"All war is deception." - Art of war.

Currently fleets are just manifestation of military and industrial power. The unfortunate implication is that the war in Endless Space at the moment is missing the interesting part - Mind games.

The situation can be improved via the introduction of electronic warfare modules that give the ships ability to deceive enemies at tactical and strategic level.

"The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. "





Signal Intelligence: Spy on the enemy (Nonbayonic Particles)

Secret operations are essential in war; upon them the army relies to make its every move.

Each Signal Intelligence randomly identify all modules of an enemy ship in sensor range. An identified ship appear yellow when inspected.

Clicking on that ship will bring up the ship designer and display precisely modules mounted on it.

In battle each signal intelligence unit on fleet provide an Independent 10% chance to see enemy battle card per phase when enemy select them. This is rolled separately for each phase.

Special note: the chance to see enemy battle action is p(n) = 1-.9^n. For the first 8 units, the values follows: 0.1000 0.1900 0.2710 0.3439 0.4095 0.4686 0.5217 0.5695

Lore: By cracking enemy communications, it's possible to determine the exact composition of enemy forces.





Stealth Field generator: Make fleet smaller than they are (Photon Distortion)

"Appear weak when you are strong."

Ship equipped with stealth field generators vanish when they are heavily damaged, if the entire fleet has vanished it will retreat without order.

Stealth ships also do not show up as fleet CP or MP when inspected on the strategic map.

Special notes: A fleet composed entirely of stealth ships without decoy launchers do not show up on enemy's strategic map at all unless they are in rage of brainwave sensors or collaborator network.

In that case they appear as a single scout frigate with total MP of the stealth fleet. Fleet MP value is corrected if stealth ships are scanned.

If an enemy fleet is attacked by a stealth fleet, the victim will get a special message "Ambush ! they are everywhere !"

Additional notes: A stealth fleet can cross into territory of a neutral party without a open boarder agreement. However if they are found, it incur serious diplomatic penalties.

Lore: Complex surface coating allows a fleet to hide from all but best of sensors.





Decoy Launchers: Make fleets bigger than they are (Adv. Simulations)

"And strong when you are weak."

Each decoy launcher creates a holographic copy of the ship in combat. The decoys do not fire and vanishes when fired upon. The decoy shows up as fleet CP when inspected on the strategic map.

Special note: A decoy of a stealth ship does not have stealth. The displayed MP value of the ship with decoy launcher is multiplied by the number of decoys it has for an enemy instead of the correct MP value.

Lore: A network of small probes can be used to create surprisingly convincing illusion of a ship that was never there.





Electronic Masking: Distort fleet composition (Unlocked by researching the target ship type)

"The ultimate in disposing one's troops is to be without ascertainable shape."

Ship equipped with Electronic masking appear as another ship in combat and when inspected. Unlocking each ship type also unlock the module that allow any ship to disguise as that type.

Special note: A ship with both decoy launcher and electronic masking will generate illusion of the target type instead of her own type. Displayed MP is also distorted as if the masked ship is of the target type.

Lore: A combination of small emitters placed near the vessel and custom coating allowing a vessel to pose as another ship.





Relay Satellites: Distort fleet position (Wave function Control)

"when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near."

Each Relay Satellite module generate an an illusion of its host ship that can be moved like a real ship. This illusion persist until destroyed in combat.

Whenever illusions are destroyed, Relay Satellites will spawn another one the next turn.

If enemy attack a fleet composed entire of illusions, they will get the message "We are tricked" and destroy the illusionary fleet, their heroes do not gain any experience.

Special note: A ship with Decoy launcher and relay Satellites will create a single illusion for the owner to manipulate, but the enemy will see multiple ships.

Lore: By Analyzing enemy sensor sweeps, the Relay Satellite allow ships to send sensor echo to another sensor system. This creates the illusion of a ship that appear in multiple locations.





ECCM Sensors: Identify Illusions (Infinite Variable computing)

"If you know others and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles"

Each ECCM Sensor randomly identify an illusion in range. Illusion will show up as red, However the ECCM sensor cannot tell if the illusion is a masked ship or a decoy.

Special note: When inspected, an identified illusion has zero MP, even if it's a masked ship.

Lore: When working in conjunction, sophisticated instruments and skilled operators can identify enemy deception, to a degree.





Note on Ships

I recommend corvette and/or cruisers receive 50% reduction in electronics module tonnage to maintain their usefulness later in the game.

Here are a few examples to show the amount of strategic depth introduced by these modules.



1. You can build up a large stealth fleet while continue to smile and shake hands with your neighbors. once it's done ...

2. You can complete your science victory while your "friends" are busy building a counter to your "enormous" military buildup at their border: a few cruisers with a lot of fancy gadgets..

3. You can build a cruiser, mask it as a fleet of dreadnoughts defending a "weak" system.

4. You can then use a stealth fleet to ambush the enemy who correctly deduce (3) was a bluff.

5. That convoy of unarmed colony ships escorted by a single destroyer was in fact a fleet of destroyers escorting a single colony ship.

6. That fleet of destroyers 30 turns into the game was just a bunch of colonists on their way to settle a system.

7. The large fleet of battleships you were assembling were in fact carriers.

8. The Pilgrims ceded a system for cease fire because 3 cruisers are pressing towards their capital.

9. The Cravers think it's a good time to have you for lunch because your fleet are on the other side of your vast empire. little did they know that all of your MP are already inside their boarder.

+1 Sounds awesome. Sorry I don't have much to add, just wanted to show support!

Thanks, I am going to bump this to bring it to attention once more.

sounds cool tho apart from the Transport trick I think it'd be much more usefull to fool the enemy concerning the Weapon/defence types than the Ship-types.



a reasonable set would be:

False energy readings: adds up all MP from weapons and displays it as Lazer MP

Warhead decoys: adds up all Weapon MP and displays it as Missile MP

Forged Ammunition lists: Adds up all Weapon MP and displays it as kinetic MP

-

enhanced Shield resonance: adds up all Defence MP and distributes them mainly to shields

fake Flak-apertures: adds up all Defence MP and distributes them mainly to Flak

*no idea how to call fake Deflectors *: adds up all Defence MP and distributes them mainly to Deflectors

-(alternatively

Mask resonance frequency: distributes Shield MP evenly to Deflector and Flak

concealed apertures: distributes flak MP evenly to Deflector and shields

Harmless paint*ok I don't know this either *: distributes deflector MP evenly to shield and Flak



More than 6 would imho look a bit silly