Do Weapons Platform Need Help?

[geoschmo]

Maybe the problem isn't so much the weapons platforms as it is the bonus to hit planets. Why should ships hit every time against a planet? Yes of course it would be hard to miss something that big, but not every hit would do damage. Planetary facilities and platforms can be hardened much more so then ships can. A shot at a ship that misses it's target by thirty meters but still hits the ship is still gonna do a lot of damage. A shot by the same weapon against a planet that misses it's target by thrity meters might as well have missed the planet for all the damage it's gonna do to the target. Since we can't have variable damage, maybe we need to lower the chance to hit a planet to simulate these kinds of hits that don't really cause any harm.

Geoschmo

[Slynky]

I suspect it's a matter of playability. Like Geo said (well, not in these words), it would make the game one heck of a drag if planets became nearly impossible to take out. It's probably another "realism -vs- playability" problem.

[1FSTCAT]

Wow, good points. I like Geo's Version, but maybe with a twist -- ship-to-ship weapons should do half damage vs. planets... How does that sound?

Or ship to ship weapons are -50% to hit the planet. Then, your more specialized anti-planet munitions would be more purposeful.

--Ed

[Captain Kwok]

There's a value in settings.txt that you can use to change the chance to hit ratio:

code:

---

Planet Combat Defense Modifier := -200

---

[Loser]

Originally posted by geoschmo:
There may be a problem late in the game when the attacker can put together a decent fleet with training and ECM and all that stuff. But early on they are pretty devastating with the extra range and damage. Even if they don't hit every time, each hit is hard. I had a guy lose a fleet of 20+ ships (destroyers and a few LC's to give you an idea of the tech level) to a planet of mine with about a dozen WP's with PPB III's and combat sensor I's.

. . .

Geoschmo

Wait... If I correctly understand how SE IV treats units, you only need one of those Combat Sensor I's. Is that correct?

Would whole Armor WPs be hit before all other WPs?

Would one Religious WP make all WPs on that world Religious?

Would Troops with Shields protect WPs?

Would Fighters or Satellites with Shields, in planetary cargo, protect other units in cargo?

[geoschmo]

Originally posted by Loser:
Wait... If I correctly understand how SE IV treats units, you only need one of those Combat Sensor I's. Is that correct?

I think that is correct, although I also think that if you lose the particular WP that has it then you lose the ability it gives, so I usually put them on each anyway. Although there may be some way to make sure the one with the SC is the Last one killed, but I have never bothered to try figuring that out.

Originally posted by Loser:

Would whole Armor WPs be hit before all other WPs?

Don't know about that.

Originally posted by Loser:


Would one Religious WP make all WPs on that world Religious?

Yes, I believe that is the same as sensors.

Originally posted by Loser:


Would Troops with Shields protect WPs?

Used to, but not anymore. That was changed in a patch recently. Now WP's get hit first.

Originally posted by Loser:


Would Fighters or Satellites with Shields, in planetary cargo, protect other units in cargo?

Hmmm, I don't know about that. Fighters get launched. Sats I think soak up some damage for whatever their structure is, but WP's get hit first. Then whatever caro is left gets hit in random order.

[rextorres]

Also i've noticed that when you have two platforms one with armor and one without for instance the one with weapons gets hit first regardless of order (at least from my tests) that definitly should be changed or at least randomized.

[oleg]

Originally posted by rextorres:
Also i've noticed that when you have two platforms one with armor and one without for instance the one with weapons gets hit first regardless of order (at least from my tests) that definitly should be changed or at least randomized.

Yes, unfortunately weakest WP get killed first. Unless... they have different size ! Or so I think - AFAIK, smaller get hits first. What if you build small WP with armor/shields and medium/large WP with weapons ?

[Slynky]

I thought armor units got hit first...at least that's what the write-up says. If that isn't the case, then it should be clarified. (assuming one isn't being hit with armor-skipping weapons).

[Fyron]

The item in planetary cargo with the fewest hit point total is destroyed first, regardless of what type or size of unit it is.

But, IIRC, the Last patch made it so that weapon platforms are always destroyed first so that troops can survive bombardment and be useable for invasion defense. They are still destroyed in the same order, and other cargo is then destroyed in the same order when all WPs are gone if the attacker keeps bombarding the planet.