Modder brainstorming session

[Suicide Junkie]

quote:

---

All ships would require a 'max number of engines' much lower than it is at the moment. Strategic move engines would provide both tactical and strategic movement, but ships can only get a certain amount of tactical move from their engine (note, only one engine). Change all engine tech levels to provide 5 move, 50kt, cost of 5 normal engines. All ships to have max strategic engines 1.

---

It shouldn't matter how many engines the ship has, tactical movement would be 1/2 strategic movement +afterburner bonus.

With 5 movement on the map, the ships would get 3 in combat, which is the usual speed of ships in normal SE4.

With the map editor, it would be possible to make a hyperspace system of wormholes, so ships could go five or six squares on a budget of two strategic movement points (into hyperspace, then out). An instant death black hole effect in hyperspace would prevent ships from hiding there, so every living ship would be in normal space.

It would be a ton of work to make warp points like that, but it might work.

1) create a new system beside each normal system. Give it a black hole movement of 10, and a damage of 10000.
2) make a warppoint from every sector in the normal system to the equivalent sector in the hyperspace system.
3) make a pile of wormholes from each hyperspace sector to the 9x9 grid of sectors in normal space closest to the "in" point. You can skip squares that are closer than 2 movement points from the in point. (Leaving 56 holes to make for each sector)
4) This allows capital ships to go 4 squares on 2 movement points. So they effectively have 4 movement strategic, and 1 movement combat. (But its a damn big job, and requires the edited map)

[Suicide Junkie]

quote:

---

All ships would require a 'max number of engines' much lower than it is at the moment. Strategic move engines would provide both tactical and strategic movement, but ships can only get a certain amount of tactical move from their engine (note, only one engine). Change all engine tech levels to provide 5 move, 50kt, cost of 5 normal engines. All ships to have max strategic engines 1.

---

It shouldn't matter how many engines the ship has, tactical movement would be 1/2 strategic movement +afterburner bonus.

With 5 movement on the map, the ships would get 3 in combat, which is the usual speed of ships in normal SE4.

With the map editor, it would be possible to make a hyperspace system of wormholes, so ships could go five or six squares on a budget of two strategic movement points (into hyperspace, then out). An instant death black hole effect in hyperspace would prevent ships from hiding there, so every living ship would be in normal space.

It would be a ton of work to make warp points like that, but it might work.

1) create a new system beside each normal system. Give it a black hole movement of 10, and a damage of 10000.
2) make a warppoint from every sector in the normal system to the equivalent sector in the hyperspace system.
3) make a pile of wormholes from each hyperspace sector to the 9x9 grid of sectors in normal space closest to the "in" point. You can skip squares that are closer than 2 movement points from the in point. (Leaving 56 holes to make for each sector)
4) This allows capital ships to go 4 squares on 2 movement points. So they effectively have 4 movement strategic, and 1 movement combat. (But its a damn big job, and requires the edited map)

[Trachmyr]

I was under the impression that you wanted a tactical engine that operated like a normal engine, but gave combat speed as well (i.e., each had 1 movement + 1 combat, so if you mount 6 you get 6 strategic and 9 tactical), that is why I though you couldn't do it. If you are going to just use 1 "afterburner" engine then it is do-able, but not terribly new (I've used them for a long time).

Here's one other idea that may let you make a difference between strategic/tactical engines... as you are not only talking about speed but also manuverabilty, you can add Defence to hit plus/minus to engines... since the ability now stack with others not of the same family. This can also be applied to sensors, giving certain types Offence to hit plus.

As far as the "Fast/slow" ship, I was refering to someone's idea of making the Tac-Engines a normal type of engine (presumably that you can only buy one of) that operated like a normal engine w/o move & bonus but with combat speed... for instance:

6 Quantum Engines: Speed 9/5 (1 move/3 bounus)
add afterburner (0 move/0 bounus/ 5 combat): speed becomes 6/8 (i.e., slow(er) strategic/ fast(er) tactical)

Personally, I would like to see combat speed stackable, just give all afterburners the "one per vechicle"... that way we can add bonuses to engines, vechicle hulls, etc.

[Marty Ward]

I was thinking of the different engine capabilities.
I think it would be interesting to have 3 engines at each level that would have the restrictions on mixing types that the bonus moves now have. You would have one that would give the normal moves, one that would give more strategic but less combat moves and one that would give less strategic but more combat moves.
I've tried but I don't think it is possible to do this. Anyone have any ideas?

[dumbluck]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Nitram Draw:
Understand.
Will the lifesupport use supplies every turn? If so that is a good alternative to modifying the fighter engines, although I know someone will find a work around, we're such devious buggers .

---

That is the general Idea, but I've been looking in the data files and can't figure out how to make it do that. I can't find anything to do with "supplies used per turn" instead of "per use".

[dumbluck]

quote:

---

Originally posted by jimbob55:
For making tactical fighters change the fighter hulls to allow 1 engine max.
Only have 1 type of fighter engine for strategic move then a series of 'Tactical High power engines' which are effectively 3 or 4Kt afterburners with bonus tac move of 2, 3, 4, 5 etc. Interceptor tac engine gives 9 move, takes 10kt or whatever.
This would allow for VERY fast reduced armament interceptors or heavy armed slow fighters....... Both of which would require a carrier to make significant strategic moves.
Adjust the supply cost so that a fully loaded heavy fighter can only carry enough supplies for 2 tactical engagements (30 moves + say 20 shots of an expensive weapon).

Giving bases movement on the strategic scale makes them count as ships as far as score is concerned.

---

That seems reasonable. I don't think that fighters should have the range to roam all over a solar system. A fighter's speed and manueverablility are (in the real world) counteracted by their limited range. Otherwise, we wouldn't even need carriers at all!

quote:

---

The workaround for fighter resupply is the same as the workaround for resupplying ships: Build a dedicated supply frigate with either solar panels / quantuum generator or lots of supply storage and fleet them with the fighters (effectively a fighter tender rather than carrier)

---

I see no reason to change this; it is simply a strategic decision of the player. Remember, they have to pay maintenance on that resupply ship. If you want to leave fighters their, then you have to resupply them somehow. Some think that you should have to have a carrier for this, to which I reply, "Have you ever heard of mid-air refueling?".

[Marty Ward]

I like the idea of limited range for the fighters. It is possible to do. Fighters can be made with just an afterburner and you get no strategic move, only combat move. You have no supplies though.
Removing the standard move from the fighter engines means they can only be placed away from a planet by a carrier or transport and gives them supply. This seems like the best alternative.
I have not seen the AI use fighters to fly around in a system,has anyone else seen the AI use fighters this way?
This change would put the AI on a more even playing field against humans who use fighters to patrol a system.