Building ships in Astro Battle is half the fun of the game! But it can be a bit challenging. And making a ship that will hold together under fire is harder still! I can't say I'm the best builder out there, but I can impart upon you advice on creating a combat craft that will suit your style of fighting.
I'm going to assume you already know how to put a ship together for the moment, so I'll go right into advice:
> Always try to use 4 directional thrusters, especially on heavy ships.
> The further the directional thrusters are from each other, the faster your ship will rotate. In other words, try to place them at the far ends of your ship as much as possible. Conversely, if your ship rotates too fast, move them closer together.
>Protect your directional thrusters by having them mounted facing the interior of your ship, if possible.
>Silver directional thrusters can be used as an inexpensive way of giving lighter ships extra acceleration by using them along with your main thruster(s).
>Weapons mounted to your ship can shoot through your own components without blowing you up! So try and mount guns "inboard" to protect them from enemy fire.
>You can use trusses as "reactive armor" plates. It's best to use the triangular ones, in my opinion.
>Explosive weapon hits damage everything in their blast radius. So it's best to stick trusses used as armor slightly away from the main body of your ship.
>Also, design the ship first, then add the armor afterward.
>Watch out for weak links! Make sure your ship is as interconnected as possible. This way it's a lot harder for people instantly "behead" your ship.
>If you're making a missile/torpedo boat, try attaching the launchers and a reactor and/or battery to your bridge at all times. This way, in case your ship is horribly damaged, you'll still be able to fire your weapons and fight on.
>Make your ships as thin as possible. This way you introduce less of a target to your enemy as you make an attack run. Or when you're running away. ;-)
>Shield your cockpit/bridge with components or trusses. Many people can selectively target your bridge with some weapons. To deter a quick defeat, I suggest putting something in the way of their fire, like a truss or a weapon. Better yet, design your ship AROUND your cockpit!
>Try not to place reactors next to each other. When hit, they tend to explode real well, taking out other nearby components. This could leave you with a powerless ship! I suggest putting one reactor on either side of your ship, or on in front and one in back. It's always best to have two reactors, if you can afford it.
>Place missile/torpedo launchers at an angle from your ship if you're using more than one. Many times the missiles or torps will hit each other when launched. And when that happens you usually get caught in your own explosion! So it's best to cant them to one side or another to prevent this. Use a triangular truss or wedge to facilitate this.
>Never attach all your weapons to one point on your ship! One good hit may knock loose those three heavy cannons, leaving you defenseless. Always attach your weapons to separate parts of your ship, so if you lose one, the others will continue firing.
And always improve upon your idea! A bad design can be taken "back to the drawing board", and with a tweak here and there, could come back to be a winner. Sometimes this adjustment could be moving one truss to another location!
