Ophiuchus wrote: ↑Wed Mar 24, 2021 5:32 am
Oberlus wrote: ↑Tue Mar 23, 2021 10:18 pm
Or remove supply stealth on starlanes that bump with other empire's supply (if you don't let them pass, they know you are there).
Thats what I originally thought "soft" hidden starlanes (not exerting supply pressure). The main problem I see is that you have to detect a starlane to not exert pressure.
So what happens if two empires have a stealth higher than the others detection?
Does their supply bump or does it overlap?
Overlapping is forbidden. Fluff wise, regardless of being hidden or not, supply logistics imply controlling the space.
If we add to the current mechanics the stealth value of supply, we could do something like this:
- Supply propagates exactly the same we have now. Stealth of supply doesn't affect supply strength or propagation.
- For foreign empires with enough detection, show normal supply drawing.
- For foreign empires with not enough detection:
-- If their supply is not clashing with a hidden supply, do not draw the hidden supply.
-- If their supply is clashing with a hidden supply, draw unknown supply (neutral color, probably the color of "unowned" starlanes) supply.
- Draw foreign supply as usual, but add indicative egde terminations for player's own supply:
-- If supply reaches its end (nothing stopping it), draw the lines as currently.
-- For supply that is stopped prematurely (bums on another supply or is cut by a foreign warship), draw something like X, /, || or even an arrow pointing at the direction to which supply is clashing.
So if two empires can't see each other and their supply bumps, they would see the arrows at the end of their supply lines and the neutral-colored supply (unknown empire) at the other side of the starlanes where supply bumps.
Ophiuchus wrote: ↑Wed Mar 24, 2021 5:32 am
Ah I should have explained. I would like to have a focus for lowering local supply (for hiding). And thought to reuse stockpile focus for that.
Could you explain the gameplay benefits of that?
I'm trying to imagine it, without much success:
- If you want to keep your planets hidden and for that you need to set focus to something different from research or production, you are shooting your foot, unless it is a special focus that boosts stealth and production/research/influence. This would be less onerous iff only a few planets need to be kept hidden, but I struggle to imagine situations that would benefit from this, except for a sneak attack backed up with a sneak colony for refuel behind enemy lines. And in only that is the case, I think it is overdoing it to provide a special focus only for that.
- If you don't need that focus to stay stealthy, then you won't use it.
A priori, I like more the policy way to increase stealth and or stockpile and decrease supply, for distributed-hidden empires, and once you have that you won't use any focus that lowers your overall output except to get badly-needed extra stockpile extraction.