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News:

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

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Author Topic: Expanded Battles  (Read 107409 times)

Alex

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Expanded Battles
« on: October 02, 2015, 02:36:52 PM »

Blog post here.
« Last Edit: October 02, 2015, 02:43:21 PM by Alex »
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ciago92

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Re: Expanded Battles
« Reply #1 on: October 02, 2015, 02:41:07 PM »

Link incoming

*drools in anticipation*
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sirboomalot

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Re: Expanded Battles
« Reply #2 on: October 02, 2015, 02:42:18 PM »

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ArkAngel

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Re: Expanded Battles
« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2015, 02:42:46 PM »

Link incoming
*Rapidly presses f5, staring at the forum page*

Edit: Ninja'ed. Curse youuu!
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"Yes... Yes I -am- sending you, alone, unarmed, against the might of the Hegemony defense fleet.  Not to worry - watching how they obliterate your puny frigate will be most... enlightening.  I shall dissect their tactics and emerge victorious!  Any questions? Then get to your ship, you launch in 5."

Alex

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Re: Expanded Battles
« Reply #4 on: October 02, 2015, 02:44:17 PM »

(Jeez, you guys work fast. Three comments already?!? ... make that four.)

Y'all know you can just go to the blog, right?

http://fractalsoftworks.com/2015/10/02/expanded-battles/

It wasn't up there until literally 30 seconds ago :)
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orost

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Re: Expanded Battles
« Reply #5 on: October 02, 2015, 02:49:20 PM »

I'm more excited for this than any other feature announced so far (and that says a lot, considering how amazing the other stuff has been). It completely turns interacting with other fleets inside-out, from something that has always felt like it didn't make any sense and took a lot away from the game into exactly what I want to see!
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Schwartz

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Re: Expanded Battles
« Reply #6 on: October 02, 2015, 02:49:45 PM »

YES! I didn't dare to hope for this since I remembered you saying at one point that it was too tricky to do. Glad you got it sorted out.
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TJJ

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Re: Expanded Battles
« Reply #7 on: October 02, 2015, 02:51:41 PM »

Wow, epic!
For me, this is the most exciting new feature thus far!
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Adraius

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Re: Expanded Battles
« Reply #8 on: October 02, 2015, 02:52:26 PM »

(Jeez, you guys work fast. Three comments already?!? ... make that four.)

Y'all know you can just go to the blog, right?

http://fractalsoftworks.com/2015/10/02/expanded-battles/

It wasn't up there until literally 30 seconds ago :)

Annnnd I deleted that post literally 10 seconds after posting because I saw the link had appeared. xD I think there must be a brief relay between posts being submitted/edited/deleted and when those changed are reflected; I didn't mean to be snooty with that post.

Soooo... my really big question is what will this look like from the player's perspective when initiating a combat and other fleets come to support?  Will there be a short period where we still see the campaign layer with both fleets in contact and other fleets can choose to swoop in and support, will they appear at the engage/disengage screen where we see each fleet's composition, or will our first notice be a lot of additional ships appearing in the tactical combat stage?  Will joining fleets appear immediately or partway through the battle?

I'm also somewhat concerned about the implications for taking heavily fortified bases, but I'll withhold those until I see the system in action. =)
« Last Edit: October 02, 2015, 03:03:02 PM by Adraius »
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Creepin

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Re: Expanded Battles
« Reply #9 on: October 02, 2015, 02:58:36 PM »

So. Much. Like!

I adored the option to have some NPCs fighting for me in Age of Wonders, and I'm just happy to see it in Starsector!
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Abradolf Lincler

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Re: Expanded Battles
« Reply #10 on: October 02, 2015, 02:59:21 PM »

OMG I NEED NOW!!!!!
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LazyWizard

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Re: Expanded Battles
« Reply #11 on: October 02, 2015, 03:01:52 PM »

This is an excellent addition, and should make the game much more friendly for new players. :)

I'm curious about a few details. How are reputation/loot handled? Will fleets sometimes break off between sub-battles when their ships are worn out, or do they always support allies after the initial decision? And if they can leave, how is only part of a larger fleet retreating handled?

Regarding battles taking place on the campaign map: is simulated combat done in discrete "rounds" like in Mount & Blade where you can hover over them and watch combatants disappear every few seconds, or is it a single timer?
« Last Edit: October 02, 2015, 03:06:00 PM by LazyWizard »
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orost

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Re: Expanded Battles
« Reply #12 on: October 02, 2015, 03:03:34 PM »

If NPC fleets can join into a player's battle in progress, that means that campaign time is running during battles now. Do we get any sort of awareness of what's going on in the campaign layer during battle? To see if anybody's coming to aid or murder us? It seems necessary, even if it's just a little minimap with friendlies and enemies marked

(Or can they not do that?)
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Dark.Revenant

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Re: Expanded Battles
« Reply #13 on: October 02, 2015, 03:05:52 PM »

How are allied ships outwardly identified via script?
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TJJ

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Re: Expanded Battles
« Reply #14 on: October 02, 2015, 03:08:40 PM »

If NPC fleets can join into a player's battle in progress, that means that campaign time is running during battles now. Do we get any sort of awareness of what's going on in the campaign layer during battle? To see if anybody's coming to aid or murder us? It seems necessary, even if it's just a little minimap with friendlies and enemies marked

(Or can they not do that?)

Nah.
When the player is in battle, no campaign time passes.
Instead, nearby fleets are pulled into the battle when the engagement begins.

What isn't clear is whether these supporting fleets are available from the outset, or if they have delayed arrival. (based upon their speed & distance from the battle site).

Quote from: Alex's blog post
When the player encounters another fleet rather than an ongoing battle, nearby fleets will support one side or the other in the event hostilities break out/quote]
« Last Edit: October 02, 2015, 03:12:33 PM by TJJ »
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