Dominion prototypes
Post ideas and suggestions on new features or improvements here.
posted on March 27th, 2011, 10:33 pm
Just a passing idea i wanted to throw out there. i was thinking prototypes dont have a lot or use, except to hide in a nebula to avoid destruction.
a way around this would be to make the initial prototypes have more excessive power than the standard versions. BUT, keeping in line with the prototype theme, there is a chance that the prototypes could be set up to either:
1. fail in construction
OR
2. set them up so they have a chance to fail in their performance on the field somehow (like if they fire their weapons, systems have a chance to fry and go offline)
this would help to make them feel more like prototypes, which would not likely have all the bugs worked out of them. they have power that could be useful, but that power would not be stable. This excessive power may be detrimental to functionality.. once the standards are built.. they aren't as powerful, but they are more stable.
thoughts?
a way around this would be to make the initial prototypes have more excessive power than the standard versions. BUT, keeping in line with the prototype theme, there is a chance that the prototypes could be set up to either:
1. fail in construction
OR
2. set them up so they have a chance to fail in their performance on the field somehow (like if they fire their weapons, systems have a chance to fry and go offline)
this would help to make them feel more like prototypes, which would not likely have all the bugs worked out of them. they have power that could be useful, but that power would not be stable. This excessive power may be detrimental to functionality.. once the standards are built.. they aren't as powerful, but they are more stable.
thoughts?
posted on March 27th, 2011, 10:37 pm
about idea 1) - failure to build:
i really dont like this, becayse u can get penalised by random chance for absolutely no reason, you might have had no intention to use your proto for anything other than building normal ships, but all the money and time you invest could be wasted. that would be a crushing blow early on. imagine you are going for a b8 start from 1 yard and your proto dies. you could be seriously weakened. im generally not a fan of random chance setbacks.
2) is more interesting, powerful weapons, but they fail sometimes. could turn the tide early on.
i really dont like this, becayse u can get penalised by random chance for absolutely no reason, you might have had no intention to use your proto for anything other than building normal ships, but all the money and time you invest could be wasted. that would be a crushing blow early on. imagine you are going for a b8 start from 1 yard and your proto dies. you could be seriously weakened. im generally not a fan of random chance setbacks.
2) is more interesting, powerful weapons, but they fail sometimes. could turn the tide early on.
posted on March 27th, 2011, 10:39 pm
#2 is just like the Defiant, where they hadn't found the right balance in the design yet. I wouldn't mind seeing that one in the game.
posted on March 27th, 2011, 11:43 pm
#2 sounds good
posted on March 28th, 2011, 2:12 am
I like that it would provide an incentive to do something other than leave them in your base,
posted on March 28th, 2011, 5:08 am
Last edited by godsvoice on March 28th, 2011, 5:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
I assume this is still keeping with the current system that if the proto is destroyed, you can no longer build the ships?
So there is still little incentive to use it. I don't want it to be destroyed, and be required to rebuild it. I agree if we want to risk putting them out in the field theyre going to need a boost but still it has to be worth it. Handicapping it to fail in some way though... how is worth it, sending a ship you know will likely fail or break down? I like the overall idea, but I was thinking something more consistent.
Perhaps make it somewhat fixed. Thinking of a few main areas, Weapons, Shields, Engines, Repair Time. Give the Proto an edge. They get one powerful ship. During production you really want to impress the founders with the ships being created the protos are always overpowered. So, two of the above areas get big boosts, like 150% production. The repair time and weapons are 50% better say. While one or two areas get a set back of say 25%. Make it worth your while to send the ship into the field.
But because its a proto, its prone to malfunction. So perhaps there is a timer involved, you get 150% for a while, but then systems start getting shot, and you can visibly see that the ship is losing power. To the point where all a protos stats are say 75% of production, in which case, we go back to protecting them in a nebula. But the whole while, it is expected and wont necessarily take you by surprise. Youll have time to retreat. But which systems are effected and get the boost is random, weapons shields anything could get the improvement, and anything could get the 75% drawback as well.
During this time, of course you are building other ships of the same kind with same designs, but I think it makes sense that any proto would be given a test run, so lets say they can already tell that although certain systems are performing well... its too well to be sustainable, and they can tell there will be problems down the road. So they fix it for future ships, but let the proto go out and serve the founders for the immediate time being.
So there is still little incentive to use it. I don't want it to be destroyed, and be required to rebuild it. I agree if we want to risk putting them out in the field theyre going to need a boost but still it has to be worth it. Handicapping it to fail in some way though... how is worth it, sending a ship you know will likely fail or break down? I like the overall idea, but I was thinking something more consistent.
Perhaps make it somewhat fixed. Thinking of a few main areas, Weapons, Shields, Engines, Repair Time. Give the Proto an edge. They get one powerful ship. During production you really want to impress the founders with the ships being created the protos are always overpowered. So, two of the above areas get big boosts, like 150% production. The repair time and weapons are 50% better say. While one or two areas get a set back of say 25%. Make it worth your while to send the ship into the field.
But because its a proto, its prone to malfunction. So perhaps there is a timer involved, you get 150% for a while, but then systems start getting shot, and you can visibly see that the ship is losing power. To the point where all a protos stats are say 75% of production, in which case, we go back to protecting them in a nebula. But the whole while, it is expected and wont necessarily take you by surprise. Youll have time to retreat. But which systems are effected and get the boost is random, weapons shields anything could get the improvement, and anything could get the 75% drawback as well.
During this time, of course you are building other ships of the same kind with same designs, but I think it makes sense that any proto would be given a test run, so lets say they can already tell that although certain systems are performing well... its too well to be sustainable, and they can tell there will be problems down the road. So they fix it for future ships, but let the proto go out and serve the founders for the immediate time being.
posted on March 29th, 2011, 1:01 am
An incentive to use prototypes in battle early on would be cool. Right now I only ever use B8 and B5 prototypes very early on, especially the B8.
On the other hand, I don't believe any small yard prototype but the B8 would be used in battle, since they are way to fragile so one can easily lose them because of one small moment of not paying attention. Using prototype in battle makes sense if one ship of the respective type is powerful on its own or if every ship of the type counts. The B8 is the only ship from the small yard to which both factors apply. All other small yard vessels are extremely fragile as they are ships intendend to be built in MASSES. Only with the B8 with its high defense and limited number it makes sense to take them into battle.
More or less the same applies to big yard vessels. The B5 is limited in number and one more can really make a difference, especially early on. V13s you can build in masses later on so one more or less wouldn't make that big of a difference since by that time you should have a nice fleet up already anyways. C17s you build for the strong specials, so the prototype is not so interesting to take into battle. As for the big battleships... well by that time you should have more or less won already.
The only thing, I could think of, to really make it interesting to take prototypes into battle would be if they had like double the defense of the standard ship but half the offense or something like that. So prototype could absorb some damage. Apart from that, only the B...-prototypes are reasonable frontline vessels.
On the other hand, I don't believe any small yard prototype but the B8 would be used in battle, since they are way to fragile so one can easily lose them because of one small moment of not paying attention. Using prototype in battle makes sense if one ship of the respective type is powerful on its own or if every ship of the type counts. The B8 is the only ship from the small yard to which both factors apply. All other small yard vessels are extremely fragile as they are ships intendend to be built in MASSES. Only with the B8 with its high defense and limited number it makes sense to take them into battle.
More or less the same applies to big yard vessels. The B5 is limited in number and one more can really make a difference, especially early on. V13s you can build in masses later on so one more or less wouldn't make that big of a difference since by that time you should have a nice fleet up already anyways. C17s you build for the strong specials, so the prototype is not so interesting to take into battle. As for the big battleships... well by that time you should have more or less won already.
The only thing, I could think of, to really make it interesting to take prototypes into battle would be if they had like double the defense of the standard ship but half the offense or something like that. So prototype could absorb some damage. Apart from that, only the B...-prototypes are reasonable frontline vessels.
posted on March 31st, 2011, 9:40 pm
i also like idea # 2 ...i like the idea of risk with the prototype .... "hmmm i need all the ships i have to bring down that vorcha ....but what if the shields or engines fail on my prototype ?" eg
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