Detailed Ground Combat

[PvK]

There are actually three different places to put combat modifiers, with different results, and they are all used in Proportions mod, though it may not widely be known or understood. I added some descriptions in Proportions 3.0.5 to help explain, although some of them require some raciat traits to see (Elite Military, or Religious).

Placed on Vehicle type, the modifiers stack for EACH unit, and I beleive negative modifiers stack for each unit as well. Ten units means ten times the modifier, applied to the whole army.

Placed on a component as an ability, the highest value is used for the whole army, like Combat Sensors and ECM in the unmodded game. These don't stack... but they might if they were different types with different Family values - I haven't tested that.

Placed on a weapon as a weapon to-hit modifier, I believe they affect the firepower coming out of that weapon only, not out of the whole army.

Combined with the realization that damage is not applied simply left-to-right, I think this leaves more room than SJ suggests for diversity in ground combat units. Though basically ya, we're not given much to work with in SE4.

In Proportions I have:

Infantry - fairly cheap, has lots of damage resistance, not so good firepower, and good combat modifiers representing many small targets, ability to take cover, tactical flexibility, etc., but inability to mount large weapons. Has bonuses that can't be got from vehicles, so it helps to use both infantry and vehicles. Uses the required components to force them and only them to use the infantry components. Costs more orgs than other unit types - in Proportions 2.x they's fast to produce, but in Proportions 3.x the high org cost means they can only be built in good numbers on planets or at orbital construction bases.

Vehicles - have enough size to add large weapons and shields. Tend to have more firepower than infantry, and if shields are invested in, more damage resistance, but shields are expensive in rad cost which makes them a bit slow to build.

Artillery - Some higher techs allow troop weapons which have a lot of firepower but are large and don't give much damage resistance. Lots of bang but should be mixed with tougher troops for protection.

Elite Infantry (and in Proportions 3.x, armor) - Have a +1 offensive bonus per unit... so +100 elite infantry means +100 for the whole army to hit with, which can give empires with a weak ground combat aptitude a chance to do all right in ground combat if they invest enough. But elite units have a very high cost (in Proporitons 3.x, a high org cost).

Zealot infantry (Proportions 3.x, for religious empires) is rather cheaper to produce (they're volunteering for immediate action), but involves a stacking negative defense modifier on the vehicle type, which I believe results in a cumulative defensive modifier for the whole army while they survive. Represent fearless, wreckless volunteer fanatics.

PvK