Distant Worlds: Return of the Shakturi

[WoodMan]

[:D]

I've never even bothered to build a resupply ship!  I will make that one of my goals when the addon comes out. [:D]

[ehsumrell1]

ORIGINAL: WoodMan

[:D]

I've never even bothered to build a resupply ship!  I will make that one of my goals when the addon comes out. [:D]

It is a great strategy WoodMan to have a resupply ship deployed in a Hydrogen Gas Cloud about a
sector away from the battle zone. Makes either "Hit & Run" or Direct Assault missions more
viable. {Especially against the Shakturi...which you'll soon know, and be THANKFUL for Resupply
vessels)

[Igard]

I didn't like them at first until I figured out how to use them to good effect. They really allow you to take the fight to your enemy. I like to create a small defence fleet for the resupply ship, of which I usually have about 2. I'll quick select them as buttons '9' and '0'. Then pick a system with the appropriate fuel source and make that your 'staging' area for the offensive. Usually somewhere about a sector distance from the enemy controlled star system(s), so as to decrease the chances of detection on their long range sensors (maybe closer depending on tech level).

[ehsumrell1]

ORIGINAL: Igard

Usually somewhere about a sector distance from the enemy controlled star system(s), so as to decrease the chances of detection on their long range sensors (maybe closer depending on tech level).

...and I thought you Romulans had cloaking devices on your ships.... LOL [:-]

[Igard]

ORIGINAL: ehsumrell1

ORIGINAL: Igard

Usually somewhere about a sector distance from the enemy controlled star system(s), so as to decrease the chances of detection on their long range sensors (maybe closer depending on tech level).

...and I thought you Romulans had cloaking devices on your ships.... LOL [:-]

I've been thinking about Romulan style cloaking devices and how they could be implemented in DW without making them overpowered. Here are a few ideas if anyones interested :-

* They would need to be a race special tech so not everyone has them.
* It wouldn't be practical to have a toggle button so why not only engage it when it's needed? This would be when an attack order is given or when a resupply ship is being deployed at a gas giant.
* The level of long range sensor tech could be used to detect cloaked ships (as it does now). However in this case, the cloaked ship would remain undetected until it finally opens fire or receives a non tactical order (move, refuel, etc.)
* The ship should attempt to re-cloak when it retreats. The cloak should use alot of energy, so there may not be enough left for it to re-cloak itself when retreating leaving it vulnerable.

Not easy to implement I would think, but it would be a nice tech. I might start a thread about cloaking devices once I see what the expansion has in store for me.

[ehsumrell1]

ORIGINAL: Igard


I've been thinking about Romulan style cloaking devices and how they could be implemented in DW without making them overpowered. Here are a few ideas if anyones interested :-

* They would need to be a race special tech so not everyone has them.
* It wouldn't be practical to have a toggle button so why not only engage it when it's needed? This would be when an attack order is given or when a resupply ship is being deployed at a gas giant.
* The level of long range sensor tech could be used to detect cloaked ships (as it does now). However in this case, the cloaked ship would remain undetected until it finally opens fire or receives a non tactical order (move, refuel, etc.)
* The ship should attempt to re-cloak when it retreats. The cloak should use alot of energy, so there may not be enough left for it to re-cloak itself when retreating leaving it vulnerable.

Not easy to implement I would think, but it would be a nice tech. I might start a thread about cloaking devices once I see what the expansion has in store for me.

It may be possible that Elliot could look into "tweaking" the Stealth Cloak component that's in
the game now without much effort? I can kind of see how a "distance versus range to a system" type
formula (by percentage) might work!

[Nibelung44]

Sorry to ask, but has any of you no problem at all with how the game windows get refreshed? Sometime I'm under the impression they are redrawn 6 times before being done. Hopefully, there was some improvements on that in the expansion?

[Litjan]

Hmm, I know what you mean. But if you avoid all tough decisions, then the game would be just easy and not much fun - I feel.
Of course it would be very convenient to have extra fleet-tankers to fly along. But it would be even more convenient to have everlasting fuel, right? And even more convenient to have supercannons on your homeworld that could shoot every ship no matter how far away - then we wouldn´t even need fleets!
I know, I am exaggerating - my point is that the hardship that comes with "herding the cats" and "worrying about fuel levels" is fun to some weird people - like me [:D]

[hondo1375]

I think it is a matter of degree and personal preference. The game is designed to allow you to automate whatever you'd rather not worry about, and I think that is one of its strengths. Personally, I like a little bit of logistics management, but currently I'm having to spend a lot of time trying to refuel constructor ships and fleets scattered around the galaxy limping around without fuel. Sometimes I wish I could just automate a tanker to fly around and refuel all those ships as it gets pretty boring. If you personally like doing that manually, or planning out fuel capacities and miner refuelling points to avoid it in the first place, then that's great, but that level of logistics isn't to everyone's taste ... well at least not mine. Being able to automate something like that (or not, as you please) seems within the design philosophy of the game.

[Joubarbe]

A good thing would be to have different objectives per race. For example, agressive races would win more strategic value points if they conquer planets than pacific races. Same thing, for happiness, budget, private funds, infrastructures etc. In some way, a system like in Armada 2526

[Spacecadet]

ORIGINAL: hondo1375


I think it is a matter of degree and personal preference. The game is designed to allow you to automate whatever you'd rather not worry about, and I think that is one of its strengths. Personally, I like a little bit of logistics management, but currently I'm having to spend a lot of time trying to refuel constructor ships and fleets scattered around the galaxy limping around without fuel. Sometimes I wish I could just automate a tanker to fly around and refuel all those ships as it gets pretty boring. If you personally like doing that manually, or planning out fuel capacities and miner refuelling points to avoid it in the first place, then that's great, but that level of logistics isn't to everyone's taste ... well at least not mine. Being able to automate something like that (or not, as you please) seems within the design philosophy of the game.

I think fuel management is more about realism than anything else.
You also need to consider that you have to manage multiple types of resources.
If you don't have all the resources you need, then you're not going to be building anything.
Fuel is just more glaring because it's used by pretty much everything.

As for manually having to control refueling, I find I have to do very little of that.
I almost never have to manually refuel a Constructor unless I'm manually controlling it and repairing multiple ships in a no-hyper zone or something similar.

For automation, I believe there are settings for when you want your automated ships to be refueled (it may even impact your non-auto ships).

[Wade1000]

-Unique/special technologies restricted to a certain race are superficially restrictive. If they are able to be researched and developed then anyone should be able to do it. Think about it. Yes, even some sort of strange biological, crystal, psychic, etcetera, technology.

-I support true full energy shield type cloaking. It might be a very advanced technology. There could be three levels: 1. the current Stealth. 2. Energy Cloak. 3. Phased Energy Cloak.
They are advanced and powerful. The defense to them are three types of scanners: 1. Stealth Scanner. 2. Cloak Scanner. 3. Phased Cloak Scanner.
Each cloak and scanner can have higher levels required to defeat each other.

-An unlimited energy generator is a good thing. It can be a very advanced technology.

-Race specific victory conditions are superficially specific. True victory is when you reign supreme with no real threats(at least forseen for awhile). This can be achieved with alliances using some diplomacy, also good economics and research, but it requires complete military superiority and often war.

Superficial, artificial limitations are annoying and seem to limit the epic civilization feeling to civilization/empire game.

[noname]

One question: will the expansion include the patches for the original Distant Worlds? Reason I ask is that I have put off buying DW because I do not have a high speed capability, just an old fashioned modem dial up. It would take me an impossibly long time to download that huge patch. Thanks for the infomation.

[hondo1375]

I think fuel management is more about realism than anything else.
You also need to consider that you have to manage multiple types of resources.
If you don't have all the resources you need, then you're not going to be building anything.

I'm not sure I agree, I have plenty of fuel, but distributing it to where it needs to be is a pain. The rest of the resources in the game are automatically handled by private ships, so I'm not sure your analogy works. Any way, I must have a different playing style/preference to you and the other posters here who aren't finding this an issue.

[Erik Rutins]

ORIGINAL: noname
One question: will the expansion include the patches for the original Distant Worlds? Reason I ask is that I have put off buying DW because I do not have a high speed capability, just an old fashioned modem dial up. It would take me an impossibly long time to download that huge patch. Thanks for the infomation.

Yes, it definitely will.

[Igard]

ORIGINAL: hondo1375

I think fuel management is more about realism than anything else.
You also need to consider that you have to manage multiple types of resources.
If you don't have all the resources you need, then you're not going to be building anything.

I'm not sure I agree, I have plenty of fuel, but distributing it to where it needs to be is a pain. The rest of the resources in the game are automatically handled by private ships, so I'm not sure your analogy works. Any way, I must have a different playing style/preference to you and the other posters here who aren't finding this an issue.

We all have different styles of play hondo. It's actually pretty cool that we do. I'll not tell you how to play the game, but try to find a system that works for you. If you want some advice just ask away.[:)]

[hewwo]

without adding to the discussion I'll say the expansion looks absolutely awesome!

[Pipewrench]

hondo , I know where you are coming from and there is nothing wrong with your playing style. Have a great time and experiment with whatever makes you happy.

spacecadet's realism point is what I shoot for.

To take it further I wish that fuel systems on warships was taxed even harder when weapons are used. For me ,it should create a situation where supply becomes the game changer. Proper protection of your fleet freighters and supply routes are the key to your survival. Reminds me of convoys in WW2.

and to add:
If a ship or fleet could just click on a base or freighter and select supply point it would force the ship ,when low, to go back to that freighter to replenish. With this in mind a freighter route is set up automatically to replenish to fleet freighter or fleet base from resource bases throughout the empire. To counter you just need the AI using fast or cloaked ships to sit in those shipping lanes and force all my big guzzling warships to keep close to home because extended supply lines would become deadly without escort protection.

oh Sh^t!! now I'm back in the Atlantic ocean in 1940 peering through my binoculars, searching for those damn cloaked U-boats. I know they are after the tanker I'm protecting with my little corvette. Damn Igard and his cloak, I need more research in detection systems or an escort carrier to scout the area and torpedo these little pests.

no worries , the game is great!!

[Joubarbe]

ORIGINAL: Wade1000
-Race specific victory conditions are superficially specific. True victory is when you reign supreme with no real threats(at least forseen for awhile). This can be achieved with alliances using some diplomacy, also good economics and research, but it requires complete military superiority and often war.

I disagree because I don't like to have to be the "master of universe" to win a game. I had a random game where the two first empires were absolutely the best ones, far beyond the others, and unbeatables. In fact, when the player auto generates auto empires, he can't specify the tech level ; so these two empires had excellent research capacities. A way to be the first, in every situations and without spending 30 hours a game would be great But it's just an idea, Distant Worlds is already a great game !

[hondo1375]

It's good that you brought up the WW2 analogy pipewrench, and also the question of realism others have brought up, as I'm basing my comments on systems like Uncommon Valor which I thought handled supply and fuel logistics pretty well and also with some element of realism IIRC.