Next Version of P&N: suggestions

[Suicide Junkie]

I'm collecting ideas for the next Version of P&N, to be completed for the CD.

Right now, I've only got three major things that would require a Humans-Only Version of P&N, and need more.
Feel free to add suggestions!


So far, the next Version of P&N will include:
- remove engine limits: they have no real effect right now, anyways. If you get an RCE while adding a stack of engines, you should know enough to subtract engines until there's no RCE.
- Add engine disruptor defenses. This couldn't be done because of the engine limit above.
- Spread out the cost of Buckytube Gel armor. Buckytubes are made of carbon -> organics, rather than minerals.
- BattleMoons to require some SM tech as well as ship/base construction.
- Partially specialized Monoliths: monoliths require resource extraction tech, and Versions that produce slightly more of one or two resources will appear, depending on your tech in the resource extraction areas.

Things that the AI can't handle OR ignore, and will be in the Humans-only P&N:
- Supplies will be a commodity; resupply depots are out, Quantum reactors are out (or possibly SM-style pricey), and bases have limited supply. Not sure what to do about fighters. They may be tiny ships, or sats with combat movement, or something.
- Fighters will be converted to quasi-newtonian propulsion
- Large engines: no more 40 engine DNs, just use 8 Capital Ship Drives. Save on mouseclicks, probably impervious to engine-damaging weapons (ion mines hurt though), and easy to replace/repair.


------------------
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[This message has been edited by suicide_junkie (edited 19 October 2001).]

[Suicide Junkie]

Suggestions? Anybody?

[Phoenix-D]

quote:

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So far, the next Version of P&N will include:
- remove engine limits: they have no real effect right now, anyways. If you get an RCE while adding a stack of engines, you should know enough to subtract engines until there's no RCE.

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So what actual effect does this have? The small ships are too small to hit the engine limit, and the large ships just hit the RCE, so it's the same thing only less newbie friendly.

quote:

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- Add engine disruptor defenses. This couldn't be done because of the engine limit above.

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Good luck.. I tried these myself, couldn't get them to work!

quote:

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- Fighters will be converted to quasi-newtonian propulsion

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See the good luck above

quote:

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- BattleMoons to require some SM tech as well as ship/base construction.

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Good..

quote:

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- Partially specialized Monoliths: monoliths require resource extraction tech, and Versions that produce slightly more of one or two resources will appear, depending on your tech in the resource extraction areas.

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Hmm, interesting. Going to be a bunch of extra facilities though.

quote:

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Things that the AI can't handle OR ignore, and will be in the Humans-only P&N:
- Supplies will be a commodity; resupply depots are out, Quantum reactors are out (or possibly SM-style pricey), and bases have limited supply.

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How will you do the limited supply for bases? Call them ships? I think the base infinite supply is hardcoded. Speaking of which, how does a base (or anyone else, for that matter, without the depots) resupply? Fleet with resupply ships I guess..

quote:

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Not sure what to do about fighters. They may be tiny ships, or sats with combat movement, or something.

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Dunno.

quote:

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- Large engines: no more 40 engine DNs, just use 8 Capital Ship Drives. Save on mouseclicks, probably impervious to engine-damaging weapons (ion mines hurt though), and easy to replace/repair.

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Very good I'd suggest multiple levels of this sort of thing. Cruiser engines, etc.

Phoenix-D

[Suicide Junkie]

As of P&Nv2.3c, when you use quantum engines, the 42 engine limit is just before the RCE point. So you will get an RCE, then notice the warning about too many engines.
This way, you can put on 84 ion engines to get the same speed as 42 quantums, without an illegal design.

The Engine disruptor defenses will be just like my defenses for weapon, shield gen, armor piercing and null space weapons.
Basically, it is a tough engine, that provides no movement, just absorbs hits.

Fighters are set, just like ships, but I just realized that they will screw up the AIs. The QNP for fighters is moved down to the humans-only section.

Monoliths: I'm only making 13 monoliths, one for L1 tech, 6 for L2 tech, and 6 for L3 tech. You can't get level 3 in one resource without having level 2 in the other resources.

Yep Bases -> ships with no movement, and all their classic abilities except supply generation.
The best idea would be to put solar panels on your bases, making them into orbital power facilities, used to resupply your ships via fleeting.
Supply generation bases will become a prime military target

Would 3 sizes be enough? You can always mix them to fill in the leftover space, without losing efficiency.

[Phoenix-D]

"The Engine disruptor defenses will be just like my defenses for weapon, shield gen, armor piercing and null space weapons.
Basically, it is a tough engine, that provides no movement, just absorbs hits."

I tried that for both engine AND shield protection. For whatever reason, it didn't do anything. Worked for weapons, though.

Phoenix-D

[Suicide Junkie]

Hmm. That's odd. Well, its ok. I'll just give the ion sinks 1 movement point. Since it would take 90KT of them to move an escort at speed one, they won't be abused

Now for shields... I'll try giving them a small negative shield generation, plus a small positive to canel it out.

[Phoenix-D]

I'm fresh out of weapon ideas, unless you want to borrow some from TechMod (hey, I took your movement and battlemoons, so it's all good )

Rockets- direct fire CSMs with a penalty to-hit
Singularity Cannon- skips everything, 50000 damage. Downside? It only does that damage at range 5, damage drops off drasticly from there. Plus the expense. Plus the size. Plus the insane reload time
Warp Cannons: a reason to get the warp weapons tech area. Skips all shields, damage ramps UP at range. I made em 20-30-40-50-60 at max level..

Phoenix-D

[Suicide Junkie]

Ok, the stupid shield tricks aren't working. I'm just gonna drop the specialized shield protector: players can just use armored generators or heavy generators, both of which will resist damage very well.

Hmmm. Warp Cannons. I could imagine a small wormhole opening inside a ship, swinging around and gutting it
"Captain off the port bow!"
I like
I think I'll make it a 1 reload, moderate to low damage weapon. Since it's a wormhole, I figure range shouldn't affect the damage, but give me a description that supports the increase with range, and I'll do it that way.

[Phoenix-D]

I did it first as a minimum range sort of thing: the wormhole can't be fully opened close to the ship, lest *your* ship get caught in it.

Phoenix-D

[Suicide Junkie]

Ah, good one. You can let the wormhole be more unstable & thus more destructive, but the location also becomes unstable, and threatens your ship unless you're tagetting something far away.