Re: docking escorts
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Deathstalker:
This sounds like the role Drones will fill when they are finally implimented.

Hopefully in a patch or two....

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Actually, the drone description says that they will be launched from a planet, can't be recovered, head to a target, and then they die (I think they're basically big missiles that ram into a planet and go boom). At least that's what it was when MM was saying stuff about drones way back when...

Re: docking escorts
 

I've been playing with this, and I think the only way is to make a big fighter, then to mod a load of tech to make it usable on fighters (as per the comment about the pirate/nomad mod)

There's too much hard coded - I tried to make a satellite which could move, but I can't find a way to give a sat movement- whatever do, when they launch they just sit there.
Drone doesn't seem to be implemented at all,
I didn't even try weapon platform,
and I couldn't find away to make a "ship" launchable.

Re: docking escorts
 

Planetary dock? That sounds neat. One thing that could do along with hide a ship is reduce its maintence costs, since its engines and systems wouldn't be running all the time.

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Rules? What Rules?

Re: docking escorts
 

Yeah, but with a time and/or resource penalty to reflect the extra effort involved in moving around within a planet's atmosphere. Either that or require that a ship has a small "atmospheric maneuvering" component to allow it to get into and out of orbit.

Maybe planets with no atmos could have an advantage here? A use for those tiny moons at Last...

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"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so Brain, but how are we gonna teach a goat to dance with flippers on? "

Re: docking escorts
 

I read something about that. Using small, low-gravity, no-atmosphere moons and asteroids for starship bases. That would be usefull in SEIV. You could build a secret base in the asderoids of the enemys systems.

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Rules? What Rules?

[This message has been edited by Maverick (edited 02 May 2001).]

Re: docking escorts
 

*Dogscoff smacks forehead*
...Not the asteroids thread again... please not the asteroids thread...

Sorry... don't know what came over me there http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif

If ship-in-ship docking was allowed according to the beginning of this thread, and my idea on asteroid utilisation adopted (in some other thread somewhere. I'll see if I can find it. I'm sure not typing it again=-) then you could hide ships in aasteroids like that. Fighters too.

Now where's that thread..?

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"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so Brain, but how are we gonna teach a goat to dance with flippers on? "

Re: docking escorts
 

... Found it. From the "asteroids question" thread which died a few weeks ago. Here's how I think asteroid usage should be implemented. Obviously it's all hard code, perhaps in SEV / expansion pack?

&lt;Wild idea&gt;
Treat each asteroid field like a space station or group of space stations - You don't need to colonise it, you just have to get a construction ship there and take advantage of a free "hull" with natural cloaking, really low maintenance and space for scanners, fighter bays, cargo space, weapons etc.

In combat each "hull" (ie each rock) would be treated exactly like a space station. It would have a special graphic and it could be boarded or destroyed just like a space station. When destroyed the rock becomes available for someone else to build on.

Tiny asteroid field - approx 100KT hull
Small asteroid field - approx 200KT hull.
Medium asteroid field - 1 100KT hull + 1 200KT hull
... and so on.

When I say "approx", why not put in a random modifier? One tiny asteroid field has 109KT space, the one in the next sector only 98KT. I don't know i there are any components &lt;5 KT but it would b a good incentive to mod some

&lt;/Wild idea&gt;


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"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so Brain, but how are we gonna teach a goat to dance with flippers on? "

Re: docking escorts
 

Some things you just can't do http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon9.gif but since MM keeps adding to the game maybe one day it will work. A carrier full of destroyers, wow a scary thought!

Re: docking escorts
 

If they ever do add that perhaps they could put in a planetary dock facility - hide ships on a planet's surface so your enemies can't see your defences. (unless they have scanners)

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"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so, Brain, but we'll never get a monkey to use dental floss!"

Re: docking escorts
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Spoo:
Is there a way to make ships dockable like fighters? I don't mean making a gigantic fighter that just looks like an escort or frigate, cause then it could be loaded with fighter components and be shot down w/ PDC, and basically be not good.

I'm thinking a baseship that holds a small fleet of escorts and/or frigates.

I imagine this would need a code change, but I figured I'd bring it up in case it could be moded.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

As others have pointed out, this is basically "Pseudo-fighters" from Starfleet Battles. You can get awfully close to this in the follwing way:

1) Mod your data files:

a&gt; Make a "Combat Movement" component for ships as well as fighters. +1, +2, and +3 movement is good. Where to place these in the engines field, or whether to make them a special field, is up to you.

b&gt; Give "supply storage" and "solar collector" components in your data files a cargo storage ability so they can be placed in transports. Make it '0' cargo storage of course, and don't give it a description so it doesn't appear in the abilities list.

c&gt; Optionally, also give the repair bay the '0' cargo storage ability so it can be added into the mix.

2) Design your attack escorts with minimal engines, NO supply storage or other non-combat peripherals, and these special combat thrusters. They'll be slow on the strategic map but kick-*** in combat. If you equip them with missiles they can make "torpedo runs" against enemy ships. Even if you equip them with beams they might be able to dance in and out of range, although the advantages of mounts for larger ships could be a problem for them to cope with. They can probably outrun other ship's missiles, though.

3) Though you cannot actually make a ship that carries other ships, you can make a "PF Tender" that keeps these attack escorts supplied. Fill a transport hull with as many solar collectors as reasonably possible plus a few supply storage units to make a reserve supply pool. Include a repair bay if you've made that mod. Equip it with minimal defense components. ECM, maybe. Nothing more. The PFs are supposed to protect it, while it is supposed to keep them supplied and repaired and be CHEAP on maintenance.

Fleet a bunch of these attack escorts with one or more of these tenders and you have a slow fleet on the strtegic map that turns into a very fast fleet in tactical combat. This is about as close as you're going to get to PFs and tenders in the SFB style.

[This message has been edited by Baron Munchausen (edited 03 May 2001).]