Mine Damage: How Does It Work?

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by Slynky:
Any suggestions on how to change the above situation? Attacking, as I understand it, lets me fire first, but that also depends on who moves within range of whom, first.

I've tried putting both types of shields on one ship, but when you do that, the program seems to not work correctly. Meaning, it seems to treat all the shields the same kind. 'Course, I could be wrong.

Thanks for the reply.

1) Don't mix shields types. Phased + normal = normal.
2) The defender moves/fires first, be the defender and rip his ship apart before he hits.
3) Put more than 1 piece of armor on a ship.
4) Stay at max range where the beam does less damage
5) Out gun the enemy. Out number the enemy.
6) Out tech the enemy -- he has polaron beams 5, what have you been researching all this time.

[ January 21, 2003, 01:40: Message edited by: Arkcon ]

[Baron Munchausen]

Arkon, you missed the 'James T. Kirk' option... reprogram the simulation! We've had many discussions of game balance on these Boards, and the change in the relative power of weapons from SE III to SE IV has been mentioned many times as a problem. You could increase the strength of armor (though you still are right that you ought to have more than one piece of armor on a ship), or you could decrease the power of weapons.

Now, if you're playing a PBW game with the stock files then you're stuck with those options already listed...

[ January 21, 2003, 02:28: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]

[Suicide Junkie]

Well, doesn't that pretty much render armor useless? After all, lots of weapons do much more than 40 hit points (= 40 Kt of damage resistance). That means one hit from a Polaron V (H mount) could wipe 3 of them in one shot.

Q: Do you only put 1 shield generator on your ships?

Of course not!
Plus, you can fit 4 armor components in the space of 1 shield generator, and 10-20 armor if you use it exclusively. 400-800 hitpoints isn't anything to scoff at.

Now see how effective it is

[Slynky]

Originally posted by Suicide Junkie:

quote:

---

Well, doesn't that pretty much render armor useless? After all, lots of weapons do much more than 40 hit points (= 40 Kt of damage resistance). That means one hit from a Polaron V (H mount) could wipe 3 of them in one shot.

Q: Do you only put 1 shield generator on your ships?

Of course not!
Plus, you can fit 4 armor components in the space of 1 shield generator, and 10-20 armor if you use it exclusively. 400-800 hitpoints isn't anything to scoff at.

Now see how effective it is

---

That's true...but, assuming some sort of success in the battle (with, say, 3 or 4 high-end phased shield generators), if your shields held off the shots, it needs no repair. On the other hand, it's not much fun repairing 12 or 16 armor components. Nor fast.

[Phoenix-D]

"That's true...but, assuming some sort of success in the battle (with, say, 3 or 4 high-end phased shield generators), if your shields held off the shots, it needs no repair. On the other hand, it's not much fun repairing 12 or 16 armor components. Nor fast"

But armor is cheaper, can be researched MUCH faster, and the weapons that skip it are racial and fairly weak. And unlike shields armor helps against mines.

EDIT: also, there is no "armor killing" component, and no weapon gets bonuses against armor (like the quad to shields Time Distortion Burst, or the Shield Depleter)

Phoenix-D

[ January 22, 2003, 01:21: Message edited by: Phoenix-D ]

[Suicide Junkie]

That's true...but, assuming some sort of success in the battle (with, say, 3 or 4 high-end phased shield generators), if your shields held off the shots, it needs no repair. On the other hand, it's not much fun repairing 12 or 16 armor components. Nor fast.

No matter what your defenses, 90% of the time you can expect maybe 1 or 2 cripples in your entire fleet. The rest will be undamaged, or vaporized.

Even if you just fired on and destroyed the cripples, or left them to limp home, your fleet would not be significantly diminished.
Adding a single repair ship will usually fix all battle damage by the next turn, too.

[Slynky]

Yeah, Suicide and Phoenix, I guess it's this sort of debate and multiple options that make the game as good as it is.

Two kinds of shields, various armor (although I rarely use that "speckled" armor), and a multitude of weapon types to consider, mines notwithstanding.

Thanks for all the responses!