Things we'd like to see in the next patch

[DirectorTsaarx]

Originally posted by QuarianRex:

Does anyone know why it was set up like this? In ship combat components tend to get damaged from largest to smallest and I can't see why it would be reversed for planets.

Actually, I think ship armor is damaged from smallest to largest, and other components are typically damaged largest to smallest... but I think there's some randomness involved as well, because sometimes I see engines get destroyed before weapons...

[Slick]

One of my pet peeves is having to keep going back to the log and scrolling to find my spot. Even if you filter the log, sometimes this can be a chore if lots of things happen that turn.

I would like to see a "goto next [and previous] log entry" button. That way I can quickly step thru the events, even filtered, to act upon the new developments without having to go back to the log and scroll.

[Suicide Junkie]

Actually, I think ship armor is damaged from smallest to largest, and other components are typically damaged largest to smallest... but I think there's some randomness involved as well, because sometimes I see engines get destroyed before weapons...

Correct, although it is hitpoints that matter, not size. Most components have the same size as hitpoints, so this distiction only comes into play with mods and armor.

The B5 mod uses the fact that tougher internals are hit more often quite extensively. The B5 armor is simply high-hitpoint internals, so it gets hit more often, but is not guaranteed to be hit first.
Standard SE4 uses the "weaker armor gets hit first" feature for Stealth, Scattering and Emissive armor. The three above all have special abilities, and are much bigger, so they have more hitpoints. That makes the regular armor absorb a lot of the damage that would otherwise damage your extra ability armor

[geoschmo]

With these internals, how much more often are you thinking that they get hit. That doesn't seem to jive with what I see. It appears for all intents and purposes to be completely random to me. I suppose if it just a small difference in chance it's possible I would not see it. An internal armor would offer some resistance as cannon fodder soaking up the damage that would otherwise go to usefull components. If the cost was low enough, or the tonnage to structure ratio were high enough I could see a lot of use in having these comps on your ship. But do they really get hit any more often than other comps? Have you done some real analysis to determine this?

[Suicide Junkie]

Yes, I have.

At worst, the system randomly picks a hitpoint on the ship and then figures out what component it belongs to. (so a 20 hitpoint engine is twice as likely to be hit than a 10 hitpoint Bridge)

However, it does even better than that.

I did some simulations while balancing the B5 armor;
Two otherwise identical ships... both have the same tonnage devoted to weapons, engines and C&C. The remaining space on design A was all heavy armor and design B had all Light armor.

The light armor had 50% more hitpoints than the light armor. (6000, vs 4000), but the heavy armor came in 8kt components instead of 1kt components. Thus, the heavy armor have 5 times more hitpoints per component.

In actual combat, the Heavy ships won 2 out of three times!
With auto tactical, this was shown to be a result of the heavy armor blocking a greater % of the shots from the enemy weapons. The light armor ships would get hit, and suffer damage to weapons much more often than the heavy armored ones would.
Occasionally, the light armor ship would get lucky, and not lose a weapon until late in the battle. By that time, the heavy armored ship was nearly out of armor, while the light ship still had 2000 hitpoints left.

[Slick]

The light armor had 50% more hitpoints than the light armor. (6000, vs 4000), but the heavy armor came in 8kt components instead of 1kt components. Thus, the heavy armor have 5 times more hitpoints per component.

Can you explain this a little further?

[geoschmo]

Hmmm, I am still not conviced SJ. I did some quick tests myself using identical ship designs in auto-tactical and watched the order the components got hit in. I didn't mod any internal armo comps, but I use basehips with lost of extraneous comps, cargo bays, supply bays, fighter bays, to simulate the effect. The cargo bays do seem to get hit more frequently than the supply bays, which would seem to coroboate your findings. However the APBs which have a structure of 20 were getting hit more frequently than the cargo bays which have the same structure. And when I used meson bLasters which have a structure of 20 and figther bays which have a structure of 30, I saw no greater frequency of fighter bays destroyed than weapons. And bridges, engines, life support and crew quarters seem to be hit more frequently than they should based on their relative structure.

Also, I did some tests with armor I's and III's and the armor was destroyed almost exactly evenly in every case. I thought you had said previously that higher hitpoint armor is destroyed first. That also is questionable according to the results I am seeing.

Granted I did not do a tremendous ammount of testing. It's possible that I just don't have enough data. But I have enough to say if there is an increased chance, it's likely very small.

Geoschmo

[capnq]

Satellite launchers do not work in combat. Only during movement.

This is only true in Strategic Combat. They work perfectly well if you launch them manually in Tactical.

[LGM]

I have another bug for my list:

Satellite launchers do not work in combat. Only during movement.

Another addition:

Allow drones to be recovered.

[Atrocities]

1. Wheel Mouse support
2. Slider Bars (to move from right to left up down etc.
3. An ADD TO ALL EMPTY QUES feature that allows one click instead of SHIFT many.
4. Improved Political operations.
5. The ability to use other races ship images if you steal their designs, or conquer them. Once Conquered, their ship images are added to your your ship construction list. You can choose to use your ship images or theirs.
6. A withdraw from combat option for Tatical and Stratigic combat. (You can avoid the fight entirely, RETREAT - STRATIGIC - TATICAL or run from it after its started OPTIONS, WITHDRAW. This feature would allow all ships that have the ability to leave to leave the combat area and can not be used for combat. Damaged ships that can not leave are automatically destroyed, or captured if the attacking fleet has capture ships. Why you ask - well have ever engage an enemy fleet that you thought was 12 ships and it turned out to be 90? You have 20 ships, and now your committed. A nice advantage for race who use cloaking devices but a P.I.T.*** for those who don't.)
7. (May already exsist) A way to disable the frelling Fleet Leader during tatical combat. I have lost way to many ships because of them trying to follow the GD leader and using up all their moves freaking out like a GD grasshopper on a hot plate!

[ September 19, 2002, 12:40: Message edited by: Atrocities ]