Re: Proportions mod Version 2.2 released
 

Optimal solution would be to have a special target priority "weapon platforms". It has been suggested several times before but, alas, MM did't implemented it.

It is possible to check during tactical combat how many facilities left on planet: right-click on planet than select "facilities".

It would be nice to transfer TDM Orks or Space Vikings AI. They like to capture planets ! Very nicely done races.

Another issue: AI does not put enough point defence. This is because point defence beams are Last in the list of poin-defence weapons and hence AI always select it. Point-defence beams are superior in acurace, but puny damage values makes current AI ships completely defenseless. I suggest to swap the order of point-defence cannons and point-defence beams in components.txt

Re: Proportions mod Version 2.2 released
 

Yep yep yep.

I whined for a long time to MM about adding "Planet - Unarmed" to don't fire on types, too.

You're probably right, I think, about the suggestion for order of PD weapons. The AI ship designs can be hugely improved - John Sullivan and I have been tweaking them a lot lately for 2.3.

PvK

Re: Proportions mod Version 2.2 released
 

PVK,

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">I will second this. Although home worlds are difficult to attack with direct fire weapons, building ships with just Capital Missles is the most effective way of preparing a Homeworld for ground assault. They can easily stay out of range of even Heavy/Massive Mounted weapons and wittle the planet's troops down (which absorb tons of Damage). If they could build a Weapons platform that had PD components on them it would be all the more difficult and costly to take.

Also this may exist and I don't see it, but what if there was a shield generating component that could be put on a weapon platform that added to the shields of the planet. Then non-homeworlds would not be so naked to these attacks as well....

two cents more...

Re: Proportions mod Version 2.2 released
 

Ok, there shall be more PD from the AI. I had some WP's with PD included, I thought, but I guess either they're using PD beams, or haven't researched PD by the time you attack them, or something. If I tag the self-defense cannon for the AI to find, it should be pretty easy to get the AI to make its homeworlds rather missile resistant.

I don't think it's possible to put planet-wide shields on WP's. I could try to use the Planet - Shield ability, but it's not phased (the phased ability used on facilties is the unit component ability).

However, if Gold 1.67 is like Pre-Gold 1.49, then I think the lowest-hitpoint units on planets tend to get hit first, and before population and facilities, meaning that small WP's with cheap defense components can be used to "protect" most units.

What I should probably do, though, is add a string of planetary shield generator facilities to the standard tech tree (making the ancient tech just out-perform it for a greater investment).

Note too that all of the cultural facilities include phased shield gen to represent the difficulty of destroying these, and the added potential to shelter units on planets with these.

On homeworlds, it takes a pretty large and sustained firepower just to get through the CC "shields".

PvK

Re: Proportions mod Version 2.2 released
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">My understanding is that the WP must all be destroyed before damage is applied to any of the facilities. If this is true then any shields on WP are equivalent to planetary shields... I think

Re: Proportions mod Version 2.2 released
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">That's been my experience also. I had a tough time once with the AI for this reason... lotsa early research weapons against 12000 points of planet shields derived from WP's... I came back with cruisers loaded with planetary bombs...

There! That'll learn 'em!

[ 10 May 2002, 21:00: Message edited by: wr8th ]

Re: Proportions mod Version 2.2 released
 

Problem with a WP with just shields would be that most likely the ground combat units would be killed first. If I am attacking a homeworld, I want the facilities intact....If only Planet Shileds could be in a component then defenses could be purchased without sacraficing facility space....

Re: Proportions mod Version 2.2 released
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Heh, that's basically what I did. I have 8 levels of shields, 4 need Massive Planetary Shields to acquire, and I arranged the roman numerals for them so the regular planetary shields will upgrade to the appropriate level for the massive planetary shields. (Massive Planetary Shield Generator I shows up as V, essentially.)

Re: Proportions mod Version 2.2 released
 

"I arranged the roman numerals for them so the regular planetary shields will upgrade to the appropriate level for the massive planetary shields."

FYI you don't have to order the facilities by roman numeral.. it's a cosmetic thing. Order in the file is all that counts.

Phoenix-D

Re: Proportions mod Version 2.2 released
 

My first idea that AI uses PD beams exclusively because it is the latest entry in components.txt was completely wrong. After I interchanged places of PD beams and PDC, AI still stick to PDB (sadly, it is not Protein Data Bank). I think AI uses the component with required ability (PD in this case) that is smalest in size. Thus, it may require some drastic changes in PD weapons to make AI have more or less credible PD defence.