MS Cloak Option
Background: Since cloak is a thing generally used in SciFi for sneaking around undetected, I have adapted it in a manner that hopefully enhances the covert side of the game, without making any other part of the game useless.
Notes:
-Sometimes I refer to Covert Turns as CT
-Nothing I ever put is in stone
-I am not perfect and even my ideas may have loop holes for exploitation, all I ask is that you work for me in fixing them before singling them out as an excuse to discard the whole idea.
Engaging/Disengaging Cloak
-Option 1
--Requires 3 AT to change
-Option 2
--Requires 3 CT to change
---Since is covert based.
-Option 3
-Requires 3 CT to activate cloak
-Requires 3 AT to deactivate cloak, and move MS back to Military Mode.
-Point here is changing the cloak should be like changing realm alert, and nox. Enough to not hinder game play, but not something one would want to change every 10 secs or something.
When Cloak Disengaged
-MS behaves as normal engaging in battle when attacking/defending/Planet Stealing/planet search.
When Cloak is Engaged
-Engaged Cloak requires power from Shields/Volley.
--Cloak Power is not measured or relevant
-Currently MS rank is determined by combined total of Volley/Shield/Fleet
--With power to cloak, MS rank will only be a measure of armed Fleet Power.
Cloaked MS takes place in Covert/Anti Covert Warfare.
Recon
-Remains as is.
-Only the number of armed fleets can still be spied.
Sabotage
-When sabotaging an opponent whose own MS is uncloaked
--The Fleets launches attack with Covert units
--Results in destroying additional weapons: x fleet power = y extra weapons destroyed
---*Current suggested extra weapons destroyed rate: 100bil feet power = 100,000 extra weapons destroyed.
---*Current suggested extra weapons destroyed rate: 1bil feet power = 1,000 extra weapons destroyed.
--Fleets are damaged in process and will require repair.
--Current Sabotage limits remain place
---Max number of sabotages
---The use of 3 Covert Turns
---May require the use of the same limitation of only being able to double existing covert power
----or at max, it can only double the number of weapons loss that spies destroy.
----Essentially, something to prevent failed sabs of 5 or so units and relying solely on the fleet power to destroy weapons.
*These are examples designed to convey the idea and as always, any rates posted are not set in stone and are subject to change to achieve greater balance.
Or
-Fleet power adds bonus to covert power decreasing the number of covert agents to be sent/loss.
--Would need same limitation of only being able to double existing covert power
--This variant can be too powerful in my opinion, but it is there as an option.
-When being sabotage by opponent whose MS is uncloaked:
--MS fleets increase the Covert units the saboteur loses.
--Easiest way to do this, fleet power adds to existing covert defense power(like realm alert does)
---This increase the number of units that have to be sent and consequently the number of losses.
-When both MS are cloaked:
--Fleets engage each other first in the same way MS do in normal battle
---No protecting MS shields
--Damage and loses of fleets calculated: x amount power = Y number of fleets destroyed.
--With a max number of losses that can be obtained also remaining
--Extra power (if any) is then infused onto the covert units to effect damages accordingly.
Justification, this fleet on fleet engagement is a necessary tool as it can allow someone to mass another persons fleet.
-Even if they are only send 5 spies and thus not damaging weapons.
-Both sides would lose fleets.
-Since it is a sabotage operation, it does count toward the max number of covert operations that can done to an account.
-Otherwise, one could sit with max fleets invulnerable but capable of doing quite a bit of damage.
With regard to Anti Covert
-Currently In battle you have a set order
--MS engage
--Attack/Defense engage
--AntiCovert/Covert engage
-With a cloaked MS
--The cloaked MS contributes power bonus to covert portion of the battle.
--as oppose to the Military portion.
When ACing
-The cloaked MS does not travel in the actual battle
--The launching of the fleets AC unit would alert defending MS which would be bad.
When being ACed
-Basically, x amount of fleet power = Y amount of AntiCovert agents killed in the process.
--NOT limited of doubling losses that would otherwise be incurred.
Justification: This is a personal opinion in that AC is already too cheap in terms of the amount of losses received to amount of losses it can inflict and having this feature somewhat balances that out.
---But at the sacrifice of ones actual defense.
---Opponents military MS would allow for fewer losses when massing the defense anyway.
When both MS are cloaked:
-Nothing happens between MS as the attacking cloaked MS doesn't even go into battle.
Planet Warfare
-Cloaked MS in incapable of stealing/searching for a planet.
--Too much power being diverted to the cloak to steal/search for a planet
-Same limit that prevents one from sending their MS out right away after taking a planet, applies to engaging the cloak.
--This is chosen as the coding for it already exists.
Possible Addition: (taken and adapted from an old MS Tech idea I had:
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=85362 )
Covert Fleet Attack on a planet
-This allows your fleets to attack planets even if you have 10.
--Notice it says attack, not take.
-Attack damages stat facilities but
--Planetary defenses are not destroyed/damaged at all.
--Destroys maybe 3-5% of the total number on the planet.
---This figure seemed most reasonable to me after using LegoCalc v4 to determine what damages would be for planets.
----But I did not do this extensively enough to be able to justify why 3-5% would be better than say 1-2%.
-Fleet damage remains the same.
--If your fleet power is below the needed amount to damage a defense, then it is also too low to damage any stats.
--Platforms function the same in bonus to planetary defense.
OR
--Platforms don't take effect as this a covert operation.
---MS sneaks in and out before platform can react.
---I only put this in as an option, its not like the person losing the planet completely.
--And there is another limitation to damage stated below.
-Since this is a Covert Operation, it requires Covert Capacity to launch.
--Competes with sabotage/recon.
-Minimum, this should take 5 Covert Turns (CT) per launch.
--100 CT/5 CT = 20 Attacks total
-Seems reasonable considering CT cannot be traded
--20 attacks assumes one did no spying for good targets at all.
Normally this is where I put closing comments that tie everything together but I really want to go do something else now so I'll leave you to work it all out.
TC
