Slower Projectiles, Higher Stakes

We made a big change to how combat feels: projectiles are slower, but they hit harder. The net effect is that fights are more deliberate, more readable, and more satisfying.

The Problem

Projectiles were too fast. In a 5v5 fight, everything happened instantly — shots connected before you could react, damage felt like it came from nowhere, and it was hard to tell who was winning a fight until someone exploded. Skilled play and random fire looked the same.

We also had the opposite problem with healing. Frigate repair beams were strong enough that focus fire couldn't break through. Fights stalled out in standoffs where nobody died.

What Changed

Projectile speeds are down across the board. You can see shots coming now. At medium range, there's time to juke, to shift power to shields, to react. It rewards aim — you have to lead your target more — and it rewards evasion. The Interceptor especially benefits. A good pilot can weave through incoming fire in a way that feels earned.

Damage is up to compensate. When you do land a shot, it matters. A Destroyer railgun hit takes a real chunk out of a target. The Dreadnought siege beam melts armor faster. The tradeoff is clear: shots are harder to land, but more rewarding when they connect.

Healing got toned down to match. Frigates are still essential — a team without one loses the war of attrition. But a Frigate can't outheal coordinated focus fire anymore. If three ships focus one target, it goes down. That's how it should be.

How It Feels

Fights have rhythm now. There's an opening exchange where both teams feel each other out, a moment where someone commits, and then a resolution. You can read the flow. When you win a fight, you know why. When you lose one, you know what you'd do differently.

That's the bar we're aiming for. Every death should feel like it was your fault, not random chance.