New Mod: The Art of War Mod

[Phoenix-D]

"EDIT: Actually I think I jsut figured out this isn't even nessecary. Apparently the movement bonus doesn't have to all be the same, you just get the lowest bonus of all your engine components. So if I give the engine armor movement bonus equal to the highest possible engine level, then one armor should work for all the engines regardless. Cool!"

Are you going QNP propulsion or sticking with the regular system? Because in QNP movement bonuses can be pretty imbalancing.. but you're said you're removing engine limits, and that would be nuts in the regular system, unless you really really want to make the smaller ships even more obselete.

Phoenix-D

[geoschmo]

Phoenix, I am not going with the QNP, and I am removing the engine limits, and I am not nuts.

What I have planed, and this may end up getting modified or scrapped altogether, is a system similer to what was used for SEIII. As the ships get larger, the Engines per move goes up, but not as quickly as with QNP. And engines will always have one standard movemnet point, but with the higher level ones getting the bonus movement as is the current stock system. My idea is that the escort with level 1 engines to go a speed of 6 has 6 engines, and has 40% of it's mass dedicated to engines. That's percentage for a movement of 6 I want to remain steady as the ships get larger.

So for the Destroyer, it will be 2 engines per move, for the cruiser, 3 per move, etc. Every 150Kt step in hull mass will bump the engines per move up one.

So I will remove the max engines per hull, but the highest actual speed for a ships will be in the 12 to 15 range, and that will be with all engines. And I have some ideas to keep that further limited.

Again, it's all kind of preliminary at this point, so I am not sure how much of the current ideas I am kincking around will be in the final mod.

Geo

[Phoenix-D]

OK, that I could see working. I was picturing a dreadnaught running around at speed 30 or something, running down the hapless escorts who could only go 12, max.

Phoenix-D

[geoschmo]

"Scotty...we...need...more...speed!

Cap'n, I'm givin' her all she's got. She's comin' apart at the seams!"

Actually, the more I think about it though I may have the levels wrong. As it is the destroyer will ahve less room for stuff than the frigate. Not sure that's right. Have to play around iwht it some more I think.

[jimbob]

You probably know most of this already, but if this is of any help...

quote:

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Weapons only works by making an armor component that has low damage (No damage?) weapon ability. Since it's a weapon it gets hit by the weapon only attacks, since it's armor it gets hit before all the other weapons.

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I think that p&n has a lot of specialized armor types (engines, weapons, etc). The component is designated "armor" so it is damaged first, but then it has an ability too. So for example, the component can specifically protect against weapon destroying weapons because it is designated "armor" but has an attack capacity (damage 0 at all ranges) so it is also considered a weapon.

quote:

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damage: 0 0 20 30 40 30 20 0 0 0 0 0

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well, okay, not a direct quote, sort of a paraphrase... regardless, weapons that do no damage at close range but more damage at longer range do function quite well. Again, p&n (v2.6) and Ultimate (v?.?) both have weapons with increasing damage, out to a maximum range. Beyond that the damage starts to drop off again. I used the weapons, and had no problems. The weapons were successfully employed by AI, but I only saw them used by weapons platforms (stationary).

I look forward to this mod. Mods are great, it's like getting a new game every time a new one comes out. Keep up the good work!

[Deathstalker]

Geo,

I've got an old mod gathering dust in the download sections (the 'D-Mod'), you are welcome to use/incorporate/change any of it (new ship classes, anti boarding party weapons etc), as well as the Mount Mod.

The D-Mod had lots of 'extra' weapons as well as some funky facilities. (Decoy missiles to soak up PDC, shield skipping missiles, low damage weapons that can strike VERY far away, Shields that incorporate PDC, regenerating engines, solar engines, Knowledge shrines, etc, etc, etc,).

[Cargus10]

Some ideas that may or may not have merit:

- All direct fire weapons have many penalties to hit (say, -50 or so base). Warships will need fire-control sensor arrays (low mass and damage absobtion, high cost) to offset this. Kill the firecon, and the ship is in trouble. Multiple levels are possible, plus hardening, etc. Alternatley, split this to hit bonus between the firecon sensors and the firecon computer (on the bridge). Gives the aux con a reason for being.

No limit on engines per hull. Go as as fast as you want, but if you are all engines, you have room for little else. Also, make engines powerful, but big. A frigate might have only one engine and still go speed 8. Once it's damaged, though....

As weapons improve, don't nessescarily make them longer-ranged or more damaging...lots of improvements are in miniaturization....The APB I is 30Kt, maybe the APB II has the exact same stats but is 25kT.

Wish there was a way to handle MIRVed warheads for missiles, but can't think of one off-hand.

Engines that have zero (or near zero) inherent supply. Requires supply to be put in as "fuel tanks".

I'm sure I'll come up with more, but sleep is overtaking me now <L>.