Balance suggestions for new ShipSize
 

For Pirates & Nomads v2, I was planning on adding a new shipsize.

It would require max tech in ship con. and base con., and probably a little SM.

A BattleMoon, ~10,000kT size, with 50x damage CoreMount available. (so a CM meson bLaster does 1500 damage at long range) 20 engines will provide one movement point (max), and the picture of the ship will be the same as a tiny moon. I expect the price to be over $1,000,000 for construction, and it will have a 25% reduction in maintenance (its part-planet, part-base, part-ship)
(Think ShadowRaiders for those who saw the show http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif)
One of these should be able to take on 20 or so LCs, based on my rough calculations.

Note: I will have (weak) armor components that block null-space and other armor skipping weapons, so it won't be totally vulnerable to NSPs.

What I need are suggestions on how to keep it balanced, and people to point out problems I've missed.

Re: Balance suggestions for new ShipSize
 

Sounds like you'd have to be into S&M to go up against one with 20 LC's!
I would make it a guaranteed hit ship, ie you can't miss it +200% or something. I would also test it against Starbases, they should Last at least one turn against it, or at least not be out ranged by it.
Maybe even give the hull an accuracy penalty because it's so big half of it's stuff is on the wrong side of the ship/planet.

Re: Balance suggestions for new ShipSize
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>
Note: I will have (weak) armor components that block null-space and other armor skipping weapons, so it won't be totally vulnerable to NSPs.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

how is that possible, the NSP's just damage a random component right ?

Re: Balance suggestions for new ShipSize
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>How is that possible, the NSP's just damage a random component right?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
People said Nomads couldn't be done either http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif
Damage is somewhat random, but not completely... this new armor does work.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I would make it a guaranteed hit ship, ie you can't miss it +200% or something. I would also test it against Starbases, they should Last at least one turn against it, or at least not be out ranged by it.
Maybe even give the hull an accuracy penalty because it's so big half of it's stuff is on the wrong side of the ship/planet.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I will make it as easy to hit as a planet, and an accuracy penalty sounds good.
It would be described opposite of the fighter's "manoueverability increases chance of hitting".

Re: Balance suggestions for new ShipSize
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by suicide_junkie:
People said Nomads couldn't be done either http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif
Damage is somewhat random, but not completely... this new armor does work. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Sounds interesting. I've always though there should be different kinds of armor that blocked different kinds of weapons. Care to tell how it's done?

Re: Balance suggestions for new ShipSize
 

You could remove some (but not all) of the ballance concerns by making this hull a "racial" technology. The more powerful it is, the more racial points it would cost. The downside would be that your enemies might not be able to build these things too, which means you wouldn't get to watch any nice moonship-moonship battles (duelling deathstars! http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

You might also want to add an additional base hull in this mass class as well, since it seems reasonable to me that if you can build a ship that size you can also build a base that size.

Personally, as much as I'm a fan of balance, I think it's a nice thing to be able to build a few hugely powerful, hugely expensive starships to "lead" fleets with. Imagine using one of these 10Mt hulls as a carrier; you could fit around three hundred fighter bay IIIs, capable of holding over a thousand heavy fighters. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Balance suggestions for new ShipSize
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by suicide_junkie:
For Pirates & Nomads v2, I was planning on adding a new shipsize.

What I need are suggestions on how to keep it balanced, and people to point out problems I've missed.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Um, how about a thermal exhaust port weakness? http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif


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Re: Balance suggestions for new ShipSize
 

Thermal Exhaust Port implementation:

For the CompEnhancment for the big core weapon, put :

Tonnage Structure Percent := 1

Re: Balance suggestions for new ShipSize
 

Jubala: The key is that it in not actually armor, but it is designed to get hit first (large size/hitpoints)

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>You might also want to add an additional base hull in this mass class as well, since it seems reasonable to me that if you can build a ship that size you can also build a base that size.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Hehe. The bases of that size are called "Moons" or "Planets" http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

As for the 1 hitpoint thing... It could work, but I'll have to test it first.