Ground Combat

[Jeb]

I have a question about the ground combat engine that's currently in the game. Are ground cannons the only weapons useable by ground troops, or can they use any small weapon? I haven't gotten far enough in my game yet to test this out myself.

[Master Belisarius]

You can use any small weapon.

[Elmo]

Tactical ground combat would be nice. However I'd rather see an improvement to Strategic combat first. Improve the eye candy for strategic combat. Seeing a bunch of colored pixels flashing around on the screen for a couple of seconds is very disappointing considering all the work that went into building ships and getting them to the battle. The enjoyment of PBEM play would be greatly enhanced by more detail during strategic combat resolution.

Elmo

[This message has been edited by Elmo (edited 26 October 2000).]

[Marco]

I strongly welcome a more detailed ground combat system, even a simple reply of space ship combat with the only change of the units involved.
Howewer I would be much more iterested in a system that would add more tactical and strategic options.I agree with all the suggestions from Tampa-gamer, I only suggest the following changes:
-allow fighters to directly join ground combat.
-treat support from space ships like "off-board artillery".This fire would eventually strike squares on tactical ground map, not individual enemy units, and I would introduce even a drifting possibility to simulate targetting difficulty on planet surface.
There is some minor drawback in this system:
1) In a ground combat may be involved hundreds of units.
2) What happen if after a complete 30 turns combat neither side have completely annihilated the other ?
Concerning the options suggested by Mark Pavlou I agree that ground combat have to be held after space combat and with the suggested placements of units.
I think that generating terrain with bonuses will add too much complexity and I prefer the simpler solution of Tampa-gamer.
The idea of planetary facilities involved in ground combat is very interesting but in the case of huge planet you simply can't place 25 facilities on the ground map.
If we want to allow this option I would suggest to divide the planetary surface in "key areas" (continents?), let say 8 for huge planet and only 1 for tiny planets, and allow to place a maximum of 3 or 4 facilities in each areas.After ground combat the original owner of the planet will only have the benefits of all undestroyed facilities in uncontested key areas.
In this manner we could even allow grounds combats Lasts for more than a space turn, with units of both sides on the same planet at the end of the ground combat step. The big drawback is that every planetary attack would be eventually divided in 1-8 separated grounds combats every turn.

[Danny]

I think it would be nice, but there are other things more pressing. Plus I rarely use troops.

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I AM Canadian.

[Marco]

Another suggestion to develop the idea of ground combat with "key areas" would be to allow the invading player to freely build in uncontested areas a "beachead facility".
In the area with this facility units can be repaired/refuelled/rearmed at the beginning of each ground combat phase.
The "beachead facility have a stockpile of supply a part of wich is consumed at each ground combat phase. Space ships in orbit around the planet can replenish this stockpile transferring supply.
For the planet original owner each undestroyed facility allow repair/refuel/rearm units with an unlimited stockpile of supply.
Units can freely move from area to area at the beginning of each ground combat phase but retains his damages until reparation.
In this manner the invading player must space support is invasion or his troops on the surface of the planet are doomed.

[Seawolf]

Just my 2 cents,

I make sure that transports can not come in close to land troops. But really I understand the want for a better ground combat game and for a single player game it would be fine but consider how much longer it would drag out a Multi player game. IMHO

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Seawolf on the prowl