The "Advantage" meter ???

[ACEofHeart]

Okay,, what exactly is the reasoning behind the "advantage meter" when forces are attacking a planet.. ? It just seems like a throw-back to the dice-throwing board game ... I don;t get it or like it.

[Badtz Maru]

The game randomly determines what the advantage factor would be within a range decided by technology, attack method, etc. It's somewhat random because otherwise you'd be able to figure out the exact number of troops you'd need to take a planet and you'd never lose again.

[Gufnork]

Name one TBS that doesn't use a board game system when it comes to combat.

After the advantage factors are worked out you multiply your forces with your advantage factor and his forces with his factor, the highest resulting product wins. Very simple, very unrealistic.

[ACEofHeart]

Granted,, most computer Strategy games use a battle result system,, but usually its not presented like the "Wheel Of Fortune" before you go into battle...
It's like a reality slap,,just when you think you're King of the Cosmos,, you're suddenly reminded,, hey dude, its only a mathematical computer program..
Such calculations should at least be done behind the sceens..

[Gufnork]

Then you wouldn't know roughly how many troops you need to conquer that races planets in the future. Prehaps a system where you find out roughly how your troops stack up to other races through other means and just see the battle sequence when invading. That would make it a bit exciting atleast.

[ACEofHeart]

How about just clicking on the planet and it tells you how many troops are there and what strength are there..,,it already tells you how many ships it has etc...
But I think some of you are missing my point,, I don't care even if it keeps the current system,, I just don't care to see that silly "rotating advantage bar",, just keep it out of site..!
It serves no purpose as far as strategy goes..

[Peets]

I actually like the advantage bar.
I also think the invasion part is worked out well.
Of course it can always be better

[ZargonX]

I just like to pretend that the advantage meter represents some of the "unknown" of going into battle. The exact conditions can't be known until the battle is actually joined. Thus, you can't be sure of what the final breakdown will be until the troops are marching...

[Fosse]

I also hate the advantage bar and would much rather the computer just picked two advantage factors at random. Instead, they give me a button to push which will determine the fight's outcome, but there is nothing I can do to determine what pushing the button will do.

It's very frustrating to lose a battle in which you brought overwhelming forces because you pushed spacebar at one particular nanosecond. And it's not particularly rewarding (except in game terms) to hit it at the right moment because there is zero skill involved.

Because of this I support moving the advantage factor behind the scenes and letting the dice roll be determined by the computer at battle's start.

[Lord of the Isles]

I'm ashamed to admit I like it.

It's so silly and pathetic that it's actually cute. I find myself looking away before I hit the space bar so that I can't get annoyed at myself for "choosing" the wrong nanosecond for hitting it.

[Hansolo88]

I actually like it too. I really enjoy that I don't have any tactical battles to fight, just click a button and deal with what happens on the strategic level. It's a roll of dice, but most of the greatest strategic games ever created rely heavily on rolls of dice, from "Risk" to "Third Reich".

Of course, it could be re-done to look less silly than it does, but in the meantime I'm not complaining.

[ACEofHeart]

Hey,, it's a great strategy game but this one game area just borders on being silly and infantile.. It's not a game breaker but I so hate even invading a planet,,knowing that it's there...
LOL ,,Even you guys that like it can't even come up with any justifiable "why" ... It's cute ? LOL
At the very least we should of had an option to show it or not..

[ACEofHeart]

The Invasion force is all set,, we have travelled light years for this moment..all our years of researching technology ,, all our brave galactic forces equipped to the hilt ,, onward men !! fight to the death !! Charge..!! ooops wait.. what is this, a humoungous "Spinning Wheel of Outcome" has dropped down from the sky to decide the fight..

[Lord of the Isles]

Originally posted by ACEofHeart
The Invasion force is all set,, we have travelled light years for this moment..all our years of researching technology ,, all our brave galactic forces equipped to the hilt ,, onward men !! fight to the death !! Charge..!! ooops wait.. what is this, a humoungous "Spinning Wheel of Outcome" has dropped down from the sky to decide the fight..

Hmmm, what do you think decides what Quality your local starting planets are? What decides the result of space battles? Sorry to be the one to break it to you, but you don't have real spaceships up there blasting away at each other. It's a simulation done with a computer, using various attack and defences values combined with a certain amount of random numbers to stop the outcomes being completely predictable (and therefore more boring for the player).

Just like planetary invasions...

[ACEofHeart]

Once again,, I know HOW games work.. tell me something I don't know.. hey, I've only been playing PC games for over 17 years.. LOL
My point is, this calculation and it's billboard needs to be done "behind the scenes" like the rest of the game and like most strategy games.
If not,, offer the option NOT to show it..
Thanks though,,