Sensor platforms ideas

[Anonymous]

posted on February 2nd, 2011, 4:38 pm

Last edited by Anonymous on February 2nd, 2011, 8:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Some of these ideas may be rehashes of old ones, just gonna put together some ideas for discussion

[align=center]Idea 1: Minimap Detection[/align]

In star trek we see sensors sometimes detect stuff from really far away, lightyears even, Obviously this is silly for a game, and we have sensor ranges for platforms.

I suggest that sensor platforms have 2 ranges, the visual range (call it V) stays as is, a second range (call it B ) will detect uncloaked ships only at longer range, and will put them on the minimap as a blip (i mean a dot, like what ships are now). It would work by detecting energy signatures.

Balancing ideas:

• Can only detect ships that are not small
• May not be able to tell which race it is, so u just get a blip that doesnt say who it comes from, just that its not an ally
• Can't detect the type of ship, so its just a dot on the minimap, thats all you get.
• Might read several ships as 1 blip, so you cant tell numbers, just encroaching energy signatures
• Might not be 100% accurate, sometimes doesnt display a blip, sometimes displays a blip for 10 seconds when there was no ship.
• Any ship firing weapons/using specials within the B range will appear as a blip because weapons give off loads of energy, so a sabre wouldnt normally appear, but when using hyper impulse its engines light it up like an xmas tree
• Can't detect stationery ships, so if a ship isnt moving it wont appear.
• Only works on areas you have already sent a unit to and cleared the fog, as now there is data on what the normal energy levels in that area should be. maybe require a support ship to do the original scans

[align=center]Idea 2: Networking[/align]

Many players put fed and klink sensors in a network for decloak. maybe putting down multiple sensors near eachother could give these races a small bonus.

Maybe sensor range of any platforms placed nearby increases by 10% for each platform put in range up to a max of 30% increase.

Maybe the pings fire 10% faster for each platform up to 20%.

[align=center]Idea 3: Accuracy Increases[/align]

Maybe sensor stations could make your ships nearby (with range V) more likely to hit. each station improves accuracy by 5% up to a max of 10%-20%

[align=center]Idea 4: Detection early warning alert[/align]

If an enemy ship gets visually detected (not a blip on the minimap, actually seen within range V) by a sensor platform, it will send out an alert, kinda like the green circle for a warpin, and make a beep to let you know enemies have been detected. seems reasonable that your dudes would put out a distress call when enemies are spotted. maybe mining stations could do it too. it would only give u a few extra seconds warning.

---

EDIT: clarified a couple points. and added an idea

posted on February 2nd, 2011, 4:49 pm

I like idea 1.

posted on February 2nd, 2011, 4:51 pm

I like idea 1.

i copied it from total annihilation, where radar could detect outside of los

posted on February 2nd, 2011, 5:50 pm

I think idea 1 is bad because it will take away any sneak attacks that non cloaking races can do and it will be much harder to put up expansions

posted on February 2nd, 2011, 6:48 pm

I think idea 1 is bad because it will take away any sneak attacks that non cloaking races can do and it will be much harder to put up expansions

one of my points is that small ships wont be detected as their energy signatures are too low. so a force of monsoons/bugs etc could fly in and harass just as they do now.

posted on February 2nd, 2011, 8:16 pm

[align=center]Idea 1: Minimap Detection[/align]

Balancing ideas:

• Might not be 100% accurate, sometimes doesnt display a blip, sometimes displays a blip for 10 seconds when there was no ship.
• Any ship firing weapons/using specials within the large radius will appear as a blip because weapons give off loads of energy, so a sabre wouldnt normally appear, but when using hyper impulse its engines light it up like an xmas tree

I like your idea, but not the points I quoted. The first one just seems strange for me. I'm opposed to blips because of nothing. I'd rather suggest a Romulan or Dominion special that does stuff like that und confuses the blip to appear at the wrong location. ECM like.
Every fighting highlighted on the minmap is just irritating. Since you can hear it you don't need a sensor station to see it additionally.

idea 3 could become quite hard and unbalanced. You pointed out that you'd like your sensors to not see small ships, but in the other idea you want them to get hit more often, that way noones safe from sensors. I guess you don't want your ideas to be implemented together, but still I wanted to point that out .

[Anonymous]

posted on February 2nd, 2011, 8:46 pm

Last edited by Anonymous on February 2nd, 2011, 8:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

well i suggested blips because of nothing just as a balance idea, it might not be perfect the long range sensors. the blips would be temporary and would go away when the sensor realised it had made a mistake, or if u sent a ship there.

About the firing weapons/specials causing blips, i clarified in the idea post about the ranges. i didnt mean firing on the whole map causes a blip just within the range that ships can cause a blip. so it would mean small ships that usually wont be detected would be if they got into a fight, by blip i mean dot, like a normal dot for a ship on the minimap. not one of those alerts that appears as a circle.

idea 3 i clarified to say that i meant the boost to accuracy would only happen within the normal visual range (V) of the platform.

---

EDIT: new idea:

[align=center]Idea 4: Detection early warning alert[/align]

If an enemy ship gets visually detected (not a blip on the minimap, actually seen within range V) by a sensor platform, it will send out an alert, kinda like the green circle for a warpin, and make a beep to let you know enemies have been detected. seems reasonable that your dudes would put out a distress call when enemies are spotted. maybe mining stations could do it too. it would only give u a few extra seconds warning.

posted on February 2nd, 2011, 9:08 pm

I like idea 1 and 4.

4 seems to remind of the original warcraft (for those whove played it) whenever the enemy would get within visual range there would be an alert. I very much like the idea. Could lead to some interesting diversions using scouts.

The first idea is really good also, though I think it should just detect large fleet movements in tandem with chassis sizes. so if each chassis had a point value assigned to it and the sensor station could only detect fleets with say a 15 point value individual vessels alone wouldnt show up neither would small fleets.

Example:

Saber 1.5
Monsoon 2
Akira 3
Soveriegn 5


Following this a fleet of 10 sabers would show as a blip, while it would only take 5 akiras or 3 sovs.... makes an interesting thought to splitting your fleet or combining and risk losing the element of surprise.

posted on February 2nd, 2011, 9:09 pm

splitting into points like that is interesting, although it does add complexity to it.

posted on February 2nd, 2011, 9:11 pm

No more complex than the existing code for FO.

posted on February 2nd, 2011, 9:17 pm

by complexity i meant for the player to learn the point values of ships.

it would mean people could learn by rote what ships will pass silently and which wont.

posted on February 2nd, 2011, 10:20 pm

About the special weapons firing causing a blip, as an alternative how about when they fire anywhere within the platform's range it creates a large indistinct blip because it washes out those delicate sensors? Maybe even taking the platform offline for a bit?

posted on February 2nd, 2011, 10:29 pm

weapons firing within visual range (V) of the platform could disable its ability to detect units in B range temporarily yes. i like that.

[Professor J]

posted on February 3rd, 2011, 12:39 am

Last edited by Professor J on February 3rd, 2011, 2:03 am, edited 1 time in total.

I love the sensor network idea.  It sounds like you could go in a lot of directions with something like that:

Concepts off the top of my head:

MINER'S DUO:  Mining ships locate slightly richer ore veins.
TRIAD:         %10 Ext. Range Around Network.
QUAD:          %15 Ext. Range/Chance to maintain temporary "Lock" on cloaking vessels.
PENTA:         %20 Ext Range.  Nearby Turrets More Accurate/deadly.
UNHOLY NETWORK OF DOOM:  ? ??/???/???/???


 

posted on February 3rd, 2011, 1:33 am

Wow this sounds really cool!