🚀 go-pugleaf

A friend and I fired up a 2-player network game to test the damage levels
of the different weapons in Descent, and we found some interesting results.
These are the numbers:

      Laser level 1:  20 points total (10 per laser bolt)
            level 2:  22 points total (11 per...)
            level 3:  24 points total (12 per...)
            level 4:  26 points total (13 per...)
      Quad: (Not tested, but we assumed it just doubles the totals)

      Spreadfire: 6 points for each of the three shots in each burst; so
                  18 points total for a full hit
      Vulcan:  6 points per burst (a burst being the shortest shot we
               could get by just tapping CTRL)

      Concussion missiles:  25 points
      Homing missiles:      27 points

      Bombs:  24 points (if I remember correctly...)

      Ramming: 6 (5?) points per ram...for a "continuous" ram, the total
               cycles down at a medium pace in one point units.


The totals given for lasers are for a full hit, meaning that you hit the
opponent with both laser bolts--level 1 lasers are 20 total, but if you
only hit with one bolt you only do 10 points of damage.  The ramming test
was for those times when you're invulnerable and you want to know how long
it's going to take to mash your opponent to death.  :-)

We were really surprised to see that there's so little difference between
the different laser levels.  Level 3 lasers *seem* so much better...but
it still takes 5 (full) hits to take out a fresh player, same as it does
with level 1 lasers.  Another surprise was that the spreadfire total is
lower than that of any of the levels of laser.  It seems like such an
Uberweapon, but that may be mainly due to its close-enough-still-does-
some-damage feature.

Also, we were surprised that a missile strike is just a few points more
than a full laser hit.  Missiles seem so much more destructive in battle,
but that might be due to the collateral damage from near misses (which we
didn't test).  Also, they're all or nothing--there are probably lots of
single-bolt hits with lasers in a fight, so the lasers end up seeming half
as powerful as they really are.

Don't know if it affects my strategy, but it's good to know the numbers.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
 John Caruso               \   On the surface he seems sensible
 car...@paradiso.umuc.edu   \   But underneath the logic is crazy...
 caruso@UMUC (Bitnet)        \      -- Mark Burgess
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