combat round choice

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keller
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combat round choice

Post by keller »

I would like to suggest that players be allowed to choose the number of combat rounds available. Some players will like 50 or more rounds of combat, where others may prefer 20. What do you guys think of this ?
keller~

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True_poser
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Re: combat round choice

Post by True_poser »

I don't know, actually.

More turns would mean combat focus shifts from alpha to sustained damage-per-turn (if ships can take up all the beating).
However, as we can painlessly retreat, ships with beams do't stand a chance anyway.

And with instanced combat we don't really need turns to get to a skirmish.

So, is it 20 turns or 50 turns, I think it doesn't matter.

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Zaimat
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Re: combat round choice

Post by Zaimat »

Instanced combat rounds are separate than the movement phase (which remains 20 rounds). We've discussed making this a game option if people want to customize it (to force shorter battles per turn).

As for retreat, currently any retreating ships need 1 (next) round where they can't act before they are able to retreat which can result in taking extra damage/casualties. Immobile units obviously can't retreat.
Horizon - Lead Designer | a.k.a. Raf

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True_poser
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Re: combat round choice

Post by True_poser »

Well, at the moment (current economy stats, weapons stats and AI) it is hard to have a thought-out but prolonged fleet battle.

If you spend more than one or two turns achieving your goals (harass the enemy fleet, destroy it with a starbase altogher, kill the planetary defenses) you've clearly done something wrong.

Ships are really fragile compared to the damage they can deal, so it's quite realistic:
"The offensive power of modern battleships is out of all proportion to their defensive power. Never was the disproportion so marked. If you want to make a true picture in your mind of a battle between great modern ironclad ships you must not think of it as if it were two men in armour striking at each other with heavy swords, it is more like a battle between two egg-shells striking each other with hammers."

However, in terms of a turn-based battle it means "White start and win".
And the retreat meaning "ok, you stand in place for a turn and then you're invincible" doesn't actually cause significant casualties.

In order to turn battles into something more tactical (immobilzing units, boarding, etc), it should be turned into a knight's fight, upping the armor considerably.


In MOO2 you could wage a blitzkrieg (especially with a telepathic race) using all-alpha ships (2x missile launchers all around).
However, the window of opportunity for it was quite narrow, as other races caught on with reinforced hulls, heavy armor, better armor and shields.
So if you invested heavily in missiles, you suddenly got caught armless.


Regarding Horizon, I believe, 40-100-200-400 hp per sector progression does not justify the bigger ships, as small disposable scouts can carry from 420 (enough to kill a mothership) to 2250 damage.
I believe, it may make sense:
- to raise the initial hp (like 40-250-600-1200)
- add a possibility to cheaply add applique armor costing precious internal space (useless on scouts, oh-so-useful on motherships)
- make shields block torpedoes altogether and dissipate ~50% of missile damage

This way the missiles-heavy player would be successful at first, but then they'll run into major issues.
On the later stages the beam ships will be used to kill the shields in some sector and the torpedo-bombers (or boarding ships) will come in for the kill.