You guys are overthinking the solution. Just increase repair rates in friendly territory and add in an option to spend dust to repair a ship.

Godbeast wrote:
Introduce two different kinds of ship HP. Hull and armor. Make armor be repairable in combat and automatically filled up to full after combat. Make hull damage (damage taken after armor is depleted) be strategic and take turns to repair. A split of 50/50 hull/armor or 60/40 hull/armor to make it worthwhile to repair armor and hull damage be something that happens regularly.

I'm liking this idea, I was actually thinking that it would make more sense if the nano-bots could only repair a ship up to 50-60%. Essentially representing that they can repair a ship from heavily damaged to flyable, but that the ship would require more time-consuming detailed repairs at a planet to have it back to perfect 100% condition.



I agree though that the planet repair time should be reduced. Especially when my systems can build new ships faster than they repair the old. Perhaps it should be an industry-based construction option to repair a fleet?

lurker wrote:
The time for 'in system' repairs does seem extreme at the moment. Plus it would be nice to get repairs while in a hangar, which at present doesn't seem to happen at all.

I wholeheartedly agree with this. It would be nice to be able to launch them from hangers during an invasion to repel the attack too...

minispace wrote:
...

Hopefully other dedicated strategic repair mechanics will be added to the game. Ships should repair faster in friendly systems, and more slowly in enemy systems. Dedicated repair facilities could also speed up the process, and you should be able to spend Dust to rush fleet repairs.



Even with new strategic repair options, I think the tactical repairs will remain overpowered, so I would like to propose a solution:



In battle emergency repairs should be a temporary measure and only last for the duration of a fight. Any damage that gets repaired via a tactics card would only last for that battle. After the fight most of the temporary fixes would be lost and ships that are heavily damaged would lose most of their emergency repairs and have to be fixed on the strategic level.



There would have to be a rule added that gives severely damaged ships some minimum HP if they survive the fight with temporary repairs, but it should be easy to add. This idea also depends on more viable repair options being added to the game, as discussed in the second paragraph of this post.

...

I like your points, added a few ideas to them below.



As said, add an option for faster strategic repair, f.e. in friendly docks. It should not be tied to fitting repair module on ship, and be much slower than that more advanced and costly solution. But somewhat faster than normal strategic repairs.



Make battle card repairs temporary health. If you loose your ship with temporary health, it's gone. If it survives but would have died unless it had that temporary health, it's at minimum health after battle. Otherwise it just goes back to the health it has with temporary health removed after battle. Repair modules are more powerful (and space costly), so they should probably stay as is.



A ship with minimum health might need emergency repairs. Not possible to move the ship until those repairs are done. (I like how that f.e. is done in Port Royale 3, a severely damaged ship cannot move until enough emergency repairs are done).

We'll definitely need to see more repair options, as the repair cards make other repair systems redundant. I think a slower repair rate would make fleets more vulnerable to counter-attack and that might make fighting wars more interesting.

Maybe they should keep a somewhat slower repair rate at any planet. if its your system, slightly faster. if you build a "repair hangar" module then it repairs ships by 50% each turn. So in two turns everything is back to normal but not invincible.

also keep in mind some cards trump yours. your repair cards could actually help the other guy.

Radon wrote:
Never thought of spamming repair card in battle, i normally Auto. I might just have to do this for the lulz when my fleets are dying out :P Nothing like a quick pit stop in enemy territory

Never thought of spamming repair card in battle, i normally Auto. I might just have to do this for the lulz when my fleets are dying out :P Nothing like a quick pit stop in enemy territory

Then maybe nano-robots repairs should be able to bring the HP only up to the point it was on the beginning of the battle. It should solve all problems...

minispace wrote:
Even with new strategic repair options, I think the tactical repairs will remain overpowered, so I would like to propose a solution:



In battle emergency repairs should be a temporary measure and only last for the duration of a fight. Any damage that gets repaired via a tactics card would only last for that battle. After the fight most of the temporary fixes would be lost and ships that are heavily damaged would lose most of their emergency repairs and have to be fixed on the strategic level.



There would have to be a rule added that gives severely damaged ships some minimum HP if they survive the fight with temporary repairs, but it should be easy to add. This idea also depends on more viable repair options being added to the game, as discussed in the second paragraph of this post.



With this change, the repair card would remain a useful option during a battle, but will not overshadow other dedicated repair systems. Fleets will not be able to easily repair on the fly in hostile space and you will see more fleets taking heavier damage through attrition. It will also become more important to maintain reserve fleets and repair facilities to keep your forces in shape for a fight.

I like this idea, though I'd propose a small modification:



Repair card doesn't simply 'undo' itself at the end of battle, but it actually damages the ship worse than when you started (to represent cutting holes to run new cables and the like). Temporary repairs are just that: temporary, and they likely involve steps that otherwise damage your ship worse.



Of course, definitely keep the 'minimum HP' thing around... in the form of 'if the ship survives combat, it has at LEAST one HP on the strategic screen'.

Well I still like talking about stuff!

minispace wrote:
The problem right now is that tactical (battle) repairs are superior in every way to strategic repairs. You can repair something like 45% of your total fleet damage in the course of a single fight, but on the galaxy map repairs are much more time consuming. The most effective way to repair your fleet at the moment is to get into lopsided fights and spam the repair card. As it stands, ships can repair faster if they fight more--that can't be working as intended.



Hopefully other dedicated strategic repair mechanics will be added to the game. Ships should repair faster in friendly systems, and more slowly in enemy systems. Dedicated repair facilities could also speed up the process, and you should be able to spend Dust to rush fleet repairs.



Even with new strategic repair options, I think the tactical repairs will remain overpowered, so I would like to propose a solution:



In battle emergency repairs should be a temporary measure and only last for the duration of a fight. Any damage that gets repaired via a tactics card would only last for that battle. After the fight most of the temporary fixes would be lost and ships that are heavily damaged would lose most of their emergency repairs and have to be fixed on the strategic level.



There would have to be a rule added that gives severely damaged ships some minimum HP if they survive the fight with temporary repairs, but it should be easy to add. This idea also depends on more viable repair options being added to the game, as discussed in the second paragraph of this post.



With this change, the repair card would remain a useful option during a battle, but will not overshadow other dedicated repair systems. Fleets will not be able to easily repair on the fly in hostile space and you will see more fleets taking heavier damage through attrition. It will also become more important to maintain reserve fleets and repair facilities to keep your forces in shape for a fight.

ALpha is Alpha! and i am almost positive the devs are awear of this.

The problem right now is that tactical (battle) repairs are superior in every way to strategic repairs. You can repair something like 45% of your total fleet damage in the course of a single fight, but on the galaxy map repairs are much more time consuming. The most effective way to repair your fleet at the moment is to get into lopsided fights and spam the repair card. As it stands, ships can repair faster if they fight more--that can't be working as intended.



Hopefully other dedicated strategic repair mechanics will be added to the game. Ships should repair faster in friendly systems, and more slowly in enemy systems. Dedicated repair facilities could also speed up the process, and you should be able to spend Dust to rush fleet repairs.



Even with new strategic repair options, I think the tactical repairs will remain overpowered, so I would like to propose a solution:



In battle emergency repairs should be a temporary measure and only last for the duration of a fight. Any damage that gets repaired via a tactics card would only last for that battle. After the fight most of the temporary fixes would be lost and ships that are heavily damaged would lose most of their emergency repairs and have to be fixed on the strategic level.



There would have to be a rule added that gives severely damaged ships some minimum HP if they survive the fight with temporary repairs, but it should be easy to add. This idea also depends on more viable repair options being added to the game, as discussed in the second paragraph of this post.



With this change, the repair card would remain a useful option during a battle, but will not overshadow other dedicated repair systems. Fleets will not be able to easily repair on the fly in hostile space and you will see more fleets taking heavier damage through attrition. It will also become more important to maintain reserve fleets and repair facilities to keep your forces in shape for a fight.

LordAshanti wrote:
Do ships gain combat experience?

yes they do.

Godbeast wrote:
Random idea of doom:



Introduce two different kinds of ship HP. Hull and armor. Make armor be repairable in combat and automatically filled up to full after combat. Make hull damage (damage taken after armor is depleted) be strategic and take turns to repair. A split of 50/50 hull/armor or 60/40 hull/armor to make it worthwhile to repair armor and hull damage be something that happens regularly.



Make hull hp un-upgradable outside maybe single-equip support modules. All HP increase goes to armor.



Thoughts?

I like this idea. It would force you to think about the strategic position of your hangars or space docks. Also I like the idea of having to cycle your fleets. Do ships gain combat experience?

Also, wouldent the hull of a ship be its modules? and the armor be the defencive technologys?



so that way the repar card would just buff the armor during the fight and the hull would actually have to be reapird.



Hell, damage to the hull could even destroy the modules, making ship damage actually decrese the effectiveness of ones ships?

Simple question: if I can significantly repair my ships in a matter of seconds in the middle of combat using the microbots battle card, why do I have to wait around to for turn after turn after turn in a friendly system to do the same amount of repairs? ..fritz..

The only problem I have with The earlier stated Idea of making the 50/50 Hull/Armor Repair fix is that there would be no way to repair battle armor, until they got into a fight. It would be more motive, sure to fight, but at the same time, it would make repair cards used SO often that there wouldn't be much fighting (at least not in the first round of the 3 round fights).



Perhaps an extra upgrade in the worlds that would be built for Hull repair, and one for Armor repair? They could be in the same tech, so noone would fall behind in researching one over the other, and It would also at a naturalism feel, if say, only one star system in my empire had the upgrade, having all my ships shipped there after a long battle to heal up.



It's a great idea. At the same time, I would like to see more then just simple trading with the Allies, I know this is getting a little off topic, but it would be nice if that tech allowed for another opening with the allies : Ship repair at exclusive star systems. Giving the player's options to repair ships at allies starsystems, while paying for it or trading it in some way. It would make allies a bit more....ambient.



And secretive. An allie might not be at war with another faction as his friend, but could secretly be getting ships sent to his port (if the trade was agreed on) to secretly repair the ships his friend needs to fight.

That would add a bit more of a space Roleplay factor too, and motivation if a faction hated another faction, to destroy key points of enemy empires.

The nano-repair systems battle card repairs 20%, and as far as I know it does it every round it's cast. With a strong fleet attacking a single ship (which the AI tends to send sometimes) you could repair damaged ships in one turn, while it would take a huge amount of turns otherwise.



I don't have a problem with standard repairs taking fairly long. Speeding them up with repair support module on the ships is already an option. If an additional option for dock/hangar repair is added, it would be nice. And personally I wouldn't mind if the nano-repair battle card was removed or totally changed.

Buio wrote:
Sends Cold War envoy; Sorry I had to attack and destroy your scout, but I needed to repair my battle fleet.

This one was really good, haha.



I find it crazy too that the hangar has no affect on the repair.



Why not integrating inside the tech trees some constructions availables for systems to build, to give a boost to repair.

Most simple idea would be to have a "shipyard" which could diminish the cost of building ships in the first place.

And later in the tree having some "repair docks" that would repair a pourcentage of the damage per turn.

Buio wrote:
Sends Cold War envoy; Sorry I had to attack and destroy your scout, but I needed to repair my battle fleet.

ROTFL.



(ten char filler)

I too like Godbeast's idea. I haven't played the game so much that I can comment on possible implications, but I like it.



The battle card Microbots is overpowered. It takes a huge amount of turns to repair ships, and putting them in dock seem to do nothing to increase repair speed. While you on the other hand can repair all ships fully in one combat if you have the advantage.



Sends Cold War envoy; Sorry I had to attack and destroy your scout, but I needed to repair my battle fleet.

Godbeast wrote:
Random idea of doom:



Introduce two different kinds of ship HP. Hull and armor. Make armor be repairable in combat and automatically filled up to full after combat. Make hull damage (damage taken after armor is depleted) be strategic and take turns to repair. A split of 50/50 hull/armor or 60/40 hull/armor to make it worthwhile to repair armor and hull damage be something that happens regularly.



Make hull hp un-upgradable outside maybe single-equip support modules. All HP increase goes to armor.



Thoughts?

This is an excellent idea! Plus it makes sense that structural damage would be a significant undertaking to fix whereas a couple of nano-bots could probably weld spot weld some tin foil to the ship in no time!

Godbeast wrote:


Introduce two different kinds of ship HP. Hull and armor. Make armor be repairable in combat and automatically filled up to full after combat. Make hull damage (damage taken after armor is depleted) be strategic and take turns to repair. A split of 50/50 hull/armor or 60/40 hull/armor to make it worthwhile to repair armor and hull damage be something that happens regularly.



Make hull hp un-upgradable outside maybe single-equip support modules. All HP increase goes to armor.

Massive like for this, brings back memories of flying an armour tank in EVE. Even though in that you could do a hull repair but yeah, in principal, sweet thought!

Random idea of doom:



Introduce two different kinds of ship HP. Hull and armor. Make armor be repairable in combat and automatically filled up to full after combat. Make hull damage (damage taken after armor is depleted) be strategic and take turns to repair. A split of 50/50 hull/armor or 60/40 hull/armor to make it worthwhile to repair armor and hull damage be something that happens regularly.



Make hull hp un-upgradable outside maybe single-equip support modules. All HP increase goes to armor.



Thoughts?

Hmm now that i think about it, your right..epic game flaw

Yeah this is a hard square to circle. On the one hand I don't want strategic level ship repair to be too quick, it's also nice to be able to make emergency repairs in battle. :-/

The time for 'in system' repairs does seem extreme at the moment. Plus it would be nice to get repairs while in a hangar, which at present doesn't seem to happen at all.

Hmmm perhaps because the nano are horribly expensive and hence for non-emergency repairs, it makes sense to do it in a shipyard?



But yea, you got a point.

Fritzworth wrote:
Simple question: if I can significantly repair my ships in a matter of seconds in the middle of combat using the microbots battle card, why do I have to wait around to for turn after turn after turn in a friendly system to do the same amount of repairs? ..fritz..

Because game balance trumps realism.

Good point^^

Probably if you don't do exactly that, or have extremely good time. ..gord..