Space Stations CAN Move!!

[dmm]

Not only can they move, they can outrun anything else. I'm talking >30 moves/turn. Sorry, I can't tell you how; it's a military secret. However, I am allowed to tell you this much:
1) there's no hack or cheat involved,
2) they can't move into enemy territory,
3) the exact route is not under player control,
4) it doesn't work in combat, and
5) it is tedious to do.

If you can't figure it out from that, then you don't deserve to know. Ahahahahaha!!!! I will crush you!!!

[Baron Munchausen]

It sounds like you've discovered a bug. If you don't want to tell us, please send it in to MM so they can consider whether this is a 'proper' feature or should be changed.

[dmm]

OK, I'll tell, but I want a promotion.

As someone has pointed out already, you can put emergency propulsion units on space stations (SSs), which can give 4 moves per turn per unit with EP_IV. (And more w/ higher level EP? Haven't researched past IV.) Except that, as someone else pointed out, the MoveTo and WarpTo buttons are disabled for SSs. My trick is, that the DropCargo button is NOT disabled. So you can use an EP unit, giving your SS 4/0 movement (for level IV), then tell it to drop cargo at one of your other planets. (Cargo ships work too, I think). You don't actually need to have any cargo to drop either. Then repeat the process for all the EP units on the SS. The really hilarious aspect is that you can put several Repair units on your SS and they repair the EP units each turn, so that the SS effectively has super-dooper engines, albeit at the cost of keeping those poor repair crews working round the clock.

My suggestions to MM are:
1) EPs (also boarding parties) should not be repairable. A vessel ought to have to go to a Yard and "upgrade" in order to get them replaced. Or maybe a ship can only use one/turn. Otherwise, even if you fix this SS "bug," a cruiser could also have a ridiculously huge movement each turn.
2) EPs (and/or engines) should be allowed on SSs, but they should be extra-heavy, or extra-expensive, or higher tech level. And even mobile bases should be limited to one movement/turn. One simple way would be to divide the "engine movement" of a SS by 4 or 5 and round down to get its "effective movement." Extra EPs/engines would only give longer range or backup capability. Alternatively, put towing into the game somehow.
3) Something should be done about the vulnerability of fixed targets to a move-fire-move strategy. (While I'm on the subject, firing while "on the move" should be less accurate, just as a general rule.) A fixed firing platform such as a planet or SS could get a range bonus on all weapons. Or perhaps armor/shields could work better, or be available sooner, for fixed platforms.

The way things stand now, it is stupid to make a "Defense Base" and really stupid to make an "Attack Base." (How can you attack when you can't move???) Bases are only good for Yards and Repair, which limits the game to ships.

[Baron Munchausen]

Gack! Emergency propulsion should not be CUMULATIVE! I had wondered why the EP component was allowed on bases, too. They can fix that by simply editing the components file. Good thing you found that. It's too bizarre for someone like a beta tester trying to play the game 'seriously' to find. Tinkerers and cheaters have their uses, after all.

[dmm]

Well, the EP isn't exactly cumulative. It's just that you can activate one, use the movement, activate another, use the movement, .... Probably works for everything. Makes a great scout vessel.

[Jeb]

Couldn't they also fix the bug by only allowing emergency propulsion pods on vessels that have at least one engine? After all, they're supposed to replenish movement points, which should be impossible on a base that doesn't have any in the first place.

I definitely agree about the need to do something to tone down the effectiveness of the move/fire/move strategy. In a way, it would be nice if a base's main weapons could opfire like point defence, but of course they you could distract them with heavily armored and shielded decoy ships before moving your main attackers into place. I suppose range bonuses for base weapons is maybe the best bet.

One other point: a couple of people have suggested making bases orbit planets. This wouldn't really help much, because presumably the path would be predictable and so wouldn't make it much harded to duck in and out of range. Seems like a waste of programming time to make them put that in.

[Instar]

Attack bases sound funny, but every midieval historian would tell you that castles were good defensive weapons, but also offensive too. (Figure that one out ) Actually, its kinda true.

[Taqwus]

Hm. If you build a starbase at another player's planet with a shipyard ship, does it start in orbit (suitable for, say, betrayal)? Or a distance off to the side?

Mobile bases hurling themselves through warp point after warp point... that's a VERY bizarre image. If they just changed 'SHIP/BASE' to 'SHIP' in Components.txt for that component, that should be OK...

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-- The thing that goes bump in the night

[Jubala]

I once captured an enemy BS over one of their homeworlds. Great! Now I can use it against the very people it is supposed to protect and bLast them to pieces. Didn't work as it didn't start right next to the planet but a bit away with the rest of my ships and had such ****ty weapons it wasn't in range.

While on the subject of that BS, it was almost destroyed when I took it (had to wait for selfdestruct device to be destroyed) but I had alot of Frigates with repair bays with me so I repaired it in one turn. My question here: Frigates are small. Damaged ships supposedly go inside a repair bay. A BS is big. How do you get it inside a repair bay on a Frigate? More to the point, how do you get it inside several repair bays on several ships at the same time?

[This message has been edited by Jubala (edited 05 October 2000).]

[Cyrien]

Hrmm... I never saw it as going inside the repair bay... more as the repair bay being a bay used to store smaller craft that then launch and can repair things in the vicinity.

Just my take on things.

[This message has been edited by Cyrien (edited 05 October 2000).]