C# Aurora v0.x Suggestions

[QuakeIV]

To be clear, no idea on the viability, but it would be really cool to have to do actual exercises periodically.  Some training missiles to shoot at your point defenses so they can practice with their actual weapons and suchnot.  Would impose a realistic level of cost on doing training, like in real life.

[MarcAFK]

Actually It would be nice if grade training didn't just require being fired at.
Perhaps a simple mixture of sustaining enemy fire + maneuver training + offensive fire training with all 3 being needed to reach a higher grade level.

[Peroox]

It will be also easier to learn combat mechanic for new player.

[Jorgen_CAB]

To be clear, no idea on the viability, but it would be really cool to have to do actual exercises periodically.  Some training missiles to shoot at your point defenses so they can practice with their actual weapons and suchnot.  Would impose a realistic level of cost on doing training, like in real life.

You will indirectly pay for training by double maintenance costs... so there is a price for it.

[bugkill]

My suggestion has to do the ground units and seeing if it is possible to have a unit type named "Commando"? The unit would be tasked with handling boarding operations (replacing infantry for that op) and have all terrain capabilities ranked moderately high.  It would also be nice to have random intel on high value targets like high ranking enemy officers or other key personnel that may be on ships or a small base on a planet, so that we could quickly deploy a Commando force to either board ships or infiltrate planets by way of dropships to accomplish the mission.  Basically, we would have one unit type that specializes in special operations while the infantry would be tasked for invasions and garrison operations.  Creating a Commando bonus for officers would be nice as well.  Just an idea in my head.  Keep up the great work. 

[Whitecold]

My suggestion has to do the ground units and seeing if it is possible to have a unit type named "Commando"? The unit would be tasked with handling boarding operations (replacing infantry for that op) and have all terrain capabilities ranked moderately high.  It would also be nice to have random intel on high value targets like high ranking enemy officers or other key personnel that may be on ships or a small base on a planet, so that we could quickly deploy a Commando force to either board ships or infiltrate planets by way of dropships to accomplish the mission.  Basically, we would have one unit type that specializes in special operations while the infantry would be tasked for invasions and garrison operations.  Creating a Commando bonus for officers would be nice as well.  Just an idea in my head.  Keep up the great work. 

Fixed unit types are gone, you can make your own custom formation that does this now.

[bugkill]

Oh, yes.  I misread the ground units update in the wiki.  Thanks for the quick reply, Whitecloud. 

[MarcAFK]

It occurs to me that we might like to be able to assign boarding ships to automatically intercept enemy boarding ships when they come into range, counter boarding them so to speak.
Or if they cant get there in time, we should be able to board our own ships to temporarily add extra marine strength to help fend off enemy boarding action.
How long do boarding operations take to resolve anyway?

[Steve Walmsley]

It occurs to me that we might like to be able to assign boarding ships to automatically intercept enemy boarding ships when they come into range, counter boarding them so to speak.
Or if they cant get there in time, we should be able to board our own ships to temporarily add extra marine strength to help fend off enemy boarding action.
How long do boarding operations take to resolve anyway?

One round every minute. At the moment, you can't board your own ships, but it shouldn't be hard to add.

[papent]

Three-way boarding combat confirmed?

[Hazard]

Well, that's going to be uncomfortable for the sailors; first they get boarded by enemy marines with much better equipment than they've got, and then their own madmen turn their work and living spaces into an even bigger mess.

That said, when counter boarding the force doing the counter boarding probably should take no or lower chances of losing boarding forces by hard maneuvers because, well, those are reinforcements. Of course you are going to help those forces land if at all possible. Exceptions of course apply when certain duty stations have already been taken over, like the bridge or engineering. I don't think the game currently handles ground/boarding combat with that level of granularity, but it could be abstracted by checking the attacker/defender combat rating ratio and letting certain thresholds decide whether or not certain command stations are at risk of getting taken over.

[MarcAFK]

You could assume that 100% of reinforcements land successfully (at least if the boarding ship isn't fired at on the way) and then compare how outnumbered the friendly troops are, if the enemy currently outnumbers friendly crew/marines its likely they hold more than half the ship so there could be a 50/50 chance you board an enemy held area and have to break out under fire.

[Jorgen_CAB]

I think it would be time for us to be able to build drones... basically any "fighter" should be able to be built as a drone so no crew and no deployment rate needed.

There could eventually also be some rules for controlling them and electronic warfare to combat control of drones.

This way I could actually deploy swarms of beam fighters without the horror of sacrificing good pilots and crew or just sensor stations (or small drone combat stations) with no crew that can be "sacrificial lambs" at jump points etc.

This would make it so much more easy to "mine" jump points with smart mines. As long as you have a control link or ship close by you can decide what to do with them or they simply can act independently by the AI if direct control is severed.

I think there can be many interesting new feature coming from this eventually, especially in terms of electronic warfare which is something I think the game could have a bit more of. But as a start just the ability to build fighters as drones with no crew would be nice.

[Father Tim]

I think it would be time for us to be able to build drones... basically any "fighter" should be able to be built as a drone so no crew and no deployment rate needed. . .

I think "no deployment rate" goes too far for game balance, but I do get a little sad inside every time my "fighter" ends up with a crew of 7.  I'd be happy if there was a way to set max crew for small craft, and then every 'required' crew member that wasn't present would cost some amount of wealth & minerals for 'automation'.

As for your 'unmanned' picket ships, may I suggest Conscript Crews and required officer rank of 12 (so that none are assigned) and some cybernetic technobable about how their brains were harvested to make the computer operating system?

[hostergaard]

I have two sugesstions;

1. Various behaviors for NPRs and ability SM them

That is, I think it would be interesting to have NPR with behaviours that you can set. Fx, ability to create NPRs that will not colonize. Or will only colonize their system. Or build heavily defensively, like only PDC. Will only defend planets.

2. More political options and ability to have a wider range of relations

That is, having various forms of vassal, alliances and confederation mechanics with NPRs


All together it would give players the ability to set up wildly different games. Fx, I could make a game where all the nations of earth banded together to form a loose federation whose goal is to provide a common defence against hostile aliens, which is the player. The nations still exist as TN NPRs, but maybe they will only build civilian crafts. Maybe they will also colonize, or its up to the player to colonize for them. Maybe they will build PDC but leave all space based stuff to players. OR maybe they will also have their own fleets for defensive purposes.


I think it would be great fun if you could set up particular forms of relations between players and NPRs and also have behaviors that matches (or you not if you so choose for them to have it)