Pseudo-Newtonian Movement

[jimbob]

I'd go with your dad on the movement thing. I figure if I build 10 ultra fast ships, they can move from one battle to another in less time and it's easier to mass the ships together - avoid having singles and doubles picked off as they go to join a fleet. Someone with slower ships has a harder time amassing their ships - so I can pick off the singles and the doubles!

Also, if my movement is double his, I can essentially be in two places at once (well, close enough), meaning that I need one fleet of 10 ultra fast ships, and he needs two or three fleets of 8 slower but stronger ships just to engage me.

Well, that's what my aliens tend towards anyway.

Edit: Oh, and doesn't your brother find the mass to propulsion ratio a little low with solar sails? How 'bout a supply ship in each fleet (I'm big into ultra-specialized ships)

[ 11 May 2002, 18:31: Message edited by: jimbob ]

[Suicide Junkie]

I figure if I build 10 ultra fast ships, they can move from one battle to another in less time ... ...

Your ships can be as fast as you like, but they still have to travel through warppoints .
I think both ways are probably best. Fast interceptors, and heavy warships each in their own fleets and roles. One plugs warppoints and lays siege to planets, the other picks off anybody who gets past.

Edit: Oh, and doesn't your brother find the mass to propulsion ratio a little low with solar sails? How 'bout a supply ship in each fleet (I'm big into ultra-specialized ships)

The max-tech solar sails are almost as powerful per KT as JP engines. Its not that bad.

As for the supply ship?
My brother's supply ship is a warppoint opener orbiting the cluster of 12 Huge planets in the Hercules system. (As you can tell he's been doing a lot of Stellar Manip )

In case you're wondering;
- Yes, those planets are all in the same sector
- Yes, they are all breathable, Huge oxygen worlds.
- No there is no system type with a stack of huge planets.
- He moved them there using his powerful Stellar Manip techs.
- Yes, he is very powerful, but despite that, I have just bumped into the MEE limit
- No, you cannot borrow my fleet of BattleMoons.

[jimbob]

- No, you cannot borrow my fleet of BattleMoons.

Aww, come on dad, everybody elses parents let them drive the BattleMoons to the prom.

[Suicide Junkie]

If you just want one, that's ok. Don't mind the 7000 Commandos in the back, just think of them as chauffeurs.

Please be careful not to crash into anything; the locals usually get quite upset when that happens...

[PvK]

The engine limits per ship in Proportions have the effect of limiting the range of operations of capital ships. Also, with two main classes of engines at each tech level (specialized either for speed or for efficiency), there are trade-offs between range and speed. The result is that the deadlier fleets have considerable supply requirements, while slower and smaller ship designs can operate at more extended range from a supply source or tanker fleet. In turn, this means that developing and protecting a supply network can determine where and when you can deploy the fastest and most powerful ship designs.

The limits on max engines per hull size provide another trade-off between small and large ships in terms of maximum speed, and are one of several trade-offs that give small ships a continued role at higher tech levels.

PvK

[Suicide Junkie]

If you eliminate the engine limits (and tweak the thrust levels a bit) then you will get the option of:
- Long range, low speed (with efficiency drives)
- Long range, moderate-high speed, minimal active components (with lots and lots of efficiency drives.
- Short range, Moderate speed (with power drives)
- Short range, Insane speed, minimal active components (with lots and lots of power drives)

Where active components are anything other than C&C and engines.

[PvK]

Originally posted by Suicide Junkie:
If you eliminate the engine limits (and tweak the thrust levels a bit) then you will get the option of:
- Long range, low speed (with efficiency drives)
- Long range, moderate-high speed, minimal active components (with lots and lots of efficiency drives.
- Short range, Moderate speed (with power drives)
- Short range, Insane speed, minimal active components (with lots and lots of power drives)

Where active components are anything other than C&C and engines.

Yes, though all except the Last are already possible in Proportions. Much of this is thanks to the cheap supply components in Proportions.

Long-range, low-speed is possible with efficient engines and the cheap supply components, or solar sails.

Long-range, moderate speed, low active components is possible by using fast engines and supply components.

Short-range, moderate speed is what you get with a typical ship using mostly high-speed drives or a mix, depending on your hull size.

Short-range, insane speed is what you can only get with specialized components, which is intentional and the main reason I have limits on the number of engines. Note that the speeds are already quite high for a small ship with high-output engines (a small low-tech interceptor can get up to speed 9 from the start). You can still develop insane-speed ships by researching emergency propulsion and gravitic drives (I think the max theoretical speed is about 22 with the current components in Proportions - but it would require some advanced research, and would be lower for large ships).

PvK