So, I thought that after you choose a card and assign your flotillas the actual cinematic path taken by the ships is somewhat like the path displayed on the card. But in my game last night I noticed they didn't curve of to the left but instead made an odd S shape. How or where is this explained?

I have a hard time guessing what types of controll I have over combat and what cards can impacts flight paths.

And how is long, medium and short range calculated. Is it dependant on distance, actual distance? I have had short range lasers not firing in the last phase even with their arcs are presented the correct way. So is it a phase thing or a distance thing?

I feel like the game gives me too little info to design ships for use with different cards. I like the idea but I am struggling to find information to learn how the system works. So anyone got it or got a neat link to a combat guide for the current version?

Hi,

The ranges on the card are what we call the "range intentions" => for example, you want to be at Short range with this flotilla versus its paired opponent flotilla. 

We draw on the preview map indicative trajectories to quickly show the 3 range intentions (the more the head of the arrow is to the right, the more you want to go close to the opponent).

But they are not the exact trajectories because we don't know yet the opponent range intentions. 

At the beginning of the battle, the trajectories are drawn in pairs, resulting in confrontations that make sense. And we split the battle in 3 phases with fixed ranges.

For example, if you select Long range and the opponent selects Short range, the phases will be: Long then Medium then Short.

If you select both Short range, the phases will be : Short then Short then Short.

Here is the complete table:

Draw the trajectories based on the opponent allows us to optimize the broadside fire (because this parameter is not controlled by the player). With the paired trajectories, spaceships will always be in the right angle in relation with the opposite flotillas.

The ships can also shoot at the neighboring flotillas if the guns can't see a target in the paired flotilla. Here again, the range will be computed for the entire flotilla and per phase.

There may be issues with the current version of the game that we don't know. In your example, the lasers should have shot on the paired flotilla during the 3 phases (but not during the last seconds, when the timer is finished). If you see anomalies and have saves to reproduce them, please send them to us.

We know that the current state of the game is not clear about all these rules. We're working on different feedback to explain them: better tooltips in the pre battle screen, range feedback during battle (on scan view, maybe on flotilla HUD) and advanced report with ranges recapitulation.

Great replies, makes sense now with what I was seeing, I was expecting the classic Long, mid short deal and I love the chart explaining the correlation between the opponents and you intent.

And thanks Mysterarts. Can't thank enough for how well you all treat us fans and players. 

Kweel_Nakashyn wrote:

Mailanka wrote:

If I stack up my ships with loads of long range weapons and choose long range, then I'll always get at least one salvo off at the beginning of the fight, and if that blows you up, I win.  So we have the "iajutsu" strategy of "I don't need armor if you're already did."  The other strategy I often used of muscling through all the early fire and blasting you with superior close-range weapons remains valid, because I'll always get a chance to shoot at you in short range if I choose short range, provided I survive all of your fire.

Especially in the current state of the game. A missile or a beam weapon is better than 2-3 kinetic / laser atm.

The only thing making these strategies difficult is that ships are rather constrained in how you can build them.  That is, you cannot pile nothing but weapons on one ship, and nothing but armor and a single gun on another ship of the same hull design.

You don't need all defense but one gun.

A large boat having 4 defense slots : 2 for shields / 2 for plate in the current state of the game is pretty much invulnerable : she soaks something like 89% of damages thrown to her, this means it's like she had her HP x10.

=> Absorption should not get multiplied on x2 / x4 slots (HP should), especially since damage boosters doesn't stack (those +12%/+25% damage support modules does not multiply).

There is no reason on thop of this : if a kevlar vest gives an amount of protection vs normal bullets, there is no reason that a 4x larger kevlar vest gives you 4x this protection.

I'll be honest: I have no real sense for how the space combat system works and very little idea how to design for it, other than long, medium and close ranges.  From what I can presume, arcs of fire matter, and weapons deal X damage per second, and ships have X number of HP, and shields seem to defend against energy and plates defend against projectiles, but it's not really clear to me what "defends against" means.  From your description, it reduces damage?

The Space Combat screen and the cinematic need more work. The cards need more interesting path. Since they already resemble Football (US) plays, it would be nice if Amplitude took it a step further and made them even better.

I'd also love for there to be 2x or 3x ships in the highest CP fleets.

I agree, but the path needs to be clear now since arcs matter. I feel like combat is getting interesting..  

Sort of interesting things can happen in this patch like ships getting flanked and being unable to fire their weapons etc but the information is not crystal and could be much approved upon. I do feel like I am assembling a play and just saying "go guys go" followed by "oh, this was the card that took this path and they are now in my rear ^^ I love it but would like more visual context