Ship Tanker.

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danieledel
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Ship Tanker.

#1 Post by danieledel »

A chance for future versions of this cool video game is the tanker spaceships. There might be a tank to add to some spaceships, but it serves to refuel the remaining ships without fuel, and not the carrier carrying (except perhaps emergencies?). Imagine this kind of Ship Tanker that, if they manage to pass through the enemy, can carry fuel to spaceships that remain stationary in hazardous locations far away from supply lines. They would be useful especially in the first 100 rounds of a game. What do you think?
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LienRag
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Re: Ship Tanker.

#2 Post by LienRag »

I know it's old but imho it's a better idea than the Sun ship or the zero-point fuel generator (too overpowered)...

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The Silent One
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Re: Ship Tanker.

#3 Post by The Silent One »

Sir, this is micromanagement hell!
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Re: Ship Tanker.

#4 Post by Ophiuchus »

LienRag wrote: Tue Jun 11, 2019 4:45 pm ... or the zero-point fuel generator (too overpowered)...
Have you ever used that one in one of your ship designs actually? Fuel is currently not an issue.
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LienRag
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Re: Ship Tanker.

#5 Post by LienRag »

Yes I did...
It's useful in great galaxies but comes too late in the game to be really interesting strategically.

(and yes indeed ship tankers would be micromanagement hell, I failed to see that and now I fail to find a way for it not too be, though I still think they would be nice if micromanagement could be avoided)

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Oberlus
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Re: Ship Tanker.

#6 Post by Oberlus »

LienRag wrote: Wed Jun 12, 2019 11:33 pmIt's useful in great galaxies but comes too late in the game to be really interesting strategically.
Yes, that's the problem (IMO) with that part: it is useful for fast scouting, which in turn is a task that prolongs its usefulness in greater galaxies, but scouting is not an issue in mid to late game (your colonies already give you enough range of vision to plan your tactics).
And, if we get the zero-point fuel part early in the game, it disrupts the whole fuel mechanics.
Anyway, if you play compact (in the sense of not conquering/colonising planets too far from the rest of your planets, so that your empire is easier to defend), then there is no need for fuel at all. And whenever you decide to attack enemy colonies outside your supply range, that's because you are planning to conquer colonies there that will immediately give you supply there.

(and yes indeed ship tankers would be micromanagement hell, I failed to see that and now I fail to find a way for it not too be, though I still think they would be nice if micromanagement could be avoided)
There is no way you can make that non micromanagy. Apart from the tactical dimension of the game (building ships, grouping them in fleets, deciding where to put them to defend or attack), for any object that is not unique or very scarce in the game (fleets, colonies), the mechanics must not rely on individual orders/settings, and if that is unavoidable, then it must not be something that requires constant attention. Adding a sun hull to fuel up a fleet is OK (you do it once per fleet, you won't require to micromanage that sun hull back and forth), having to keep making trips back and forth to refuel the tanker to refuel the fleet... if you "fix" that, you end up making the tanker have the same effect than the sun hull (to avoid the back and forth). The very good way FreeOrion has to manage the fuel mechanic is Supply groups. It's a wonderful mechanic: once you have supply in a region, you don't have to worry about fuel tankers, you already assume there implicit tankers in the supply lines fueling your actual ships.

In other words: FreeOrion already has fuel tankers. They are implicit in the supply lines, and superbly managed by the game itself without you having to care about such a menial and boring task, but they can't fuel up a ship that is further away than your supply range because then they would not be able to come back to refuel themselves.

I would close this thread, indeed.

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LienRag
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Re: Ship Tanker.

#7 Post by LienRag »

Nice answer from Oberlus, I must confess.
I guess it closes the subject indeed.

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