docking escorts

[dogscoff]

... Found it. From the "asteroids question" thread which died a few weeks ago. Here's how I think asteroid usage should be implemented. Obviously it's all hard code, perhaps in SEV / expansion pack?

<Wild idea>
Treat each asteroid field like a space station or group of space stations - You don't need to colonise it, you just have to get a construction ship there and take advantage of a free "hull" with natural cloaking, really low maintenance and space for scanners, fighter bays, cargo space, weapons etc.

In combat each "hull" (ie each rock) would be treated exactly like a space station. It would have a special graphic and it could be boarded or destroyed just like a space station. When destroyed the rock becomes available for someone else to build on.

Tiny asteroid field - approx 100KT hull
Small asteroid field - approx 200KT hull.
Medium asteroid field - 1 100KT hull + 1 200KT hull
... and so on.

When I say "approx", why not put in a random modifier? One tiny asteroid field has 109KT space, the one in the next sector only 98KT. I don't know i there are any components <5 KT but it would b a good incentive to mod some

</Wild idea>


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"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so Brain, but how are we gonna teach a goat to dance with flippers on? "

[Baron Munchausen]

quote:

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Originally posted by Spoo:
Is there a way to make ships dockable like fighters? I don't mean making a gigantic fighter that just looks like an escort or frigate, cause then it could be loaded with fighter components and be shot down w/ PDC, and basically be not good.

I'm thinking a baseship that holds a small fleet of escorts and/or frigates.

I imagine this would need a code change, but I figured I'd bring it up in case it could be moded.

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As others have pointed out, this is basically "Pseudo-fighters" from Starfleet Battles. You can get awfully close to this in the follwing way:

1) Mod your data files:

a> Make a "Combat Movement" component for ships as well as fighters. +1, +2, and +3 movement is good. Where to place these in the engines field, or whether to make them a special field, is up to you.

b> Give "supply storage" and "solar collector" components in your data files a cargo storage ability so they can be placed in transports. Make it '0' cargo storage of course, and don't give it a description so it doesn't appear in the abilities list.

c> Optionally, also give the repair bay the '0' cargo storage ability so it can be added into the mix.

2) Design your attack escorts with minimal engines, NO supply storage or other non-combat peripherals, and these special combat thrusters. They'll be slow on the strategic map but kick-*** in combat. If you equip them with missiles they can make "torpedo runs" against enemy ships. Even if you equip them with beams they might be able to dance in and out of range, although the advantages of mounts for larger ships could be a problem for them to cope with. They can probably outrun other ship's missiles, though.

3) Though you cannot actually make a ship that carries other ships, you can make a "PF Tender" that keeps these attack escorts supplied. Fill a transport hull with as many solar collectors as reasonably possible plus a few supply storage units to make a reserve supply pool. Include a repair bay if you've made that mod. Equip it with minimal defense components. ECM, maybe. Nothing more. The PFs are supposed to protect it, while it is supposed to keep them supplied and repaired and be CHEAP on maintenance.

Fleet a bunch of these attack escorts with one or more of these tenders and you have a slow fleet on the strtegic map that turns into a very fast fleet in tactical combat. This is about as close as you're going to get to PFs and tenders in the SFB style.

[This message has been edited by Baron Munchausen (edited 03 May 2001).]

[jc173]

I was looking at trying this out by making a larger fighter hull that was limited in speed on the strategic map, but with a high combat speed. The custom component group ability isn't implemented yet is it? I'm asking because I came up with one possible problem, if I want to design a battle rider/fast attack craft/system defense boat or whatever how do I keep from using components like fighter cockpits and fighter engines? I envisioned making them use five ton engines, but I think if I added the hull size the AI would just make them use fighter sized engines, ECM, combat sensors etc.

[jc173]

Ok I've been toying around with making dockable 80-150 ton fast attack craft/battle riders. I think this is doable at the present but only for human players. It could be workable for the AI if the custom group ability is turned on. Then you could design medium sized components for them. I'm currently letting them just use fighter sized components for cockpits and life support, but have bumped up the number of life supports needed.

I've done them as fighter so far because I don't think they should be able to make warp point jumps without a carrier/tender.

Problems so far:
They can be targeted by PD weapons, I guess this is somewhat balanced out by not needing repairs.

They don't require maintenance, but they also cannot be upgraded so I guess its a trade off.

Weapons, I've continued to let them use the fighter sized weapons to represent secondary batteries or light back up weapons. I'm modding/copying some of the regular ship weapons so they can use them also. The problem with this is that so far they are extremely deadly if there is a stack of battleriders. I'm thinking of making some sort of medium sized beam weapons for them as a compromise. I'm also modding some of the regular missile weapons to make smaller one shot variations like the rocket pods used by the fighters.

It's going to be probably a week or so before I can finish this off, but would anyone be interested in testing out to see how well this works?

[Trachmyr]

To solve the speed problem, make thier Engines per move 3-5, and their max engines = to (Engines per move x Max speed wanted for Ion engines), just make sure in the AI_Design_creation.txt that fighters hull size is limited so they won't use the new bigger design, and a new "fighter" entry is added with the appropriate sizes and movement requirements (FYI Desired Speed/Max Speed does NOT refer to actual speed, but instead to the number of engines to use. And total movement point can't go over 255 or you get a range check error).

To solve the lifesupport/cockpit problem do this: For your new design set requirement for bridge and lifesupport to 0, or at least the cockpit. Add a requirement of 1 crew quarters. Add a new componet that in it's description says it's the command center/short-term crew quarters/lifesupport for these new smaller vessels... make it 5 tons or whatever, and give it the abilities of a crew quarters. Problem solved (you can still use lifesupport if you want, say require 2 or 3 of the 1 ton componets).

[This message has been edited by Trachmyr (edited 06 May 2001).]

[jc173]

quote:

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Originally posted by Trachmyr:
To solve the speed problem, make thier Engines per move 3-5, and their max engines = to (Engines per move x Max speed wanted for Ion engines), just make sure in the AI_Design_creation.txt that fighters hull size is limited so they won't use the new bigger design, and a new "fighter" entry is added with the appropriate sizes and movement requirements (FYI Desired Speed/Max Speed does NOT refer to actual speed, but instead to the number of engines to use. And total movement point can't go over 255 or you get a range check error).

To solve the lifesupport/cockpit problem do this: For your new design set requirement for bridge and lifesupport to 0, or at least the cockpit. Add a requirement of 1 crew quarters. Add a new componet that in it's description says it's the command center/short-term crew quarters/lifesupport for these new smaller vessels... make it 5 tons or whatever, and give it the abilities of a crew quarters. Problem solved (you can still use lifesupport if you want, say require 2 or 3 of the 1 ton componets).

[This message has been edited by Trachmyr (edited 06 May 2001).]

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Wow very good. I'll add in those changes.