Tactical Combat Solution: Initial Deployment Turn

KiloOhm · #1 January 10th, 2001, 03:56 PM

quote:
Originally posted by rdouglass:
However, being able to place your fleets on the EDGE of the map corresponding to the direction you entered the sector from; now that would be very helpful in those larger, multi-fleet battles. I don't think I'd want to place them ANYWHERE on the map - too much of an advantage. Another feature I'd like to see for combat is 'stacking' ships in combat squares. That's something you also could do in SE3 that IMO is very much missed.

I believe it does this now (well, you can't place them but if you have a fleet in a sector, then send a fleet from another direction, they will be on differen't edges of the combat area (this happened to me Last night when I declared war on a race where my ships were in the same sector. The next turn I moved a ship in to reenforce my units. My fleet was on the far right of the map and the ship I brought in was on the far left.

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Regards,
KiloOhm

Sinapus · #2 January 10th, 2001, 04:11 PM

Add that ability to the combat simulator and I will be even happier. Everytime I try to test defense of my homeworld with bases and deployed units, my homeworld ends up in the middle of the map, while my ships and bases end up on the other side of the map. :/

Jubala · #3 January 11th, 2001, 01:07 AM

I agree with Sinapsus, that's annoying. I also understand rdouglass's concerns that pre-placing of units would give us humans even more advantage over the AI and to some extent I agree. That the placement area would be limited to where you came from and larger for defenders then attackers I took for granted. Especially in warp point assaults. I also agree stacking of ships makes sense. But for that to really work we would need some sort of subfleet/task force/whatever you wanna call it feature that let's us divide ships in fleets by tasks but still move it around like a fleet. The point being that stacked ships should be counted as a task group and move and fire simultaneously. Which invites the addition of commmand data link from certain Starfire books discussed in other threads quite nicely.

And the advantage us humans have over the AI in tactical right now could be lessened by changing the way tactical combat works by diving the turns in 2 phases and making them simultaneous. All sides gives movement and firing orders at the same time but nothing happens until all sides hits end turn at which times all orders are executed at once. All ships move and fire and all damage dealt is stored until all orders are executed and then applied. That way nobody fires first and therefor wins because he/she/it manages to kill/cripple some of the enemies ships before they can fire. This system will of course raise questions about when to fire and initiative. Disregard initiative for now as it's not in the game at the moment. But when to fire is important. As soon as you are in range or wait until up close and personal? I don't think such a system will be as easy to implenent as I imply here, but if done well it well be better than what we have now imo.

Puke · #4 January 11th, 2001, 01:26 AM

someone brought up the point, that it would be nice to be able to have ships actually DEFEND a planet in the simulator instead of starting on the edge of the map.

try using the 'fleets' option in the simulator, and add the planet to the defending fleet.

Sinapus · #5 January 11th, 2001, 02:42 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Puke:
someone brought up the point, that it would be nice to be able to have ships actually DEFEND a planet in the simulator instead of starting on the edge of the map.

try using the 'fleets' option in the simulator, and add the planet to the defending fleet.

I did try that, and the planet wouldn't move over to the fleet.

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--
"What do -you- want?" "I'd like to live -just- long enough
to be there when they cut off your head and stick it on a
pike as a warning to the next ten generations that some favors
come with too high a price. I would look up into your lifeless
eyes and wave like this..." *waggle* "...can you and your
associates arrange that for me, Mr. Morden?"

Puke · #6 January 11th, 2001, 02:50 AM

in the strategy definition, there is a setting that lets planets break formation.

Eisenhans · #7 January 11th, 2001, 02:53 AM

Hey Jubala! That sounds like a great idea! I'd definitely love to see that happen.

Actually there are a lot of great ideas around. Hmm, some of you guys must know enough about programming.
Has anybody tried to convince MM to make SEIV into an open source game? It could get the most legendary game of all times and stay number one for ever!