How about Newtonian engines as standard?
 

With the current engine-speed system (which doesn't make any sense anyway), there is one major flaw with small ships. Since you will be spending the same amount of cash and space for the same speed regardless of the hull size, the bigger the ship the better bang-per-buck value you will invariably get. I'm pretty sure that this has been mentioned many times before but I'm rather surprised that it is not made standard for the stock unmodded game. I know there are mods out there that uses Newtonian movements, but there are people like me that are too lazy to install mod after mod. That makes finding PBW partners for your Ideal-Mod games harder.

Re: How about Newtonian engines as standard?
 

Easily done. But it gets quite bothersome to plug incredible amounts of engines onto large ships. For my mod I have engines producing a base move of 2. Small ships are 1:1. Medium 2:1. Large 3:1. Huge 4+:1. So 4 engines on a small ship gives it 8 movement.

Personally, I think the basic ship system is quite 'bland' altogether. Bigger = better almost 100% of the time. Forgive me while I plug my mod as promising to add some flavor to it by making all ship sizes useful throughout the game. The big problem is that I don't think I'll get around to finishing the mod. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

I'd be interested in passing along what I've done to any other open-minded mod. Or something...

[ 02 December 2001: Message edited by: smiloid230 ]</p>

Re: How about Newtonian engines as standard?
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>But it gets quite bothersome to plug incredible amounts of engines onto large ships <hr></blockquote>

Make bigger engines. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif The AI doesn't use them well, but that can be fixed too, with enough fiddling.

Phoenix-D

Re: How about Newtonian engines as standard?
 

The current system is pretty good but unrealistic. The balance is right with small ships getting defensive bonus and big ships getting mounts.

The most unrealistic thing is that movement of large ships is only restricted by cutting down the number of engines on them. The Newtonian movement would hit the spot because it would allow making large ships fast if you wanted to spent more resources on them.

But I think there won't be many changes to SE4 anymore. Maybe they could be in a mod or SE5.

Re: How about Newtonian engines as standard?
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Maybe they could be in a mod or SE5. <hr></blockquote>

Pirates and Nomads
TechMod

That's at *least* two with newtonian movement..

Phoenix-D

Re: How about Newtonian engines as standard?
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Phoenix-D:
Pirates and Nomads
TechMod<hr></blockquote>

I need to check those. If I remember right SE3 had a system where larger ships had to have more engines to get same movement. Wonder why it was changed.

Re: How about Newtonian engines as standard?
 

Making a SE3 style system is even easier, since you don't ahve to fiddle with the engines.

I decided to make a Newton mod; right now it just needs AI. Good practice for when I start working on TechMod again, and I'm sure there are people out there that would like to use Newtonian movement, but standard SE4 otherwise.

Phoenix-D

Re: How about Newtonian engines as standard?
 

OK, here it is. Standard SE4, Sir Isaac Newton style.

Now Version 1.1.. more complete, less filling! (patched the neutral AIs, removed excess files)

1007333287.zip

Phoenix-D

[ 02 December 2001: Message edited by: Phoenix-D ]</p>

Re: How about Newtonian engines as standard?
 

Another idea to help solve the engine problem and give people option to make larger engines (not just 10 kt) some that could be as much as 30 or 40 and would cost a lot higher to allow people to put on larger/more expensive engines that would give a ship greater movement (like instead of 6 could give 20 bonus moves)

Re: How about Newtonian engines as standard?
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>OK, here it is. Standard SE4, Sir Isaac Newton style.<hr></blockquote>It's really only quasi-newtonian, since speed = Force/Mass, and not Acceleration= F/M, which would be full newtonian propulsion.
(Standard SE4 has speed = Force)