Asteroids!

posted on August 4th, 2009, 1:52 pm

Since asteroids are no longer blocking and we have separate blocking triggers, could we use the asteroids as actual map terrain?

I was thinking they could work like nebulas, but it would be quite cool to see our ships flying through an asteroid field, even if we occasionally see them flying *through* the rocks themselves. 

If you like the idea, feel free to suggest environmental effects you think they could cause. I was thinking hide ships inside and reduce weapon range to short. And maybe an option when inside to powerdown and increase repair rate (with the hiding effect of cloaking).

posted on August 4th, 2009, 1:59 pm

I'd go with the gradual damaging effect, similar to a Nebula.

posted on August 4th, 2009, 2:09 pm

But no capable captain would let their ship be hit by asteroids surely? Maybe base damage on ship size and also system value like subsystems?

posted on August 4th, 2009, 2:14 pm

You want to take a ship into the field of moving rocks and try not to get hit in that massive bubble around you? They are densly packed (in FO) and move around a bit.

Besides, the Captain does nothing. It's the Helm officer who does, and everyone knows Helm officers in FO are retards who barely passed the course.

posted on August 4th, 2009, 2:18 pm

Not to mention micrometeroids... heck the large ones in FO travel much slower than the small fragments which came from disentegrated comets etc 

posted on August 4th, 2009, 6:34 pm

Not to mention micrometeroids

Your forgeting navigational deflectors, they keep smaller peaces of stuff (ie. micrometeroids, space dust smaller rocks) from hitting the ship otherwise a ship would be pelted in to swiss chease by space dust the moment they got to about 1/8 impulse and above!

posted on August 4th, 2009, 10:31 pm

Your forgeting navigational deflectors, they keep smaller peaces of stuff (ie. micrometeroids, space dust smaller rocks) from hitting the ship otherwise a ship would be pelted in to swiss chease by space dust the moment they got to about 1/8 impulse and above!

No, wasn't forgetting it--just trying to avoid it  I think those navigational shields would need to be pretty darn hefty to shrug off any type of small object traveling at such a high velocity (not to mention coupled with velocity attained with impulse engines). If we refer to Nemesis for some little "debris" action, the shields are heavily drained just when a bit of hull comes flying off one of the Norexans and impacts the true deflector shields of the Sovereign's nacelle. Of course, Star Trek is usually internally inconsistent... but I'd like to at least make the argument that a small meteorite could do a heck of a lot more damage to the shields with some crazy velocity added in. I think the navigational shields were designed for open space--not operation within an asteroid belt. Obviously, all interpretation, so feel free to disregard my comments 

posted on August 4th, 2009, 10:54 pm

On a somewhat related note, i'd like to see dust fields chip away at shields like in Starfleet command.

posted on August 5th, 2009, 12:27 am

I think that there should be three (atleast) levels of asteroids.  obviously small medium, and large.  Large ones would damage a ship in some way, medium ones the ship would have to avoid and would cause minor damage if not avoided, and small ones would cause no damage accept to scouts and fighters.  Dust clouds would cause so little damage that it wouldn't be worth the effort to get it to be realistic.  any way, the shields do hold up to sertain things.  Not every impact takes away their resistance.

"Shields are holding"

posted on August 5th, 2009, 1:16 am

I've always seen "Shields are holding" as "They're taking damage and will fail at some point  but it'll be a while."

posted on August 7th, 2009, 5:24 am

In the Star Fleet Command game series  damage to a ship from asteroids was  proportinal to speed on small(dust feilds)  Usially handled by  Nav defector  . Medium  asteroids caused damage  only after sheilds failed  and subsystems damage also occoured. Large ...GAME OVER!!!

posted on August 7th, 2009, 5:41 am

That reminds me of a favorite tactic of mine...
1. tractor beam enemy ship
2. set course to an asteroid
3. watch the ship crash on it

usually not necessary to get a win but it sure was fun...

posted on August 8th, 2009, 11:59 am

That reminds me of a favorite tactic of mine...
1. tractor beam enemy ship
2. set course to an asteroid
3. watch the ship crash on it

usually not necessary to get a win but it sure was fun...

Did you do that in Starfleet Command? I did several times.

posted on August 8th, 2009, 1:31 pm

Yeah I did it  too  a couple of times.  only  using the tractor beam to sling shot  them in to a  asteroid.

posted on August 8th, 2009, 5:42 pm

Yup.