Well since there is a post limit and I really wanted to make a very detailed thread about the direction that combat adding more depth, upping the scale but trying to keep the speed the same for fast turns and tense ship to ship combat. So i will be reserving the first few threads to break it up and fit my ideas and the ones that people bring up that will be a great addition!



The main goal of this thread is to really push for the idea that bigger is not better and that every ship can and will play a crucial role in ship to ship combat regardless of how few guns it may have or how thick its armor is. The rock paper scissors aspect is just far too simplistic and makes it nothing more than who can retrofit the fastest and then it is simply rinse and repeat. No matter how good the fighting can look and how pretty the explosions are this system will get old fast and has already grown tiresome for myself. Even the current stock of ships is nothing more than research the biggest ship and then mass produce it, while the models are unique there is no real character to the ships you make or the composition of your fleets they are nothing more than a disposable piece on the board with the hero's taking all the experience and skills with them as fleet after fleet is either replaced or retrofitted.



What you can do to solve this is by removing the hard counter mentality of the damage system, armor can still absorb missile strikes shields can slow projectiles and such additionally remove defenses being able to absorb 100% of all incoming weapons damage, perfect defense is far too debilitating for fair play and balanced ship designs. This would encourage more well rounded ships, not punish players that want to have a composite fleet of multiple types still allowing for certain roles to still take shape. Additionally Weapon sizes just do not exist at the moment so your cruiser has six guns aboard, but your dreadnought has eight. Why would the dreadnought not have just more guns, but bigger guns I am sure no matter how much armor that cruiser packs on it wont stand a chance when there is a weapon firing at it that has three times the mass of a standard round.







Index



1. Classes

2. Weapons

3. Weapons Pt.2

3. Armor and Protection

4. Battle Orders and Formations

5. Additional Options

Classes



Each class has a role to play in the grand stratagem of galactic combat, each one brings a host of tactical options to the field allowing assured domination with the right balance of weapons and ships. None of the ships on this list can win alone without at least the support of one other ship type. Right now this is a incomplete list of vessels that should be available to the player as he or she progresses towards total domination.



Strike craft:

Size: 30-40 Meters.

Crew: 2-4

Weapons: Small arms, Rockets, Missiles.

Protection: Speed, small profile and Chaff.

Role: Precision attack.



Strike craft are Carrier dependent craft launched for fleet support missions and intercept sorties. While they seem small and insignificant they can slip past defenses like shields and even slip past flak arrays and deal damage to weak areas with ease where normal ships would have no chance of hitting intentionally.



Frigates:

Size: 400-600 Meters

Crew: 50-75

Weapons: Small multi barrel guns.

Protection: ECM is the only real deterrent to hostiles.

Role: Recon, Espionage, Detection.



Frigates are fast and agile ships capable of navigating systems virtually undetected by other craft. This ship is ideal for Recon and running missions requiring stealth like sabotage and deploying agents behing enemy lines to wreak economic havoc and seeding unrest. While they are not considered combat vessels, any fleet would find themselves flying blind without a few reliable Frigates.



Corvettes:

Size: 800-1000 Meters.

Crew:100-125

Weapons: Small Cannons, Missiles, Red Spectrum Lasers.

Protection: A few Inches at best.

Role: Interception, Skirmishing.



The Corvette is the smallest of the combat classes relying more on speed and hit and run tactics to win the day over thick armor and raw fire power. They are ideal candidates for harassing trade routes and keeping Frigates from slipping behind enemy lines if detected where all other classes can be outrun.



Destroyers:

Size: 1500-2000 Meters.

Crew: 400-600

Weapons: Multi Barrel Cannons, Missiles, Torpedoes, Green spectrum Lasers.

Protection: 5-10 inches of plating, PDS, Shields.

Role: Escort, Anti Strike craft/Missile.



The first real step to a dedicated combat vessel the Destroyer blends a mix of weapons and defenses to make it a light but versatile weapon platform. Its greatest asset is the inclusion of torpedoes, a devastating short range weapon that will bring far larger classes of ships down with only a few well placed hits if they let a Destroyer close the gap. Destroyers are great at denying Missiles and small craft from getting in close to larger Vessels that lack such defenses.



Cruisers:

Size:3000-5000 Meters.

Crew:1500-2000

Weapons: Large cannons, Ultraviolet lasers, Missile racks, Torpedoes.

Protection: 20 inches of plating, Deflectors, Shields, PDS.



The Cruiser is the first long rage engagement Class of combat craft that focuses more on medium to long range combat over smaller classes of ship while still possessing a fair amount of speed over the heavier ship classes. Broadside barrages are the main form of attack as they send ordinance downrange at the enemy but can still bring the hurt if forced in close quarters with torpedo salvos. Cruisers will be the first class to Specialize in specific weapon types favoring a a certain category of one type or the other while still carrying some of the other types, just in case.



Battle Cruisers:

Size: 8000-10000 Meters

Crew 3000-6000

Main Arsenal: Massive Cannons, Large Multibarrel Cannons, High duration UV lasers, Missile batteries.

Secondary Weapons: Medium autoguns, Pulse laser systems, Flak batteries.

Protection: 25+ inches of armor, multi generator shield systems.



Battle Cruisers bring the hurt with as many weapon systems that can be pointed from its hull as possible while attempting to maintain enough survivability that it can withstand sustained enemy fire and still eliminate its target. Battle Cruisers are the anchor of Strike Fleets, a fast formation of ships that will hunt and kill smaller forces or blockade planets. This ship class is easily the backbone of all fleet designs with its ability to bring a host of weapons to the fray on the most adaptable hull at little cost unlike the obscene amount of dust like the larger classes will require to field them.



Carriers:

Size: 10000-12000 Meters:

Crew: 8000-10000

Main arsenal: Medium auto guns, Small rapid guns, Green spectrum lasers.

Protection 10+ inch plating, ECM, Flak and PDS.

Role: Combat support, Arial bombardment, Interception.



While the carrier dominated the seas before space exploration the mainstay of the navy just has not been viable as a reliable weapons platform. The space between systems is just too great for strike craft to cross without some kind of aid, and keeping such a large and expensive vessel withing striking range was just too great a gamble. That was until the ability to generate a small wormhole that fighter craft can safely traverse allowing for fast and mobile strikes while keeping the carrier a safe distance from the action. This anywhere at anytime ability seriously alters landscape making early detection a necessity or face constant harassment by the carriers pilots.



Flagships:

Size 15000-20000 Meters.

Crew 10000-12500

Main Arsenal: Player Choice

Secondary: Player Choice

Protection: Player Choice

Role: Any



This ship is culmination of your empires efforts, built under your critical eyes to fill the purpose you deem most impotent this ship can take many forms between each individual that commissions it. Planetary Siege, Capital ship hunter/killer, Ship of the line even a Super Carrier they are all viable options. Its not just the size of this ship that is impressive but its the advanced command and control ability it will carry with it, allowing for larger scale combat unique to its class and the weapons it brings to make a real spectacle of it all. Highly durable, this is one of the only ships that can see compartment failure and even suffer a magazine detonation and still limp away to fight again another day.

Weapons



While there are three main categories of weapon in the game, but that pretty much sums up the three weapons right there with no variation at all. This is something that needs to change for deeper tactical game play with more options for each weapon type.



Kinetic



Kinetic weapons come in the greatest variety, the concept is simple, hurling hard objects into the enemy ship to punch holes in it. The ammo type can range from huge rocks to metal slugs or even a high explosive warhead. Even the firing system can vary wildly using primitive explosive charges or magnets to even ramming devices can be used to hurl the round out of the barrel. Here is a short list of weapon types that can be found on ships and their primary role.



Characteristics of Kinetic rounds:



- Volley fire for target saturation.

- Shells have mass and can disrupt aim when connecting.

- guns can fire more rapidly than other weapon types but at reduced accuracy.

- ammo needs to be stored and depending on its characteristics can detonate if struck.



Auto cannon:



While it might be the most basic variant or the Kinetic type it is still a reliable and effective weapon that can be seen on almost all classes of ship at one point. Usually loaded with multiple rounds this gun will fire in short bursts at its target to form a group of hits or re-adjust if the firing solution is off. Round types can range from solid slugs to anti armor round or high explosive shells.

Rate of fire: 50 RPM

Damage: Low

Accuracy: Average

Primary role: Ship to ship combat.

Most effective against: Destroyers to Cruisers.

Least effective against: Battle cruisers to Flagships.



Rapid gun or multi barrel gun:



While firing much smaller ammunition this weapon is a belt fed gun that fires at a high rate of speed with only taking short breaks for cooling and reloading. This blistering rate of fire makes it one of the first anti missile and torpedo Point Defense Weapons but as strike craft evolve and join the fray is becomes a nightmare for smaller ships that can be lead into the stream of steel being output by the rapid gun.

Rate of Fire: 1000 RPM

Damage: Very low

Accuracy: High

Primary role: Anti missile

Most effective against: Missiles and Strike craft.

Least effective against: Anything larger than a Corvette.



Main Battery Cannon:



This large Kinetic weapon fires large Singular rounds, the bigger the ship the bigger the Battery and its rounds. A Battery is a group of massed guns firing in unison at a single target to devastating effect. Multiple strikes in unison can cause the ship struck to list throwing off its aim or even shock the crew delaying any kind of response for a time!

Rate of fire: 5 RPM

Damage: High-Very high

Accuracy: Low-Average

Primary Role: Ship to Ship combat.

Most effective against: Cruisers and above.

Least Effective Against: Destroyers and below.



Spinal mounted Cannon:



While the Main Battery Cannon variant is good against almost all large ships, the Spinal mounted Cannon is a siege breaker and favorite of long range engagements. This is a weapon with a ship built around it and lobs huge slugs that make all other rounds seem tiny in comparison. Additionally Since the barrel runs the length of the ship the shell will carry a far greater muzzle velocity than other Kinetic rounds, meaning it will hit targets far harder overcoming most types of armor and dealing huge amounts of shock to the crew. Larger variants of this weapon can be easily used on a planet or a space station and will make short work of such easy stationary targets at a safe distance!

Rate of fire: 1 RPM

Damage: Extreme

Accuracy: Average

Most Effective Against: Stationary targets.

Least Effective Against : Mobile targets.

Can we suggest?



If so:



CNC systems: Increases fleet accuracy but takes up alot of space (Seen in combat as some type of targeting wave or beam)

Missile-Jaker: A hacking system that can detonate enemy missiles (Higher level/race spesific ones can even turn them on their masters (Seen as beams locking on to missiles))

Jamming Pulse: prevents the targeting of unarmed ships till the System is destroyed (Seen as a thin cloud emmitting from the ships sensours)

Space-net: AI systems incresing the effectivness of your ship, or sent to attack the computers of your enemys (Seen as a sort of lighting ghoast across targeted ships)

Stealth Field: stratigicly used to hide ships from long-range sensors, and longrange bombardment (Seen to make ships slightly translucent during the longrange phase)

Spy-ware: Desplays enemy ship information and makes targeting spscific mods easyer (Seen as lines of green numbers coming from the top of the ship (Like the matrix)

404 Jammer: used to temporarly jam big enemy weapons for a Phase of choice (Seen as electical spikes on the ships weapon for the phase)

PPI insurance: used on trading ships to download Dust information and thus more money (Seen as a dust with a number with a plus sign next to the staling ship indicating how much it stole during the round)

Hardend code: has a small chance to block EW weapons (When succseful desplays 1's and 0's in the shape of a lock)

Tough Files: has a larger chance to block EW weapons (Shows a pixel green smiley winking if succseful)

Sadistic captcha: Has a very good chance to block EW weapons (Shows a loading bar that never compleates if succsesful)