Re: Carrier Battles Mod
 

Well, CBMod isn't exactly AI-friendly anyway... even if you did mod the AIs to be technically compatible, I don't think they would do so well in the game.

Re: Carrier Battles Mod
 

SEV is supposed to have some kind of AI scripting. So, maybe we will get lucky and be able to script it so when a fighter runs out of supplies it returns to the nearest carrier.

Re: Carrier Battles Mod
 

Edit your settings.txt to make a maximum 10-system game or so (so it dosen't take too long).

Then add two human players, no AIs and play against yourself to get some design, colonization and a taste of combat.

Re: Carrier Battles Mod
 

Rats. I was hoping you wouldn't say that. I was hoping to see some AI designs.

Here's what I have gathered so far:

- Read thru the courses again.
- Scanned the data files
---- you musta used your gridder program on the missiles. sheez. Yup, there are enough flavors.
---- many facilities cause pollution, need to worry about planet conditions
---- mounts are very important, even on units
- QNP propulsion... not very experienced with that. gonna be building some less-than-optimized designs
- leaky shields and armor, same as above.
- found "important!readme.txt" quite by accident, and as the name implies...
- I'll need to start a high tech game to check everything out in-game.
- Counter-Intel = offensive project. Hmmm. I hope intel won't overwhelm game.
- Plagues seem to be likely in this mod.
- Looks like ship repair is to be taken seriously. Looks like reduced repair abilities and large numbers of damaged components (due to leaky armor and shields) requires serious repair planning.
- no quantum reactors; supply will always be an issue.


and now some questions:
- SJ, would it be a breach of your security to post an empire (with saved designs) for newbies to look at? You could make one with just some intermediate level designs and keep your killer designs secret.

- What's a good ratio of minerals:organics:radioactives to shoot for in this mod? early game especially.

- Looks to me like a stock shipset works even with modified vehiclesize.txt. Any problems using a stock shipset?

- By reading components.txt, I don't quite get the colony idea. Please explain the differences between Rock Colony, Primitive Rock Colony and Advanced Rock Colony

Re: Carrier Battles Mod
 

Questions:
- Well, possibly... But all the in-progress games are under significantly different versions of the mod.
The school of design gives you a mostly formulaic scheme for the units, and runs through the core of the ship design.
***See below for comments which delve into design issues.

- The resource ratio is hard to say... Early on your ships will cost about 4:1:2. However your facility build costs are all organics, so they are about as important as minerals.
Mid game, your rads cost will start to rocket upwards as your technology pushes into the high energy magic range, and they will become your limiting factor.

- CBmod has fewer hulls than stock, but even if it had more, there would be no problem.

- The normal colony module is available to races with the corresponding "Natives" trait. It is decent.
The Primitive colony module is available to anyone at tech level 2. It sucks bad, but will make a colony if you get it there.
The advanced colony is available at level 2 to the "Native" race. It is cheaper, smaller, better.


Comments:
- "Show only latest" is the key here http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif There are really only a handful of missile types, ranging from anti-missile to anti-fighter to anti-ship and anti-planet. Right-click to see the target types and description in game; it should be obvious from that what the purpose of the missile is.
- Note that conditions won't actually decrease due to facilities... but excessive pollution will make random and attack damage very hard to undo.
- Indeed. Mounts are critical on every weapon (20cm...100cm), even missiles (tube/rack). And armor(20cm-60cm+).

- QNP... not really. Its more like anti-QNP. The school of design lays the propulsion angle out very nicely. Add a drive reactor, and enough engine ports to go speed 1. Then add backup ports. Try to have 5-10 engine ports, so you don't lose everything to one unlucky hit.

- Don't worry too much about shields. They are a finesse thing. Bulking up on armor for hitpoints will keep you going in a slugfest. One shield generator is probably plenty for most ships. Standoff bombardment craft don't need any, and close-attack anti-fighter ships may need two or three. But without armor, shields are useless.

- Check the game settings, to see if intel is enabled.
Also, note that there are beneficial intel projects too. The under-the-table resource gift, the exchange officers, etc.

- Plagues aren't actually that common. They're quite expensive to throw, and once the enemy has a system medical facility, new plagues last less than one turn (they kill a few people, but are cured right away).
The trick is using them if the enemy has no medicine... or to force them to divert resources towards medicine instead of the war effort.

- Oh, certainly. Unless you are a Disposable society or a preservationist, salvage and repairs will be a big part of the war. (Disposables *can't* repair, and preservationists get double-repair)
You will definitely need to build repair yards, and repair priorities are important. You do *NOT* want to waste your precious repair points fixing 20% damage to armor, if you could just hammer the engine ports back into shape and send the ship back into battle. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif
Oh, and don't be surprised if you end up with 30% of your navy queued up in spacedock for repairs after a series of skirmishes. You should basically consider those repair yards as being a second spaceyard, which produces experienced ships instead of green ones http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

- Supply is definitely an issue. Take note of the fact that the energy weapons use ZERO supplies, but cost lots of radioactives. The projectile weapons are dirt cheap, but use supply, and the missiles are even more so.

Re: Carrier Battles Mod
 

Mounts on missles are screwed, unless they have been fixed in Deluxe?

Kana

Re: Carrier Battles Mod
 

Mounts affect the component, not the seeker that a missile weapon produces.
I have taken that into account.

Re: Carrier Battles Mod
 

I was just wondering if it was fixed...

Kana

Re: Carrier Battles Mod
 

My monitor is just about dead. I have another one on the way. Should be here in 3-4 days worst case. I may go MIA temporarily if it dies altogether.

Re: Carrier Battles Mod
 

Why have the carriers become so much smaller in this newer game? I must admit I like the balance of earlier versions... In my other games the feel seems to be just about the right size for fighters per carrier hull and capability of supporting ships. Under this new game the carriers will be significantly smaller, and presumably fighters much less important as a main fleet strategy... Just curious.