game styles

[oleg]

Originally posted by Krsqk:
Several tests here. Started with a BB hull, B/2LS/2QC, 3 Phased Shield V, Mx 5, CS III, ECM III, 3 PDC V, Solar Sail III, Stealth Armor, Scattering Armor. Cost: 11500/200/800

5 different standard weapons tested.

1: 6 heavy PPB V, 1 PPB = +6500/0/3900
2: 6 heavy APB XII, 1 APB XII = +5200/0/1560
3: 9 heavy MB VI, 1 large MB VI = +5850/0/2340
4: 4 heavy QT V, 1 large QT V = +4750/0/950
5: 2 heavy WMG III, 1 large WMG III = +4500/0/2200

All were 5-turn build times.

1 organic weapon tested.
1: 6 heavy HPB V, 1 HPB V = +0/7200/0

3-turn build time.

Organic races can outbuild standard races by 60%, then. Maintenance advantage varied from 38 to 56%. With 3 standard ships to 5 organic ships, the outcome will be a toss-up. With 30 standard ships to 50 organic ships, it's no contest. If the organic race makes first kill, it's even worse. My results frequently had over 35 functional ships remaining for the organic race. Superior numbers seem to be almost as conclusive an advantage as superior accuracy, at least at max tech.

"Quantity has a quality of its own" J.Stalin

[Taera]

That is exactly why i had been playing Organic race since the game was out. Only recently i became bored with it and moved to crystallurgy.

[spoon]

Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:
And just how would you handle building ships twice as quickly, while still maintaining all those vital components that cost only minerals?

Assume your build rate is 4500 (which is what your minimum rate should be as an Organic Race in the mid-game). You can build a good non-organic Battleship for about 18k minerals. You can design a decent Organic battleship for 9k/9k min/org. This means you can can build organic ships twice as fast as non-organic ships. The two to one odds are hard to overcome in the initial contact.

Obviously, both sides can modify their designs after they see what the enemy is using, but, by then, it is usually too late.

-Spoon

[Phoenix-D]

"You can have a lot more ships than me. That is fine. Since yours don't have Quantum Reactors, my ships with Heavy IDs do 120 engine damage per shot. This totally disables one of your ships in one shot"

I keep forgetting the ID doesn't skip shields now. At any rate a supply bay or two would fix the problem without adding much cost.

Phoenix-D

[Raging Deadstar]

Hmm there should be a racial tech that uses radioactives, like the organic componenets are made mostly of organics!

Is there any mods that have done that?

[capnq]

Hmm there should be a racial tech that uses radioactives

I think Temporal goes pretty heavy on rads, maybe Crystalline as well. I'm not sure because I haven't played them nearly as much as I have Organic.

Small Electric Discharge is arguably the best fighter weapon in SE IV.

When you look at the research costs, you have to consider the facilities Organic gets you as well. Medical Labs, Gestation Vats, and Replicant Centers all have significant effects.

[Fyron]

Note: I never once argued against the use of organic armor (or facilities, which I think are some of the best racial facilities ). I only argued against organic weapons.

To me, they are too weak compared to normal weapons to spend time researching them. Even with faster build times of ships, you can't support more of them. Organic ships will die faster than normal, shielded ships, because high level shields are a lot stronger than organic armer (something like 5 HP/KT for OA III, and 13 HP/KT for Shield V). So, the normal ships will Last a lot longer in strategic combat, and the organic ships will die sooner. Combine this with the weaker weapons, and it doesn't seem like a very good late game strategy to me at all.