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Starsector 0.97a is out! (02/02/24); New blog post: Simulator Enhancements (03/13/24)

Author Topic: "Throw-away" Fighters - Rebuilding  (Read 4255 times)

Brainbread

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"Throw-away" Fighters - Rebuilding
« on: February 28, 2013, 12:21:05 PM »

Fighters are pretty expendable. They don't cost a lot of crew when they get the floor wiped with them, they tend to die pretty easily, and though carriers increase their combat lifespan, they tend to melt really quickly when exposed to anything larger than a frigate (No shields versus heavy PD? Bye bye!).

This, combined with the short supply of fighters in the main game means that running a fighter heavy fleet can be a quite the challenge. Is really hard to manage your fleet when the fighters are dying in rather one-sided combats!

So, my suggest would be to have the option of "manufacturing" new fighters from the shells of the lost wings. Instead of having a destroyed fighter wing be gone gone, have it show up in the fleet menu as a Wing that you can spend X amount of supply, and 2/3rds the cost in credits to repair back to new.

Make it take a bit of time, but allowing players to spend resources out on the go (if they have the carriers to do so) to keep their fighter wings up an running. Anyways, thats my suggestion.
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Gothars

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Re: "Throw-away" Fighters - Rebuilding
« Reply #1 on: February 28, 2013, 12:44:21 PM »

I agree that fighters are to weak, and as it seem so does most of the forum.

I think to make Fighters virtually indestructible (on the campaign level) would be a bit much, though. I'm pretty sure there are already plans to buff the little ones, maybe fighter specific skills or something different.
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zakastra

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Re: "Throw-away" Fighters - Rebuilding
« Reply #2 on: February 28, 2013, 12:48:29 PM »

Besides, fighter wings have really invasive DRM.

Especially Longbow, they wont launch unless you install games for windows live.

I wonder if that's why they stopped selling them in the campaign....
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Oh DRM, bane of the carrier captain...

Shield

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Re: "Throw-away" Fighters - Rebuilding
« Reply #3 on: February 28, 2013, 12:52:30 PM »

I have noticed giving the fighters a shield has made them somewhat more of a threat, not a very powerful shield, just something that prevents them from going poof on the first salvo of small weapons fire, but they still get done in by flak, as well as slightly reducing their fleet cost, I noticed the comp uses them more when they have a lower fleet cost.
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Gothars

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Re: "Throw-away" Fighters - Rebuilding
« Reply #4 on: February 28, 2013, 01:01:24 PM »

Besides, fighter wings have really invasive DRM.

Ha, I like your sig ;)

That's only a lore explanation though, it would be readily changed if it would stand in the way of a better gameplay concept.
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The game was completed 8 years ago and we get a free expansion every year.

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billi999

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Re: "Throw-away" Fighters - Rebuilding
« Reply #5 on: February 28, 2013, 01:21:12 PM »

Maybe an across-the-board speed buff to fighters is in order, as for the moment I find that a fair number of fighters aren't quick enough to outrun frigates and even some destroyers (especially when you consider the movement systems i.e; burn drive & jets). It just seems like a fairly easy way to buff them but still an effective method. Maybe raising the damage threshold for when they return to carriers if available would help too, as I find all too often my fighters can get swarmed and by the time they "realise", for lack of a better term, that they need repairing they're halfway to toast.
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Gothars

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Re: "Throw-away" Fighters - Rebuilding
« Reply #6 on: February 28, 2013, 01:25:41 PM »

Maybe an across-the-board speed buff to fighters is in order

Since frigate will get a speed-buff with the new CR system, it's a pretty sure bet that fighters will get one, too.
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Vinya

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Re: "Throw-away" Fighters - Rebuilding
« Reply #7 on: March 03, 2013, 02:03:47 PM »

Well, in the current game, something similar to this is already in effect. If even one fighter is left in a wing when you finish the battle, the wing will regenerate the lost fighters at it is repaired. I've played most of my campaigns using this tactic (I play mostly with a small fleet that's fighter heavy). and I rarely actually lose fighter wings. Just keep an eye on your fighter wings, and when they lose too many individual ships, send them on retreat.
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Temjin

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Re: "Throw-away" Fighters - Rebuilding
« Reply #8 on: March 05, 2013, 09:40:40 AM »

Just invest in the "repairs" Technology skill.
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Gothars

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Re: "Throw-away" Fighters - Rebuilding
« Reply #9 on: March 05, 2013, 10:28:51 AM »

Just invest in the "repairs" Technology skill.

Since fighters get destroyed most of the time and the repair skill only applies to disabled ship, that would not be of too much use.
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The game was completed 8 years ago and we get a free expansion every year.

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Decer304

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Re: "Throw-away" Fighters - Rebuilding
« Reply #10 on: March 05, 2013, 11:35:19 PM »

It would be nice if there was an option to to store your fighters in your ships' hangers, and deploy them when you feel is necessary. For normal system travel, if they are stored in your hangers, it speeds you up, but takes a bit more fuel or supplies, in combat, if you want to store fighters in your ship and deploy them when you feel it is the moment to, it would slow you down.
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zakastra

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Re: "Throw-away" Fighters - Rebuilding
« Reply #11 on: March 06, 2013, 03:44:12 AM »

Gothars made an excellent post related to that suggestion, a quick forum search should turn it up
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Oh DRM, bane of the carrier captain...