Change Log for 6.00 discussion

[sloanjh (OP)]

This thread is for discussion of Steve's (locked) "Change for v6.00" thread.

[bean]

I have two questions:
1. How are buoys affected?
2. When will you stop taunting us and release it?

Other then that, it looks very good indeed.

[xeryon]

I have two questions:
1. How are buoys affected?
2. When will you stop taunting us and release it?

Other then that, it looks very good indeed.

certainly #2.  I am itching to work with the expanded Sol.

[Steve Walmsley]

I have two questions:
1. How are buoys affected?
2. When will you stop taunting us and release it?

Other then that, it looks very good indeed.

I haven't decided yet on buoys - I may change it to the NA system where the design process allocates reactors automatically for any on-board sensors and the buoys last forever.

It will be a while before I release it. I need to finish the planned changes and test everything in a quick mini-campaign. Also I get the keys to a new house in 2 weeks and I have to move in on the 15th May, so I may not get much free time in the near future.

Steve

[xeryon]

That is both tragic and good news.  Good luck with the new house.

There hasn't been much discussion on your end as to the possibility of changes that would make star bases more feasible.  I don't want to start a full discussion of the topic here, just wondering if there were plans to includes changes in that area.

[Steve Walmsley]

That is both tragic and good news.  Good luck with the new house.

There hasn't been much discussion on your end as to the possibility of changes that would make star bases more feasible.  I don't want to start a full discussion of the topic here, just wondering if there were plans to includes changes in that area.

I haven't commented on it yet as I haven't really had time to look at it. I do think there needs to be some way of having a large base that can maintain itself though.

Steve

[Lav]

... I do think there needs to be some way of having a large base that can maintain itself though.

Steve

I am delighted by this thought and the possible conversion of the buoys! The release date, in an ideal world, would be today of course  but it sounds like you'll be fairly busy. Like xeryon said, good luck with the new house.

[Thiosk]

I like how the new concept for missiles is shaping up.

However, I don't think reducing beam weapon size is not necessarily going to "fix" beam weapons with respect to buffed missile combat.

[TallTroll]

I'd be tempted to consider a more direct anti-missile balance factor, if one seems to be required : allow a new EW component that shuts off missiles (cuts their FC tracking or something) at a little beyond beam range. You can therefore leave beam weapons as is, and extend your effective PD range without upsetting the balance of beam weapons

[chrislocke2000]

With the new tech line on max engine power variation I'd be interested in the comparative RP to create fighter and FAC equiv engines compared to the current version. Ie are fighters and FACs effectively going to become later game techs as the cumulative RP needed is a lot higher?

[TheDeadlyShoe]

suggestion: eliminate the size reduction of missile fire controls vs active sensors.   


*reduces the current big advantage missiles have in small craft, especially wrt long range missiles and crew reqs;
*slightly improves beam starships vs missile starships;
*makes ignoring ECM through overengineered fire controls less easy-breezy;

[Havear]

An EW system, especially simply drones that look like a copy of their mothership but can't take much damage, would go a long way to balancing missiles and beams. Beams would be able to quickly "test" targets until they find the real ships, while missiles would be more difficult and take longer due to flight time.

[xeryon]

With regards to the Sol system I stumbled across this tid-bit when doing a little light reading into the physics of Lagrangian Points.  Turns out there are at least two instances of Moon's have fields strong enough at L4 and L5 to have captured their own trojans.  Will those have made it into the new Sol as well?

Excerpt from Wiki
Saturn's moon Tethys has two much smaller satellites at its L4 and L5 points named Telesto and Calypso, respectively.
Saturn's moon Dione has smaller moons Helene and Polydeuces at its L4 and L5 points, respectively.

[Erik L]

An EW system, especially simply drones that look like a copy of their mothership but can't take much damage, would go a long way to balancing missiles and beams. Beams would be able to quickly "test" targets until they find the real ships, while missiles would be more difficult and take longer due to flight time.

Steve did mention a while back (a year or so) that he wanted to take another look at EW.

[bean]

suggestion: eliminate the size reduction of missile fire controls vs active sensors.   


*reduces the current big advantage missiles have in small craft, especially wrt long range missiles and crew reqs;
*slightly improves beam starships vs missile starships;
*makes ignoring ECM through overengineered fire controls less easy-breezy;

I'm not so sure about that.  A revised ECM system would take care of the third point, and maybe reducing the multiplier from x3 to x2 would take care of the others.  The problem with making them the same size is that they have different jobs, and from a realism standpoint, they won't be the same size.

EW is in need of revision, and I posted my thoughts in the suggestions section.

Missiles are tricky, and I'd probably go for reduced accuracy and reduced range instead of just reduced range.