anyone starts flipping out about this old/new special.

Interesting tidbit for the next raidset...

Additionally, to preemptively answer this question: YES (as of RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!) they are both activated by the Subsonic Cavitators of the Reavers in the new raid coming in September.

Here are the fields/auras:(List compilation help credit goes to Johnny Frostler)

Resonance triggers

Friendly:
Retribution
Vanquisher
Vendetta
ECM Destroyer
Navigational Array Tactical
Wake Tactical

Hostile:
Apocolypse Mort Fire Field
Napalm Fire Field (still testing this one)
Proto Nem
Frostburn
Vassago Hunter
Glacial Turret Cryo Field
Wendigo Turret Cryo Field
Cryo Battery Cryo Field
Incendiary Shells Fire Field
Subsonic Caviator Tactical
Engine Disruptor Tactical
Microwave Dampener Tactical
Siege Scanner Tactical
Armor Bypass Tactical
Cryo Trigger Cryo Field (22 range. If equipped on a destroyed water structure)

NO Resonance trigger:

Aegis
Centurion
Crusader
Templar
EMP Blast
Combustion Trigger
Cryo Trigger Field (80 range)
Oil Slick
Fire Support
Combined Defense
Hidden Cache
Radiation Suppressor
Fuel Air Munitions
Chromium Overlay

Please note: Kixeye reserves the right to change anything at anytime and 

make me look like a complete idiot and make these lists utter bollocks...


In which case.... everything is working as intended. 

Ask Specs Anything July 27, 2016

This week’s question comes from Letti and it is about the Apollo

Hey Specs,

I finished my Tank Counter Measure build and I am ready to start another Apollo to go with it can you tell me what you are using from the last raid?

Hello Lettie,

Congrats! Getting that one done will make a big difference with the coming raid and Hull store. Now, you can use it with your rhinos if you have to get through A sets. We have roughly two weeks before the raid, it will start August 11th, 2016 I think. Should be that day or August 18th at the latest I am sure we will get that confirmation soon. We will go with August 11th though as that is the closer date.

Your Apollos will want the same specials as your CM tank. The reason for this is that you will have a couple of phalanx on the DPS hulls to help back up the main tank. You will want the same range and same accuracy as your primary countermeasure hull. Next, you will want the same armor value, mostly to keep repair times down and easy to manage. Lastly, you will have eight blades for your damage dealing.

Here is your link to the build

Just so you can see the real build time once you get into game

You will want to get it hopefully out a few days earlier with tokens if you get them in the weekly and rank it as much as you can before the raid. The two of them should help you do the A set, and you might be able to do the elite targets if you can get rank high enough on the two ships.

Good luck and if you have any questions feel free to send them to me!

Would you like to play a Game?

Wouldn't you prefer a good game of Chess?

By: George Argyropoulos
a/k/a Dragon_Bane

A quick word on the newest Battle Pirates campaign up on offer from Kixeye- Wargames.

I am going to concentrate on just the first three targets, 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 as I think the special is one that has many applications, but the ideas presented herein can be applied to all three levels in some manner.

On first blush, and from all the screaming, it looks like this campaign is a bust for most all players... but need it be? While I understand the frustration, I think that maybe players should try and break down what we see and attempt to make it manageable to their level and ability. No, not everyone is going to be able to rip through all three levels, in fact, I'm not sure that I will, but I will in fact try.

One thing that seems be repeated everywhere in which players are voicing their frustration, is that players are overlooking the fact that this is a PvE target. Don't mistake me- it is set up for PvP,  as PvP, using mostly PvP rules of engagement... however, the rules of PvE have necessarily bled through, and that can be taken advantage of.

While the campaign is certainly difficult, especially without Revenges or Vendettas, it is not impossible. You have to view it in a different light than traditional base hitting and see what is different that you may be able to take advantage of.

1. The bases never bubble. NEVER. You can engage the target as many times as you want!!!
2. You have MORE than 5 minutes. Timing out at over 25-50% means nothing.
3. You have 20 rockets. Use them!
4. If you have remote targeting hulls, take advantage of this and just use up tanks to soak up damage.


Mortar hulls seem to do the best, so that is what I will concentrate on, particularly with the popularity of Novas and DNXs lately.

Target 1.1

The WHs circled in red are first opportunity targets and these in particular can be targeted from the outside of the channel. With remote targeting mortars this delivers killing blows to the turrets nearby as well ( with remote targeting missiles it offers plenty of retargeting opportunities to the turrets and ships).
After doing as much damage as you can from the outside, start breaking down the target into way-points for each incursion into the base. In this way you can maximize the potential from each of your pinches and maximize your damage per engagement. I marked what way-points I used with yellow boxes.

The same ideas and theories used in target 1.1 can be used in the next two as well.

Target 1.2

Again, the circled WHs are opportunities for good splash damage and can be had from outside the channel. The next thing that needs to be chipped away at are the 2 Gammas. After this you have a few choices- you can try and get rid of the Aegis or do what I did- I just rushed the base to keep all those morts from hitting my spotter and let my remote targeting do the work for me.

Target 1.3

This one gets tricky as there are a lot of killer missiles coming in to get you at great distances thanks to the DEEs. The 3 circled targets, again, can be had from the outside, however, in this target if you don't have anything that can stand up to DEEs, then go straight to breaking down the target into the way-points. I did in fact do this with 2 Puns and 3 Vens. The 2 green triangles are ships I should have pinched and targeted in separate encounters so should be an option for you to consider.

All told, I ended up doing the first set coin free with just under 9 hours repair. Results vary, but I hope this gives some of you some ideas to try. I particularly recommend trying to get the special and doing this first set. Good luck!!


Update: I did in fact use this methodology successfully in the entirety of the campaign. I did ok overall. I used 3 of the 5 Hr speed-up tokens and about 15 coin altogether. It would have helped had I a better built Revenge or a few more Vendettas. The last set is nerve wracking as the timer is rather tight if you work the targets like this. Hope this helps!!!

Sub Changes and New TLC; plus,

 what should you start doing to be ready for September raid change

This week we had the changes to subs, most notable is the fact that they have to be 100% repaired to launch, and the repair modifier changed to 100%. There is also the change for launcher based sub preps with a 25% reduction in range. This change means that a Launcher subrange will be 70 now, making it detectable by every thermal in the game, except for Rhinos. Also explosive damage will have a handicap of -99%. This is good news for those that do not have the Capital ships Proto Nemesis and Hellstar with their 100 range thermal and gives more options to combat against sub launcher preps. As well as those that cannot keep the mortar subs from getting to the OP and taking it out with a rim to get to 50%.

With the changes comes the foundry and our favorite subs are getting boost. These are without going through the foundry.

Barracuda:

• Accuracy +20%
• Explosive Defense increased to 40%
• Concussive Defense increased to 50%
• Cloak Time increased to 40sec
• Repair Modifier Removed - All subs now have a standard repair modifier of 100%
• Base Armor increased to 3,930

Spectre:

• Added a third special slot
• Explosive Defense increased to 40%
• Concussive Defense increased to 55%
• Combat speed increased to 16
• Repair Modifier Removed - All subs now have a standard repair modifier of 100%
• Base Armor increased to 7,908

Nighthawk:

• Accuracy increased to 20%
• Concussive Damage increased to 19%
• Explosive Defense increased to 30%
• Concussive Defense increased to 60%
• Cloak Time increased to 65 Sec
• Repair Modifier Removed - All subs now have a standard repair modifier of 100%
• Base Armor increased to 10,001

Tiger Shark:

• Accuracy increased to 20%
• Explosive Defense increased to 40%
• Concussive Defense increased to 65%
• Cloak Time increased to 70 Sec
• Repair Modifier Removed - All subs now have a standard repair modifier of 100%
• Base Armor increased to 10,750
• Max Weight increased to 7,650

As we can see here, the subs are getting many benefits that will aid them in the new raid format coming in September and help them with the new skirmish targets we are going to be seeing on the map. The foundry upgrades center on adding more DPS, explosive resistance, and Concussive resistance. As well, as minor tweaks to turn speeds and accuracy. Now you still might not be happy that they are taking away the zombie launches, and I cannot blame you. Many have learned to play that way, the goal going forward is to get to build different fleets to do the same thing. Also, with these changes hopefully we can get more play out of our subs. I am hopeful.

 The update brought a New TLC and new Conquer Hull.

Retribution

Thermonuclear Launcher

Atomic Targeting

This TLC will allow the player to hit other player bases to gain these prizes. I am sure it will be much like previous TLC with Three prize packs, 12 hours, 6 hours and 1 hour. Not sure how many targets per, but figure at least three to five and upwards of seven if they follow typical TLC pattern. It starts today at Noon game time.

September Raid changes

With the raid still a good 6 weeks away we can start to think ahead and get things ready. Especially with the changes to subs now, the foundry to give us access to better subs. So, lets discuss a few builds.

Cuda Build research technology only

Cuda build with some tier 3 FM technology

Cuda Build with high end FM technology and old raid torps.

For the Specrte builds you will use the same specials as I did for the Cuda, pretty much those are the three you want at all stages of your tech level.

Spectre build research technology only

Sprectre build with some FM technology

Spectre build with high end FM technology and old raid/FMtorps

Nighthawk build with research tech only

Nighthawk build with some FM technology

Nighthawk build with high end FM technology and Old Raid/FMtorps

Tiger Shark with research tech and salvages only

Tiger shark with some FM Technology

Tiger Shark with High End and FM technology and old raid/FMtorps

Hopefully, these builds will help guide you on a path to get ready for the September raid with technology you. I will state that I do not see specters and Cuda doing the high-end targets; however, Nighthawks and Tigers should do the A set and even elites. As always I will modify the advice as I see the targets and get to play with them. Hopefully, these initial builds will do the job, and no refitting will be needed. 

Remember to always use your best torpedo, your best engine, your best ablative armor 3 and then add in dive time and cloaking if you can.

Rumor on many Facebook pages is that we are getting a new sub in September Raid. No, I have not heard one way or another and have no knowledge of future prizes. If the new sub class is coming, you will want to try to get something ready for September raid so that you can claim it and new technology that will make the new raid series easy.

Day in the life of a new Battle Pirates Player July 25, 2016

How to find those Blueprints; what salvages you should hit

It was a rough week, and time has been short actually to do much on the new account. But, I have made some progress and close to finishing up my Mauler fleet. My warehouses are enough finally to build a Dreadnought in one go. The build I have settled on is the crossbow, and I will share two possible builds that you can choose what you would like to have. Personally, I am leaning towards the auto loader for now until ranked, then swapping to siege bat.

Dreadnought 1

Dreadnought 2

Pro-Tip to finding where to get the Blueprints from

One tip I learned today from Bort is that you can get help knowing where to find individual blueprints by going to your shipyard, designer and clicking the box that shows you Blueprints you do not own. By hovering over them, you get hints of where to go to get them. This step can help take the frustration out of knowing what to hit to get that blueprint you wanted.

Here is the video showing how to get that information.

Future Goals this week

My goals for this week is to finish getting the warehouses to max level for my OP, starting at least 1 Dreadnought so that I can get moving on the higher strongholds. Begin upgrading turrets to level 5 as well as finish walls to level 4 at least.

I want to hit T2 starting next week at least as I am wrapping up T1 blueprints now in the FM this week.

Hope you are all well and that this information helps you moving forward.

A Different perspective from Bort on how to start the game

One more way to approach the game from a new player starting point

I thought this might be helpful for those that might want a different perspective than I have on starting out. Bort on the forums has given me permission to add his thoughts on this process to the blog, and I will summarize it every Friday. I hope that it provides some insight into a different way to go and help the new player make a choice on how to play the game.

The first thing you need to know is that Bort is making a straight move to the Sea Wolves and not going the campaign route.

From his forum posting, you can find his full write up here

Things that are easier

• Buildings are even quicker
• Many hulls / weapons / specials are even faster
• Researched weapons are stronger
• equipping turrets are independent of the building
• the potential for getting decent hulls early through the foundry
• regular vxp weekends (although my first will be the next one)

Things that are harder

• The FM is much tougher, even to get a foot in the door
• Raids are likely to be tougher to start

Mistakes made and shared experience

Which matches with my experience so far, He also made some critical mistakes that I mentioned earlier with not paying attention to what was needed to meet requirements for certain things. So, he got the shockwave morts but did not upgrade the intelligence lab to level four. Not upgrading the Launchpad so he could not use his rockets he researched right way. And the last early mistake was ignoring the fundamental researches so he could not use the mortars even after getting the intelligence lab upgraded.

We both share in not rolling for our free crews daily

Remember you want to do the basic research stuff in the lab this is.

Naval Lab minimum researches

• Iron 1 thru 4
• Steel 1 thru 4
• Titanium 3 and 4
• Depleted Uranium Armor 4

Weapon Labs minimum researches

• Thud I thru IV
• Rapier 1 thru IV
• Cutlass 4 (3 if you want to use it while looking for other missiles in salvages)
• Ripper IV
• Diplomat IV
• Peacemaker IV
• Hydra rockets IV
• Malestorm Rockets IV

Advance lab best researches for early to mid-game

• Guidance Scrambler
• Solid Fuel Booster
• Ablative armor
• Reactive armor
• Harden barrels
• Autoloader

If you follow, that guide for researching. Keep upgrading your buildings to the max level for the outpost.  Your intelligence lab to around 6. It will help you meet the necessary requirements for most things that you will find you need to succeed in the game.

Any questions feel free to comment below, have a great weekend!

Specs view on the September raid preview

Were you one of the lucky 300?

I was not one of the lucky ones that got into the raid preview, but I have watched quite a few videos that others have done and provided for our viewing pleasure. It has left me with a few thoughts.

None of the ones I watched did anything low level, so I am not sure how cuda and spectres will do. However, Nighthawks and Tigers did quite well from what I have seen with good driving. Of course, the lucky ones with a Ghost Crawler will have some fun in the raid series. One guy that I watched a twitch stream of was using Revenge, granted his way was the most expensive I had the pleasure to watch. So, what did the targets seem to have for strengths and weakness?

Weakness

Concussive damage, the corrosive and explosive damage is the way to go. The reavers have the typical weakness to concussive damage at they had the first time we faced them. The one guy I watched used vendettas with vanquishers out front. Did not do bad with the setup and in the Elite target, he took about 5 hours of damage. I would not recommend using mortars due to the speed of the targets. But, the Gatling gun did alright, and of course torps. The best torpedo you could use for the September raid the Charon. Granted it was in the last raid locked behind the 30 million points. If you do not have that torpedo, then B torpedos will be perfect for the range and damage. Also, siege torps should do just fine if that is all you have. You will have less room for mistakes with the shorter range weapons, though. I mentioned corrosive, and the Cobra scattergun was very useful in what I saw. It would dispose of the little drones quickly, and you could get close enough to the bigger ships to hit them with that weapon as well. Of course, the shorter range did not help much to navigate away from the pulsating sub cavitation fields that popped up.  That covers their weakness; you will want to refit your fleets with those three damage types and in that order. Surface fleets will take more damage, but they are doable if you have the right technology.

Strengths

The strengths in the target are concussive and explosive damage. From what I could tell the explosive was the death weapon that has a good range hitting you even while submerged. So, if you are using subs I would see if you could fit the Ablative armor three on them, not sure what slot to give up yet for that special. I would also consider using the new armors we are getting in the weekly. Yes, you might not like them because they did not fit what you wanted. But, the explosive resistance they impart to the subs will be useful in dealing with that death explosion that seemed to hit about 110 range from the target. For surface ships, again I would only use them if you did not have a sub fleet, you will want a mix of good explosive defense and use the concussive armors we got from the FM last month.

Some videos of various players doing the testing.

I hope this helps you with your planning stages, and we hopefully will get the skirmish foundry setup soon. This foundry update will allow us to get an idea of what the game developers feel is needed for the targets to be successful

Have a great day and leave a comment if you have questions!