Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 5:51 pm
Okay, seeing the "difference core" thread somehow triggered an urge in me to share the work I have done so far on my idea of a core. Those of you who browsed by blog sometime might already know something about it, anyway, this is something like an official announcement for the masses.
As of now, I pretty much have the whole core planned (except for some tiny issues), I am somewhat confident that I am be able to create it core-wise, so it's pretty much in the stage of getting myself to actually sit down for a few hours every now and then and core my lowermost part of my back off, which, so far, is proving to be quite a challenge.
First of all, 3FC is supposed to be rather radically different from CC, no minor changes of a number here and another one there. Basic idea behind it is to provide maximum variety across all the faction/tech combinations.
Okay, here I go:
1. The first major difference, as you might have guessed from the title, is the fact that there will be only three factions. Like this, it is easier to differentiate the three, as it's quite easy to come up with three faction-unique versions of something.
2. All the factions will be economically equal - identical miner capacities, yield and stuff (so that no faction has advantage depending on game settings)
3. There will be no Shipyard (game-setting "shipyard on" button will be prolly used for toggling some special tech.)
4. Techbases will not be rock-limited (so that everyone can go their favourite tech).
5. Basic and Advanced Techbases will be two separate bases (basic being the prereq for the adv one)
6. Each techpath will have a "dogfighting ship", "basekilling ship", "capturing ship" and "support ship" - basic versions of the latter three will be researchable under garrison and will be prereq for tech-specific advanced versions.
7. Each faction will have it's own unique approach to "Luxury" stuff.
Now to give you a taste of some other key concepts and give you an idea of how is should be like:
Basic idea behind techpaths:
- SUP: Supremacy is about having more equally important ships either carrying out the same role, or capable of quickly switching from one role to another. You could say that the characteristic SUP strategy would be Galv/Figbee runs.
- EXP: Exp is about having one important ship and other, less important escorting. Characteristic EXP strategy would be a classic Bomb Run.
- TAC: Achieving victory through less-honourable, but effective strategies. Enough said.
Factions:
Iron Coalition
- General description: This faction relies heavily on boosters for transportation. Unlike the other factions, they are also dependant on boosters for normal transportation (they use special low-power high-efficiency booster for that). Those allow them to be really low-sig, while standing still, as their standart sig is lower than the other factions, but higher while moving.
- SUP: IC sup relies on the usage of fighter drones in combination with other, pilot-controlled fighters.
- EXP: IC medim class ships benefit from the fact that they don't have to use their "cruise" boosters and can go real low-sig by relying on other ships to push them.
- TAC: IC tac is straightforward tac as we know it - sneak in and attack key assets. Except they don't use signature cloaks, but "Smokescreens" - a special booster that does not increase speed, but decreases signature.
- Luxury: Instead of having luxury ships, IC has "luxury equipment".
Rixian Unity
- General description: This faction relies heavily on ripcording for transportation. Although they are familiar with booster technology, their boosters are less then effective.
- SUP: Rixian SUP relies on strong fighters and variety of ripcording technology.
- EXP: Rixian Medium-class ships are small ripcord recievers, making it easer to gather excort.
- TAC: Unlike other factions, Rixians choose to see, rather than not being seen. Their superb surveilance technology allows them to strike when enemy is busy elsewhere.
- Luxury: Rixian luxury ships have enhanced ripcord capabilites (might result in a ship becoming a small ripcord reciever, etc.)
Belters
- General description: Standart Booster/Ripcord combination used for transportation. Also, their capturing technology is based on the Nerve Gas Missile.
- SUP: They achieve space supremacy through the use of gun probes.
- EXP: Pretty much standart.
- TAC: Belter TAC is about laying down traps and waiting for the enemy to kill himself on them. Special minefields and gun probes, that's the way they do things.
- Luxury: Luxury ships are stronger/carry more equipment and stuff.
---------------------------
That's pretty much it for now. Of course, since no actual core work (aside from reducing the amount of factions to three) was done, I'm still open for suggestions.
It was also brought to my attention that some of you thing that "Galving" and "Figbeeing" is "boring" or stuff, in which case, I might re-think the basic idea of SUP techpath.
Also, if you can think of any strategy realisable within the boundaries of Allegiance given appropriate tech, let me know. especially if it would mean more difference to faction-specific EXP strategies, as I am definitely sure about TAC, and also possibly SUP, unless I'll be changing it ;-)
I have also considered IC ships having normal handling, Rix ships having their weird sideways handling, and giving belts a variation of it - an "up-down" handling, but then someone said to me that he always considered the Rix handling to be more like a nuisance, so I am also considering to make all the ships handle the same. I would really appreciate your opinion on this matter.
As of now, I pretty much have the whole core planned (except for some tiny issues), I am somewhat confident that I am be able to create it core-wise, so it's pretty much in the stage of getting myself to actually sit down for a few hours every now and then and core my lowermost part of my back off, which, so far, is proving to be quite a challenge.
First of all, 3FC is supposed to be rather radically different from CC, no minor changes of a number here and another one there. Basic idea behind it is to provide maximum variety across all the faction/tech combinations.
Okay, here I go:
1. The first major difference, as you might have guessed from the title, is the fact that there will be only three factions. Like this, it is easier to differentiate the three, as it's quite easy to come up with three faction-unique versions of something.
2. All the factions will be economically equal - identical miner capacities, yield and stuff (so that no faction has advantage depending on game settings)
3. There will be no Shipyard (game-setting "shipyard on" button will be prolly used for toggling some special tech.)
4. Techbases will not be rock-limited (so that everyone can go their favourite tech).
5. Basic and Advanced Techbases will be two separate bases (basic being the prereq for the adv one)
6. Each techpath will have a "dogfighting ship", "basekilling ship", "capturing ship" and "support ship" - basic versions of the latter three will be researchable under garrison and will be prereq for tech-specific advanced versions.
7. Each faction will have it's own unique approach to "Luxury" stuff.
Now to give you a taste of some other key concepts and give you an idea of how is should be like:
Basic idea behind techpaths:
- SUP: Supremacy is about having more equally important ships either carrying out the same role, or capable of quickly switching from one role to another. You could say that the characteristic SUP strategy would be Galv/Figbee runs.
- EXP: Exp is about having one important ship and other, less important escorting. Characteristic EXP strategy would be a classic Bomb Run.
- TAC: Achieving victory through less-honourable, but effective strategies. Enough said.
Factions:
Iron Coalition
- General description: This faction relies heavily on boosters for transportation. Unlike the other factions, they are also dependant on boosters for normal transportation (they use special low-power high-efficiency booster for that). Those allow them to be really low-sig, while standing still, as their standart sig is lower than the other factions, but higher while moving.
- SUP: IC sup relies on the usage of fighter drones in combination with other, pilot-controlled fighters.
- EXP: IC medim class ships benefit from the fact that they don't have to use their "cruise" boosters and can go real low-sig by relying on other ships to push them.
- TAC: IC tac is straightforward tac as we know it - sneak in and attack key assets. Except they don't use signature cloaks, but "Smokescreens" - a special booster that does not increase speed, but decreases signature.
- Luxury: Instead of having luxury ships, IC has "luxury equipment".
Rixian Unity
- General description: This faction relies heavily on ripcording for transportation. Although they are familiar with booster technology, their boosters are less then effective.
- SUP: Rixian SUP relies on strong fighters and variety of ripcording technology.
- EXP: Rixian Medium-class ships are small ripcord recievers, making it easer to gather excort.
- TAC: Unlike other factions, Rixians choose to see, rather than not being seen. Their superb surveilance technology allows them to strike when enemy is busy elsewhere.
- Luxury: Rixian luxury ships have enhanced ripcord capabilites (might result in a ship becoming a small ripcord reciever, etc.)
Belters
- General description: Standart Booster/Ripcord combination used for transportation. Also, their capturing technology is based on the Nerve Gas Missile.
- SUP: They achieve space supremacy through the use of gun probes.
- EXP: Pretty much standart.
- TAC: Belter TAC is about laying down traps and waiting for the enemy to kill himself on them. Special minefields and gun probes, that's the way they do things.
- Luxury: Luxury ships are stronger/carry more equipment and stuff.
---------------------------
That's pretty much it for now. Of course, since no actual core work (aside from reducing the amount of factions to three) was done, I'm still open for suggestions.
It was also brought to my attention that some of you thing that "Galving" and "Figbeeing" is "boring" or stuff, in which case, I might re-think the basic idea of SUP techpath.
Also, if you can think of any strategy realisable within the boundaries of Allegiance given appropriate tech, let me know. especially if it would mean more difference to faction-specific EXP strategies, as I am definitely sure about TAC, and also possibly SUP, unless I'll be changing it ;-)
I have also considered IC ships having normal handling, Rix ships having their weird sideways handling, and giving belts a variation of it - an "up-down" handling, but then someone said to me that he always considered the Rix handling to be more like a nuisance, so I am also considering to make all the ships handle the same. I would really appreciate your opinion on this matter.