What is Alpha in terms of ship dps?

Gorble Gibbernof [ Moderator ] Mar 3, 2010 (Edited Sep 24, 2011)

Alpha is the volley damage of all of your guns. It is the actual number that pops on your screen when it tells you whether you hit or miss.

Alpha(Volley)/Time = DPS

Also note that a high volley is prized for its ability to break active tanks that have a certain % at which they recover the fastest.

NN comments

Real Name [ Editor ] May 1, 2010

The term comes from Alpha Strike, but in the context of games, it indicates a sudden damage spike. For sustained damage over time, DPS (damage per second) is the measure used.

As previously indicated, a large alpha is useful because it can break tanks (dropping a shield below optimal recharge level, or pushing an armour tank deep into structure). In extreme situations, it can pop a ship outright, so it never has the opportunity to flee.

Artillery, missiles and bombs are recognised as high-alpha weapons, due to their high damage but slow reload times.

NN comments

callie Mar 3, 2010

Dps is the average damage/sec whereas alpha is damage in one hit.

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Yuri [ Editor ] May 2, 2010

Alpha is the damage your weapons do in a single hit--hopefully all at the same time.

The easiest way to produce the biggest Alpha on your ship is to group all your guns into a single F-key weapon group. Shift drag your weapons two weapons together or a weapon into the existing group. All weapons within a weapon group must be exactly the same kind--including meta level.

Once the weapons are in a group they all fire together and reload together. And you end up with some awesome looking firing graphics on your ship too. (A full broadside from a battle cruiser or 8 gun battleship is a thing of beauty.)

Artillery (projectile weapons) have the largest alpha, though the are lower DPS than the other weapon systems.

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