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IDProjectCategoryLast Update
0015591AI War 1 / ClassicSuggestion - New Unit Ideas - Economic and Utility UnitsJul 28, 2014 7:24 am
ReporterToll Assigned To 
Status newResolutionopen 
Product Version7.047 
Summary0015591: New "unit": Armadas
DescriptionTaken from the forums at http://www.arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,16022.0.html:

In short, a super-transport. It would be able to load a very large amount of units (1k-2k, or even more). What would separate it from the current transports is that the units would still "exist"; they'd all fire independently, and any damage done to the armada would instead be dealt directly to the units inside. The main point of it would be to simplify unit handling beyond even groups (to force the units to really travel together) as well as to remove visual (and likely computational) clutter.
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motai

Jul 26, 2014 11:20 pm

reporter   ~0038754

on a players side i don't see why i would ever use this carriers/assault transports are the sameish thing. a couple extra notes:
1. single damage track for ships dieing means it would take damage faster than normal and you lose firepower faster
2. simplifies targeting for the ai meaning less spread and more concentrated firepower that the ai always has more of.
3. hull type shifting? big problems that carriers have always fought with.
4. complicates detached taskforces because there currently and likely never will exist any way to specify which ships exit for such a task
5. have you noticed what happens with 2 homeworlds and bombards yet?... and you want to make them untargetable in a single target spot.
6. plasma siege hits how many targets with no fleet seperation?

from a programmer side its a different complications. i am not more than a base programmer but:
1. save nothing in computation besides space in target list (ranges still need to be computed, guns still need lookup in unit list, seperate routing could save on comparison to all ships in ship but they all have different shot cycles so it doesnt save anything, ships in carriers as previously noted dont really exist in program space so it would need at least 3 seperate routines special written just to handle this corner ship(subnote easier if there was a way to disable collision detection as a test case))
2. carrier have already been special written to handle this want and given special abilities to compensate with combat
3. do you really want 4k bombards in a ai "armada" charging you and nuking everything with impunity?

mostly this is a summary for stuff from around the forums. i would like to hear more on why this would be a positive option since i personally cant see much up side especially when the ai gets it carriers are bad enough.

malkiel

Jul 27, 2014 9:53 am

reporter   ~0038757

I'd fill it with zenith mirrors and send it just in front of my normal transports?

actually, I could see myself using this... as a way to keep an attack squad together while on FRD through enemy territory.

I also recall reading that offense not being very.. automated... was a design choice, rendering my one serious usage for naught.

motai

Jul 27, 2014 10:22 am

reporter   ~0038759

i admit for that purpose changing assault transports to not degrade would be way to accomplish this and likely more effective than the original idea.
firing ranges are the big problem with your idea of a fleet lump ship such as this. frd specifically has units seek targets in range faster. i would rather have grouped units share a target priority so that they quit going in 27 directions than your idea for myself. for keeping a group together group move works wonderfully but is only noticeably useful with shieldbearers or some other type of defensive ship protectors and the like.
frd thru Enemy territory for more than a single hop is just plain suicide on any difficulty above 6. ai response, special forces and the salvage mechanics specifically are there to tell you pay attention to your attack fleet. this unit if ranges stay intact would have a hard time ever shooting what it needs to without getting kited. (limited to lowest speed unit and 12k ranges, yet the useful ships are range 4k with much higher speed they wouldnt be able to use)
also how is it suposed to retreat when needed?

as a note special abilities would almost never be noted while inside transport. (leech, siege, maybe... shieldbearer, mirror, protector, grav, counter, attraction all would have no way to work while in the transport)

malkiel

Jul 28, 2014 7:24 am

reporter   ~0038762

--bit of a derail--
interestingly enough motai, I actually use a ton of neinzul on FRD to strike 2 systems into ai territory regularly on diff. 7, it is my preferred method of attacking AI HWS. I also use it for striking at ARS locations and the like, especially when covering a "deep" hack.

special forces don't really work well against this because I'm rebuilding like mad anyways, ai response is only a factor when a raid engine is involved (I play a low aip strategy so the waves are unable to beat my fleet unless it's a core raid post spawning it), and with neinzul pricing the salvage retaliation is comical.

I'd still rather have my neinzul share target priority tho, just so they blobbed more without my input, than have the armada concept.
-- back on the track--

I think the suggestion comes from our OP wanting to reduce blob clutter. I have no better alternative solution, but I do agree that the counterpoints outweigh the benefits of this ship type suggestion.

Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
Jul 25, 2014 10:06 am Toll New Issue
Jul 26, 2014 11:20 pm motai Note Added: 0038754
Jul 27, 2014 9:53 am malkiel Note Added: 0038757
Jul 27, 2014 10:22 am motai Note Added: 0038759
Jul 28, 2014 7:24 am malkiel Note Added: 0038762