Sweeping Mines

Baron Munchausen · #1 November 26th, 2000, 04:25 AM

The "sweep" button is for odd circumstances, admittedly, but if it wasn't there you'd miss it sooner or later. What if you go into combat against an enemy force that included mine layers, and didn't manage to destroy all of the enemy before the turns run out? Maybe they attacked one of your planets where you have setup a major military base with resupply and shipyard and everything. The AI will automatically deploy any mines that it has when combat begins. Not smart, but that's what it does. A player might well want to drop mines on your base on purpose. So, you are sitting on a mine field. What next? I'm not sure if you can move OUT of a minefield without being hit, but presumably if you've got minesweepers they would protect you moving out as well as moving in. But what if you've got OTHER ships that you want to bring INTO the sector? Move them in, and BOOM! So, you could move your mine sweeper ship OUT of the sector and then back in... OR you could click the "sweep mines" button. I think this would work for a base, too. So, you could put a minesweper component on a base and after combat where you think the enemy may have dropped some mines click the sweep button. You never know if there might be MORE mines all around you, too. Maybe you'd hit a lot more mines if you moved! This lets you sweep without actually moving.

Taqwus · #2 November 26th, 2000, 05:30 AM

Anybody test what happens with multiple sweepers? If you have, say, 4 sweepers with 5 Sweeper V's (so each can handle 25 mines), and you move 'em into a 125-mine fleet, will you lose sweeper (First one sweeps 25, still 100 left, so some go boom. Second sweeps 25, still some left, etc.), or will they all sweep, and *then* remaining mines detonate on remaining ships (including accompanying non-sweepers)?

FWIW, early on, a ship with good Organic Armor makes an insanely good minesweeper, since the armor will regenerate between mine detonations.

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-- The thing that goes bump in the night

Tomgs · #3 November 26th, 2000, 11:19 AM

I use mutiple sweepers all the time if they are together in a fleet all the sweepers work at once to clear the mines.

Psitticine · #4 November 27th, 2000, 08:33 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Baron Munchausen:
The "sweep" button is for odd circumstances, admittedly, but if it wasn't there you'd miss it sooner or later. What if you go into combat against an enemy force that included mine layers, and didn't manage to destroy all of the enemy before the turns run out?

Ah! Thanks! I had this sort of thing happen just yesterday, actually. I sent a ship in to suppress the defenses and blockade an important mining planet until the troop transport could get there. There were mines stored on the planet and I didn't get a chance to clear them out in the tactical combat.

Speaking of which, doesn't the history file say mines aren't supposed to appear in tactical combat anymore? I saw them in that same post-patch game I just finished.

Commander G · #5 November 27th, 2000, 08:53 PM

How do mines work in Strategic mode? If they get cleared on movement, it sounds like one could establish a mine field and put some on a transport with a mine dispenser. The transport would lay new mines after the original ones are cleared leaving a followup fleet vulernable to the new mines.

Psitticine · #6 November 28th, 2000, 06:04 AM

Err, only in a way.

Mines activate when a ship/fleet enters the mined sector so they'd close, encounter the minefield, and either be destroyed or enter combat with the transport.

The transport could choose to deploy mines in Strategic or Tactical combat but they are worthless there. They don't do anything but sit there and wait for somebody stupid enough to fly right into them.

Technically, they are not supposed to appear on the screen at such times but they still seem to be doing so in 1.11. I'm foggy on if they are supposed to be there but invisible or if they aren't supposed to be represented at all, but how it works now is that they sit there in a useless pile and wait for somebody to idle up and bLast them when it is most convenient to do so.

If you have a mine layer ready at the site then, yes, they could replace blown mines right away (during your next turn) if the incoming fleet is destroyed or fails to down the transport in combat, but those new mines won't have any effect until somebody new enters the mined sector.

Jubala · #7 November 28th, 2000, 08:59 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Psitticine:
If you have a mine layer ready at the site then, yes, they could replace blown mines right away (during your next turn) if the incoming fleet is destroyed or fails to down the transport in combat, but those new mines won't have any effect until somebody new enters the mined sector.

Which brings to mind an old wish of mine. A detonate minefield button to detonare mines in such a situation. Would also be useful at a blockaded planet. Build mines, launch into space, detonate, no more blockade. mines are subject to sweeping via the sweep button of course. But if the blockading fleet is lazy enough not to sweep...

quote:
Originally posted by Taqwus:
FWIW, early on, a ship with good Organic Armor makes an insanely good minesweeper, since the armor will regenerate between mine detonations.

I tried this in 0.99 Demo. Didn't work. Sent a Cruiser fully stacked with Organic Armor 1 into a field of small mines with mine warhead III. No more Cruiser.

Too bad as it would be really useful.