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

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Author Topic: A new role for combat readiness and hull points  (Read 13078 times)

Hari Seldon

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Re: A new role for combat readiness and hull points
« Reply #30 on: May 08, 2015, 11:37:05 AM »

But not losing a whole ship is a big deal if it is rare.
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"Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent." - Salvor Hardin, Foundation

Pushover

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Re: A new role for combat readiness and hull points
« Reply #31 on: May 08, 2015, 02:19:41 PM »

The idea would be to have a semi-permanent CR reduction if you take a ton of damage. The ship was so damaged, it could not be repaired without spending a few days getting repaired at a friendly station. Supplies would no longer fix every problem on your ships.

I do not really like this idea, as it would not be fun, I don't really see what it adds to the game from an enjoyability perspective, it's limiting rather than additive. There is already more than enough griefing from CR dynamics as it is, as well as loss dynamics (losing a ship, particularly a rare ship, is horrible without omnifactory). In effect, crippling damage would partition total loss damage into smaller segment, rather than losing a whole ship, you loss half a ship if you take, say, 75% damage. Since loss penalties are, imho, completely and totally broken in vanilla, to the point of making the game semi-unplayable, the idea of a semi-loss penalty is just more grief.

One compromise I COULD see, is if you had a mobile repair gantry, that could uncripple crippled ships on the fly. Maybe...but overall though it seems like a big ball of hair without too much payoff.
Also part of the idea is that when a ship reaches 0 CR, instead of exploding, it loses control of its weapons, and needs to try to limp off the battlefield with malfunctioning engines. If they get shot enough, they still will explode and die, but if you win a battle, losing half your ships, all it will mean is that you need to repair your fleet at a friendly base (and you might have actually lost a few ships).
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Unfolder

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Re: A new role for combat readiness and hull points
« Reply #32 on: May 09, 2015, 05:34:36 AM »

If you're trying to integrate crippling into the game, why not have battlefield effects that last until the engagement ends, that is to say, until you withdraw or retreat from a fight to the overland (reploying against the same enemy still has the effect). For example, if a ship gets alpha striked for more than 50% of its health on its engines, the engines continuously malfunction for the rest of the fight regardless of CR, or have a more unique effect, like manuvering is 50% disabled on one side. If they get alpha striked on the front, their targeting systems go crazy, with 100% more recoil, or their shields randomly vent when struck above 50% flux. Things like that.

The problem with crippling effects that require station repair is that it doesn't really change the game all that much. After a fight where you get mauled, you have two options - go to a station or wait until you auto-repair. With crippling, you eliminate auto-repair. I don't see the point...

One thing you could do is tag ships with the inability to travel near stars, or enter wormholes, or through asteroid fields, without risk, if they've been "overland" crippled. That would change the game in a semi-meaningful way and perhaps limit your options of escape if you're running from an enemy fleet, do I dump the dud ship, or jump, or retreat away from stations but towards safety...meh 
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SatchelCharge

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Re: A new role for combat readiness and hull points
« Reply #33 on: May 22, 2015, 03:44:40 PM »

I think this idea would be great if CR were toned down slightly to balance it all out. Losing is never fun in video games but, to me, it is especially awful in SS (I play iron mode). I think this could help.
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