Ship Ideas

posted on February 15th, 2010, 5:58 pm

Well so I noticed that you commented about this thread in my "Outpost" thread.  They are a bit different though.  :D


  My Outpost idea was not to be a turret, but to literally be an outpost that could build miners and maybe light destroyers as it's primary function.  Sort of like a small compromise between an expensive Starbase and lvl1 yard.  This would let us use much larger maps more effectively as right now it will takes AGES for miners to reach an expansion on a map larger than 30k x 30k.  Then they get blown up by interceptors and have to repeat the cycle.


 Anyway I think having weapons not come standard on it is the best option.  Like I said in my thread ([url=http://"[url=//www.fleetops.net/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,3/topic,6992.0/"]Star Trek Armada II: Fleet Operations - "Outpost"[/url]]HERE[/url]) if it has inherent weapons then it will just be used as a large damage-soaking turret.  That was not my intention.  I think unique weapon upgrades could be an expensive but fun way of adding some neat weapons to each race.  I would still prefer though that turrets be more cost efficient around an Outpost than upgrading it's weapons.

posted on February 15th, 2010, 6:02 pm

But think about it, an outpost should at least be lightly armed in the event of an attack, and like I said, it could only handle a light attack and not much else. Besides, who builds an outpost that can't defend it's self early in the game from a few interceptors looking for blood?

posted on February 15th, 2010, 6:06 pm

i think boggz meant that it is only unarmed n the beginning.
its a bit like the fed platform. its an cheap turret that you can upgrade fast if you need it, but for a pretty high price.

posted on February 15th, 2010, 6:08 pm

Yeah.  The Outposts begin unarmed as fighting would not be their primary function.

  In my mind you could upgrade them with weapons if you so choosed to do in the event of an attack.  I think it should be much more expensive than building turrets as a good Outpost with cheap weapon upgrades could render Turrets obsolete.  Expensive weapons means that in a pinch you can upgrade them, but it will cost ya .

  Besides, when do we ever see outposts with weapons in the shows?  (Besides DS9 of course)

posted on February 15th, 2010, 6:14 pm

ohh i got you, so like the weapons upgrade at the main starbase. what about the equipment upgrade/special abilities i suggested?

posted on February 15th, 2010, 6:29 pm

Yeah I agree with some of the ideas you had.  I think since fighting would not be the Outposts primary function they could be a great place for the Devs to experiment with some wild and crazy new concepts that are race-specific.


Possible Race specific upgrades:

  Feds could have an upgrade for Runabouts automated using the fighter mechanics to increase it's visual range in the area.

  Klingons could build B'rels, Scouts, Miners, and maybe drop automated drones like the Bortas to fight when attacked.

  Romulans could have it's own temporary cloak like the Cloaking Generator or a weapon that fires every 6 seconds that disables a ships weapons for a few seconds (like the Shrike's experimental disruptors).

  Borg could have a Holding Beam or at least benefit as well from the Transmission Matrix upgrade that gives certain structures the Holding Beam.

  Dominion could build Bugs and have fighters like the B-5 maybe.

 
  There are lots of upgradable options!  Lots to make it unique because the Outpost would not be a structure that everyone NEEDED or started with and therefore wouldn't have to be quite so across-the-board equal.

posted on February 15th, 2010, 7:13 pm

Then what about a defensive based outpost, designed to handle a small area (much weaker than a star base but more durable than a standard turret), it would be expensive thus limit its value as a spam item?

posted on February 15th, 2010, 7:15 pm

That's the idea, though!  It's much more durable than a Turret (maybe Defense of 120 or some such thing) but no weapons until you really NEED to spend the extra to use it as defense.  That way it's still worth it to build turrets around the Outpost as defense and only upgrade the Outpost's weapons as a last-resort.


At least that's just the way I envisioned it.

posted on February 15th, 2010, 7:19 pm

I just like the image of a small station with two phaser banks lancing out and a torpedo firing at about five dominion interceptors or what ever they are called... just so visually appealing. lol

posted on February 15th, 2010, 7:21 pm

Totally agree!  That's the kind of thing I had in mind after a weapons upgrade .

posted on February 15th, 2010, 7:44 pm

At the moment I have no further ideas.... Sadly only so many can be used in a game before it gets over done. What happened with the planet control thing from A2? It was an interesting concept thought it needed a lot of work.