Race Relations

[Erik L (OP)]

Out of curiosity, if you have friendly status with a race, and a trade agreement, what happens if you emplace mines on your homesystem JP?

Allied ships won't be fired upon, but what about friendly ships? I'd think not, but before I go an mine my JP, I want to make sure.

[Steve Walmsley]

Out of curiosity, if you have friendly status with a race, and a trade agreement, what happens if you emplace mines on your homesystem JP?

Allied ships won't be fired upon, but what about friendly ships? I'd think not, but before I go an mine my JP, I want to make sure.

Mines (and other missiles looking for targets), will accept any contact as a target. So best not to use them near your allies. The reason for this rule is that alliances may change and there is no realistic way to update minefields as to who you like at the moment, especially if they are in distant systems with no link to your forces. I could add an extra layer of micromanagement to mine warfare though that allows you to designate certain races as acceptable targets at the moment the mines are laid.

Steve

[Erik L (OP)]

I was thinking more that the mine firing logic would check the race id of the ship, and compare the racial relations. Friendly and higher = no fire. Or maybe Neutral/higher.

[Steve Walmsley]

I was thinking more that the mine firing logic would check the race id of the ship, and compare the racial relations. Friendly and higher = no fire. Or maybe Neutral/higher.

Yes, but the problem is how does the mine know the state of racial relations when it detects a new contact?

Steve

[Erik L (OP)]

I was thinking more that the mine firing logic would check the race id of the ship, and compare the racial relations. Friendly and higher = no fire. Or maybe Neutral/higher.

Yes, but the problem is how does the mine know the state of racial relations when it detects a new contact?

Steve

Well, there is the "RacialRelations" table in the database, though it's empty.

[Steve Walmsley]

I was thinking more that the mine firing logic would check the race id of the ship, and compare the racial relations. Friendly and higher = no fire. Or maybe Neutral/higher.

Yes, but the problem is how does the mine know the state of racial relations when it detects a new contact?

Well, there is the "RacialRelations" table in the database, though it's empty.

I don't mean from a programming sense. I mean in a real world sense. For example, how does a mine laid by a British minelayer in 1940 know the Germans are now our allies? When you lay a mine in Aurora, it could not realistically know about any changes in the political situation. That's why it is set to only ignore the race that laid it.

Steve

[Erik L (OP)]

IFF? Presumably the mines of Aurora are a bit brighter than WW2 era mines

I see what you say about setting "legitimate" IFF on emplacement. Theoretically, with smart mines, they could be updated from a Mine Control Unit.

[Sotak246]

But when you start getting into IFF and updateing your mines Friend/Foe files, you open the door to the evil empire's hackers.   Think your Admiral's suprise when his fleet enters the home system after an uneventful patrol to be attacked by their own mine field.

[Xaoc]

I don't mean from a programming sense. I mean in a real world sense. For example, how does a mine laid by a British minelayer in 1940 know the Germans are now our allies? When you lay a mine in Aurora, it could not realistically know about any changes in the political situation. That's why it is set to only ignore the race that laid it.

Steve

Ships are in contact with the central HQ(government, admiralty or what have you), I can't see why high tech mines couldn't have such communications as well. Sure communications like that could expose the mines to third party sensors, but the communications could be wide ranging(eg. the message is sent to all systems in range) and thus not pinpoint the location of the mines. The communication system is currently abstracted anyway and there is no form of electronic warfare that targets communications currently either(room for future expansion? Then again even current encryptions are unfeasible for decryption and without inside support via diplomacy or espionage it would take way too long to decrypt messages for it to be of tactical use). I'm of the mind that remotely updated IFF protocols are completely viable.