Boarding combat so damn lethal

[Garfunkel]

Is this the same database where you've messed around before, deleting multiple NPRs and stuff? Because if it is, then that's a possible reason. Obviously, it's possible that there's an elusive bug in the boarding code somewhere but quite a number of people have performed boarding combat and nobody else has come across this.

[Stormtrooper (OP)]

Yep, it's the same one, it's all the one and only aurora campaign I've ever played.

Though the only db edit I did was to set npr as player race and delete it in-game through the race screen or set as a player race, delete some fleets that were causing massive slowdown and set it to npr once again, so I was literally changing one value in one column in one row in one table, apart from that I was only regularly clearing logs as this also improves performance.

If hihger marines casualties and some ships not getting boarded despite me ordering them to be is the only price to pay for it, it was still worth it, then. Even with those additional problems boarding is still stupidly OP compared to any other combat method I might use against Invaders.

[Droll]

Is this the same database where you've messed around before, deleting multiple NPRs and stuff? Because if it is, then that's a possible reason. Obviously, it's possible that there's an elusive bug in the boarding code somewhere but quite a number of people have performed boarding combat and nobody else has come across this.

That's not it, I've done the same thing in my save and boarding combat has not been affected.

[Garfunkel]

Maybe, maybe not. It's impossible to know if Stormtrooper accidentally messed up something else without noticing while cleaning up his game. God knows I've done something like that in the past and it's the main reason why I don't dive into the DB.

In any case, until someone with an untouched database can reproduce this issue, it can't be reported as a bug.

[Stormtrooper (OP)]

ok here's the save just 5 secs before boarding attempt, this time it's 14 formations in NN 3009 system, the moment I pressed 5 secs button I got the following events I attach on a screenshot - note this time 13 formations went into boarding, but one vanished.

[Droll]

ok here's the save just 5 secs before boarding attempt, this time it's 14 formations in NN 3009 system, the moment I pressed 5 secs button I got the following events I attach on a screenshot - note this time 13 formations went into boarding, but one vanished.

Alright I'll start asking:

1 - What is the name of the formation that vanished and which shuttle was it on board?
2 - What was the %chance for a marine to die?
3 - What was the overall survival rate of the formations that didn't vanish?
4 - What is the status of the boarding shuttles?
5 - Does each boarding shuttle carry only 1 formation?

That's all I can think of the top of my head.

Edit: I'm assuming "AS Pike 006" is one of your boarding shuttles - was it the only one that took any damage? If not, did any of the others lose a boarding bay by any chance?

[Stormtrooper (OP)]

Ok now that I took a look here's the very interesting thing:

1.the vanished one was 329th - as you can see in the event window, remaining 13, ranging from 316 to 328, survived and proceeded to board. However, as you can see just at the very bottom of the screenshot I took showing casualties during boarding attempt, 329th survived according to these reports - it lists 21 riflemen dying from this formation and then states that 30 are remaining, yet 329th never appeared in any logs after this. The shuttle it was on was Gauntlet MkII 014 if I remember my setup correctly.

2.A little less than 40% for each soldier given my speed, their speed and boarding combat capability.

3.Well, looks like it was more or less 60%, aligning with their survival chance.

4.Not a single scratch on any of them.

5.yep, 1 shuttle - 1 formation, grouped in squadrons of 2 so when I give order to board with all formations on one fleet it's two shuttles using two formations.

Nope, Pikes are these things:

Code: [Select]

Pike class Assault Ship      16,370 tons       512 Crew       6,528 BP       TCS 327    TH 1,260    EM 6,240
10996 km/s      Armour 10-57       Shields 208-520       HTK 84      Sensors 0/0/0/0      DCR 5      PPV 72
Maint Life 0.64 Years     MSP 2,046    AFR 429%    IFR 6.0%    1YR 3,204    5YR 48,054    Max Repair 1575 MSP
Captain    Control Rating 2   BRG   CIC   
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months    Morale Check Required   

Internal Fusion Drive  EP1800.00 (2)    Power 3600    Fuel Use 33.75%    Signature 630.00    Explosion 15%
Fuel Capacity 1,000,000 Litres    Range 32.6 billion km (34 days at full power)
Theta S208 / R520 Shields (1)     Recharge Time 520 seconds (0.4 per second)

Particle Lance-18 (2)    Range 320,000km     TS: 10,996 km/s     Power 55-4    ROF 70       
Particle Beam-9 (4)    Range 320,000km     TS: 10,996 km/s     Power 22-4    ROF 30       
CIWS-320 (1x10)    Range 1000 km     TS: 32,000 km/s     ROF 5       
Beam Fire Control R450-TS16000 (50%) (2)     Max Range: 450,000 km   TS: 16,000 km/s     98 96 93 91 89 87 84 82 80 78
Tokamak Fusion Reactor R23 (1)     Total Power Output 22.6    Exp 5%
Tokamak Fusion Reactor R5 (1)     Total Power Output 5.2    Exp 5%

Active Search Sensor AS3-R1 (50%) (4)     GPS 5     Range 3.5m km    MCR 314.7k km    Resolution 1

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

Gauntlets MkII are my shutttles. But my fleet didn't consist of them solely, there were also other ships and some happened to take damage

[Droll]

Ok now that I took a look here's the very interesting thing:

1.the vanished one was 329th - as you can see in the event window, remaining 13, ranging from 316 to 328, survived and proceeded to board. However, as you can see just at the very bottom of the screenshot I took showing casualties during boarding attempt, 329th survived according to these reports - it lists 21 riflemen dying from this formation and then states that 30 are remaining, yet 329th never appeared in any logs after this. The shuttle it was on was Gauntlet MkII 014 if I remember my setup correctly.

2.A little less than 40% for each soldier given my speed, their speed and boarding combat capability.

3.Well, looks like it was more or less 60%, aligning with their survival chance.

4.Not a single scratch on any of them.

5.yep, 1 shuttle - 1 formation, grouped in squadrons of 2 so when I give order to board with all formations on one fleet it's two shuttles using two formations.

Nope, Pikes are these things:

Code: [Select]

Pike class Assault Ship      16,370 tons       512 Crew       6,528 BP       TCS 327    TH 1,260    EM 6,240
10996 km/s      Armour 10-57       Shields 208-520       HTK 84      Sensors 0/0/0/0      DCR 5      PPV 72
Maint Life 0.64 Years     MSP 2,046    AFR 429%    IFR 6.0%    1YR 3,204    5YR 48,054    Max Repair 1575 MSP
Captain    Control Rating 2   BRG   CIC   
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months    Morale Check Required   

Internal Fusion Drive  EP1800.00 (2)    Power 3600    Fuel Use 33.75%    Signature 630.00    Explosion 15%
Fuel Capacity 1,000,000 Litres    Range 32.6 billion km (34 days at full power)
Theta S208 / R520 Shields (1)     Recharge Time 520 seconds (0.4 per second)

Particle Lance-18 (2)    Range 320,000km     TS: 10,996 km/s     Power 55-4    ROF 70       
Particle Beam-9 (4)    Range 320,000km     TS: 10,996 km/s     Power 22-4    ROF 30       
CIWS-320 (1x10)    Range 1000 km     TS: 32,000 km/s     ROF 5       
Beam Fire Control R450-TS16000 (50%) (2)     Max Range: 450,000 km   TS: 16,000 km/s     98 96 93 91 89 87 84 82 80 78
Tokamak Fusion Reactor R23 (1)     Total Power Output 22.6    Exp 5%
Tokamak Fusion Reactor R5 (1)     Total Power Output 5.2    Exp 5%

Active Search Sensor AS3-R1 (50%) (4)     GPS 5     Range 3.5m km    MCR 314.7k km    Resolution 1

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

Gauntlets MkII are my shutttles. But my fleet didn't consist of them solely, there were also other ships and some happened to take damage

Was gauntlet 014 empty after the marines arrived at the target? Did something weird happen where the 329th launched but somehow didn't?

Otherwise I'm at a bit of a loss, especially since the game is recognizing that the formation survived with expected casualties but also banishing the survivors to the shadow realm.

The only thing of note that I can think of is that somehow the last formation is being "forgotten" because 329th is the highest numbered formation so it would most likely be processed last. However that does not explain why I have never encountered this problem (tbf my boarding operations are done on either slow or immobilized ships so 100% survival chance). It also doesn't explain why in your first scenario you lost 6 out of 18 formations and not just one.

Edit: Based on your screenshot I now notice that the formation disappears at the breaching phase - the last entry there is the 328th. Does the vanishing happen on ships that have not had their armor breached yet? If you have the save point from before the boarding I would appreciate if you could breach the targets armor before landing the marines to confirm.

[Stormtrooper (OP)]

Well, something weird must have happenned indeed, but nothing I can point out - all the shuttles were empty, the marines from the damned 329th squad appeared in the log displayed on main game screen I attached and that was the last time and place I saw info about them.

Doubt it's related to them being "last" formation, previously 6 out of 18 formations suffered from this twice in a row, and they were selected randomly rather than from the end.

As for the ship armor-related stuff, so far all my attempts were launched at shiny, unscratched enemy ships, so can't say what would happen if I attempted to board a pre-penetrated one. And the save you're asking for is already there - db I attached together with screenshot is from a state where I had set orders to board and 5 sec increment is all it takes for them to get processed.

Based on your screenshot I now notice that the formation disappears at the breaching phase

Exactly what I noticed earlier 


P.S. Maybe it isn't that bad of a bug/weird stuff happening, after all? Boarding seems to be ridiculously OP anyways and I guess I could incorporate it into my AAR, those are Invaders, after all

[Barkhorn]

Boarding parties disappearing sounds a lot like this bug I reported in 1.11 way back in October.

http://aurora2.pentarch.org/index.php?topic=11565.msg141316#msg141316

[Rook]

Here's a question. What is the size of the vessel you're boarding? Any idea the complement it supports? I'm wondering if you're "Overcrowding" the ship and the new joiners are being ejected, or the first to board are being ejected as new units arrive.

Only thing I could think of, if you're receiving the same results each time.

[Droll]

Here's a question. What is the size of the vessel you're boarding? Any idea the complement it supports? I'm wondering if you're "Overcrowding" the ship and the new joiners are being ejected, or the first to board are being ejected as new units arrive.

Only thing I could think of, if you're receiving the same results each time.

This should not be happening as troops weirdly enough don't add strain to life support in any situation. If for some reason this is the case then there is another bug at play too.

[Stormtrooper (OP)]

Only thing I could think of, if you're receiving the same results each time.

Results are completely random each time. After several more boardings sometimes, weridly enough, the problem did not occur at all, most of the time it did, though.

Another interesting example is that in one case all soldiers made it, however two of the captured ships were of different class than the ones I wanted to board. Maybe it's my mistake, but I remember double-checking after giving orders, so this should not be happening.