Re: How do mines work
 

Not only that... but for the low low cost of 50000 research points (mid-tech game setting) you get a unit that is absolutely undetectable to your enemies. Forever!

Explain that with a creative example.
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: How do mines work
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">So what? For the same 50000 resarch points you get a device that will destroy those units and keep your ships immune to damage. So it all balances out. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif

[ October 11, 2002, 19:48: Message edited by: geoschmo ]

Re: How do mines work
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That explains what happened to my fleets.

Re: How do mines work
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I'm talking about detecting, not destroying.

Detecting mines is not even in the scope of this game with even the highest scanning technology.

On what basis? I mean, a race has to research and develop other cloaking techs, but they get this magic black mine paint that is super-undetectable. Why don't they just paint their ships with it?

Just seems a bit inconsistant.

Re: How do mines work
 

IA is used to keep mines in colony cargo... That's completely useless, isn't it ?

Re: How do mines work
 

Yes. They have to be launched to do anything. Same with sats and fighters (though fighters will auto-launch)

Re: How do mines work
 

Units are automatically cloaked with the best claoking level of any components they carry, btw. So you could mod mines to be less 'invisible' and require components to be harder to detect. I've given them cloak level 2 just because they are so small and difficult to see on that basis. For better cloaking you need to use 'mine casing' akin to stealth armor. But even the best mine cloaking can be over-come with higher level sensors in my games.

Now if we can just get some action on the other problems discussed here: omnipresence of all mines in the sector at any given point, infallible sensors, infallible hit ratio.

[ October 11, 2002, 21:12: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]

Re: How do mines work
 

How do mines work? pretty simple. It is all simple and realistic in my opinion.

Mines are tiny. Dont look on the 5kT weight, the mines could be as big as football ball. it doesnt matter realy, but their size is completely indetectable for any and all ship scanners. Though you can mod them to be detectable.
How do they work? They are randmly distributed between the sector they occupy. Once ships enter they swarm towards the ship and attach themselves to the ship or just flight by, using magnetic detection component included in their special warhead. Once all mines *stop*(come near a ship or stay in place) they explode.
Explosion of single mine triggers a magnetic field which causes mines to attack every remaining ships if aviable. if none left, they just sit where they are.

Mine sweeper simply has specialized energy rays that intercept the mines as they come and destroys them, plus all the tiny meteorites that hit so hard on your personal quarters in the ship when you are asleep....

Re: How do mines work
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Oops. sorry, had my head in pre-gold land for a second there.

Re: How do mines work
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Taera, thanks for reminding us just how "futuristic" this game is. Hey folks, just look at the date, 2400! All who can predict conditions 400 years in the future, please step forward.

I know I'm one of the worst for expecting "realism" in this game but then someone puts me in my place with a "futuristic" explanation like this. Taera's explanation may be dead wrong, but it is a good as any other... and works for me...

Now if we could just come up with a rationalization of why we can only squeeze 100 mines into a sector.... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif