1
Suggestions / Re: Fleet Organization
« on: June 20, 2020, 10:47:17 PM »
@Morrokain, that is exactly right and what I am referring to - subordinates interpreting your orders into action at their discretion. instead of you controlling them like a drone. StarSector is one of the few games that has this to some extent, but it is more extensively implemented in games such as Airborne Assault, Command Ops, Take Command and Scourge of War. All of these games, as well as real world military, supplement this via organizational structure.
Indeed. That is how it is in a real world military. There is nothing stopping, say, a general from giving direct orders to a platoon for a critical mission. Even all the games that I referred to that model army organization and chain of command, allows this. My suggestion assumes this. This is already possible for StarSector, e.g. you can create a taskgroup or give a direct command to a ship. Sort of why I said that all the basic ingredients are there.
To understand why army organization + chain of command would benefit the gameplay, one just needs to consider why they have been integral parts of real world armies for thousands of years.
Quote
There should still be the capability of giving commands to ships individually even when in formation or within a task group as the tactical needs of the situation will often require flexibility in that regard.
Indeed. That is how it is in a real world military. There is nothing stopping, say, a general from giving direct orders to a platoon for a critical mission. Even all the games that I referred to that model army organization and chain of command, allows this. My suggestion assumes this. This is already possible for StarSector, e.g. you can create a taskgroup or give a direct command to a ship. Sort of why I said that all the basic ingredients are there.
To understand why army organization + chain of command would benefit the gameplay, one just needs to consider why they have been integral parts of real world armies for thousands of years.
- It allows convenient command & control of much larger fleets in battle. Gameplay wise we will get more epic battles without taxing micromanagement.
- It will add natural progression for characters - from the lowly lieutenant in command of a shuttle to a vice admiral in charge of a carrier group leading their own flagship. Same as in reality. An officer becomes more capable over time, they want a better position with better perks and are able to handle more responsibilities, and it makes sense for their leader to give them more responsibilities, as you want more capable officers in more important roles, and to reduce your own micromanagement.
- To that end, I would also like to see natural traits (including flaws) that your officers come with or pick up over time. This will create additional strategic consideration when picking an officer for a particular role. And they should come with a dynamic factor like ambition / loyalty, which makes them want to leave if their increasing veterancy is not rewarded with higher positions, or bigger ships.
- On a macro level, this will also make management of large fleets more convenient, and allow a new layer of strategy. Instead of outfitting each an every ship personally, you could create a "fire support squadron" by putting a cautious captain in charge of it, giving him a budget and the standing role of "fire support" on an organizational level. Then this subordinate AI can continue outfitting his squad whenever he gets access to new equipment in a station / planet or post-battle, or even add new ships and officers to the squad within his budget. In battle, you no longer need to recreate this taskforce on ad hoc basis in every battle, as they already know their role.
- Through out all this, the player will be free to maintain his own command squad. sort of like an Imperial Guard, or executive branch, of elite ships under his direct command.