Best satellite design?

[Sinapus]

I tend to use satellites as early-warning stations in as many border systems I can find. If I have them I put a cloak, anti-cloak sensor and a scanner on board so I can get readings on what's coming at me.


If the AI is doing the usual with mines (nothing) then I send a cloaked ship to drop a few satellites in every system I can reach.

[Marty Ward]

I would like to use sats more but now I only use them early in the game and as sensor units. If the problem with the deployment could be fixed to allow a wider range of deployments I think I would use them more. Better yet give them 1 movement in combat only.

[Jubala]

quote:

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Originally posted by Marty Ward:
I would like to use sats more but now I only use them early in the game and as sensor units. If the problem with the deployment could be fixed to allow a wider range of deployments I think I would use them more. Better yet give them 1 movement in combat only.

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You can give them combat movement yourself. Very easy. Like this:

Name := Small Satellite
Short Name := Small Satellite
Description :=
Code := SS
Bitmap Name := Satellite
Vehicle Type := Satellite
Tonnage := 80
Cost Minerals := 80
Cost Organics := 0
Cost Radioactives := 0
Engines Per Move := 0
Number of Tech Req := 1
Tech Area Req 1 := Satellites
Tech Level Req 1 := 1
Number of Abilities := 2
Ability 1 Type := Combat To Hit Defense Plus
Ability 1 Descr := Small size makes unit 50% harder to hit in combat.
Ability 1 Val 1 := 50
Ability 1 Val 2 := 0
Ability 2 Type := Combat Movement
Ability 2 Descr := Built in thrusters generates 1 movement point during combat.
Ability 2 Val 1 := 1
Ability 2 Val 2 := 0
Requirement Must Have Bridge := True
Requirement Can Have Aux Con := False
Requirement Min Life Support := 0
Requirement Min Crew Quarters := 0
Requirement Uses Engines := False
Requirement Max Engines := 0
Requirement Pct Fighter Bays := 0
Requirement Pct Colony Mods := 0
Requirement Pct Cargo := 0
Launched from Ship := True
Launched from Planet := True

[Marty Ward]

I seem to recall trying that on time and it didn't work. Maybe something has changed, I'll give it another go.

[jc173]

quote:

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Originally posted by LemmyM:

Originally posted by CW:
One more question: If you put 2 combat sensors on a ship will you get a 120% bonus?
CW

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only one combat sensor or ECM is effective per vehicle, so the answer is NO

Actually I've been fooling around with components in my mod, and I've found you can make the combat to hit plus effects stack if you have different' components with bonuses. It doesn't work if the components have the same family numbers, but otherwise you can stack the effects.

Personally I haven't had much success with using sats for planetary defense. The grouping problem is the main issue. Even the AI seems to know to ignore sats that are deployed on the wrong side of the planet and hit the planet first instead. On occasion my sats have done some good, but I've come to rely on mines and use my sats mostly as sensor buoys.

[This message has been edited by jc173 (edited 16 June 2001).]

[capnq]

quote:

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Even the AI seems to know to ignore sats that are deployed on the wrong side of the planet and hit the planet first instead.

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The AI is probably using Nearest in its targeting priorities. If it's using Strongest, as well, any Weapon Platforms on the planet should be targetted before any orbiting sats, regardless of where they are.

------------------
Cap'n Q

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the
human mind to correlate all of its contents. We live on a placid
island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was
not meant that we should go far. -- HP Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu"

[Steven-n-Donna]

I've found large sat's good for no maintance mining rigs. You can only fit one on each satellite, but it's absolutely free.
They're great for large asteroid belt systems.
In higher tech level games, they are great if you get your combat turn first on warp points. Put some big a@@ wave motion guns onboard and tear them up before they have a chance to move.
If your fighting an enemy that uses torpedoes and fighters a lot, then large sat's with a load of point defense on board will screen a large number of them from your planet and or other fighting sat's and ships.
A lot of big guns can't hit a sat like the wave motion gun, this puts the offensive party at a slight disadvantage, and if they're close enough to use the big guns on your planet, chances are you can get them.
I only wish that instead of the way the Sat's are stacked, they would be spread out in an orbit around the planet. that way you could actually defend the planet from all sides effectively.
I don't think you should beable to shoot "over" a planet to the other side. It dosn't make sense for an empire to clump all their satellites together and send them around the planet together.
Their best feature I think is that they don't take any cargo space once their launched from a planet. That way you can have planetary defense stations as well.
Just my thought,

-Steve

[CW]

quote:

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I only wish that instead of the way the Sat's are stacked

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Why don't you launch them one by one?

CW

[Marty Ward]

How about launching from moons? Do you end up with a stack for each planet?

[Jubala]

Nope, one stack/sector no matter where you launch from.