Ship research
 

Just wondering if anybody likes the way ship hull research is handled now or back in SEIV better. I was thinking about it and it almost seems to me better, if you got the basic 2 (maybe even 3) lvls all at once. For example, you currently have to research light hulls about 5 times before you get a medium hull. But what about right in the begining you can research medium or even large hulls. The only problem being that the begining hulls for each thing (with the exception for light) really suck.
1st lvl frigate=120 kt
2nd lvl frigate=160 kt
1st lvl light crusier= 140 kt
2nd lvl light cruiser=200kt
So basically you can start off making your cruisers top of the line, but then, if someone went with light hulls then they'll have the obvious numerical advantage. I like how you can research a hull type more then once to get a better hull, but I think it takes too long to get to the bigger ships with the current system. Of course, I suppose this could be changed and you change the lvl at which you get the hulls, but I just want to see some opinions on this.

Re: Ship research
 

I don't like the costs too much.

Re: Ship research
 

Well, I liked some things about SEIV better, but I like SEV for its moddability. Instead of just going the bigger = better route, I've been thinking that specializing ship hulls would be a better idea.

What I've been tinkering with is going down that thought path. The specifics need to be worked out, but the coolest thing about SEV is the real-time combat. It can make things more true to how they would really be, if you really think about it. Frigates would be these fast little things that zip around everwhere, while dreadnoughts would be these massive gun-choked behemoths that lumber around and chuck heavy munitions every which way.

Re: Ship research
 

You can do that just as well in SE4... See mods with QuasiNewtonian Propulsion for reference.

Combine that with GritEcon style of making ship build cost be size squared while maintenance is the square root of size, and you'll have a big variety of designs.

Throw in CBmod style weapons balance, and the sky is the limit.

Re: Ship research
 

Did that cover all of your work or did you miss one? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif
Ok all joking aside; MrT we have had a discussion or two about that very thing. One thread which At started was on the topic of modern warships. He proposed giving the hulls abilities which would in turn affect game play. For example a sub would have stealth hulls, like mines do in stock. Destroyers would have a movement bonus, battleships damage changing bonuses. Well maybe all of that didn't come from that thread alone, some of it may be my work based on that thread. Sorry things are always fuzzy before that eighth cup you know? Why don't you start a thread on it here? I noticed your discussion in the KB but haven't read the whole thing yet, maybe I will today.

Re: Ship research
 

Along the same line as the idea in the original post, for the SE:V version of my Space Food Empires mod I've made a single Spaceship Construction tech area of 15 levels. Various hulls are available concurrently, but they'll upgrades at different levels. For example, Frigate hulls might be available at levels 1, 3, and 5, while Destroyer hulls would be at levels 2, 4, and 6.