Planet search encounters

[Drek]

Firstly I apologise if someone else has posted a similar idea.

Ok so my idea is that on a 24hr planet search there should be a random or say a 1in 1000 chance that your mothership encounters another mothership that is searching for planets. Depending on relations they would either ignore each other or fight.

If it happened it could go something like this:

As your mothership was scanning a nearby system it was suddenly set upon by an alien vessel.

Your mothership dealt and received x amount of damage winning the skirmish, the crew returns victorious to docking facility and has a jolly good piss up.

I don't have any idea how or if this would be possible to program, but it would add a certain element of risk to planet hunting. Something that in my opinion is lacking (apart from the current oh noes no planet found)

Anyone else like the idea?

[_willie_]

hmm i like it

[Drek]

Cheer's

I've been thinking some more on this.

Maybe you could "discover" the adversary's identity with something like:

As your ship flee's the engagement (if you lost) you notice the hull markings on the enemy vessel it bears the emblem of so and so...

or

Your opponent cannot withstand your superior firepower, they activate their hyperdrive and skedadle. (if a win) Searching the debris your crew finds an surviving enemy combatent, after due "questioning" he reveals the location of his home world...

[Lore]

It has been suggested before, but never really got anywhere. I mean most MS looking for planets are either Massive and using it for protection, or basicly unarmed just looking for a planets, so 90% of the battles would be skewed to one side, plus look at the mechanics of the battle, how many attacks and such. Lots of work and for what gain?

[Drek]

Introduce some random chance into the game, give reason for conflict's to happen. Make's for a more interesting experience if you don't know what will happen when you send your ship out. I know the game universe is big but you can't tell me that it's totally unlikely that ms's would never cross path's.

As for saying conflicts would be unbalanced, there are plenty of examples in this game of that.

Also I was suggesting a reasonably rare event ie. it would be more likely that the trip would be uneventful.

[Drek]

Mechanics of battle why not something similar to the damage a full turn attack on a home planet, both side's with motherships?

Obviously just damage to ships.

[Lore]

Mechanics of battle why not something similar to the damage a full turn attack on a home planet, both side's with motherships?

Obviously just damage to ships.

so your just saying 1 15AT attack?

not much of a fight.

[Drek]

ok what would class as a fight in your opinion then?

The reason I said 1 15 turn fight was I'm enviseging a skirmish situation with one side winning and the other fleeing. Also a shorter attack would mean less damage if one ship was clearly superior to the other, if near equality then greater damage would be incurred.

[Lore]

ok what would class as a fight in your opinion then?

The reason I said 1 15 turn fight was I'm enviseging a skirmish situation with one side winning and the other fleeing. Also a shorter attack would mean less damage if one ship was clearly superior to the other, if near equality then greater damage would be incurred.

Well IDK, but a single shot just doesnt seem like much of a fight, I mean if there is only a % a battle will even occur, and then only 1 shot is fired, is it even worth the time coding it?

I'm not against the idea actually, but to promote it your going to need more structure a definition to the idea.

[Drek]

yeah I guess so lol you sound like an english teacher

[Drek]

Ok, sorry if I recap a bit.

The server would need to hold how many planet searches were happening at any given moment (I assume it do's already). Then it would need need to have a set % chance of two MS's crossing paths. On reflection I would suggest making it a 1 in 400 ( Based on how many people appear to be online at any given time.) this would mean quite a high likelyhood of two planet searches happening at the same time actually interacting.
(There is a problem with synchronicity because it's not very likely that two people are going to click the planet search button at the same moment.)

There is also player set relations to take into consideration ie. Neutral, Peace, War, Commander/Officer and Alliance.

Peace,CO/O and Alliance relations would have to mean no fighting even if the MS's encounter each other. (for obvious reasons) In this case the coding would have to get to the point of an encounter occuring work out if at peace etc and if so just leave it there, there would be no need to code for an notification either.

Neutral and War relations would mean if an encounter took place fighting would occur. I think it's reasonable to say the MS's would fight each other harder and longer if there was a state of war between their two realms.

How about:

If Neutral 10 full(15ats) turns equivilant of fighting/damage.

If at War five time's the above ie. 50 full(15ats) turns equivilant of fighting/damage.

PS. Is that to much damage or not enough?

[Drek]

This idea would also make sending a MS out to protect it from damage a bit more of a risky propostion.

[~[ Greased Gerbil ]~]

Your idea does have merit. For me, there are a few things that spring to mind:

1. Some players will not attack players that are significantly stronger than themselves, and some bank and train diligently and are not a tempting target. This kind of takes these tactical choices away.

2. Battles in SGW have specific purposes. Attack for Naq, Raid for UU, Conquer for Planets... This "skirmish" seems to have no benefit. Perhaps if you could steal/win fleets?

3. Having it cost ATs is a bit harsh. I didn't choose to attack, I want to hold on to my ATs.

3. I only send out my MS when I'm on PPT (so I can have it at home to assist my def). Would PPT extend to my MS when it's outside my realm?

4. Perhaps any planet you've found might be taken from you by a stronger MS?

5. Planet search is any easy way to get planets without having to take them from other players. Making it more dangerous seems to disadvantage developing players. The beauty of the MS search is that it is just as easy for everyone.

6. With respect to relations, I have a number of players that I've set relation to peace before an ascension. Sometimes I don't remember all their names after ascending and only re-declare peace when I encounter their name for some reason. I'd hate to "randomly" attack such a person without choice. Maybe if the system remembered my past declarations, but then sometimes players change relations.

All that said, it would make the game a little more realistic. There is a chance that if you travel outside your own boundaries that you will encounter somebody, possibly hostile. However, to quote Sub-commander T'Pol (Enterprise) "Space is very big".

Those are just a few thoughts.

[Drek]

Ok to respond and clarify

1. Some players will not attack players that are significantly stronger than themselves, and some bank and train diligently and are not a tempting target. This kind of takes these tactical choices away.

I disagree with this. In fact it would add tactical choices ie. wether to build a strong MS or a weak easily replacable MS, make's clicking the search button a tactical choice (which it is already).

2. Battles in SGW have specific purposes. Attack for Naq, Raid for UU, Conquer for Planets... This "skirmish" seems to have no benefit. Perhaps if you could steal/win fleets?

The benefit's of such a skirmish system could be, adding something more unexpected to the gameplay, or the chance to do damage to a competitor outside of using ATs or Covert turns, for fun.

3. Having it cost ATs is a bit harsh. I didn't choose to attack, I want to hold on to my ATs.

Read more carefully, I was proposing the equivilant of ATs in damage as a kind of benchmark.

3. I only send out my MS when I'm on PPT (so I can have it at home to assist my def). Would PPT extend to my MS when it's outside my realm?

I guess if this suggestion is ever taken up PPT would have to be respected.

4. Perhaps any planet you've found might be taken from you by a stronger MS?

Sounds good to me

5. Planet search is any easy way to get planets without having to take them from other players. Making it more dangerous seems to disadvantage developing players. The beauty of the MS search is that it is just as easy for everyone.

I'm guessing but the people who do the most planet searches are developing players (I know as a developing player that I search frequently), as I said before it would make the act of searching more risky = more fun in my book. Also in this idea a skirmish wouldn't happen everytime a planet search was made it would just have a certain % chance of happening.

6. With respect to relations, I have a number of players that I've set relation to peace before an ascension. Sometimes I don't remember all their names after ascending and only re-declare peace when I encounter their name for some reason. I'd hate to "randomly" attack such a person without choice. Maybe if the system remembered my past declarations, but then sometimes players change relations.

All the better if you did attack someone you'd forgotten to reset peace, could lead to peace or war depending on your diplomacy. Again more risk more fun.

All that said, it would make the game a little more realistic. There is a chance that if you travel outside your own boundaries that you will encounter somebody, possibly hostile. However, to quote Sub-commander T'Pol (Enterprise) "Space is very big".

With FTL travel spacial distances do drop. Also look at how many ship v ship fights happen to the Enterprise

Thank you for the input.