What to do with Dom prototypes?

posted on June 29th, 2009, 10:35 am

My least favorite race to play are the Dom.  All other races i really enjoy.  So i tried to play a game or two to see if i could get to love them a little more.

Had two games, one with the Weyoun type avatar and the other the Breen.  Couldn't really make up my mind which i preferred.

However, the one common factor is those damn annoying prototypes.  It was so annoying sending them out on attacks and having my build tree reset every time i lost one, in the end i just built a few petrimeters and turrests around my base and used the prototypes as back up defense keeping them near my starbase.

Basically a whole lot of resources and supplies spent for very little return.

So, what do other people do with their Prototypes?

posted on June 29th, 2009, 11:08 am

ähm you have to protect the prototypes, that means you dont send them with the rest of your fleet but keep them in your base where you can use them as defence or something =)

posted on June 29th, 2009, 11:19 am

I make the prototypes as my backupdefence, when my attack-force isn't there to defend main base or expansion..., but you should always send them back to your cloning facility (starbase) to keep them alive.

posted on June 29th, 2009, 12:01 pm

park them near your starbase; It is better when you don't use them;

posted on June 29th, 2009, 1:16 pm

i don't understand the idea that's behind these prototypes. I mean you need to built a prototype to get expierience in building a new ship and its system specifications. But why should all these informations get lost by destroying the prototype?
I really hate this system, so i never play dom 

posted on June 29th, 2009, 1:22 pm

I think it is more realistic, when the prototypes are faster, but not as armed as the repetition part. Or you have first an unarmed ship, then an light armed ship with more armour and then the full ship.

[Dominus_Noctis]

posted on June 29th, 2009, 1:29 pm

Last edited by Dominus_Noctis on June 29th, 2009, 1:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I view the Dominion prototypes to be akin to our own technological... prowess and ineptness. After production of the Saturn rockets etc we used to send us to the moon were terminated, we put the plans in a "safe" place... and then lost them. To build the current Ares and other high grade rockets, we use the design of these tried and true models... by actually looking in and through the rocket itself. Although the designs were found again for many of the rockets, looking at the actual rocket is much more important because you can see where wear and tear occured, what stress factures happened, etc. The designs tell you how to build the darn thing, but the actual prototype tells you what went wrong and where things need to be fixed. I'm sure you could argue that the Dominion has invented computer models that perdict everything... but not even the Federation did that with their Defiant. So I'd argue that the Dominion's method in this game is logical, reasonable, and realistic. Plus, it's much more of a twist on gameplay--which is always fun

posted on June 29th, 2009, 1:35 pm

With the prototype it is also easier to improve the design when you know the real capabilities of the design. For example to add some nice special weapons.

And don't forget: Founders are wise, in all things.

posted on June 29th, 2009, 1:36 pm

I only build the prototypes that don't have available mixed tech counterparts. Those protos are too expensive and too slow to build.

posted on June 29th, 2009, 1:38 pm

And the mixed tech research don't take time and resources so much? The mixed tech counterparts are also more expensive than the basic ones.

posted on June 29th, 2009, 1:40 pm

Most of the time they are more expensive... there are a very very few exceptions. However, making prototypes is like researching for any of the other factions... and winning a game is reliant on not just building Mixed Tech. In fact, you will not be able to win a game in this manner unless you are playing against the most inept of players.

posted on June 29th, 2009, 2:26 pm

What if there was a Literal "Space Dock".  Some place where you could dock your Prototypes that could have limited defensive ability.  Much like the Town center in age of empires.  It would make a cool deference outpost.  Hers kind what I mean, but for Dominion.

[Zebh]

posted on June 29th, 2009, 2:43 pm

Last edited by Zebh on June 29th, 2009, 2:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Some sort of space dock would be interesting. It could be like the "mushroom" station in ST 3 where ships are docked inside the station. Dominion would be the race that would have the most use for it.

However there should be quite long docking/undocking time (20 sec?), so there would be still point for surprise attacks and then it wouldn't be too unbalancing. However if the space dock is destroyed while ships are inside, they should be destroyed as well.

IMO there shouldn't be type limitations (only for big vessels perhaps, like tavaras or dreadnoughts) but there should be capacity limit, how many ships can be docked at same time. The limit could work like mixed tech and warp-in slots.

posted on June 29th, 2009, 2:44 pm

Well, maybe when we get the Deep Space station you can put your prototypes into it.
But THEN it makes no sense in having them, because they will never show up until the DSS is destroyed. And honestly, when that will happen, you are already dead.

So, what are the alternatives?

a) Erase the prototypes and put in a science station for it.--> boring
b) There are no prototypes at all but customizable ships so you can "put your ship together" like you want it.
--> too much work for the devs
c) Let the prototypes rank up and when they gain the 2 gold status, they are "refittable" and "done". Even if they get destroyed now, you dont need to build another one. After the "refit" the prototype vessel gains a "all failures solved" bonus like +1 or +2 for all stats or so.

posted on June 29th, 2009, 2:50 pm

park them near your starbase; It is better when you don't use them;

That's the weired thing about them. In that way they are sensless. They are expensive, you loose time etc. there's no single advantage. I wonder what Optec thought when creating that sort of gameplay. If they had their special weapon already activated without research this would fit the matter.