Computer-controlled Empires

[welchbloke]

All the changes that are coming with V4.0 sound great; I've also got some reservations about lack of SM access to NPRs but I'll give it good go before passing judgement.
I'd also like to add my voice to those clamouring for pirates and security ratings for systems.  I would hate to see my pesky civilian ships cruising obliviously into the teeth of an alien invasion fleet.  No really I would  . Its a little thin but it does provide a reason for 'pirates'

I admit I hadn't thought the rational behind 'pirates' all the way through.  What I was really after was ensuring that empires actually had to worry about escorting freighters beyond the front lines.  I like the idea of the trapped precursor ships; it would provide the right sort of impetus for people to start worrying about providing escorts.  Particularly if the precursor don't pop up for a few months/years after system is discovered(because they haven't detected the PR ships)  

[Erik L]

I was thinking, maybe there should be an exclusion zone around a homeworld. Maybe 1 or 2 jump radius where no other NPR homeworlds are found.

[jfelten]

I was thinking, maybe there should be an exclusion zone around a homeworld. Maybe 1 or 2 jump radius where no other NPR homeworlds are found.

What about just using the sectors or whatever it is called where you flag systems as being grouped together?

[Erik L]

I was thinking, maybe there should be an exclusion zone around a homeworld. Maybe 1 or 2 jump radius where no other NPR homeworlds are found.

What about just using the sectors or whatever it is called where you flag systems as being grouped together?

I mean a programatic limit, so that you don't have the Bugs right next to you. Gives you a chance to at least start in relative safety.

[welchbloke]

I was thinking, maybe there should be an exclusion zone around a homeworld. Maybe 1 or 2 jump radius where no other NPR homeworlds are found.

What about just using the sectors or whatever it is called where you flag systems as being grouped together?

I mean a programatic limit, so that you don't have the Bugs right next to you. Gives you a chance to at least start in relative safety.

Now that the NPR generation is automatic this is probably something that should be considered; Aurora should be sporting enough to give Player Races at least a fighting chance  

[backstab]

Steve,

Will the NPR's conduct planetry invasions with Ground Troops ??

[SteveAlt]

I was thinking, maybe there should be an exclusion zone around a homeworld. Maybe 1 or 2 jump radius where no other NPR homeworlds are found.

What might be easier, and would also avoid allowing players to expand slowly in the knowledge they are perfectly safe, would be an amount of time at the start of the game during which no alien races would be created. Although in v4.0, at least one NPR starts at the same time as you in an unconnected system, so they will be building up too.

Steve

[SteveAlt]

Steve,

Will the NPR's conduct planetry invasions with Ground Troops ??

They don't at the moment. Aurora is such a large and detailed game that I am going to try and get NPRs to the point where they are a reasonable threat and then add new NPR abilities, such as ground attacks, in subsequent versions.

Steve

[welchbloke]

I was thinking, maybe there should be an exclusion zone around a homeworld. Maybe 1 or 2 jump radius where no other NPR homeworlds are found.

What might be easier, and would also avoid allowing players to expand slowly in the knowledge they are perfectly safe, would be an amount of time at the start of the game during which no alien races would be created. Although in v4.0, at least one NPR starts at the same time as you in an unconnected system, so they will be building up too.

Steve

Sneaky!   certainly gives you an incentive.

[Erik L]

I was thinking, maybe there should be an exclusion zone around a homeworld. Maybe 1 or 2 jump radius where no other NPR homeworlds are found.

What might be easier, and would also avoid allowing players to expand slowly in the knowledge they are perfectly safe, would be an amount of time at the start of the game during which no alien races would be created. Although in v4.0, at least one NPR starts at the same time as you in an unconnected system, so they will be building up too.

Steve

I don't mind that at all, as long as I don't pop through a homesystem jp and encounter them

[IanD]

Steve wrote

What might be easier, and would also avoid allowing players to expand slowly in the knowledge they are perfectly safe, would be an amount of time at the start of the game during which no alien races would be created. Although in v4.0, at least one NPR starts at the same time as you in an unconnected system, so they will be building up too.

Erik wrote

I don't mind that at all, as long as I don't pop through a homesystem jp and encounter them

But would the delay also affect Precursors’? The problem an Empire could face is going through a home jump point, finding a Precursor, spending time to hopefully overcome it, assuming it doesn't find your JP too soon! Then not having expanded very far before the hostile NPRs kick in and possibly find you. It would certainly focus the mind! Do you have a definite period of time in mind?
Regards
Ian

[Erik L]

Steve wrote

What might be easier, and would also avoid allowing players to expand slowly in the knowledge they are perfectly safe, would be an amount of time at the start of the game during which no alien races would be created. Although in v4.0, at least one NPR starts at the same time as you in an unconnected system, so they will be building up too.

Erik wrote

I don't mind that at all, as long as I don't pop through a homesystem jp and encounter them

But would the delay also affect Precursors’? The problem an Empire could face is going through a home jump point, finding a Precursor, spending time to hopefully overcome it, assuming it doesn't find your JP too soon! Then not having expanded very far before the hostile NPRs kick in and possibly find you. It would certainly focus the mind! Do you have a definite period of time in mind?
Regards
Ian

I'd prefer to not even see Precursors within a 2 jump radius of the homeworld. Just to give the race a bit of breathing room.

And if you wanted them, the "Add Ruin" button should take care of that

[IanD]

Erik wrote

I'd prefer to not even see Precursors within a 2 jump radius of the homeworld. Just to give the race a bit of breathing room.

And if you wanted them, the "Add Ruin" button should take care of that

Not having had the pleasure of Precursors I was never sure if you pressed the “Add Ruins” button for Mars, it wouldn’t deposit a Precursor in the Oort Cloud. Your nascent Empire could then be measured in months!
Regards
Ian

[Erik L]

Erik wrote

I'd prefer to not even see Precursors within a 2 jump radius of the homeworld. Just to give the race a bit of breathing room.

And if you wanted them, the "Add Ruin" button should take care of that

Not having had the pleasure of Precursors I was never sure if you pressed the “Add Ruins” button for Mars, it wouldn’t deposit a Precursor in the Oort Cloud. Your nascent Empire could then be measured in months!
Regards
Ian

It doesn't in 3.2

4.0... well... Maybe Steve should add another button "Add Precursor" and leave the ruin button just adding a ruin.

[Larac]

The thing with "magic" tech for Precursors is that all of that tech is potentially available via ruins.

I don't think it would be too unbalancing if a player was to find a "freighter detector".  Or maybe it is something that without constant maintenance crumbles to dust.  Or requires some unique material, that is perhaps consumed with use and needs to be replenished, of which a source is yet unknown.  Or some such excuse.  

If all civilian ships always had their IFF on that would be another way to pick them out one the system was known.  

The commercial engines being discussed on another thread are another possibly way to guess at what is a civilian ship and what is military.  

Like I wrote, I would just as soon there be no "pirates" in the game.  But if people want them, the whole Aurora universe has no solid basis or background so we can come up with something that can be made to fit without being too unbelievable.  If you can swallow reactionless propulsion at sizable fractions of the speed of light, "warp points" that link to distant star systems, guiding missiles at millions of kilometers distance with enough accuracy to hit another missile, robotic Precursor spaceships still functional after centuries, etc. etc., something that can judge whether something is a freighter or warship with reasonable accuracy sounds pretty trivial.

I'd rather see privateers than pirates, but one government's privateer is another's pirate.

I'm just thinking of novels like Honor Harrington (Pirates in the Silesian Confederacy) & Vatta's War which all have multiple established empires and pirates/privateers.

Also remember Pirates normally have spies spread out to give them info on juicy targets.

Of course if we have pirates we need Q Ships to fool them with.

Lee