Adamant Mod Discussion Thread

[Asmala]

Why somebody would use those big weapon platforms? The only benefit which I see is a smaller percent is devoted to computer core. Do I miss something?

[Fyron]

Compare how quickly you lose firepower when large WPs are being destroyed as opposed to small WPs being destroyed. If a small can take 200 damage and a large can take 400, when the planet takes 200 damage, half of its firepower will be gone if it had 2 small WPs. If it had a large one, no firepower is lost at this point.

[Asmala]

Good point. But the difference isn't big between 600kt and 800kt platforms. So I don't think it's worth to research Ground Fortress unless everything important is already researched.

[Fyron]

So how would you suggest I improve them?

[Ed Kolis]

It's a fortress, right? So give it special shield and armor mounts... to make my standard weapon platforms cheaper, I often leave out the combat sensors and design a "Command Center" with just the computer core, combat sensors or Religious Talisman, and lots of armor or shields (to make sure it has more HP than any other platform, so it gets hit Last), and build one on each planet. This works especially well in Proportions with its 100kT, 4000-mineral Fire Control Centers! Wouldnt' want one of THOSE on every platform! So anyway, you take this fortress and make it your command center, fill it up with lots of armor with a special mount, and you've got something that's guaranteed to get hit Last, and when it is, it can hold out for a while!

[Fyron]

WPs are actually hit in random order. However, each shot hits a new random WP. The damage all builds up as one sum and adds to each new shot until enough is done to destroy the WP that was randomly selected. WPs with fewer HPs tend to be destroyed before those with more HPs because the chance of enough damage having been accumulated to destroy one is greater than against a tougher WP. But, there is no gaurantee.

[Asmala]

Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:
So how would you suggest I improve them?

Some nice mount for Ground Fortress would be nice. Perhaps a weapon mount with more accurary bonus and range, or more damage.

[Fyron]

There is still a significant risk of it being destroyed before all other WPs are gone.

Maybe I will just give the WP "hulls" a built-in CS bonus. 10% per level sound good?

[ December 15, 2003, 17:07: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

[Asmala]

The risk depends how the platforms are destroyed, and I'm not quite sure about it. There's two possible ways weapon platforms are destroyed are:

1. Completely random, each platform has equal likelihood to be selected

2. The likelihood is related to HPs of platform, similar way to the destruction of components in ships. Thus if you have 600kt and 200kt platforms, it's 75% probability to hit 600kt platform and 25% probability to hit 200kt platform.

[Fyron]

Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:
WPs are actually hit in random order. However, each shot hits a new random WP. The damage all builds up as one sum and adds to each new shot until enough is done to destroy the WP that was randomly selected. WPs with fewer HPs tend to be destroyed before those with more HPs because the chance of enough damage having been accumulated to destroy one is greater than against a tougher WP. But, there is no gaurantee.

This is the way in which all planetary cargo is destroyed. One of the recent patches made it so that WPs get destroyed before all other cargo, but the method of destruction remains the same.