Strange Mods Anyone?

[Lupusman]

While I was going through the data files, it seems to me that there are some crazy things that can done. I was just wondering if anyone was coming up with interesting stuff.

Just a few examples, I've made mines that only destroy engines (strands ships and they keep paying maintenance), the halfway done planet cloak (see other post), a component that warps space so that anything entering the sector gets damaged (like one of the default storms, but now I can move it around) and it's counterpart against it, a component that increases the chance of a star going Nova (I put it lower on the tech tree than the star detroyer.), happiness components and their opposite (get planets to riot real quick), a component that goes on a ship and sucks things towards it like a black hole.

Anyone else have some odd ideas?

[Baron Munchausen]

Now that's annoying. If all these weird combinations work, why can't you make a research component or an intel component that contribute to your empire totals? These sector abilities should NOT be usable on components, they are space "terrain" features. Most of the facility abilities that SHOULD be useable on components are not. That's interesting that population happiness works, though. You could make a "Psychological Warfare" ship and send it with your fleets. Or, make a "Propaganda" ship and use it to calm your own rioting populations. Cute.

[Lupusman]

Well I wouldn't expect to play this stuff against the computer as it would never be able to use it properly. It would be for making things interesting between human players cause some of the things I can come up with have weird side effects and are complicated in to use in game play. And you'll notice that I'm not suggesting anything game beaking neither. As long as it's balanced, then why not?

[Instar]

How about weapons that increase damage with range, or weapons that do damgage only on odd or even spaces?

[Warlord Adamus]

Sounds interesting Lupus, can't wait to see them !

[Taqwus]

Hrmmm.

- Do those happiness-affecting components affect your opponent's colonies, or just your own?

- Terraforming ships would be cool, but I don't recall any applicable abilities; you'd need a sector-wide terraformer (the religious system-wide Versions, even if possible, would probably only affect already-colonized planets I'd think, and would be much too powerful if they didn't). I'd love to have ships capable of transforming atmospheres or improving conditions *before* I colonize.

- Maybe fighters should get a kamikaze warhead variant that hits only engines, given Small Weapons, Explosives, and Engine-Destroying Weapons. Hey, if you're gonna die, make it count... Right now, between Rocket Pod III's and Kamikaze Warhead III's, it's pretty much the pods, hands-down. Likewise, maybe they should get small tachyon beams (IIRC, the weapon-destroying weapons) given the appropriate tech; they're manueverable enough to get in close and target the guns.

- On the minefields -- does one ship set off the entire field, because even 100 mines won't kill it?

- Missiles that destroy computers (using the same ability as the Computer Virus) might be interesting; call 'em EMP missiles. (although... don't you need an atmosphere for an EM pulse to occur? I'm not a nuclear physicist, so maybe not...). Obvious pre-reqs would be Missiles (Ion-pulse missiles should probably require this field as well...) and Computer Combat.

- Maybe an RoF 0 weapon, range 1, point-defense, +20 to hit, 50-damage weapon? The intent would be an anti-seeker/fighter 'defense field' that seekers and fighters would have to pass through (well, not the fighters if they're smart...) Dunno if RoF 0 would work, 'tho. Would have to be expensive and high-tech (say, PD 6,7,8 w/ varying +hit, dam) if it works.

- Re: your component that draws in enemy ships: I think this will affect minefields, as well. It'll probably be VERY powerful, actually, especially in a black-hole sector (move so that the black hole is between it and the enemy fleet), or in a cloaked minelayer. That other black-hole ability, weakening shields, might also be a bit too powerful except as a racial tech for scenarios (e.g. a high-tech AI race with foo that suppresses shields).

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-- The thing that goes bump in the night

[Daynarr]

Instar, I am making some huge tech mod and have already implemented weaponst that do more damage on long ranges. They are kinetic weapons and are in Kinetic Technology tech tree (it is a special tech like organic and crystal). I was also considering to add a Matter Attractor facility that will work as black hole in the system.
Btw, I have already tested those weapons and they work great.

[Lupusman]

On the engine minefield thing, it's true that it only takes one ship to set off all the mines. But if there is a fleet, all the ships get hit.

I thought that would make the mines loose their effectiveness, but it doesn't change much. Since the enemy ships have lost all movement after coming through a warp point for example.

Just keep a mine layer nearby and go into the sector after the mines are gone (with the disabled ships). Sure it intiates combat, but the enemy ships can't chase after you. So you lay your mines anyway.

What I like to do actually is go in with a couple psychic converters and a repair ship. Free fleet anyone?

Obviously there are a couple ways around that. You could send in a front ship to take the mines out. Or send through a carrier, and release the fighters even though the carrier gets stranded.

But it's good because there has to be certain drawbacks to every comp specific weapon out there.

[Lupusman]

Looks like you can make a terrafrom ship. It would be planet specific also.
Just make a ship component using the ability line 'Planet - Change Atmospere'
Put in whatever amount of turns you think appropriate for it to change over.

You would probably need a colony first though as it looks like it changes the atmosphere to the predominant race that is on the planet.

I wonder if more ships over the planet would make it work faster?

[Lupusman]

It seems that there are certain abilities that work on planets but have to be in facilities in order to function. So an atmosphere changing ship cannot be made, unfortunately.
That really cuts down the number of things that one can do. Bummer!