Starfire Mod

[Bremen]

Thank you for the suggestions

Embarrasingly, I completly forgot about SBMHAWKs. But you're right, drones would be an ideal way to simulate them.

I may use both gunboats and SBMHAWKs as drones, and use various ship sizes and comp requirements to distinguish them, like I did with the external racks.

I'm thinking gunboats would require 100% cargo units, and I would give all gunboat components the cargo ability, and SBMHAWKs would require 100% Fighter Bays, and give all of those components the fighter bay ability.

This would, unfortunatly, make it almost impossible for the AI to design drones and gunboats, but maybe something could be done. I'm no expert at AI programming.

I don't plan to use R2s, atleast beyond using 1 shot empty drones that get destroyed when they exit.

Mines in Starfire were placed surrounding a warp point rather then on it, because the gravity effects of the warp point would destroy anything placed on it. I wonder if warp points can be given a mine-sweeping ability. Worth a look .

I don't think components can destroy a ship on use, and while there is a "Destroy component on use", it is used on components used in the strategic game rather then battle, and I'm not sure if it would work on a weapon. Anyone know? I planned on just making them 30 fire rate weapons.

Fighters do indeed have primary guns, something which I expect to need a lot of balancing (Imagine 30 fighters firing null space weapons).

I plan to leave ship movement mostly the same, or even slower. Troop combat I havn't tackled or planned yet.

P.S. I am leaving for a three week vacation Monday. If possible I will have a new Version by then, and I'll post a link to it in this topic. But I'll be busy, so don't count on much new stuff, if any.

[Phoenix-D]

"And R2's could be done by placing another race with a special sat that sits in the middle of EACH system (the maps would have to be scenarios taht start out wiht this race added) and has 1000000000 hp and can therefore be targeted by drones (the SR/SBM/R2s) and will be attacked, however the drones will have literally no supply so unless launched near one of these things they couldnt' ever reach it."

Won't work. You cannot fire a drone into a system unless you have a non-mine unit in the system.

Phoenix-D

[Bremen]

"Won't work. You cannot fire a drone into a system unless you have a non-mine unit in the system."

That puts a dent in my SBMHAWK plans.

[Skulky]

instead of a "mine unit" we could put a base or a 1 kt ship. Besides, SBMHAWKS, while not used by the bugs are an integral part of the game. When designing the races somethign culd be done to make the Bugs have better attack ratios or somethign but have some of their ships randomly destroyed (interpenetration?) I really want to sim that. wahtever, thanks for the mail.

[Phoenix-D]

"instead of a "mine unit" we could put a base or a 1 kt ship."

Those can't be loaded into other ships; you'd have to build them on-site. Would have to be a ship, bases can't move.

Phoenix-D

[Phoenix-D]

"When designing the races somethign culd be done to make the Bugs have better attack ratios or somethign but have some of their ships randomly destroyed (interpenetration?)"

You can make them be able to build LOTS of ships- just reduce the cost of their components. In a trade off, give them really crappy sensors. That way they'll miss a lot and it'll even out.

Phoenix-D

[Bremen]

My plan for the bugs was a little behind the scenes cheating .

Lower comp costs, some altered AI profiles, and give them some outrageous racial bonuses (sky high pop growth for instance).

However, I am no where near making the AIs and cultures yet. Before I can really do that, I need to have everything else done. If I designed the AIs now, then added new weapons, they would never use them.