Ophiuchus wrote: ↑Wed Sep 18, 2019 2:35 pmThe voices for different I think were [...] and ???
And me. I'm rather busy and didn't get the time to come back and post my thoughts. I haven't got the time to sit and reflect on this to really get to a position. Now is the time.
The alternatives I consider worth trying:
Krikkitone's:
Each weapon class has a subset of possible targets. All possible targets of a weapon class are targetted with uniform probability. Other targets can't be targeted.
- Cannons (including SAC) target ships and planets (pure Offense)
- Bombers target ships (and planets but not ignoring shields?) (pure Offense)
- Interceptors and flaks target drones (pure PD).
- Fighters target ships and drones (mixed role).
This is mostly standard FRO combat system (before preferential combat system) with some adjustments (make cannons do not target drones). It is indeed the most KISS alternative, and I can't find combat scenarios with a exploit. Having removed drones as targets from cannon weapons remove the seemingly OP damage-soak property of the drones.
Preferential approach (Ophiuchus'?):
Each weapon class has a subset of primary targets and a subset of secondary targets. Primary targets are targetted first, secondary targets only when there are no primary targets.
- Cannons: primary ships and planets, secondary drones.
- Bombers: primary ships, secondary drones.
- Fighters: primary ships and drones, no secondaries.
- Interceptors: primary drones, secondary ships.
Probabilistic approach (mine some time ago?):
- Each weapon class has a subset of primary targets and a subset of secondary targets. Primary targets are targetted with double (or triple) probability than secondary targets.
Exampli gratia:
10 cannon ships VS 10 carriers and 20 bombers
* Standard system:
- cannons target 33% carrier, 66% bomber.
- bombers target 100% ship (there is anything else to target, this is the same in every system).
* Krikkitone's:
- cannons target 100% carrier (and once there are no ships, bombers are still untargetted).
* Preferential:
- cannons target 100% carrier (once there are no ships, bombers are targetted 100%).
* Probabilistic:
- cannons target 10*2/(10*2+20*1) = 50% carrier, and 20*1/(10*2+20*1) = 50% bomber.
I could live with Standard system if drones where removed from combat round as soon as it gets one hit, so that following shots in the same round can't target it (i.e. no multi-hit soaking). That is meassing with combat implementation.
I could live with all other designs while drones are still allowed multi-hit soaking, but Krikkitone's is the simplest (KISS) and straightforward to implement (I think so), plus it has one good advantage: it gives actual importance to flak cannons, currently under-powered. The only advantage I could see of the Probabilistic method over Krikkitone's, and I'm not sure it is a real advantage, is that it allows for extra randomness in combat, but it comes with the actual drawback of a more complex implementation (and maybe more CPU usage).
So I go for Krikkitone's approach.