Stellar Manipulation Suggestion for 1.42

[Magus38]

Hello All

The whole point of having systems connected via warp points, rather than just open space, is that it makes the game more interesting from a strategic point of view. Warp Points create the equivalent of chokepoints and borders, allowing the development of fleet deployment strategies. Every good strategy game set in space must do this (Homeworld does not count as it is an RTS). The problem of strategy-nullifying open space was handled differently in MOOII, to give an example, as you could develop a technology that created an intense gravity well around a planet which would slow an approaching enemy fleet to one hex per turn once they were within a certain range of the world. This is a different solution, but completely viable. The problem with completely open space is that the enemy can appear anywhere quickly on his turn and if your fleet was not already sitting there waiting for him then he could destroy with relative impunity, this is first strike capability for which there is no technological counter currently in the game. Which brings me to my suggestion.

Stellar Engineering, as we all know, allows for the creation of warp points eventually up to 500 LY away from the anchor system (50 squares away on the galaxy map). Again, there is no way to defend against this whatsoever. A warp point opens and in pops a fleet which can conceivably wipe out the system. Now there is technological recourse for the worst case scenario, black hole creation or the destruction of the system's star, (i.e. the System Gravitational Shield Facility), but a decent fleet can still glass every world within the system THAT TURN without resorting to a more "Stellar" attack. IMO, this seriously weakens the strategic instrumentality of warp points.

To offset this, I propose one of two possible solutions. The first option could be to allow the System Gravitational Shield Facility to prevent the creation of a Warp Point in that system. Alternatively, make it so that a new Warp Point is unstable the turn of its' creation and is not usable until the following turn. In my mind this might be the better way to go as it keeps a great technology in the game, preserves the technology as a very serious threat, but allows a player's carefully thought out deployment strategies to function the way they were meant to... in other words the targeted player has a chance to close the Warp Point or to rally his defense force. If the target player is unprepared to do this then tough luck - he is being penalized for poor gameplay and the attacker is being rightly rewarded. At least, however, the defender had a chance.

True first strike capability has always been massively destabilizing, both historically and in strategy gaming. I sincerely hope that Malfador corrects this imbalance.

Thoughts?


[This message has been edited by Magus38 (edited 05 September 2001).]