Magnate wrote: ↑Sun Apr 26, 2020 8:37 amIs a single shield really obvious, when it goes in a slot that can alternatively have a hanger in it, and there's no limit on hangars? Most space games let you stack shields like you can stack weapons, with respect I don't think it is obvious.
I meant (sorry for briefness) that allowing a single shield is obvious with current mechanics: a ship with two shields becomes untouchable.
In MoO shields were more like capacitors, in the sense of fast-regenerating-armor.
In other games stacked shields behave non linearly: 1 shield gives (e.g.) 3, two shields gives 5, a third one gives 6...
Both ways were discarded in FreeOrion years before I met the game. And I accept it. Any of the three ways is good, FreeOrion's is the most simple yet gives plenty of design choices and strategies.
Structure (also weapons, fuel and troops) parts are stackable while stealth and speed (also detection and shield) parts are not. This is definitely not KISS for a new player.
Seriously, that is not definitely not KISS. It is simple enough that some parts can be stacked and some can't. That is something rather simple to understand (when told). From FreeOrion's Philosophy:
K.I.S.S.
Is an acronym meaning "Keep It Simple, Stupid"
[*] You should be able to explain the basic rules to a reasonably clever child without difficulty.
[*] Making something operate in a really complicated way and then hiding it from the player or letting an AI manage it is not KISS. Nor does it give much value to the player.
[*] Any idea that adds any complexity needs to be weighed against the increase in strategic depth, or fun gameplay.
[*] When in doubt, choose the simplest possible solution. More details and rules can be more easily added than they can be subtracted.
[*] The real world could be used to explain an idea, but never to justify an idea -- the real world is seldom KISS.
[*] Given two competing ideas, we'll take the one that's more fun over the one that's more realistic, every time.
First, saying "non-stackable" is quite simple to understand (just maybe not simple to accept).
Second, it allows for very simple formulas and calculations, and removes the need for non-linear stackable increases or the gameplay undesired result of having huge ships (that were supposed to be slower than other small ships) running fast as hell because they have more internal slots (that are required nevertheless if you want huge ships to have many fighters or whatnot).
I think it is worth some more thought or discussion about stackable and unstackable slots.
Be my guest, but the forum is full of discussion about that regarding engines since maybe 2012 or older, and after such lengthy discussions the engines were made non-stackable some time in 2016 or 2017 (I dunno). I don't think we can come up with anything that wasn't discussed before, so I'm pretty sure engines will stay non-stackable.