Boson Lance

Last modified by Kajar on 2024/08/20 09:45

Boson Lance

BosonLance.jpg
TypeMain Gun
Available FromZYA CUB
Fitted ToSmall and Medium Ships
RoleSniper
Required LicenseMilitary License (+10)

In-game Description

The Split Boson Lance fires a single high speed projectile at medium range. To deliver its full damage potential, pilots are required to charge the weapon for a brief moment. The initial rapid heat generation nearly overheats the weapon, but it starts cooling down even if the pilot holds the shot instead of triggering it. This allows pilots to release a preloaded shot from the cooled-down weapon, enabling pilots to shoot twice. Attempting to shoot when the allowed heat generation would be exceeded, will trigger the safety mechanism, resulting in the Boson Lance overheating without firing. As an additional limitation, the weapon is static and requires pilots to turn their ship to aim, forgoing the automatic target tracking that is available on other weapons. The Boson Lance sees most use in fighting medium-sized ships, and when destroying the surface elements of capital ships.

The Boson Lance was invented relatively recently, by the Split brothers Ko t'Pa and Fyi t'Pa. With the reconnection of the Zyarth Patriarchy to the Commonwealth, the Patriarchy acquired its blueprint and refined it for mass production.

The most notable feature of the Mk2 variant is that it doubles the damage output.

Tactical Overview

The Boson Lance is the Split version of the Mass Driver and could be considered a sidegrade.

It offers a slightly increased damage output at the cost of reduced range. Otherwise, the two weapons are pretty much identical.

As with the Mass Driver, this is a highly impractical and overpriced weapon and shares all the downsides.

Update 7.10 has given this weapon minimal tracking. The gun can only aim in a small square area, and you must still move the entire ship to aim the weapon, which makes it real hard to use in a fast dogfight. 

The DPS is still lacking, and capital ships aren't viable targets.
Also note that because of how the heat mechanic works, the Boson Lance's cooldown time gets multiplied for each gun you use. Using 2x Boson Lance Mk2 increases the cooldown time to 29 seconds. 3x to 43 seconds, and so on.

Making this weapon work is very difficult, and the result is generally disappointing. There are much better choices out there, and all of them will outperform the Boson Lance in damage output, cost-effectiveness, and practicality.

Advantages:
- Perfect accuracy

- Extremely fast projectile

- Long range

 

Disadvantages:

- Minimal tracking. The entire ship has to be maneuvered to aim

- low damage per second

- Extremely high initial heat generation. Can only fire one shot

- Extremely slow heat dissipation and therefore rate of fire

- Extremely expensive weapon. Only the Mass Driver and Meson Stream are more expensive

- Damage per shot is not sufficient to offset the drawbacks, needing multiple hits to destroy even light fighters

 

Specifications

 Small Mk1Small Mk2Medium Mk1Medium Mk2
Damage Per Second107206171331
Damage Per Shot1875300030004800
Time For Full Firing Cycle17.5s14.5s17.5s14.5s
     
Reload Time1.5s1.2s1.5s1.2s
Charge Time0.1s0.1s0.1s0.1s
Projectile Speed10000 m/s10000 m/s10000 m/s10000 m/s
Maximum Range5000m5000m7000m7000m
     
Initial Heat8000800080008000
Heat Dissipation Per Second500/s600/s500/s600/s
Maximum Damage Until Overheat1500300024004800
Cooldown Delay When Overheating4s3s4s3s
Reactivates At After Overheating1000100010001000

Construction Cost

Universal Build Method

 Small Mk1Small Mk2Medium Mk1Medium Mk2
Credits158.471 - 332.869839.148 - 1.693.145299.375 - 603.7331.181.388 - 2.375.880
Energy Cells29748291130
Weapon Components82296102415
Advanced Electronics197849112
Advanced Composites 68 115