Mine balance suggestion
 

Here's a simple idea that will help balance mines, and also alleviate a problem that can occur in multiplayer games (that of players forming treaties, going behind each other's lines, and laying mines throughout the "ally"'s territory, then breaking the treaty):

Make it so if you lay mines when another empire can see your minelayer, then the mines are visible to that empire.

I realize that this may cause problems if the first empire later lays more mines there when the second empire's not looking - the game would have to keep track of which mines are visible and which aren't. And when it comes time to sweep those mines, hoo boy!

But it's only a suggestion, and besides, it wouldn't be too unreasonable to say that later mines laid there by the same empire while the minefield exists became visible even if the viewing empire wasn't present anymore...

Re: Mine balance suggestion
 

That might be too much hard-code change to be workable for SE4. Maybe it could be done in SE5.

Re: Mine balance suggestion
 

Hmm how about simply a mine scaning component? Something that would show the existance on minefields in the system or possible within a certain range? Perhaps advanced levels could detect the which empire owns the mines and could determine the size of the field with increasing accuracy.

Re: Mine balance suggestion
 

Add a scanner that can detect level 5 cloaking, and you can see the mines in the default game. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Mine balance suggestion
 

The level 5 (or 6) scanner would let you see any mines, including in systems that are not "yours"... now you would have an offensive component.

Instead, how about a facility that acts as a scanner (level 5 or 6)? Then you can detect any mines that are in your systems, but only in systems that you've colonized. This way you'll see the mines layed by your allies in your own systems without the ability to see mines in other systems...

Re: Mine balance suggestion
 

That could work too. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Re: Mine balance suggestion
 

DOH! Never thought of a level 5 scanner. Guess now that I think about it, it would be pretty easy to mod a whole bunch of different mines with different cloak levels and scanners to match. I'm thinking it would be cool if cheap low tech mines only had a cloak level of 2 or 3 and would get better with better tech.

Re: Mine balance suggestion
 

Can facilities provide scanning ability? I've never tested this one. Of course, it would allow you to see all ships in the system as well. I don't know if that's a perk or a problem. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif It's probably a reasonable benefit--if you can detect 10kt space mines, you should be able to see 2500kt starbases.

Re: Mine balance suggestion
 

I suppose it depends on which type of cloaking/scanning is going on too. In P&N (and others I'm sure) the cloaking types are changed somewhat from the normal game.

What you could do is make mines up to level 5 in cloaking type N (gravo-harmonic for example: stationary objects create a stable/detectible gravo-harmonic signature, while mobile objects do not). Then give all ships a level 6 in cloaking type N... so that ships would still be cloaked/invisible.

Re: Mine balance suggestion
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I did this in my mod. I changed gravitic scanners to mine detectors and changed the gravitic cloak level of mines to match. You must have a level 1 detector to see level 1 mine.