Fractal Softworks Forum

Starsector => Suggestions => Topic started by: Gothars on November 04, 2013, 07:41:30 AM

Title: Giving orders after CP have run out – at CR cost
Post by: Gothars on November 04, 2013, 07:41:30 AM
One of the many nice things about 'Sector is that many limits are soft limits, meaning that you can exceed them, but at a price. The limit on command points is unfortunately exempt from this, which can lead to painful situations where you have to watch ships fly into a certain death that one right command would have avoided.

IIRC Alex has once said that CPs represent the player character’s ability to communicate with his captains during battle, and that too much communication would disrupt the ability of a captain to effectively command his ship. I think the CR system gives the game the ability to simulate this disruption, instead of leaving it to the players imagination why he can’t issue any more orders.

When at 0 CP, keep the ability to give commands, but instantly reduce the CR of any ship that gets a direct command/takes up a newly created assignment. (I suppose ships that take the assignment subsequently should not get their CR reduced.) Of course it would have to be clearly communicated n the UI that you pay in CR now.

I think with this the point of CP, which is to reduce micromanagement, would be preserved, but without the sometimes dire and frustrating consequences.
Title: Re: Giving orders after CP have run out – at CR cost
Post by: phyrex on November 04, 2013, 09:21:27 AM
I could totally see that, even with in-lore explanation.
It could represent communication channels starting to get crowded and ressources about the ship getting more difficult to manage because of an over-abundance of orders coming in
Title: Re: Giving orders after CP have run out – at CR cost
Post by: Unfolder on November 04, 2013, 09:31:13 AM
Great idea, especially once CR becomes twice as slow to recover in 0.6.2a
Title: Re: Giving orders after CP have run out – at CR cost
Post by: ChaseBears on November 04, 2013, 12:02:07 PM
i like it in theory, but i think it stumbles in the case of accidental orders or newbies who arn't paying attention and then slaughter their own CR.
Title: Re: Giving orders after CP have run out – at CR cost
Post by: xenoargh on November 04, 2013, 12:34:04 PM
+1; anything that would enhance the RTS control system and make it more attractive than simply putting all of one's eggs into a single super-ship (or a series of super-frigates) and encourages using large-scale fleets gets my strong support :)
Title: Re: Giving orders after CP have run out – at CR cost
Post by: PCCL on November 04, 2013, 12:57:13 PM
What if we decrease the flagship's cr, since thats the one giving orders

This way we dont get the potential frustration of too many ships rushing into an order and losing cr, also making things more clear cut in general

then each ship could hav a different "cr per order" value, since hyperions wont be as well equipped for command than say an astral

carriers will lose less cr per command, which helps fighter command to an extent, and this paves the way for potential implementation of command ships
Title: Re: Giving orders after CP have run out – at CR cost
Post by: ciago92 on November 04, 2013, 01:45:40 PM
What if we decrease the flagship's cr, since thats the one giving orders

This way we dont get the potential frustration of too many ships rushing into an order and losing cr, also making things more clear cut in general

then each ship could hav a different "cr per order" value, since hyperions wont be as well equipped for command than say an astral

carriers will lose less cr per command, which helps fighter command to an extent, and this paves the way for potential implementation of command ships

I definitely like carriers getting a bonus to start differentiating command ships, however that difference won't show until you're already out of CP. This is straying towards a different suggestion but I feel like command ships should grant bonus CP before/in addition to the cr costing commands
Title: Re: Giving orders after CP have run out – at CR cost
Post by: Gothars on November 04, 2013, 01:48:01 PM
What if we decrease the flagship's cr, since thats the one giving orders

I thought about that too, but it would just "force" you to constantly change flagships or to start the battle with some non-combat ship where CR doesn't matter.
Title: Re: Giving orders after CP have run out – at CR cost
Post by: Unfolder on November 04, 2013, 01:57:17 PM
Perhaps this system would be integrated into a larger "order of battle" system. Fighters can be issued extra orders at small costs to carriers they're assigned under. Frigates can be issued extra orders at small costs to capital ships they're assigned under. Maybe as long the extra orders were issued within range of the "control" ship the CR cost would be negated. This would of course make "command and control" ships a viable class, like that Apogee? (the one with extended vision range drones). Officers could also give bonuses, like extending the range of extra orders, cost of extra orders.

Right now it's just kind of a pain in the butt to issue orders, especially when the most viable strategy is almost always to blob and attack en masse, the way the AI does. Spending the extra skill points to gain command points is just not worth it, when there are so many much more important "inherent" bonuses to buy (logistics, all the combat skills, the ordinance tech skills)