Railguns: Adjustable Power Input and new block: Supercapacitors

Adjustable power inputs provide players with the flexibility to manage their energy resources dynamically, enhancing the tactical depth of energy weapon usage.

Current Mechanics:

Energy weapons like railguns draw a fixed amount of power (e.g., 38MW) and charge at a fixed rate, giving the player few choices other than stacking guns as a means to improve firepower, which give rise to the infamous "gun brick" designs.

Proposed Change:

Introduce adjustable power input for energy weapons, allowing players to increase power draw up to 10 times the base value (e.g., up to 380MW for railguns) with direct implication on damage per shot and rate of fire.

New Block Proposal: Supercapacitors.

To support the increased power demands of energy weapons, I propose the introduction of a new block which will give players more control over how the power is distributed including the weapons "cooldown" and perhaps lower the amount of needed batteries and reactors on player's designs, simplifying them.

Description:

A supercapacitor is a high-performing type of energy storage that offers lower energy density but significantly higher power output compared to traditional batteries.

Example specifications for a proposed 1x1x1 Large grid Supercapacitor:

Capacity: 300 KWh (1/10 of a similarly sized battery)

Power Output: 1200 MW (100x that of a similarly sized battery)

Charge Time: 9 seconds (100x faster than a similarly sized battery)

Rationale:

Supercapacitors provide a solution to the impracticality of achieving high power levels with reactors and batteries alone. They allow for rapid discharge and recharge, enabling players to meet the power demands of high-energy weapons and systems effectively, or even establish long range communications with later antennas, relaying short but long range messages at distances that would otherwise not be feasible.

Gameplay Benefits:

Strategic Energy Distribution: Players can prioritize energy allocation, focusing output to specific systems like railguns to improve power or rate of fire, or divert energy to possible new energy weapons.

Enhanced Gameplay Depth: Introducing supercapacitors allows for more nuanced energy management, encouraging players to think critically about their power distribution strategies.

The end of the "Gun Brick": The ability to focus power on fewer, more powerful weapons reduces the need for stacking multiple guns, which is often seen as unrealistic and detracts from the gameplay experience.