Modder brainstorming session

[Marty Ward]

That is the whole point, what do you give up in order to gain something.

[jimbob55]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Trachmyr:
Oh, about afterburners (Combat movement)... you got one big problem with them, only the higest value is used... they DON'T add together (unless this was changed in the Last patch, but I don't think so)... so if you got 5 Tactical Engines each with a combat move of 2, you'll only get a combat speed of 2 NOT 10. Sorry for the bad news.

---

But if you make set of tac engines with a range of movement from say 4 to 8 at different tech levels, each with a 5 or 10kt size it allows for fast interceptors with fewer weapons or slow bombers with more weapons.

[Suicide Junkie]

quote:

---

But you still got a problem with the engines, you make it an either or propositon... you can have fast ships that are slow in tactical or slow ships that are fast in tactical, but not fast/fast ships... so what's the point?

---

Slow, fast tac. ships use afterburners.
Fast, Fast ships use engines + afterburners.
how do you get a
fast, slow tac. ship? (as in 7 strategic, 1 combat?)

[jimbob55]

Well, there's the problem.
The only way to make different tactical and strategic speeds possible for a slow tac and fast strategic ship is to edit lots of files.

All ships would require a 'max number of engines' much lower than it is at the moment. Strategic move engines would provide both tactical and strategic movement, but ships can only get a certain amount of tactical move from their engine (note, only one engine). Change all engine tech levels to provide 5 move, 50kt, cost of 5 normal engines. All ships to have max strategic engines 1. (note this means if your engines are hit, you are toast)
Then design the tactical booster engines for ships (only one component / ship works). For balance purposes, the higher the tactical speed bonus, the bigger the booster is going to have to be (more expensive too).
Fighter strategic engines would provide 1 move for 1kt or 2 move for 3kt or 3 move for 6kt etc. a similar progression of cost / space for speed for the ship tactical boosters.
For higher strategic engine tech levels, you decrease the cost / supply usage for the engine or add another move onto it as the unmodded engines do.

If someone actually impliments this, you'll have battle line of strategically mobile heavies supported by carriers with tactically fast fighter Groups.....
It would also allow for a big difference between attack and defense ships. Defense ships could max out tactical movement, while attack ships would require strategic movement trading off tactical speed to get it.

[This message has been edited by jimbob55 (edited 19 May 2001).]

[Marty Ward]

Unless you can assign minus combat movement to an engine I don't think you can get fast strat/slow tac without a lot of modifications, like jimbob suggested.

[AJC]

I have found the ancient galaxy to be pretty empty. When you have 225 Systems generated - alot of the time colony ships will run out of supply before finding a decent place to land.
I would think that modifying the ancient galaxy would be an easy way to create a more empty map.

[Suicide Junkie]

quote:

---

All ships would require a 'max number of engines' much lower than it is at the moment. Strategic move engines would provide both tactical and strategic movement, but ships can only get a certain amount of tactical move from their engine (note, only one engine). Change all engine tech levels to provide 5 move, 50kt, cost of 5 normal engines. All ships to have max strategic engines 1.

---

It shouldn't matter how many engines the ship has, tactical movement would be 1/2 strategic movement +afterburner bonus.

With 5 movement on the map, the ships would get 3 in combat, which is the usual speed of ships in normal SE4.

With the map editor, it would be possible to make a hyperspace system of wormholes, so ships could go five or six squares on a budget of two strategic movement points (into hyperspace, then out). An instant death black hole effect in hyperspace would prevent ships from hiding there, so every living ship would be in normal space.

It would be a ton of work to make warp points like that, but it might work.

1) create a new system beside each normal system. Give it a black hole movement of 10, and a damage of 10000.
2) make a warppoint from every sector in the normal system to the equivalent sector in the hyperspace system.
3) make a pile of wormholes from each hyperspace sector to the 9x9 grid of sectors in normal space closest to the "in" point. You can skip squares that are closer than 2 movement points from the in point. (Leaving 56 holes to make for each sector)
4) This allows capital ships to go 4 squares on 2 movement points. So they effectively have 4 movement strategic, and 1 movement combat. (But its a damn big job, and requires the edited map)

[Suicide Junkie]

quote:

---

All ships would require a 'max number of engines' much lower than it is at the moment. Strategic move engines would provide both tactical and strategic movement, but ships can only get a certain amount of tactical move from their engine (note, only one engine). Change all engine tech levels to provide 5 move, 50kt, cost of 5 normal engines. All ships to have max strategic engines 1.

---

It shouldn't matter how many engines the ship has, tactical movement would be 1/2 strategic movement +afterburner bonus.

With 5 movement on the map, the ships would get 3 in combat, which is the usual speed of ships in normal SE4.

With the map editor, it would be possible to make a hyperspace system of wormholes, so ships could go five or six squares on a budget of two strategic movement points (into hyperspace, then out). An instant death black hole effect in hyperspace would prevent ships from hiding there, so every living ship would be in normal space.

It would be a ton of work to make warp points like that, but it might work.

1) create a new system beside each normal system. Give it a black hole movement of 10, and a damage of 10000.
2) make a warppoint from every sector in the normal system to the equivalent sector in the hyperspace system.
3) make a pile of wormholes from each hyperspace sector to the 9x9 grid of sectors in normal space closest to the "in" point. You can skip squares that are closer than 2 movement points from the in point. (Leaving 56 holes to make for each sector)
4) This allows capital ships to go 4 squares on 2 movement points. So they effectively have 4 movement strategic, and 1 movement combat. (But its a damn big job, and requires the edited map)

[Trachmyr]

I was under the impression that you wanted a tactical engine that operated like a normal engine, but gave combat speed as well (i.e., each had 1 movement + 1 combat, so if you mount 6 you get 6 strategic and 9 tactical), that is why I though you couldn't do it. If you are going to just use 1 "afterburner" engine then it is do-able, but not terribly new (I've used them for a long time).

Here's one other idea that may let you make a difference between strategic/tactical engines... as you are not only talking about speed but also manuverabilty, you can add Defence to hit plus/minus to engines... since the ability now stack with others not of the same family. This can also be applied to sensors, giving certain types Offence to hit plus.

As far as the "Fast/slow" ship, I was refering to someone's idea of making the Tac-Engines a normal type of engine (presumably that you can only buy one of) that operated like a normal engine w/o move & bonus but with combat speed... for instance:

6 Quantum Engines: Speed 9/5 (1 move/3 bounus)
add afterburner (0 move/0 bounus/ 5 combat): speed becomes 6/8 (i.e., slow(er) strategic/ fast(er) tactical)

Personally, I would like to see combat speed stackable, just give all afterburners the "one per vechicle"... that way we can add bonuses to engines, vechicle hulls, etc.

[Marty Ward]

I was thinking of the different engine capabilities.
I think it would be interesting to have 3 engines at each level that would have the restrictions on mixing types that the bonus moves now have. You would have one that would give the normal moves, one that would give more strategic but less combat moves and one that would give less strategic but more combat moves.
I've tried but I don't think it is possible to do this. Anyone have any ideas?