Beef #1: Ramming

[Baron Munchausen]

Grappling? You think they can bring one full-sized ship that close to another and actually physically restrain an enemy ship? If you think ramming is difficult, explain how they can approach that close under combat conditions and NOT collide? That's even more incredible an idea than the transporter. I was assuming that they had something akin to "assault shuttles" or if those are added to the game later with greater than 1 square range then "assault pods" would be the default. A small "vehicle" akin to a fighter with just enough fuel and life support to make a short run at the enemy ship. The marines would be wearing full space suits, of course, but could hook into the pod's resources during the trip. If you get there and manage to grapple the enemy ship somehow, then you'd have equipment to try to cut your way inside. Or maybe it would have shaped charges built into it's structure to bLast a clean hole. That's why the component is destroyed on launch. Those little assault pods are disposable.

[Psitticine]

No, not grappling. What I mean by "tackle" is something more like a fishing line.

OK, that's a cheesy analogy, but what I picture is something more like individual lines that are fired out by the marines. All the boarding ship would have to accomplish is a close enough match that the marines could stand the sudden acceleration as the lines pull taut and they are suddenly sailing along behind the enemy. Just reel in, apply a limpet mine to the airlock, and proceed from there. It'd be much more difficult to intercept 12 individual targets (or however many marines make up a boarding party) than it would be to down a single assualt craft, which helps explain why there's no chance modelled for interdicting the boarding party before it reaches its target.

My own image of the marines includes something more like a full exoskeleton system. Certainly full life support would be a must. I suppose you could crack the airlock security and close it behind you but that'd be time consuming at best. I think any way you are going to get into the ship will lead to decompression. The marines would need to be able to first fight in that environment, and then survive in it long enough to patch the hull integrity back together and restore the atmosphere.

I'd assumed the boarding module was disabled after the boarding attempt because, well, the marines are either dead or fully occupied maintaining control on the newly captured ship.

Aaaaanyway, I'm just rambling about my own half-formed mental image. I don't see any flaws in an assualt pod concept, as long as they don't use those cheesy fighter/lawnmower engines for power. They'd get left in the dust trying to close while riding on one of those.

[General Hawkwing]

I use tactical combat in all cases, except when I'm bLasting/bombing a low pop. planet that I know doesn't have platforms. Ramming is useful against the AI because it is lacking in tactical combat. I'll use colony ships to ram the enemy because there is no retreat option and you can not avoid the enemy for 30 turns. I head straight for the enemy and ram before he has a chance to do much damage. The AI always comes toward the ship, it does not appear to try to stay out of range.
Has far as boarding forces: Not sure how boarding works in space but one of the best things about this game is the way it lets you imagine how things happen.

[This message has been edited by General Hawkwing (edited 21 September 2000).]

[dmm]

Resurrecting my very first topic. Sniff [wipes away tear]...ah, the memories.

Anyone tried the "total kamikaze" strategy lately?

[Rollo]

I have never tried the ramming/Kamikaze strategy myself, but I will make an AI of religious fanatics that will use this strategy excessively. If I can get a nice shipset for them, I will start on the AI soon. I am surprised to hear that this strategy could actually be effective. When this idea formed in my head I didn't think they would be successful, but just being a big PITA. Now I am intrigued and will probably start earlier on this project than planned .

Rollo

[Saxon]

Ramming is powerful, but there are some costs. One is that ships are not cheap and a ramming race will be perpetually bleeding off their strength, whereas conventional ships that win can fight another day and probably get experience from it.

Another is that you don’t have any ships left after the fight to project your power. Ok, you kicked my homeworld fleet’s butt, but you don’t have any ships left to glass my planets. This raises another point, but one I am not so sure about. Can you ram a satellite or a planet. I suspect you can not. Even if reasonable number of your rammers survive, you can not get past my static defenses.

Mixing in a few rammers for special occasions is a pretty neat idea, but you need to keep a lot of regular ships around. Otherwise, all your victories will be Pyrithic ones.

Before I purged SEIV off the computer I use, I had a design for a Kamikazi which was almost entirely organic armor. If you go organic, it would be very effective as a rammer.

Lonnie Courtney Clay