[PvK]

Originally posted by AJC:
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PVK-
so are you thinking that the mounts should be far less in the damage? Maybe keep them the same as the unmodded mounts but give size reduction advantages and other improvements beyond damage ?

One of the problems I ran into with making the mounts more expensive was that the AI cannot afford to build the ships.
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I wasn't specifically thinking of reducing the damage, but of making the mounts less of a net positive thing. It seemed like there were several mounts which in one way or another were a major multiplier to ability, without a major multiplier to cost or size or any other disadvantage, and were along a standard research path. It seemed like this would mean going to a certain point in the typical research path would suddenly provide a major ability multiplier. Since it's already on a typical research path, this would encourage players even more to go up the usual path, and doesn't involve much choice or trade-off, except of course which mount abilities to try to get to first. In some cases it seemed like the costs of the mounts were very low compared to their abilities.

Of course, the unmodded SE4 mounts are like that too (advantage outstripping disadvantage), which is one of the major reasons why small warships become nearly obsolete in unmodded SE4.

And, the AI should only use mounts which are worth the cost. If you want the AI to use a mount, then it should provide an advantage. But it doesn't have to be without cost. Being worth the cost is one thing, but having almost no cost is another.

PvK