MP Minesweeper Designs? (and ideas)

[Noble713]

I want retreating back too, and for all of the aforementioned reasons. Having an imaginary border in space that things can't leave is very annoying. If you want to catch and destroy enemy ships, you shouldn't be able to trap them in the corner of a box but have to overtake them before they run away, just like in real life.

[This message has been edited by Noble713 (edited 22 December 2000).]

[Talenn]

Well, like I mentioned below, it has to cut both way. You cant add the retreat option because the imaginary boundary is 'unrealistic or artificial' unless you eliminate the 'unrealistic and artificial' movement system which has no inertia and grants the ability to change facing and direction at will.

The game simply will not work properly otherwise. Sure, you can build smaller, faster ships, but so can they. I suspect the game would degenerate down to a large number of 'mexican standoffs'. If you cant trap and kill the enemy, you will never have decisive battles. And the results will probably be far from your liking. It would certainly take most of the excitement out of the game IMO.

The only way it would work well is to needlessly (IMO) complicate the game. Without that, a large number of your weapons and tactics that are already present will be instantly obsoleted. Further, it doesnt lend itself very well to the 'ugo-igo' turn sequence of the combat. It would prolly need to be reworked into an impulse system or a si-move system of some sort. I just dont see that its really worth the hassle.

I do agree that it can be annoying to not be able to disengage at time, but the potential headache from 'dancing enemies' is not worth the bother IMO.

Still, it would probably be something that would fit well as an OPTION during setup...'Allow retreat from combat: y/n?'. That would at least please all sides, but I'm pretty sure that after a few games with that option on, most folks would start turning off again. The consequences for allowing retreat within the current game framework are very severe IMO.

Talenn

[Jubala]

A simple way to do it would be as in Age of Wonders where you retreat off at the edge of the map. But it's only the attacke who can retreat in that game and there where heated discussions on the Boards for defender retreat as well. Implement the edge retreat and put a time limit on it. That way at least some shots will have to be fired. For warp point assaults put the retreat locations on the warp point itself so the only way out of combat is back the way you came or kill the defenders. Retreat would mean putting the ships/fleet in the sector corresponding to the edge of the battlemap. If the ship/fleet used it's Last strategic move to enter combat it can't retreat or has to wait longer before it can do it. Add "turnlimit before retreat possible" and "turnlimit before retreat possible out of strategic move" values to settings.txt so people can change it to their hearts content. That should make everybody happy I think.