Interesting Items coming out soon...
 

SPOOGY FEDERATION MOD NEWS:

While at work, I just came up with an interesting component...

Deep Space Array

Massive Long Range scanner that can peer into deep space many, many sectors away giving you a nice picture of the surrounding area (including Enemy fleets!). It would be a really big component and would probably be suited to stations only.

Re: Interesting Items coming out soon...
 

It can be done as a facility as well!
It can be made to scan the entire system.

Re: Interesting Items coming out soon...
 

Hey spoogy, could you do me a favor and make me a facility that can prevent warp points from being opened within a system? I was kinda thinking that it would make a nice addition to the game.

------------------
"We've made too many compromises already, too many retreats! They invade our space and we fall back -- they assimilate entire worlds and we fall back! Not again! The line must be drawn here -- this far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!" -- Patric Stewart as Captain Picard
UCP/TCO Ship Yards

Re: Interesting Items coming out soon...
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Deep Space Array

Massive Long Range scanner that can peer into deep space many, many sectors away giving you a nice picture of the surrounding area (including Enemy fleets!). It would be a really big component and would probably be suited to stations only.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
That would only be useful (& different from what already exists) if you are talking about interstellar sectors, not within a single solar system, as Aussie seems to imply.
I think it would be great.
You should also be getting a System Sensor Jammer to go with it http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Interesting Items coming out soon...
 

The Deep Space Array would be like a super long range scanner so you could spy on your neighbours although they may be really far away - like fifteen sectors (galaxy).

It would cost a lot of materials and take up a lot of space (sort of like that Argus array in Star Trek: TNG)

I'm not sure about the Warp Point thing - I'll look into tomorrow.

Also, how about a facility like a Command Centre - it could generate happiness, intelligence, military training...

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I've got some more ideas...

Multi-Vector Point Defense (Death Blossom)

This new weapon would be mounted on a specialized fighter. It would be really small, just 1 kT per component, but you would jam 30 or so on the fighter. The numerous beams would strike against seekers, fighters, drones. Remember "The Last Starfighter"? Just like that! What makes this weapon even more interesting is that I would create a new launch bay for just these fighters - so you don't need a carrier and even a cruiser could carry a couple. They would be cheap and expendible and could even chase down those missiles before they got near you...

I think I will make this component and post it tomorrow with the Deep Space Array - the remainder of my more basic components will be with the Spoogy Universe Mod.

Have you visited the Spoogy Federation YET? http://spoogyfederation.tripod.com/index.html

Re: Interesting Items coming out soon...
 

Recall that in game terms, a SYSTEM is the star and all the planets/objects in orbit around it. This means all the items you normally see in the main scree.

A SECTOR is just a single block, which contains only a sun, or only a planet (with its moons).

Hence, a SYSTEM is made up of a grid of 13x13 SECTORS.

So, looking at this, the scanner array is a very interesting item, but I am not sure that it will work in the context you propose.

The Abilities file does have an entry for "Long Range Scanner - System", but it does not allow for multiple systems. There are no variables for range. The sector based scan does, but unless values that put it outside its current System carry into the next System (which I can not check right now), I am afraid that this neat idea is not implimentable within the current game framework.

However, if it does work, I would love to see it!

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I would love to see the LR Scanner work but I don't see that ability in the data files!

The same goes for the warp gate preventer.

The Command centre is very easy to make as the abilities are already in other buildings.

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I forgot I had the game loaded on this machine (work and all)...

I attempted a simple test with Long Range Scanner III's to see if sector ranges would carry into the next system... They do not. I increased the ranges to 100, 1000, 10000, and 50000 and all had the same result; I could see anything within the system, but not outside of it.

I then tweaked a Research Facility to have the Long Range Scan - System attribute and gave it a value in the first catagory, of 2. Needless to say, that also did nothing outside the system it lived in. Increasing the value also did nothing...

Saddly, if this can be done, it is outside what I would have thought to use, and outside the default abilities of current scanners.

&lt;sigh&gt;

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Crap.

Maybe I can figure something out.

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Referring to Atrocities' idea of a facility that prevents warp points from being opened in a system... As stated that would be hugely unbalancing. Consider what would happen if an isolationist AI or human, whom you had on the ropes in every way, simply closed every warp point to their territory. This new facility would make them completely untouchable, rendering the game unwinnable...

A different approach, such as making a facility that prevents any warp point from being opened by a Quantum Resonator of a certain level, would be cool. You could include it in the Stellar Engineering research tree and have it go up to one level below the ultimate Quantum Resonator. This would afford some good protection, as Stellar Engineering is a massively expensive thing to research at the higher levels, but not be completely invulnerable.

What do you think?

Re: Interesting Items coming out soon...
 

I wish you the best. If you can make it work, it would be a grand thing indeed!

Those types of Galactic LR Scanners, as well as interplanetary weapons (IE: Packet Accelerators from Stars!) are something I would like to see.

Who knows, if Drones are ever implimented, that may give us similar abilities.

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I think the wormhole close facility would be a good idea IF the warp tehcnology being discussed in the "intergalactic civil war!!??" thread would be implemented. Otherwise I agree with Magus38 that it would unbalance the game.

Re: Interesting Items coming out soon...
 

Another Idea...

In my upcoming Mod, I've created a Teleportation Tech Area which allows for the construction of Resource Particle Fountains - arrays that collect resources through energy beams - I was thinking of extending this tech area into another one - Replication - and making new facilities that create resources out of thin air...

And this is also cool - how about a cloning facility that adds extra population? You could even make it a military cloning facility that improves crew experience at the same time...

And I mentioned this in the missile mount topic, I've created point defense missiles and torpedoes - they split into several parts causing a large explosion damaging fighters and seekers.

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Guys!
All the abilites and stellar abilites are in the text data files read the top.

They say which abilities you can add to components and facilities.

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I know that.

All of my Last suggestions can easily be done. The Particle Fountain is basically a robo-miner that can extract more resources. The Replication Resourcer is just a facility that produces resources out of thin air (without reducing the planet's stock). The missiles I have already done.

I don't think there is any way to create the Deep Space array.

It's not just looking at what abilities there are - it's figuring out the most creative ways at using them...

Visit the Spoogy Federation right now! http://spoogyfederation.tripod.com




[This message has been edited by capt_spoogy (edited 05 April 2001).]

Re: Interesting Items coming out soon...
 

It's true. I work the 7pm-7am shift at work so that's how I come up with all these ideas - because I'm bored to DEATH.

Missile Defense Screen

Special "shield-like" point defense component that surrounds a starship and damages incoming missiles' targeting systems and propulsion - improving the starships anti-missile ability.

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CAPT_SPOOGY

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by capt_spoogy:
Another Idea...

- I was thinking of extending this tech area into another one - Replication -
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

If you didn't already know, this particular facility already exists if you start with the Organic Manipulation racial advantage. The facility is called a "Replicant Center."

FYI http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Interesting Items coming out soon...
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by capt_spoogy:
It's true. I work the 7pm-7am shift at work so that's how I come up with all these ideas - because I'm bored to DEATH.

Missile Defense Screen

Special "shield-like" point defense component that surrounds a starship and damages incoming missiles' targeting systems and propulsion - improving the starships anti-missile ability.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This is the 'Lightning Shield' from MOO II. This and the engine pulsar would be great to have, but MM would have to develop a new way of allocating damage to ships around the equipped attacker and would have to design a new display for the combat grid. Would also have to teach the AI how to use it, I suppose.

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Actually your replicator is in the crystal tech. A Solar generator - it converts sunlight into resources

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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Hydraa:
Actually your replicator is in the crystal tech. A Solar generator - it converts sunlight into resources<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think Cap Spoogy is wanting a tech that doesn't rely on sunlight (although it's a little difficult to have a planet in a system without a star, unless you mess around with the quadrant types...)

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In my mod I was planning on cutting the crystalline, temporal (most), and physic techs. For some reason, I don't really like them - so that's why I was planning on my replication centre...

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Kinda OT, but am I right in assuming that their is no diffrence between Psychic Scanner Facilities I, II & III?