Missiles and Jousting Combat

[FBS]

simple solution for jousting, just like in the aircraft games:

both ships get destroyed at direct impacts, they aren’t made to crash that hard, at very very very very, VERY low speeds they might survive

[DrRansom]

Perhaps you should give a few details on what strike craft are for and how speed plays a role.

This is a long topic, but I view strike craft as being exactly the same to modern day fighters. Small, strategically and operationally expendable vehicles, which can deliver massive damage through high-powered weapons. They pose major risks to large vehicles and are, at the same time, the primary protection against themselves.

I’m fine with long range strike ships, but not to deliver missiles against fighters at long ranges. That produces atrocious gameplay in the form of a Pavlovian game of “hear bell, maneuver hard until bell stops.”

That idea of missile gameplay comes from arcade sensor / missile systems. My whole argument relies upon the construction of a detailed sensor system, which is already going to be a necessity for other gameplay elements. If you’re being targeted by a missile, you’ve already made a mistake. (Flown too high, not enough jamming systems, etc.) The missile shot comes at the end of an interplay between pilot tactics and positioning, not at the beginning.

I’m not sure how introducing long range missiles would introduce any sense of evolving tactics. Once the tools/rules are in place, the tactics tend to stagnate. Now if the game started with short range missiles and later introduced long range missiles, then you’d see an evolution of combat tactics because of the changing tool set. I highly recommend doing things like that to keep gameplay fresh.

I don’t think you understand the interplay here between tactical possibilities. If Infinity goes with the short ranged missile / long ranged ground based air defense route, ground attack tactical possibilities are fixed to low altitude strike with dogfights in the canyons.

If Infinity goes with a: advanced sensor and ECM model (incl. imperfect sensors with limited arcs), long range missiles, gradations on ground based systems, the gameplay can evolve as the match progresses.

Here, the defending player can choose between buying fighters with long range missiles and sensors or upgrading the ground based air defenses. (A strategic choice) The attacker can respond by choosing long / high altitude attacks for cheaply defended bases or going to a low altitude approach for highly defended bases. (A responsive strategic choice) This also gives a nice pacing to ground attack. Early attacks and defenses are done cheaply and easily, later attacks against major bases require work and advanced flying.

The obvious problem here is development time. I’d like to think that I-Novae will spend a lot of effort on the sensor model. With an advanced sensor model, much of the tools are in place for enjoyable long range missile combat.

What I am concerned about is the desire to develop gameplay mechanics to promote a single form of combat or a narrow range of combat. Even the idea that controlling long range missile access during a map would lead to a nice cycling of combat options is too restrictive. I think it preferable that I-Novae develop gameplay mechanics: heat management, atmosphere and space flight, sensors and ECM. Within those overall movement and detection mechanics, a unique form of combat will appear. Trying to force a style of combat (short ranged or long ranged) will create a jarring disconnect between the rest of the game.

[Arkenbrien]

I like what you are saying. BTW, I have a huge mega thread for you to read.

(shameless self promotion incoming, take cover! )

Tactical Possibilities with Capships : Suggestions + Discussion Mega Thread

WARNING: EXTREMELY HUGE WALL OF TEXT. Note: this thread is slighly smaller than "humungously huge", but larger than "very huge". I've been reading through some great military sci-fi books, featuring a commander of a large combat vessel. Specifically, the Black Fleet trilogy and the Tour of the Merrimack. And, as with these types of books, I am inspired by the battles that the books describe. The tactics the commanders employ are the real meat of the engagements. I have also been shown…

I’m a firm believer that the game shouldn’t be built to encourage specific tactics, rather tactics should evolve from the player’s understanding of a widely built sandbox of possibilities.