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Here's a system to put your missiles into your cargo bay to save for later.
You can't use them in combat when they are in storage, but after you have exhuasted your launcher's supply, you can land on a planet and transfer them out of your cargo hold and replenish your launchers.
Say you've got 20 tons of free mass left with which to arm your missile launcher, and 100 tons of cargo space. So at your home base you fill up your launcher (20 missiles @ 1 ton apeice) then completely fill your cargo bay with extra missiles. (100 missiles in storage)
During your long expedition away from home, you be able to re-fill your launcher, but only 20 missiles at a time.
Here's how you can pull this off:
You'll need an extra outfit for every item you want to be able to store. Plus one, and only one, placeholder item regardles of how many different items to want to store.
128 - Harpoon Missile Tech Level: 10 (Can only buy in certian places) Mass: 1 Adds ammo for a missile launcher
129 - Harpoon in Storage Tech Level: 1 (So you can transfer at any outfitter) Availability Test: o128 (So you can't buy if you don't have a Harpoon) Mass: -1 (You'll see why this is important in a minute) Adds Cargo Space: -1 OnPurchase: d128 g130 OnSell: g128 d130
130 - Placeholder Mass: 1 Can't buy or sell
The reason that outfit 129 uses up 1 ton of cargo space is clear enough, it represents a Harpoon in storage. But the reason that is also frees up a ton of mass, only to cancel it out with outfit 130, is so that Nova will check to see if it can fit back into your mass when you try to sell it. Otherwise, you could cheat and overload your ship. (Nova won't check space using Gxxx)
Any item you wish to have an option for storage will also reference outfit 130. It just balances out the negative mass from the storage outfits. If you have other missiles and things with different masses, you can just Gxxx and Dxxx and appropriate number of outfits 130. So if you also had a missile that was 3 tons, the outfits would look like this:
131 - A Big Missile Mass: 3
132 - A Big Missile in Storage Availability Test: o131 Mass: -3 Adds Cargo Space: -3 OnPurchase: d131 g130 g130 g130 OnSell: g131 d130 d130 d130
This post has been edited by Desprez : 25 March 2006 - 10:42 AM
Say, I just had a thought...
With a slight tweak, this system could be adapted to replace an item with a non-functioning one.
This simulates a part breaking down, until you can land and swap it back. You could use a cron to give a random chance of a part getting broke every day.
Could add an interesting tactical element for those escursions far away from base.
"Captain, we've got a problem. Point defence battery number one seems to have gone off-line... and two of our fighters are grounded due to engine trouble..."
As an added element, you could even have an option of putting a broken part into the cargo hold until you can get to a place that can repair it. ("It'd be a shame to junk such an expensive part, sir...") In the meantime, maybe you can use that space for something else...
Or, heck, maybe you planned ahead and have spare parts already sitting in the cargo hold, waiting to be used.
Nice idea! Put this in a plug and release it!
Also, maybe cross post to the 'Cool Nova Hacks' thread.
Wouldn't it be easier to do it this way? Say the missile has ID 128 and weighs one ton and the storing outfit subtracts one ton cargo space and activates D128 when bought and G128 when sold. Or am I missing something?
Great work! Now if only one could get missiles to appear in the cargo readout.
Actually, this might be possible using missions instead of outfits (although it might use a lot of resources).
@lord-rama, on Mar 25 2006, 05:40 PM, said in Keep your missiles in storage:
Basicaly, that's what it does. Except there is an added element to prevent overload.
Without it, the player can buy as many missiles as he can hold then switch them all to the cargo bay. Then, he can stock up on missiles again. But without the overload prevention, the player can then move all his cargo missiles back into the main ship causing negative mass equal to the ammount of missiles that were in cargo, and Nova won't stop you.
Yeah, it doesn't appear in the cargo readout, but it would appear in the player info box. And that's fine for my usage.
What I'd really like to do is find a way to transfer the missiles back while in flight. But it would need to take time for the crew to do the switch... "Where's that damn torpedo!..."
---------- You know what might make an interesting plug...
You are a junk trader who's ship is literally falling apart. Half of the challenge is repairing parts, swapping items in and out of your cargo hold, just trying to make due with what you've got, what you can salvage off of derelicts, and what you can repair.
Maybe you can combine parts to make a slightly functioning thing-a-ma-bob that will let you limp to the next system. Smoke and plasma pour out of your ship depending on your mechanical proweress...
Your old rusty blaster cannon could seize up with the very next shot... perhaps you should canabalize it for parts now before it goes kaput... your life support systems could use the parts...
Your density scanner is currently working... but do you really need it right now? It's putting a significant drain on your shipboard electronics... Now there's a suspicious whine from the nav computer... that can't be good...
@desprez, on Mar 25 2006, 10:58 AM, said in Keep your missiles in storage:
Ah. Now I see.
You know what might make an interesting plug...
Coolio.
Hey, that is a cool idea. I agree, you should make a plug like that. Are you actually working on anything at the moment or just tinkering around?
@desprez, on Mar 25 2006, 08:58 AM, said in Keep your missiles in storage:
Smoke and plasma pour out of your ship depending on your mechanical proweress...
Hey, you could do that too. Give it a PD weapon which detonates immediately but subs into another long-range weapon and have a dummy enemy that follows you around. Particles from the explosion will look like smoke and stuff.
@guy, on Mar 25 2006, 09:06 PM, said in Keep your missiles in storage:
Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking. As I recall, you did something like this to simulate collisions. But wasn't there an eventual problem with this? I forget.
Anyway, brief blips on the radar, and your warning klaxons going off at seemingly inappropriate times actually becomes a bonus in a plug like this.
Here's another idea. You could have a huge hostile fleet warp in, but when they get in range, there's nothing there (cloaked on screen) only to suddenly have the blips vanish from radar (self-destruct)...
You could make the poor player quite jumpy, I imagine.
Random sounds could fire by warping in self-destructing dudes, onShipDone: Pxxx. Or the enemy that follows you around could fire shots while cloaked. Its guns would provide the sound. It could even do minor damage.
Remember that thing about the missile that would hit you with a prox explosion, while also subing into another missile that would mill about for awhile, then sub and hit you again, repeat ect. until you get a special cure (PD weapon)? That could provide contunuous damage without the warning klaxon... (AI warps in and fires the shot, which is also ammo -999 so it kills him. You'd get 1 klaxon, then keep getting damaged)
Anyway, yeah, this could be alot of fun. But I am working on something that I like alot too. It's too bad that these ideas aren't really compatable. All these special effects, and the idea of building, storing, repairing, combining items would take quite a bit of outfits, and I just don't have the room for them in my current plug.
This post has been edited by Desprez : 25 March 2006 - 09:31 PM
@desprez, on Mar 25 2006, 03:28 PM, said in Keep your missiles in storage:
Oh yeah, I was unsuccessful at getting the ship to keep a good distance away from the player so it meant that any other PD weapons you had would fire continuously.
Mind if I ask what you're working on?
@guy, on Mar 27 2006, 08:38 AM, said in Keep your missiles in storage:
Sure, but even the short version is long...
The idea was a mini TC that had a relatively small universe, but that is currently about to max out the weapon and outfit resources. Heh.
The plot setting is this: You are an experienced and decorated fleet captian that has given a lifetime of dedicated service to the Impirum. Now, you have been given the opportunity to embark on a mission of vast importance to civilization as you know it. A technique to access the past has recently been discovered, and with it some problems. Something is changing. The past is being rewritten. (insert techno-paradoxical plot-device babble here) A war was won a few generations ago, and with it, the security and future of the Imperium. However, indications have surfaced that history is changeing out from under the present, the war is going to end up differently. Thus, you and your present will vanish. (more improbable techno-babble)
Limitations of the theory dictate three things:
However, there is no return trip.
The upshot, is that it has been decided to use your relatively higher technology to send a battle fleet (you) back in time to correct the changes, and turn the tide of the war back to it's proper place. And keep security and future of the Imperium intact.
A way to make contact with the Impirum's past government has been worked out, and your think tanks are sure it will work, and that you will be able to enlist their trust and help.
As the story unfolds, you're character will become acutely aware of the imense power and responsibility he has. And also, the dificulty of the task at hand. The questions aren't so much as questions of ability to acomplish an objective, but more of should it be done, and where? How should it be done?
Perhaps your experience and observation in the past conflicts with your teachings of history from the Imperium. Perhaps your haven't been told the whole story. Perhaps you will discover that the mission as you knew it, needs to be re-thought. Then again, perhaps not. What will you decide, captain?
Is it better to command a powerful but huge and conspicious arsenal? Or parhaps a smaller, subtler force is called for. But once you get sent back, you no longer have access to your higher technology, you only get what you can take. Initially, you will have future knowledge in your favor, perhaps with this knowledge you can operate with past technology that is easier to replace and maintain, and that will be less conspicuous. Perhaps a balance can be used. As you make changes, though, you'll find that your database of historical events will become less and less accurate.
Basic technical premise... Well, I guess this plug is also an expirement in a couple new approachs to Escape Velocity and ship combat operations in general. First off, the relative ease of space travel is quite different. You don't just strap a gun to a fighter or luxury craft and expect to sail the whole galaxy. It's not that high level of tech yet, and spacecrafts are huge expensive endevors. Smaller craft such as fighters are present, but aren't going to accomplish much on their own and without a carrier or base to support them. They only have a handfull of missiles and lighter weaponry individualy, but their main limitation is endurance. They have a very limited fuel and ammo supply. (As you'll see below, fuel is even more critical to operate your ship in this universe.)
Also consider, the general trend with weapons, is that if you can see it, you can hit it. If you hit it, you kill it. It only takes one missile to down a jet fighter. Though, aircraft have been known to survive a missle hit, and a couple modles are known for being able to withstand quite a punishment. But generaly speaking, if it's been hit, it's out of the battle.
Now, I haven't made the universe quite that punishing, but the high leathality of weapons is clearly reflected, and will be an eye-opener to the seasoned EVN vteran. Historicaly, it's always easier to tear down, than to build up. Offensive tech is easier to develop.
Now, this can be quite a change from most games, and it takes a couple tries to get used to the idea. (I'm also well aware that if it's too harsh, it just won't be fun, so balance is foremost in my mind. Even so, this damage to armor relationship may not make it to the final build, but it seems like a fresh and interesting variation at the moment. Besides, you can always load up the save if you die horribly.)
To handle this approach, I've changed the pace and scale of combat. First off, everything is as if seen from further above. Everything is smaller and slower. For example, short range fighter-to-fighter missiles have a range of 400-700 depending on the tech. Long-range ship-to-ship missiles can reach just beyond the outer edge of your radar, but will take some time to get there. The only ships likely to travel over a velocity of 135, are fighters. And topping out at 255 (without afterburner) for the fastest fighter, with the best upgrades. And trust me, that seems fast in this universe. The action seems closer to modern naval combat. As such, the fighters and missiles are finely detailed. A major meeting of forces is likely to exchange missile fire as flights of fighter engagements are won and lost possibly even without seeing the other ships. Perhaps you caught his interceptor screen off-guard and out of ammo, or perhaps you lost an intire wing due to an in-planned strike. (You've also been given the tools to help manage these flights) As your main battle groups continue to lumber ever closer, if there is destined to be a close range engagement, the result will likely be spactular, but also brief, as huge main ship guns come in range and open fire across the void... Did you outmanuever your opponent? Or did he manage to cripple a critical support ship and leave you vulnerable?
A reflex mistake is unlikely to kill you. You will have time to think get your approach right. However, a tactical or strategic blunder will bury you quite quickly. To the point that if you manuever yourself into a poor position, you're reflexes aren't likely to save you. Did you carelessly wander between two opposing battle groups, not seeing the danger? Did you commit your fighters on the wrong target at the wrong time? Do you expend your limited ordinace knowing you may need it for a different target later?
Half of the battle will be decided before you even get engaged. How well did you plan your ship? Are you prepared for different scenarios? Do you have ammo to last an extended engagement? Do you have the right kind of fighter compliments to meet different threats? Maybe your ship underpowered?
In my testing of fighters, the reflex aspect is still there, but you have to be more aware of your surroundings, and know exactly what your tactical situation is at all times. What enemies are you facing? Where are they? Losing your situational awareness can kill you.
I often found that I had plenty of time to react, I didn't die because I couldn't fly skillfully enough. I died because I didn't make the right decision when I could, and led myself to a tactical position that was a losing scenario.
I felt that the combat was more mental in alot of ways. You have to plan and think, because a couple of hits and you're dead.
This is an interesting change in the game.
The capitol ships are more survivable, but again, there is ordinance designed to defeat them. If that ordinance is delivered suscessfully, all it will take is a few hits. Whereas a weapon designed to down a fighter isn't going to do squat against a massive behemoth. Point defence, jamming, and missile avoidance are critical to survival in combat. But PD takes fuel to run, so does jamming. And of course, the larger the ship, the better radar target it will make.
Ship construction is also done in more detail. Almost every large ship will be unique in some way. They are just too large and expensive to have been built assembly line style. Smaller ships and fighters will be more homogenous, but even then, fighters will vary quite a bit depending on it's current mission and loadout.
Power considereations will play a big role. Practacaly everything will use power in some way. It will be nearly impossible to have a ship that uses no power, or that even breaks even when just drifting. It might be possible to configure a small ship with few power requirements and lots of solar panels and such, but it won't be able to do much else. Certianly not be expected to fight. At any rate, you also have some new power management tools at your disposal. Includeing auxilliary, emergency, and reserve power concepts.
More variation in the weapons and less cross utility of them. Anti-fighter missiles are going to be little help when going against capitol ships, and vice-versa.
From your perspective, you will probably be cast in the role of something akin to a fleet captain. You are in the fleet flagship. (but not necessairly) You have with you a few support vessels, and probably have a large compliment of fighters. (but not nesessairly) Even this may change as the plot unfolds and choices are made.
Though there are a number of possible choices and actions that will change the main plot quite dramaticaly. And being a "mini TC", there is really only the main storyline, but some major, major possile plot branches and switcheroos. One game could almost be completely unique with just a couple different storlyline choices.
That's my current thinking at this juncture, just a brief outline of the philosophy and scenario.
@desprez, on Mar 28 2006, 02:26 AM, said in Keep your missiles in storage:
<Mini TC snip>
Do it. That is an excellent idea.