Species specific ship line requirements

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yandonman
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Species specific ship line requirements

#1 Post by yandonman »

I'd like to propose the following species specific ship line requirements:
  • Organic ships require a telepathic species to pilot
  • Energy ships require a self-sustaining species to pilot
Rationale: To encourage the use of different ship lines beyond what pure balancing can accomplish.

Thoughts: This puts a greater emphasis on the species that one picks or conquers, which I actually think is a good thing. For example, I love and care for my Mur-ush species because of their +25% ship damage; this would give another reason for a player to love on a species.

This should also give a better ability to balance (I think) as content authors can offset a ship line's strength with a species malus. For example, Trith (telepathic/self-sustaining) have only narrow planet tolerance.

This should then present the player with additional interesting strategic choices.

Starcraft has race specific units and I feel that setup makes Starcraft a better game (imagine if each race could build any unit). Granted, Starcraft is an RTS and FO is a 4x, but I contend that parallels can legitimately drawn.

I will note that initially this will through off current species and ship balancing ... not to mention the AI... but ultimately, after re-balancing, I think this would lead to a richer game experience.



Thoughts?
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Sloth
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Re: Species specific ship line requirements

#2 Post by Sloth »

I find the approach a little extreme.

I think it would be better to give organic ships a big bonus when piloted by a telepathic species and similar combinations. That would have a nearly the same effect you desire "To encourage the use of different ship lines".
yandonman wrote: Starcraft has race specific units and I feel that setup makes Starcraft a better game (imagine if each race could build any unit). Granted, Starcraft is an RTS and FO is a 4x, but I contend that parallels can legitimately drawn.
Starcraft had dozens of well-paid developers, an army of people as play testers and took years to balance. And that's what's required to make it work.
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OllyG
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Re: Species specific ship line requirements

#3 Post by OllyG »

How about Robotic species and Robotic hulls?

I've been thinking that research should give species abilities to an empire. There is a technology called 'Telepathy'. This should allow any species from the empire to pilot organic vessels. 'Cybernetics' should allow use of the robotic interface shields and ebergy ships could be used after researching the technology that makes everyone into energy beings (sorry - writing on my little phone - multiple windows not an option! And I can't remember the name). This would allow restrictions which are not too crippling if you can't find the right species to conquer.

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MatGB
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Re: Species specific ship line requirements

#4 Post by MatGB »

I'm fine with the principle but I think I prefer giving the right species an advantage and possible tech/part features (as per the RIS, etc). However...

If it were to be done, a LOT would need to be done to ensure each hull line was relatively on par with each other, else it'd, currently, give an extreme advantage to certain species starting out in a way that wouldn't be particularly fun.

Plus, you'd have to reconsider building requirements for, say, energy ships if they're also to be limited by pilots, if your race has a main advantage by being able to build fractal hulls, then you need to either start in a blue star system or be able to build them anywhere, etc.
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OllyG
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Re: Species specific ship line requirements

#5 Post by OllyG »

MatGB wrote:... you'd have to reconsider building requirements for, say, energy ships if they're also to be limited by pilots, if your race has a main advantage by being able to build fractal hulls, then you need to either start in a blue star system or be able to build them anywhere, etc.
Instead of the star colour being a requirement to build an energy hull it could give a bonus instead. An energy hull built at a faint star could have less structure, speed etc. Or the minimum build time could be increased - the energy compressor takes longer to collect the required energy. That way you could build energy hulls anywhere, but a bright star would be better.

On a side note - why don't phototropic species start at a bright star? Instead of a large homeworld give them a white star! Every species starts on it's favoured world by EP it should be same for star.

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Dilvish
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Re: Species specific ship line requirements

#6 Post by Dilvish »

OllyG wrote:On a side note - why don't phototropic species start at a bright star?
That would be akin to Organic species starting with the Fruit special on their homeworld.
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yandonman
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Re: Species specific ship line requirements

#7 Post by yandonman »

OllyG wrote:How about Robotic species and Robotic hulls?
Robotics already have a synergy with robotic hulls via their shield interface. Additional synergies between robotics/robotic hulls could be implemented. For this idea, I didn't want to copy the "synergy" concept; I wanted it to be different.

if your race has a main advantage by being able to build fractal hulls, then you need to either start in a blue star system or be able to build them anywhere, etc.
Not necessarily. Normal, asteroid and robotic hulls are all still build-able.

ensure each hull line was relatively on par with each other
I would disagree with this point. Having a species requirement allows a species malus to help balance out a ship's strength. There have been multiple asks for more variables to tweak on ship hulls to help with balancing - this does that using already existing variables (species traits).
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