How do the damage models differ

wiese.hano

1st Lieutenant
I couldn't figure it out. How do WC1, WC2, WCS, WC3, WC4 and WCP differ regarding the damage model of their capital ships? I know that capital ships in WCP are invincible as long as their subsystems have not been destroyed one by one, which requires torpedoes. But I am not sure about the capital ships of the other games. I guess they simply have a certain amount of structural points. When these are at zero, the ship is destroyed.
 
Other than WC2 I'm pretty sure you just shot them until they died, like you said. No idea how WC2 did its invulnerable shields, crazy high regen maybe?
 
Just to close the loop on this:

WC1 - Shoot through the shields and armor with anything
WC2, Academy and Armada - Requires torpedoes to conduct a lengthy phase lock
WC3 and WC4 - Similar to WC1, shoot the shields and armor (and core). Weak points exists such as flight deck and engines. Destructable turrets can be shot off.
WCP, SO and Arena - Shield generators must be eliminated with torpedoes or certain super heavy guns, then critical components can be destroyed, which results in destruction of the ship.
Privateer 1 and 2 - Torpedoes exist to help take down larger ships
 
WC1/WC3/WC4 - little difference between capships and a really big, slow fighter

WC2 - I think the ship's have powerful shields that torps by-pass and capships weapons do so much damage they knock down shields and damage the ship (and armor?). Of course, the capship fights are so rare, they may be purely scripted. I could also be wrong as I am very unfamiliar with WC2 - especially internally.

WCP/SO invulnerable shields, components can be damaged by missiles with special component only targeting or guns with a flag to damage components. Essentially, WCP/SO capships don't have true shields, just flags
 
I always thought WC2 did Capship attacks best - really capturing the "WW2 in space" feel I think they were going for. In WC1, I never worried about capships unless they were going to jump out - just clean up the fighters and then I can pull back, recharge my shields and afterburn in on gun runs. Just repeat until dead. Same thing really in WC3/4 (though the turrets on those ships were deadlier, especially the ones with missile launchers). But in WC2, those anti-matter turrets and flak could screw you up if you messed up your torpedo run and you always had to make sure your Broadsword/Sabre/Crossbow stayed in pretty decent shape because if you took damage, you could end up losing a torpedo which might prevent you from completing the mission.
 
The add-on effect of the WC2 cap ship dynamic is that it really made bombers spectacular. There was that awesome mission in the beginning with Ferrets escorting Broadswords, which was amazing. They kind of do it in Prophecy/Secret Ops, but they probably overdid the component destruction method and the bombers feel like superheavy fighters.
 
Back
Top