Ship suggestions

[spottboy]

Category 1: standard ships

Standard ships are the basic group, and give you the most bang for your buck. They originally come available in four sizes, but tech advances make up to 5 more available. Cannot detect stealth ships after first stealth tech is researched, unless counter stealth sensors of the same or higher level are researched.

Corvette: Class 1. Small, very fast. Light armor, lightly armed. Available at the start, cheapest to build. If a range limit is introduced to the game, these ships have short legs.

Frigate: Class 2. Larger than a Corvette, nearly as fast. Armor is twice as thick, and either more or heavier weapons than a Corvette. Available at the start, for a higher cost than a corvette and with slightly longer legs.

Destroyer Escort: Class 3. Larger than a Frigate, nearly as fast. Armor is 3 times as thick as a Corvette, usually mounts heavier weapons and more weapons than a Corvette. Available at the start, for more than a Frigate and with even more range.

Destroyer: Class 4. Larger than a Destroyer Escort, nearly as fast, with twice the armor of a frigate and better weapons. Last of the starting classes, with the longest range and highest cost.

Light Cruiser: Class 5. Larger than a... well, you should see the pattern by now. The first ship big enough to carry weapons that can reach a planet's surface, allowing orbital bombardment.

Heavy Cruiser: Class 6. Bigger and slower than a Light Cruiser. First class able to carry weapons that can reach a Class 1-Class 4 before they can close and engage.

Battle Cruiser: Class 7. Nearly as big as a Class 8, Nearly as fast as a Class 6. Can engage Light Cruisers before they can shoot back.

Battleship: Class 8. The grand old dames of the fleet, able to smash nearly everything out there without crippling the economy through operating costs. Only a Class 9 is bigger.

Dreadnaught: Class 9. They don't get any bigger, or slower. Packs enough firepower to sterilize a planet's surface. Prohibitively expensive to build and operate.

Category 2: Stealth ships

This includes the ubiquitous Scout, the only combat ship that isn't armed and armored at first. These ships are smaller and faster as a rule than Category 1 ships, cary less armor and weapons, and are purpose built for stealth. Only another Category 2 ship can detect them unless they open fire or the Category 1 ship has researched the same or higher level of coutner stealth sensors. Can interdict a star lane (if range rules apply, no resupply of friendly ships or trade from colonies on the far side of the interdicted star lane unless there is an alternate route to the capital world).

Scout: Class 1A. The smallest and fastest of the combat ships. No armor or weapons at first, but can add them after some tech advances. Twice the range of a Corvette. Costs as much as a Corvette to build.

Frigate Hunter: Class 2A. Only available after tech advance in stealth. Packs the speed, firepower and armor of a Corvette, but has stealth capabilities and twice the range of a Frigate. Costs as much as a Frigate to build.

Destroyer Hunter: Class 3A. Only available after second tech advance in stealth. Packs the speed, firepower and armor of a Frigate, but with stealth capabilities and twice the range of a Destroyer Escort. Costs as much as a Destroyer Escort to build.

Cruiser Hunter: Class 4A. Only available after third tech advance in stealth. Speed, firepower and armor of a Destroyer Escort, with stealth capabilities and twice the range of a Destroyer. Costs as much as a Destroyer to build.

Fleet Hunter: Class 5A. Only available after fourth advance in stealth. Speed, firepower and armor of a Destroyer, with stealth capabilities and twice the range of a Light Cruiser. Costs as much as a Light Cruiser to build.

Category 3: Specialty ships

Colony ship: Class 1B. The only specialty ship available at the beginning. No weapons or armor, slow, but with very long range. Used to colonize planets.

Tender: Class 2B. About the size of a Light Cruiser, slow, with very light armor and weapons. While traveling with a fleet of warships, that fleet cannot be interdicted by stealth ships and has greater range. Range increase varies with ratio of tenders to warships, but one tender can double the range of a Dreadnaught.

Landing Ship: Class 3B. Lightly armed and armored, but able to match a Destroyer for speed. When attacking a planet or an orbital platform, allows the capture of the target without destroying the platform/causing more than 10% casualties on the surface.

Carrier: Class 4B. Armored like a Destroyer, fast as a Frigate, no offensive weapons. Carries starfighters (increases damage done by friendly forces by 10% per level of starfighter development, increases range of all attacks to that of a Dreadnaught, starfighters take damage first and cost carrier's fleet these advantages when destroyed). Carrier bonuses stack.

Starfighters: Part of Carrier, or can be built for planetary defenses. Carrier has a capacity. Each starfighter can absorb 1 point of damage instead of the friendly fleet its protecting. This damage destroys the starfighter, reducing the damage increase accordingly. When based planet side, each starfighter does 1 point of damage per fighter per level of starfighter tech, and can absorb 1 point of damage before destruction. Landing ships cannot attempt to assault a planet until all starfighters based on that planet are destroyed.

Tell me what you think!

[spottboy]

One more thing. Ships cost industrial production to build, but money to operate. If the player's trade is negative and they have no reserve to draw from, the war ships cannot move and will only fight if attacked. That should prevent small nations from building huge fleets to conquer with instead of colonizing their own stars.

Example: Player X builds a Class 1 ship. It is rated at (and I'm just making up these numbers) 10 PP/10 turns. After construction, Player X must pay 1 unit of trade per turn to operate the Class 1 ship. If his budget and reserves both become negative, his Class 1 ship cannot be moved from the lnext colony of his that it visits. Player X already has a Scout operating, and this ship can still operate (Scouts cost nothing to operate, since their exporations always seem to turn up valuable "samples" along the way). Player X can also build and operate a Colony ship (cost zero), but his Tender that he build last turn (cost 1) is stranded at whichever of his colonies it visits next.

[eleazar]

Sorry, but we've already decided on a more open ended ship design system which is not based on classes.

see here

As i understand it, this will come under review when the entire v.4 proposal is complete to iron out any inconsistencies and issues, but basically it's settled.

You can find the discussion leading up to this decision here

[spottboy]

Hey, if it's settled, it's settled.

[Krikkitone]

One more thing. Ships cost industrial production to build, but money to operate.

This is one of those ideas that I vigorously oppose, ships should cost Production to build and Production to operate. (You might need money to keep them loyal, but not to keep them equipped)

[GTAmario]

why oppose? in the real world, industry builds and economy upkeeps

[utilae]

Because the real world isn't fun like the much simplified game world.

[GTAmario]

uhh...ok
Its like that in every game

[utilae]

Basically realism arguments are not very successful and have never been successful.

I would suggest putting alot more detail into your ideas, since what you have posted latley is very lacking in information. Write a paragrpah or two. People then have more to comment on or discuss.

Anyway continue on your ways.

[Krikkitone]

why oppose? in the real world, industry builds and economy upkeeps

1. real world arguments don't count, and you don't want to be in a situation where you can build ships but can't maintain them.. if Industry is needed for both then as your fleet gets bigger, eventually all PP are used for Maintenance and you can't build any more ships

2. In the real world industry builds and Industry upkeeps

To build an aircraft carrier, the government pays money to factories to build parts and put them together in the ship(physical, mechanical work is done on the ship)
To upkeep an aircraft carrier, the government pays money to factories to build parts and put them in the ship (physical, mechanical work is done on the ship)

Now Money is used to 'operate' the ship, ie pay the crew... but that is there to ensure the ship's loyalty (you could operate it with slaves if you wanted)