Balancing Technologies

[LT411]

suicide_junkie,

Making the cloaking technologies stealable sounds like a good idea to me. I also gave mines, fighters, satellites, and bases each a natural defense against one type racial scanner. I've also incorporated the cloaking devices into special armors.

DirectorTsaarx,

Thanks for the excellent suggestions.

I must have missed the sphereworld ability. I'll be adding that.

I'll make the converters harder to get.

I think I'll stick with fewer hull sizes for two reasons. First, the overall design calls for three levels of each component / facility. Second, I plan on updating the AI to design, build, and deploy different size ships. To accomplish this, I need create multiple entries in the AI files for each hull size. Too many hull sizes = too much work. Finally, each hull size has a base combat speed one greater than the next larger size. Too many hull sizes and the small ones move too fast. I added a fourth, dreadnaught with a combat movement of 1, as an exception. If it doesn't work out in playtesting, I'll add more.

An engine two generates twice the standard movement of an engine one. An engine three generates three times the standard movement. All the other propulsion components generate 1, 2, and 3 movement points of the appropriate type.

Carrier hulls now require the appropriate level of fighter technology. Good idea.

There should be three Versions of each of the stellar manipulation components. I'll fix that in the tables.

I need to do some more work with the racial techs. I'll bump up the talisman and give them a weapon.

I'm dissapointed the auto-cannons don't auto fire at ships moving into range. I wish MM would change that. It would add an interesting combat capability. As a result, I've streamlined point defense weapons and used projectile weapons for ship-to-ship combat.

I agree with your name changes. In addition, since I only have three levels of each component, I'm trying to come up with interesting naming schemes. For example, three levels of beam weapons: Lasers, Disruptors, and Phasers. Each with a point defense variant: Laser Turrets, Disruptor Turrets, and Phaser Turrets. Three levels of bomb's / warheads: Fusion, Anti-matter, Neutronium. These patterns add interest, structure, and help the player make sense of the bewildering array of weapons.

Again, thanks for the help. It's a lot easier fixing these things before I implement them in components.txt and the AI files.

--LT



[This message has been edited by LT411 (edited 05 September 2001).]