Map Objects, Part 1

posted on March 23rd, 2012, 9:29 am

Awesome ideas but why would a race risk losing some of a deposit by destroying an asteriod, wouldn't they set up a mining station on it instead to drill it out? Then you would need a refinery nearby and some sort of mining transport ship????

posted on March 23rd, 2012, 10:10 am

Nice! Although I'm not so thrilled by the space hulk concept, the spy satellite and the moving asteroids sound great.

posted on March 23rd, 2012, 10:44 am

Well, the hulk-station seems not thought to the end. It might always be nice, to get a last ditch constructor, but this is only the case, if your starbase is already destroyed, right? This hulk could be something like a tem. bonus station like seen in ground combat with "Empires at War". One ship (scout or semething like that) will go near the station, hack into the systems and all ships in the near will get a bonus depending on their ship-class.

Thats were we are right now. "Some energy" for support ships sound at the first glance good, but is not very special. I would like to see something more creative, like "cloaked ships regenerate special energy and theirs shields, even when down will regenerate in the background" - so if you shields are down to 50%, you cloak, are in the region of the hulk and then deacloak, you shields are on 70% or so.

For offensive class ships, their torpedo-hit-rate might increase, while the range of beam weapons might increase or pulse weapons will not only do additional damage to destroyers, but also to cruisers (one chassis up).

Support ships... well, it would be cool to see a certain morale-bonus to those ships - increased weapon fire rate, with stronger shields regeneration and repair rate, while the energy regeneration is also going up. This is still only a tiny effect to them, even if combined, because in a fleet movement, you can hold out one shot more and give one shot more away in the same time, nothing serious.

posted on March 23rd, 2012, 11:26 am

That's exactly my problem: the space hulk seems to much of a decisive factor in an engagement. That could be cool in a Coop vs the AI but not in a PvP-map.

Still, it's nice for specially designed Coop-maps or SP scenarios, I guess.

posted on March 23rd, 2012, 7:04 pm

That's exactly my problem: the space hulk seems to much of a decisive factor in an engagement. That could be cool in a Coop vs the AI but not in a PvP-map.

Still, it's nice for specially designed Coop-maps or SP scenarios, I guess.

Yea but both people/teams could use it so in a way it could be a decisive factor but it could also be used against one as well. and it could also give someone whos not doing so well to make a difference for him/herself or for the team.

But in truth the biggest reason they are doing it is for custom map making.

posted on March 23rd, 2012, 8:51 pm

Hi, i like the moving asteroid idea or randomly blocked path etc.. I seem to recall a mission from Armada 1 maybe where this was also the case with a radioactive nebula and the blue nebula more or less steered you through a maze and opened and closed. It was a rescue mission or something if I recall and used bops.. Do you suppose the random asteroid could be extended to nebulae as well?

TIA,

Decker

posted on March 23rd, 2012, 10:31 pm

More things to do with maps is never a bad thing.

posted on March 23rd, 2012, 11:13 pm

The temporary opened/closed blocker sounds quite promising,
as well as having to "free" an moon to mine from it, but I'd
guess the moons would make balacing harder than it already is

posted on March 23rd, 2012, 11:27 pm

Do you suppose the random asteroid could be extended to nebulae as well?

^^^

This. All that. You Sir are a Genius.


It hadn't even occured to me that this could be applied to a Nebula.

Decker, you have given me yet another awesome idea.

posted on March 24th, 2012, 1:04 am

Awesome!

posted on March 24th, 2012, 10:00 am

would the asteroids opening and closing of access destroy ships that didnt get all the way through? you could argue that the deflector dish would stop it but i dont think i would personally. then there is the balance issue/annoying factor.

perhaps it could be swiched on/off for ships to be destroyed by asteroids.

posted on March 24th, 2012, 11:34 am

would the asteroids opening and closing of access destroy ships that didnt get all the way through?

  I very much doubt that .  That would be too game-altering.

posted on March 24th, 2012, 12:34 pm

  I very much doubt that .  That would be too game-altering.

That it would be, but why do i get excited thinking about the possibilities this would present.
Right now it can split a fleet which by itself is game altering so i would not discount the possibility of it damaging/destroying vessels upon appearing.

posted on March 24th, 2012, 1:19 pm

That it would be, but why do i get excited thinking about the possibilities this would present.
Right now it can split a fleet which by itself is game altering so i would not discount the possibility of it damaging/destroying vessels upon appearing.

indeed i was thinking it could be great for small fast ships and dangerous for the big ones if not handled correctly

if it was a turn offable ability (dont know if its possible tho) it could be up to the player to decide
or maybe in the map maker there could be an asteroid field thats programed to destroys on impact and one that shoves them safly out of the way?

posted on March 24th, 2012, 5:14 pm

It does not destroy vessels that are within its area at the moment, merely bumping them out of the way .