FreeOrion GENERAL mechanics: questions

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Lord Hong
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FreeOrion GENERAL mechanics: questions

#1 Post by Lord Hong »

Hi, guys! I recently opened a thread about FO battle mechanics, which helped me VERY much. Woe on those Trith! But there are also some more questions about GENERAL game mechanics (mostly on details):

Interstellar Lighthouses: Do their effects stack?

E. g., if I've got a system with four planets / asteroid belts, and I build an IL on each of them, does that mean that every ship with a turn break within 50 uu will now get an 80 uu (4 x 20 uu) push on its way, and will there be - likewise - a +120 bonus (4 x +30) on detection?

And if there are 2 systems very nearby: would that mean that on starlanes where their 50 uu circle intersects, their effects stack too?

Starlane Bores: WTF?

Pedia: Generates a single new starlane to the nearest system that can be connected without crossing existing starlanes or passing too close to another system. OK, seems pretty clear at first, except the "without passing too close to another system", which is a bit vague. And more often than not, it will really work out that way.

But then again, sometimes my new starlanes will pass VERY close to another system (not connecting to the one that I thought and wanted them to); and sometimes their construction will be just unsuccessfull whithout a f* reason (i. e., no starlane will be constructed). Or they will not connect to the nearest system (without angles and nearness being an obvious problem), but pass a few degrees to the left or the right to another system farther away, destroying my precious strategic bottleneck. I once thought it's also about the angles between them an other starlanes connecting the starlane constructing system, and that those angles weren't allowed be too pointed (= too close to 0°). But then I sometimes get angles so pointed they'd make you bleed. I didn't measure them, but sometimes it looks like a < 10° angle between the new starlane and an old one.

I've no idea, and it's sometimes quite frustrating. So, what's its algorithm telling a Starlane Bore to do exactly (please in simple, human-understandable language)?

And the Starlane Nexi: is building a Starlane Nexus (procedurally) just like building one Starlane Bore after the other, until there is no possible starlane left?

And this here not a mechanics but a concept question: what's the "uu" supposed to mean? What's it in full?

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swaq
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Re: FreeOrion GENERAL mechanics: questions

#2 Post by swaq »

Interstellar Lighthouse does not stack.

Starlane Bore may still need some work. It's supposed to simply connect to the closest available system almost all the time.

Yes, Starlane Nexus is as many Starlane Bores as possible.

I am not sure what uu means other than it's a measure of distance. A quick Google search didn't help either.

Ophiuchus
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Re: FreeOrion GENERAL mechanics: questions

#3 Post by Ophiuchus »

universe units (uu) it is
Any code or patches in anything posted here is released under the CC and GPL licences in use for the FO project.

Look, ma... four combat bouts!

Lord Hong
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Re: FreeOrion GENERAL mechanics: questions

#4 Post by Lord Hong »

thx!

So I guess, Spatial Distortion Generator effects also do not stack? Would have been nice to soundly kick back your enemies until you've build an on-demand defensive fleet ... One possible exploit less.

Stay healthy, all!

Lord Hong
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What are Scrying Spheres good for?

#5 Post by Lord Hong »

Scrying Sphere: "Grants visibility to all other planets that have a Scrying Sphere." (Pedia)

Why would I build something like that? What strategy would that fit into? Why do YOU (not) build them?

Also, I never saw an AI planet with one of those. Are they just a kind of white elephant?

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swaq
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Re: FreeOrion GENERAL mechanics: questions

#6 Post by swaq »

I believe it is possible for a planet to spawn with a scrying sphere so you would be able to see that. But seems way too uncommon to be useful. I've never built one myself though.

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