Ideas on Mixed Tech Units

posted on March 17th, 2009, 6:44 am

I was thinking about all the different mixed tech units available to all species. There are some very nice variants on existing ship classes, as well as ships you only get by mixed tech.

BUT, in my opinion there are big differences in usefullness. For example i hate it, when there are only tiny ships available, cause they´re useless right from the start, why you ask ? Simple reason, it takes too long to get. First you have to build the mixed tech yard, then research mixed tech (which takes quite some time) and then you have to build those ships in sufficient numbers (i think the build times are far too long in some cases).

Or even worse, when playing feds with dom tech, you get an upgraded resource miner. Well, by the time i can build them, they are no use anymore, since i can´t afford the luxury of not building additional miners before.

So my idea is basically the following:

1. Rethink the build times of some vessels or (in case of the miner) make it an upgrade for already existing vessels (like those generix refits and the like)

2. I would like to see about 4 designs for each mixed tech yard , one small ship, 1 medium, 1 big and one special vessel (like miranda II, E´Djen etc.)

posted on March 17th, 2009, 8:18 am

Additional unique mixed-tech designs like the E'Djen are planed, but will take a while as they require new art content (models and such).
The mixed-tech units are ment as an interessting addition here and there, not as a replacement for the existing units, therefore their construction times are quite high. another bonus is, that the technology requirements do not have to be met to build a Defiant for example.

posted on March 17th, 2009, 5:08 pm

will there evah be hybrid ships ? could be cool but also crazy

posted on March 17th, 2009, 7:36 pm

Okay Optec, i understand what you´re saying, but then the ships still have to be worth building, for example there´s a generix variant (not sure right now with what tech) that only differs from it´s original in having +2 offensive value, and if that ship takes double the time of the standard it´s hardly worth the effort imo.

And about the requirements, why not keep them, it seems strange to me that i can build a mixed tech remore without even having chassis at level one.

Don´t get me wrong, i like mixed tech a lot in general, but some species got a better collection than others, the klingons always get some B´rel variant and in one instance even a scout.

It would be nice, as i said in the intro, if any mixed tech yard would provide ships in different size categories, some only have small ships, and later in the game they are almost useless. (to all those who say more power to the sovie, why not an interesting mixed tech variant for each species  )

posted on March 17th, 2009, 8:19 pm

Don´t get me wrong, i like mixed tech a lot in general, but some species got a better collection than others, the klingons always get some B´rel variant and in one instance even a scout.

Of course some are better. Do you want mixed-tech altered so every race's mixed-tech is the same?

posted on March 18th, 2009, 6:30 am

Of course some are better. Do you want mixed-tech altered so every race's mixed-tech is the same?

Of course not, i was getting at the fact that certain collections of mixed tech vessels are only good at the start and then never again, cause it takes too much time to build them anyway.

When thinking about that, i would really love to see most mixed tech vessels as upgrades, not ships.
It just doesn´t make sense, they have no requirements apart from the mixed tech. I guess they would even be harder to build than standard versions, and thats why upgrades instead of ships would be better, cause the progression of what you can build doesn´t change.

And as for complementing your fleet(s) with mixed tech instead of replacing pure tech variants: there is already a limit to how many mixed tech designs you can have at the same time, just keep it that way and everything is fine.

posted on March 18th, 2009, 3:59 pm

the feds should get some kind of advanced constructor ship available from the mixed tech yard. Also it would be nice if the dom mining ship should recive a mining rate buff instead of just an larger cargo hold.

posted on March 18th, 2009, 5:47 pm

That reminds me.  One of the best Mixed-Tech units I found is the Klingon borg-yard B'rel.  Set them to full special autonomy, and they are complete monsters.  And the funniest part is that because the AI ignores the rules for playing as Borg, they'll send an assembler into mining areas for you to tractor with a Chargh, and then capture.  I wish every mixed-tech yard had something as awesome as that B'rel.