Modder brainstorming session

[dumbluck]

quote:

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Originally posted by Nitram Draw:
Understand.
Will the lifesupport use supplies every turn? If so that is a good alternative to modifying the fighter engines, although I know someone will find a work around, we're such devious buggers .

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That is the general Idea, but I've been looking in the data files and can't figure out how to make it do that. I can't find anything to do with "supplies used per turn" instead of "per use".

[dumbluck]

quote:

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Originally posted by jimbob55:
For making tactical fighters change the fighter hulls to allow 1 engine max.
Only have 1 type of fighter engine for strategic move then a series of 'Tactical High power engines' which are effectively 3 or 4Kt afterburners with bonus tac move of 2, 3, 4, 5 etc. Interceptor tac engine gives 9 move, takes 10kt or whatever.
This would allow for VERY fast reduced armament interceptors or heavy armed slow fighters....... Both of which would require a carrier to make significant strategic moves.
Adjust the supply cost so that a fully loaded heavy fighter can only carry enough supplies for 2 tactical engagements (30 moves + say 20 shots of an expensive weapon).

Giving bases movement on the strategic scale makes them count as ships as far as score is concerned.

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That seems reasonable. I don't think that fighters should have the range to roam all over a solar system. A fighter's speed and manueverablility are (in the real world) counteracted by their limited range. Otherwise, we wouldn't even need carriers at all!

quote:

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The workaround for fighter resupply is the same as the workaround for resupplying ships: Build a dedicated supply frigate with either solar panels / quantuum generator or lots of supply storage and fleet them with the fighters (effectively a fighter tender rather than carrier)

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I see no reason to change this; it is simply a strategic decision of the player. Remember, they have to pay maintenance on that resupply ship. If you want to leave fighters their, then you have to resupply them somehow. Some think that you should have to have a carrier for this, to which I reply, "Have you ever heard of mid-air refueling?".

[Marty Ward]

I like the idea of limited range for the fighters. It is possible to do. Fighters can be made with just an afterburner and you get no strategic move, only combat move. You have no supplies though.
Removing the standard move from the fighter engines means they can only be placed away from a planet by a carrier or transport and gives them supply. This seems like the best alternative.
I have not seen the AI use fighters to fly around in a system,has anyone else seen the AI use fighters this way?
This change would put the AI on a more even playing field against humans who use fighters to patrol a system.

[Happy_Dau]

@dumbluck:

I havn't seen anything yet using supplies per turn. But you could generally do this for the fighters:
Give the cockpit an extra ability to solar generate 1 (or 0 if possible) organic. Pilots have to poo some times.

Latter just came to my mind to actually use supplies EVERY turn, since the generation happens every turn.

[dogscoff]

QUOTE:
IRL a new "solar sail" has been invented, it uses plasma to "inflate" a magnetic field to create a huge reflective bubble. The WORKING model is the size of a pickel jar and can create a sail 1/2 a square mile!
/QUOTE

*narf!*

Do you have a URL for this?

------------------
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so, Brain, but balancing a family and a career ... oooh, it's all too much for me. "

[capnq]

quote:

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IRL a new "solar sail" has been invented, it uses plasma to "inflate" a magnetic field to create a huge reflective bubble. The WORKING model is the size of a pickel jar and can create a sail 1/2 a square mile!

*narf!*

Do you have a URL for this?

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http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/head...p19aug99_1.htm

This article only describes a proposed prototype, not a working model, but the article is 21 months old, so it may have been built by now.



[This message has been edited by capnq (edited 21 May 2001).]

[dogscoff]

Thanx for the URl... veeeeeery impressive technology, want to get me one of those.

I was looking for that article using sarch engines arlier, and although I didn't find it, I ran into some other intresting propulsion pages... Apparntly they already hav a 10x mor fficient replacement for the ion engine (like the one used on the "Elite" DS1 mission.)


<HOMER SIMPSON>
How come you guys can put a man on the moon but you can't make my shoes smell good?
</HOMER SIMPSON>


------------------
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so, Brain, but balancing a family and a career ... oooh, it's all too much for me. "

[dogscoff]

You may have noticed, the "e" key on this keyboard isn't too good

------------------
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so, Brain, but balancing a family and a career ... oooh, it's all too much for me. "

[Baal]

My mod idea has to do with engines. Make a Buzzard Ram Jet. Attach the solar collector ability to an engine. It would collect less than sollar collectors of course.

As for the tactical/strategic engines discussed earlier. I think it would make sense to have differentt fuel consumptions. A ctactical engine is going to consume more fuel so it is faster but shorter range, but are faster in tactical combat. Strategic on the other hand has to do with long term voyages which are more fuel efficient but give few tactical movement points.

I didn't read the whole thread so this might just be a repeat.

[Trachmyr]

This is what I got so far in my mod:

There are 6 propulsion technologies:

Chemicle Rockets levels 1-3 at 20K each, Start level 1


Electrical-Based Propulsion levels 1-5 at 50k
Ion Drive 1-5
Ether-Ram 1-5, needs physics 2
Jacketed-Photon Drive 1-5, needs pyhsics 3
Quantum Drive 1-5, needs physics 5


Nuclear-Based Propulsion levels 1-5 at 50K
Fission Rocket 1-5
Fusion Rocket 1-5, needs physics 1
Fusion Drive 1-5, needs physics 2
Contra-Terrene Drive (Antimatter) 1-5, needs physics 4


Resonance-Based Propulsion levels 1-3 at 100K - Ruin's Technology
Resonance Engines 1-3


Gravity-Based Propulsion levels 1-5 at 50K, needs astropyhsics 3 & physics 4
Gravity Drive 1-5


Solar-Based Propulsion levels 1-3 at 25K
Solar Sail 1-3, needs construction 1-3 & astrophysics 1
Plasma Sail 1-3, needs physics 1-3 & astrophysics 2


What do they do?
Chemicle Rockets are moderate speed & HUGE fuel usage (i.e., 60/50/40)... improved levels reduce supply usage & lower costs.

Electrical-Based Propulsion are high efficiency, low speed engines. Photon-Jacketed engines get a 1 movement boost $ quantum Drives are 50% faster. improved levels reduce costs signifagantly.

Nuclear-based propulsion is fast with high supply usage. Each successive type (except Fusion Drives) become faster. Anti-matter is 2.5x speed! improved levels (especially for Fusion Drives) have better fuel usage.

Resonance-Based propulsion is a moderate speed, high-efficiency engine that can only be found at ruins. Improved levels reduce costs and mass.

Gravity-Based Propulsion is a quick, effieient engine. Improved levels raise efficency/speed and reduce mass/cost slightly.

Solar-Based Propulsion is a VERY slow, Extremely efficient drive (0 for sails, 3 for plasma). improved levels reduce costs/mass for solar-sails and give a slight speed bounus to plasma-sails.

Feel free to use anything you like.


In addition, I don't have "afterburners" because I use that ability for my "Engineering" componet. But I am adding hit penalties/bounuses to engines. The faster (brute force engines, particularly Nuclear... but also gravity to a lesser extent, plus resonance) get a penalty to be hit... while the lower electrical-based and solar-based in particular, get a bounus to be hit. (solar Sail will be at +50%). Oh, one Last thing, I treat Solar-Sails as armour so they get blown away first!

[This message has been edited by Trachmyr (edited 21 May 2001).]