Should have used a Pather Kite ;)
(Thanks, Eric Flint!)
I for one would not mind seeing some proper Star Forts (groan) in the game.
Can a station have both rotating and counter-rotating segments?
Stations also get a unique hull system which provides all of their weapons with a huge range boost so you can’t sit at max range and plink the station to death.So far, the Remnant battlestation manages this by having Gunnery Implants 3 on top of Targeting Supercomputer. Without it, beam Paragon with max range and max ECM will outrange the battlestation (except maybe Gauss Cannons, which Paragon can shrug off, and fighters, which get mowed down) and can leisurely pick off modules one-by-one.
I like how you approached the design by thinking the player approaches - form follows function eh?
Will there be major variations on stations? One may have an XXL cannon in the middle (but very slow turn rate?), while another may have several overlapping directional shields? To differentiate them.
...
That said - I imagined the stations to be WAY larger, like, a third of a station spanning the entire battle map from left to right with us fighting our way into it, with frigates/fighters going inside and blowing up the core or something.
Those Battlestations are sick. I can't wait to see what the modding community does! ;D
You know, I almost always ended up using marines to disable the weapon systems on stations. Lets not do that :P.
Can a station have both rotating and counter-rotating segments?
(explodey module, station counter-rotation stuff)
Can we assume there will be some associated benefits to taking down a planets station such as raiding privileges?
QuoteStations also get a unique hull system which provides all of their weapons with a huge range boost so you can’t sit at max range and plink the station to death.So far, the Remnant battlestation manages this by having Gunnery Implants 3 on top of Targeting Supercomputer. Without it, beam Paragon with max range and max ECM will outrange the battlestation (except maybe Gauss Cannons, which Paragon can shrug off, and fighters, which get mowed down) and can leisurely pick off modules one-by-one.
If the new battlestations do not automatically get Gunnery Implants 3, then station-killer Paragon might make a triumphant return, unless something changes, like bigger range bonus on Targeting Supercomputer or other change.
Interesting article, as always, though discussing stations by themselves might be a bit counterproductive, I mean odds are all stations will have attendant fleets for defense or even some sort of short range parasyte craft, a type of design that only stations could operate, u sing fighter mechanics, bascially, but far, far larger than fighters (so that we won't be able to operate off a flight deck) I am talking about a dedicated defense system, bascially, but unlike the station, mobile.
or like others have suggested having some sort of "armed sats" with a lot of firepower and weapons and a very limied mobility to serve as a further line of defense.
Still, some of those ideas would add a lot of clutter to the battle, not sure if with the current command system adding too much complexity would be desireable
1. It looks like the main habitat areas are in the inside, since that's where all the little windows are. But shouldn't the hab areas be as far from the center of rotation as possible to reduce Coriolis effect?
2. Not a physicist/engineer here, but wouldn't having asymmetrical distribution of bastions and other mass-intensive protrusions (as seen in the final versions of the graphics) throw the center of mass away from the center of the wheel and cause various subtle but undesirable outcomes?
Pedantry ahead:
Outsides look nice, but the insides aren't so compelling, and the graphics for them look less well developed
1. It looks like the main habitat areas are in the inside, since that's where all the little windows are. But shouldn't the hab areas be as far from the center of rotation as possible to reduce Coriolis effect?
2. Not a physicist/engineer here, but wouldn't having asymmetrical distribution of bastions and other mass-intensive protrusions (as seen in the final versions of the graphics) throw the center of mass away from the center of the wheel and cause various subtle but undesirable outcomes?
Please nobody respond with "oh so you want realism and it's a 2d space game!" because that's not an interesting or original response. Scientifically sound analyses and convoluted technobabble justifications only please!
... I mean odds are all stations will have attendant fleets for defense or even some sort of short range parasyte craft, a type of design that only stations could operate ...
or like others have suggested having some sort of "armed sats" with a lot of firepower and weapons and a very limied mobility to serve as a further line of defense.
Still, some of those ideas would add a lot of clutter to the battle, not sure if with the current command system adding too much complexity would be desireable
I suppose mods will still be able to set a layer of decor modules underneath a station ...
It's all very combat-focused - I assume that's what stations do? But some more protruding girders, docking ports, clamps, maybe even bulky modules that are largely cargo etc. would be nice if the stations actually service ships. Maybe there could be both - stations that are more utilitarian and therefore easier to handle, and pure combat fortresses.
Pedantry ahead:
...
Scientifically sound analyses and convoluted technobabble justifications only please!
It's fascinating to see this stuff under the hood, thanks for sharing!NP!
Hey David. What do you imagine stations as? Do they primarily handle planet defenses or are they more like a commerce hub, or perhaps a "gateway"?
In my mind all those satellite things orbiting a planet are its defense platforms preventing people coming and going, and shooting at the planet from orbit sort of things. Will there be other more "military" or "civilian" immobile things we have to deal with?
Maybe an military stations where its a box shaped things with lots of hangars and big 360 turning guns?
Are the rotating cylinder stations the extent of stations we will fight?
Since ships (if you want to justify it) don't kill their occupants when they go to Burn speed, they must have some way of nullifying the effects of lethal acceleration. If such technology exists then the comparatively miniscule force of a spinning space station and whatever "negative effects" that causes would be child's play to negate.
The orbital junk is just to show that space-faring civilization is getting up to all sorts of business around a planet. (Or it's space-ruins, like the Rust Belt from the Reynolds books!) So there could plausibly be defense platforms in there, or maybe not. Kinda depends on how we end up using these concepts in the game ;)
As mentioned, defense platforms are possible. Not sure if/how we'd handle them at this point.
I will say that these big round-style stations will be the core of station combat in the Domain; they exist in-game already as a symbol of both economic and military power, so they're going to get lots of meaning infused via participation in tactical combat (and, presumably, the campaign layer goings-on). .... They also take a bloody long time to draw, so I'm not in a hurry to make like 20 of 'em. More on that in the next blog post!
I think defense platforms are fairly limited by the role that mobility/range tradeoffs play in SS--with narrow exceptions, the smallest stationary platform useful in capital-tier combat can plausibly fit ATC and long-range weapons or TSC. The two uses I see for smaller defense platforms would be as a station-substitute for small-scale combat (e.g. a small colony that would surrender if a proper faction sent an occupation fleet but needs protection from raiders until it can either afford a proper station or catches the attention of a proper faction), and missile/launch bay platforms.Consider the Mudskipper MKII. I'd say small defense platforms armed with Gauss Cannons or long range beam weapons would be reasonable. Even just something like a Tactical Laser Grid with ITU and Advanced Optics would be a reasonable annoyance to larger fleets if the platform is supporting other ships/stations.
It spices things up only if it happens sparingly. Otherwise, it is the same ol' that must be dealt with in every endgame fight. Being able to opt out current objectives with Coordinated Maneuvers 1 and Electronic Warfare 1 is nice. No tricks, no distractions. Just wade in and kill.
I believe that if any enemy fleets are near the station, they can join the battle, but I could be wrong.
Spoiler(http://fractalsoftworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/decor_modules.jpg)[close]
That brown/rusty station on the left. I like it a lot. I still don't know exactly why I like clunkers in general but I have especially soft spot for ships that look like clunkers and use low-tech red shields instead of anything high-tech for some reason.
Another question, are all stations going to be like the current [REDACTED] stations, rare big late game boss battles, or are there going to be smaller stations as well.
Battle stations that release frigates when?
...And now I'm imagining a battlestation that's just three Onslaughts mounted as turrets, and if you manage to blow up the core station before destroying all three, the survivors come loose, fire up their engines, and come after you as regular ships...Battle stations that release frigates when?
See, if we did that, it'd be like okay, but how about destroyers?
So, David, how about second part of that blog post, is it done yet? :D
One crazy idea, though; why not make these battles multi-stage? Like:
Stage one: engage defense fleet.
Stage two: penetrate minefield under fighter attack.
Stage three: fight station, remaining defense fleet elements, etc.
It’d give battles more drama and eat CR clock without being just endless-seeming waves.