Infinite combat map

[Sivran]

And just don't even think about level 20+ repulsor beams

[Suicide Junkie]

Now you really can knock that attack fleet into next week.

[raynor]

If you are going to allow the combat map to infinitely expand, then it is necessary to modify all the combat code to incorporate the following:

First, defer combat until forces from all surrounding hexes have committed to the battle.

Second, forces entering from different hexes should be placed according to the hexes they entered from.

So, you either use a limited combat map. Or, you alter the combat code to allow 'englobing' attacks. Pick whichever is easiest to implement. :-)

[Shadowstar]

Firstly, not only would that be way too complicated, but it would be impossible in simultaneous multiplayer games since players can't make decisions during other players' turns.

Frankly, I think my solution is the best one. Defending ships simply return to where they were if the enemy goes too far, and everyone's happy. There's no exploit since the attacker has to come back in order to start another combat, and every time they attack it would cost them movement points (and supplies). You wouldn't have immense combat maps either since this would all naturally keep the combat within a reasonable area. You could even throw in a rule that any ship can't attack again in the same turn if they retreated once during that turn already if you really want to cut down on combat log size.

[dmm]

I think you could leave things mostly as they are if you charged supplies for movement in tactical combat. This solves many problems with one fix. (The amount used would be moddable, of course.)

[Suicide Junkie]

If a ship has enough supplies to fly halfway across the galaxy, imagine how large that would make the combat map before it runs out.

[shinigami]

I'd like to see each ship have a pool of combat movement points based on its remaining strategic movement points. Then deduct strategic points from each ship after combat.

I'd also like to see that if combat lasts x amount of time it pauses to allow the next movement tick to take place (simultaneous games only.)

Both of these would probably require way too much additional coding but maybe SEVI?

[dmm]

Suicide Junkie said:
If a ship has enough supplies to fly halfway across the galaxy, imagine how large that would make the combat map before it runs out.

You are assuming that engines work the same in combat movement as they do in strategic movement. One does not have to make that assumption. Cars get a certain MPG highway, but much less MPG city. Anyway, by having ships use some supplies in combat movement, it would hinder "blockade by fleeing." The new patch makes this discussion mostly moot, but I can already think of ways to exploit the new retreat system.