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 Platforms and Mines and Stations and Things
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| Ironwatsas |
Posted on 08-04-2015 19:17
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 Posts: 856 Joined: October 21 2005 |
Weapon Platforms in PDS classic are useless. They die too fast and can barely kill scouts even. For PDS remastered, static defenses including platforms and mines should be improved to a level where their utility can justify their existence. Remastered's AI is much more aggressive (I.E. it's less prone to going a few km and stopping and starting again). Personally I've encountered situations, even in HW2 classic, where you send the mainsday of your fleet into siege the enemy's Shipyard, only for a squadron of corvettes or something to swing around and hit yours. The 8 starter platforms parked around one's shipyard don't do squat in older versions. Platforms and Mines should exist to allow the fleets to establish a secure bastion of sorts around their command ship, major resource sites, strategic objects in space, or as booby traps to attack enemy resource collectors. They have generally been described as a "deterrant" in older PDS versions, which against the mindless AI or a determined human foe is largely a worthless strategy. For the new version they should be made more substantial, as the deep space equivalent of stuff like SAM sites or Integrated air defenses or Coastal Artillery. RWS platforms should have some more variety to them. Hiigarans already have the requisite gun and ion cannon platforms. The Path to Victory mod also had a slightly more armored looking platform [img=http://media.moddb.com/images/mods/1/16/15096/heavyplatform.jpg]with an Arbiter Railgun[/img] on it. I'm sure we can do something similar. I would imagine, using the existing HW2 platform chassis, we could/should have.
Similarly, the Vaygr should get some better defensive weapon platforms of their own.
One note on the latter. Vaygr Hyperspace gates are going to be more tactically important in the future, so they probably should get their own separate population limit as opposed to weapon platforms. Vaygr platforms will probably have smaller weapons due to their more compact frames, which sort of limit the physical space in which to install the mechanical or electrical bits necessary for very large or cumbersome weapon systems. Now, Mines. I'm not entirely sure why they were removed from PDS, but I plan to bring them back. They would be used for similar purposes to platforms; namely local point defense of critical assets or booby-trapping resource fields, rather than any sort of large-scale area denial. The number of mines needed for that would be ludicrously, game-engine-cripplingly large. Basically mines and platforms should be used together, and to compliment one another, but shouldn't be expected to stop a determined attack without support. Also, mines should do more than just explode! Simple explosive mines would probably be obliterated by any decent CIWS before they get in range of their target, so perhaps giving them some standoff-utility. One thing I've been thinking of would be a nuclear-pumped laser mine. Basically a one-shot disposable weapon which orients itself at the target, detonates, and in the process focuses a laser beam at the target vessel. Another idea would be a mine designed to make a large amount of shrapnel or sub-munitions, and generally dehabitate an area around itself. This would be more forgivable since the friendly fire risk that "flak" shells is much reduced if the mines are deployed at a very long range away from friendly ships. One thing we should also consider is Space Stations. Either as mission-specific objectives or map decoration. Something for the factions to be fighting over. In the HW Remastered deathmatch gamemode, there are randomly-spawning 'relics' which provide resources to the player. That's sort of silly for our psuedo-realistic purposes, but having neutral space stations on certain maps (which provide some benefit when captured) makes sense. There would certainly be various trade outposts, deep-space industries, mining stations, research facilities, etc scattered around space. Something the Hiigarans, Vaygr, and others would want to control, or deny to the enemy. If nothing else, they'd be neat map decorations. We should make or acquire a few new models for this. |
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| Warman1 |
Posted on 01-06-2015 22:31
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 Posts: 146 Joined: September 08 2005 |
Concerning the idea of the nuclear-pumped laser mine, this was something I had looked into LOOONG ago (maybe about 10 years now) when I was part of an Honor Harrington mod for HW2 (alas, we were CaDed, the author loves us though). If I remember right, (and I could be very wrong) the correct way to go about doing laser-warheads of missiles was to use the multiple warhead missile's code as a base. But in place of the pointer to the submunition missiles, you pointed towards a laser effect of some sort. Caution: It is HIGHLY possible that I have this confused with Sword of the Stars' modding setup. |
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