Suggestion: To Hit changes

[Zanthis]

I would like to suggest a change to the calculation of to hit chances. This suggestion is based on the five sensor types (EM Active, EM Passive, Gravitic, Psychic and Temporal) and would allow players more freedom in creating unique mods. Further, with very little change to the existing text data files, this suggestion can be implemented without any change to how the game currently plays for the umodded.

This idea is based on the thought that ECM good against EM Active would have no effect on Psychic sensors and vice versa. So I suggest that instead of calculating a single to hit number, do one calculation for each sensor types the firing unit has and take the best final result.

To do this, I would change as follows:

In Settings.txt, remove:
Combat Base To Hit Value := 100
Combat To Hit Modifier Per Square Distance := 10
Replace with:
EM Active Combat Base To Hit Value := 100
EM Active Combat To Hit Modifier Per Square Distance := 10
EM Passive Combat Base To Hit Value := 100
EM Passive Combat To Hit Modifier Per Square Distance := 10
Gravitic Combat Base To Hit Value := 100
Gravitic Combat To Hit Modifier Per Square Distance := 10
Psychic Combat Base To Hit Value := 100
Psychic Combat To Hit Modifier Per Square Distance := 10
Temporal Combat Base To Hit Value := 100
Temporal Combat To Hit Modifier Per Square Distance := 10

Change the following abilities to use Value 2:
Combat To Hit Offensive Plus
Combat To Hit Defensive Minus
Combat To Hit Offensive Plus
Combat To Hit Defensive Minus
In each chance, Value 2 could be one of the following: All, EM Active, EM Passive, Gravitic, Temporal, Psychic. You could treat 0 as All that way you don't need to change any of the data files that use these abilities to maintain their existing effects. Value 2 would then indicate which of the five to hit calculations the modifier applies to.

Make four new abilities similar to the Combat To Hit ones above:
Cumulative Combat To Hit Offensive Plus
Cumulative Combat To Hit Defensive Minus
Cumulative Combat To Hit Offensive Plus
Cumulative Combat To Hit Defensive Minus
These work exactly like the normal abilities, but the Value 1's of each component is applied, not just once for each component type present. So, for example, if I made ECM I use Cumulative Combat To Hit Defensive Plus instead of Combat To Hit Defensive Plus, mounting three ECM I components would give a +60% defensive bonus instead of the +20% mounting three of them currently gives (not that I'd change ECM to work that way).

Also add the ability:

Targeting Sensor
Value1 = The sensor type which this unit will be able to use to determine to hit chances
Value2 = Distance in squares this sensor type can be used to provide a to hit chance

Modify all the VehicleSize.txt entries to contain the following ability:
Ability # Type := Targeting Sensor
Ability # Descr := Able to target objects up to 500 squares away with EM Active sensors.
Ability # Val 1 := EM Active
Ability # Val 2 := 500
This would ensure that all units can target anything in battle using the base 100% -10%/square.

OPTIONAL: Modify the ECM components to change:
Ability 1 Type := Combat To Hit Defensive Plus
Ability 1 Descr := ...
Ability 1 Val 1 := ...
Ability 1 Val 2 := 0
to:
Ability 1 Type := Combat To Hit Defensive Plus
Ability 1 Descr := ...
Ability 1 Val 1 := ...
Ability 1 Val 2 := EM Active
This isn't necessary, just might come in useful (see example of finding to hit value near the bottom of this message).


As an example of the possibilities, this is the mod I've been wanting to make:

To Hit Chances:
EM Active 100% - 10%/square
EM Passive 100% - 20%/square
Psychic 0% - 2%/square
Gravitic 40% - 4%/square
Temporal 20% - 0%/square

I'd remove the EM Active Targeting Sensor from most, if not all vehicles. I'd make 5 new components that provide Sensor Levels for all five sight types with a Value 2 of one (currently, the first level of each starts with a Value 2 of two). Each component that provides a Sensor Level would always have the ability Targeting Sensor for that sight type. The higher its sight level, the greater the range of the targeting ability. Hyper Optics I and Tachyon Sensors I would be available initially.

Example:
Hyper Optics I
Ability 1 Type := Sensor Level
Ability 1 Descr := Allows EM Passive scanning at level 1.
Ability 1 Val 1 := EM Passive
Ability 1 Val 2 := 1
Ability 2 Type := Targeting Sensor
Ability 2 Descr := Can target any unit using EM Passive scanners within 15 squares.
Ability 2 Val 1 := EM Passive
Ability 2 Val 2 := 15
Hyper Optics IV
Ability 1 Type := Sensor Level
Ability 1 Descr := Allows EM Passive scanning at level 4.
Ability 1 Val 1 := EM Passive
Ability 1 Val 2 := 4
Ability 2 Type := Targeting Sensor
Ability 2 Descr := Can target any unit using EM Passive scanners within 90 squares.
Ability 2 Val 1 := EM Passive
Ability 2 Val 2 := 90

I might add the Targeting Sensor ability (EM Passive, range say 10) to the Bridge component to be used kinda as a backup to your main targeting sensor and so early game ships don't HAVE to mount a sensor. At least, not unless they want to fire at targets more than 10 away.

Combat Sensors would be provide much smaller bonuses, say up to +30% max and possibly renamed to Combat/Battle/Tactical Computer. ECM would be changed. I'd make 5 lines of ECM, one for each of the sight types. They would have varying effectiveness (for example, EM Passive ECM would probably be the weakest, while there would probably be some bad @$$ EM Active ECM).

Many components would have a "Cumulative Combat To Hit Defensive Minus" ability added with a Value 2 of EM Passive and pretty low Value 1's. Most energy weapons and definitely shields, engines and quantum reactors. This way, your ship gets easier to target with EM Passive targeting the more stuff you cram on it. Phased Shields V might give you +40% to be hit. This would make up for the 20%/square drop off of EM Passive targeting. Tachyon sensors, which provide EM Active sight and targeting would also give a pretty big Combat To Hit Defensive Minus toward EM Passive.

Crew quarters would get Cumulative Combat To Hit Defensive Minus, +50%, Psychic. I might added in a +20% to be hit for having Psychic Receptors and possibly other psychic tech and maybe even a few religious techs (talisman probably).

Each vehicle size would have increasing Combat To Hit Defensive Minus penalties toward Gravitic targeting. Escorts might only have +10% while Base Ships might get +100%.

All the temporal tech items would get Cumulative Combat To Hit Defensive Minus versus Temporal targeting. This would make this targeting type useful against other temporal using races, but otherwise only good for really long range shots, where the Temporal to hit chance's -0%/square comes in to play.

Many smaller vehicles are tough to hit currently, while larger ones are easier to hit. I'd probably shrink these generic to hit modifiers down to -15% to hit escorts to +15% to hit base ships.

Example to hit calculation:
Let's assume you have only Gravitic Sensors I, Temporal Sensors I and Psychic Receptors I. Let's pretend the first two provide to hit chances up to 40 squares away and the Receptors only up to 20 away. Let's say you have a +5% Combat To Hit Offensive Plus (Value 2:=All) from a Tactical Computer (formally Combat Sensors).

Your target is 22 squares away, has no ECM of any kind, 1 crew quarter and no temporal tech. Their ship class gives +40% Combat To Hit Defensive Minus toward Gravitic targeting.

To find out the to hit chance, do the following:
Psychic Targeting: Impossible, target out of range.
Temporal Targeting: 20% (their is no modifier for range)
Gravitic Targeting: -8% (40% + 40% modifier from their ship size -88% for the range)

So, you have a base to hit chance of 20%. This is modified by your Tactical Computer up to 25%.

OPTIONAL: Actually, I think I would prefer the bonus from [Cumulative] Combat To Hit Offensive Plus (All) to be multiplied by the base to hit chance. So, since the base to hit chance is 20% in the above example, you only get 20% of your total bonus from your Tactical Computer, meaning you get only a +1% for a total of 21% to hit. This way, awesome general bonuses don't overshadow sensor to hit values. Imagine, +100% from a tactical computer would mean the Temporal Sensors ALWAYS had a 120% to hit chance! Yuck. Of course, this would mean to keep the base unmodded game the same you'd have to change Combat Sensors from Combat To Hit Offensive Plus (All) to Combat To Hit Offensive Plus (EM Active). Since that is the only targeting sensor used in the base mod, everything would appear to the player unchanged. If this was done, I could leave the Combat Sensors existing to hit bonuses alone.

Now, my only concern is how the AI would handle this. I haven't looked at the AI files enough to know if they could reasonably allow the AI to make workable ship designs given the above changes. I think it could work, though.

Any suggestions, comments, or other welcome. In particular, does anyone think this would add to the game?


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-Zan

[This message has been edited by Zanthis (edited 13 January 2001).]