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Suggestions / Stations should always have a defending fleet
« on: October 11, 2022, 01:25:35 AM »
Since Star Forts are extremely powerful, but any significant defensive force can easily be baited away, the obvious (and often only) way to deal with them is to deal with the defending fleet on its own and then the station on its own
Honestly, this just isn't fun. Star Fortresses have never been fun to fight IMO, because it's just hurling capitals at a ridiculously strong target and waiting, there's little for the player to do and not any role for smaller ships to play.
What's more fun is fighting weaker stations that have a defending fleet, because there's actually complexity and diversity to the battle.
It's also fun when you're fighting off a huge invasion fleet with a weaker station on your side, because the station won't carry the battle for you and it's likely to be destroyed, but it's a valuable asset if you use it right. A Star Fortress will just win the battle for you.
Personally, I think the doctrine towards balancing should be this this: Even the strongest orbital without a fleet should simply get steamrolled by any serious invasion, but it should never find itself starting a battle without a decent fleet backing it up.
So, what if orbitals couldn't get as powerful, but they also kept a sizeable defensive fleet in reserve?
By "can't get as powerful" I mean nerfing Star Fortresses so they're more like Battlestations as they are now (perhaps just Battlestations with the orbiting drones), and then nerfing Battlestations a little just to smooth out the strength curve so Star Fortresses are still decently more powerful than Battlestations.
And the defensive fleet they keep in reserve will always be there to assist the station in an invasion, they can't be baited away and fought separately since they don't actually exist as a visible fleet in space.
Honestly, this just isn't fun. Star Fortresses have never been fun to fight IMO, because it's just hurling capitals at a ridiculously strong target and waiting, there's little for the player to do and not any role for smaller ships to play.
What's more fun is fighting weaker stations that have a defending fleet, because there's actually complexity and diversity to the battle.
It's also fun when you're fighting off a huge invasion fleet with a weaker station on your side, because the station won't carry the battle for you and it's likely to be destroyed, but it's a valuable asset if you use it right. A Star Fortress will just win the battle for you.
Personally, I think the doctrine towards balancing should be this this: Even the strongest orbital without a fleet should simply get steamrolled by any serious invasion, but it should never find itself starting a battle without a decent fleet backing it up.
So, what if orbitals couldn't get as powerful, but they also kept a sizeable defensive fleet in reserve?
By "can't get as powerful" I mean nerfing Star Fortresses so they're more like Battlestations as they are now (perhaps just Battlestations with the orbiting drones), and then nerfing Battlestations a little just to smooth out the strength curve so Star Fortresses are still decently more powerful than Battlestations.
And the defensive fleet they keep in reserve will always be there to assist the station in an invasion, they can't be baited away and fought separately since they don't actually exist as a visible fleet in space.