Change Log for 6.00 discussion

[TheDeadlyShoe]

I was eyeing the new missile design screen. There's even more things to fidget with than before. It would be kinda nice if you could just set the size of the missile, and the game automatically fills unused space with fuel.   It would make it a lot easier to play around with engine sizes etc. and get immediate feedback in terms of to-hits and range.

[Thiosk]

oh crap--- shipping change!

What determines the size of the freighters?  I usually locked designs at 350,000 to 700,000 tons to reduce freighter spam

[hikkiko]

What about old ships?  Will you refit, scrap or leave them as is?

[Steve Walmsley]

oh crap--- shipping change!

What determines the size of the freighters?  I usually locked designs at 350,000 to 700,000 tons to reduce freighter spam

The freighter sizes will be based on the NPR design code. I am also implementing a way for the Shipping Lines to retire their old freighters. What I am leaning toward at the moment is that every time a shipping line builds a new ship, it will retire an equivalent ship with engines that are two generations out of date - if one exists.

EDIT - or maybe simpler that the shipping line will retire the oldest ship of the same general type, with a minimum of 10 years older. In that way, a shipping line is generally going to have a relatively modern fleet and is unlikely to have more ships that it can build in 10 years.

Steve

[backstab]

Are the Shipping Companies going to have a limit to the amount of ships they can produce and have operational ?

[TheDeadlyShoe]

I like the age-based obsolescence option.  It has the nice touch that if a shipping line isn't earning much money (and thus buying new ships) its ships will tend to be older. Regardless of engine techs.

And if there's ever wealth-based maintenance for commercial ships it would fit in very well.

I'm a little worried though, since the NPR freighters are often slow cheap affairs.  Slow has its own concerns, but cheap might result in larger fleets than currently - at least until ships start getting retired.

Also -  I dunno, I've always been unhappy with the way trading works in general... Like the best way to earn wealth is to colonize mars regardless of military or industrial value.  And not build your own infrastructure.   And the first load of cargo is the same value as the thousandth, so rarity never enters into it. //shrug.  Going to think about it.

P.S. - Random idea.  "Freight Rating" for freighters, calculated by the game.  Simple multiplication of speed and cargo/cryo/troop capacity.  It would make it easy to compare designs.

P.P.S. - Does anyone ever ever ever use cargo holds in anything other than multiples of 5? Might they just as well be implemented that way?

[Steve Walmsley]

P.P.S. - Does anyone ever ever ever use cargo holds in anything other than multiples of 5? Might they just as well be implemented that way?

I've already changed it

v5.70 has the current cargo hold as Cargo Hold - Small. There is a new Cargo Hold - Standard which is 5x larger.

Steve

[hikkiko]

I'm a little worried though, since the NPR freighters are often slow cheap affairs.   Slow has its own concerns, but cheap might result in larger fleets than currently - at least until ships start getting retired. 

Also -  I dunno, I've always been unhappy with the way trading works in general. . .  Like the best way to earn wealth is to colonize mars regardless of military or industrial value.   And not build your own infrastructure.    And the first load of cargo is the same value as the thousandth, so rarity never enters into it.  //shrug.   Going to think about it. 

I was thinking of multiplying wealth cost of ships so a ship will create 2-5 its cost for its lifespan.

[Steve Walmsley]

I've updated the shipping lines post with the following:

"When a new ship is built, the shipping line will retire the oldest ship of the same general type (with a minimum of 10 years older) that is not currently carrying cargo. So its possible a civilian ship will last longer than 10 years, due to always being active when the shipping line is looking for a ship to scrap. As a ship will not have cargo more than 50% of the time, its luck will probably run out at some point.

All civilian ships will be scrapped when they reach 15 years old, regardless of whether a new ship has been built.

With these changes, a shipping line is generally going to have a relatively modern fleet, with the oldest ships ranging from 10-15 years."

Steve

[ollobrains]

do Civilian designs and even military designs get updated as u get new tech ( for military) if u have the AI designs ship design on game startup clicked.

[Erik L]

do Civilian designs and even military designs get updated as u get new tech ( for military) if u have the AI designs ship design on game startup clicked.

The only designs that get automatically updated should be the AI ships. Not any pregenerated designs of the player.

[Erik L]

Instead of scrapping older ships, maybe have old designs get sold to new startups or something. Though probably not indefinitely.

[Five]

Or the option to let the player buy them, saves us the minerals of building them.

[hikkiko]

Or the option to let the player buy them, saves us the minerals of building them.

They was built with cash instead of minerals. . .  second rate materials, cheap workers and lack of maintenance = short lifespan of ships

[wilddog5]

how well defenced will these ships be? CWIS / sensors?