Borg Cubes

posted on May 9th, 2003, 5:09 pm

I adore this mod. I hope no one minds if I start a few threads, each on different topics, that may be worth some debate.

The cube still seems underpowered. Within the context of this game, it seems as if building one or two really powerful cubes should be possible.

I can imagine it would have two special powers, sending drones and maybe even assimilating the crew.

(I know every Trek game has wrestled with the too powerful ship issue).

posted on May 10th, 2003, 2:10 am

well i just added to the cubes a holding beam (assimilates the enemy), and auto-assimilator (assimilates enemy crews), with more standard weapons...

posted on May 10th, 2003, 7:02 am

perhaps the cube concept will change a bit and they will become more powerful. i'm actualy thinking about this

posted on May 10th, 2003, 1:26 pm

Hmmm...I thoguth they were already pretty powerful myself, what with their tuff hulls, assimlatior beam (though that could be a teensy bit more effective), and relatively cheep cost.

posted on May 10th, 2003, 3:52 pm

As the other improvements come on-line (which sound great), I would make them more expensive.

posted on May 10th, 2003, 4:00 pm

I've checked the Cubes statistics.. it is a powerful vessel and its construction costs are quite right..

posted on May 14th, 2003, 6:28 am

i think the main problem is deciding which borg you want in the game...the borg from TNG and FC where one cube can decemate an entire fleet and focus on assimulating, or the borg from voyager that have more conventional weapons and arn't as powerful and which are more like 'just another alien race'....

posted on May 14th, 2003, 9:28 am

i think we will prefer the Voy Borg.. for a strategy game this is more suitable

posted on May 14th, 2003, 4:17 pm

I like the fear generated by a Borg cube. I like the idea that, if a Borg cube appears on the radar, a commander would order all ships to close in on it immediately. There would be a bloody battle, with lots of body bags. Borg cubes should be big and bad.

And, I am still uncomfortable with all of the Borg little funny shaped ships. I am even uncomfortable with a Borg base, even though it is consistant with Voyager. I like Spheres and Cubes, and the Tactical battle Cubes. Even the notion of drones, or even a virus, is that of minimum deviation and distinctiveness.

To make that work in a strategy game, here's how I would do it.

* Have eight baby cubes fuse for one full Borg cube
* have the baby cubes be almost defenseless
* If possible, have a Borg cube make other baby cubes
* If possible, have a Borg cube be able to dissassemble an assimilated ship for parts as the primary way to get materials (or maybe the only way)
* If bases are necessary, have them be stationary Borg cubes
* Have Borg cubes beable to assimilate crews (this is close enough to the Borg's ability to infect and transform crews), as well as send them aboard a ship.
* Borg cubes could also create spheres and tactical cubes.

Is any of this possible?

posted on May 14th, 2003, 4:35 pm

i like the borg to be feared too, but not in a real time strategy game. this i just not possible, it is impossible to get balance in the game again with such deep differences between borg and the federation for example. with the idea of strong borg vessels the borg would only have a few ships, what happens if your one borg cube get destroyed? your base will be defenceless (and making a hard to beat base is simply not fair for other races). borg would be more inflexible with defending outposts (when they would have weaker small ships). Nobody playing borg would make an attack with his small ships until he has a borg cube produced (compared to it's power taking much time to produce). having only a small amount of different ways building up the borg will be too boring in my opinion. Otherwise it's a interesting idea,

DOCa Cola

posted on May 14th, 2003, 8:28 pm

I agree that with any significant change, rebalancing has to happen.

Again, what if the Borg Cube was, for all puprosed, the base? Thus it would never be undefended. The concept of outposts wouldn't exist.

But you could still mob it.

The borg strategy of sneaking around, picking wandering ships off, building critical mass is consistant with the Borg drones.

Strategy would involve when to replicate another cube vs. when to build up defenses (tactical cubes) vs. when to build the fast scouting spheres. When to attack, how to attack, would all be critical.

posted on May 14th, 2003, 10:51 pm

I agree with Doca Cola. Making the Borg overly poweful like the TV series would be horribly unbalanced. But, you could make the Cube a special ship, requiring 10 credits and a lot of resources, so only 1 would usually be built in the entire game.

posted on May 15th, 2003, 4:44 am

mobile borg "base" giving fire support + standard ships required anyway = too strong

posted on May 15th, 2003, 8:41 am

Nothing is inherently too strong. Gameplay is a matter of balance.

Given: Borg Cube builds small cube building blocks, eight building blocks form Borg Cube

To make the Borg as a group less powerful (while keeping the integrity of a powerful cube):
> Take longer to build a small cube building block
> Make it more expensive to build a small cube building block
> Make the small cube building blocks more vulnerable (slower, weaker)

Using your base/production facility as an attack capability requires more strategy than mass producing attack ships.

Best of all, it would be very Borg-like!

posted on May 15th, 2003, 11:32 am

I would so love the idea that if a cube was heading for my base to pull all ships away cause it was soo powerfull

maybe you could balance against it like for example the Borg Cubem
+Powerfull
+Powerfull weaps
-SHields
-Slow
-expensive ?