Just a question about combat.

[SeanV]

Hello Everyone:

Stormhound I have a question for you. I have heard (read?) that Moo3 will have mines in it. Now assuming that's true, are the mines used in combat? I mean can you fly your task forces through them during combat? (Uh, captain, there are a whole bunch of silver spheres on the port bow and the Cradzamer just ran into one of them and she's...uh...gone!)

If there are can they be deployed in combat? I mean if I'm attacked (through no fault of my own ) and all I happen to have at this system is half-a-dozen destroyers and a few minelayers can I have the minelayers fire up their engines and swing towards the enemy fleet and lay a whole bunch of mines in their way, forcing them to either:
1. Smash into the mines and suffer
2. Go arround the mines and be pounded by my destroyers all the way (or at least until my destroyers die.)

Second question. In MOO (and maybe MOO2 I'm not sure) if a ship fired a bunch of missiles at me and I fried it in the same turn then the missiles would dissappear. Also if the missiles ran out of fuel before they reached me they would dissappear. Will that happen in MOO3? I mean, I think that after a missile has been fired it shouldn't self-destruct just because the mother-ship bought it. After all these things are self-guided aren't they?
Also if a missile runs out of fuel before it reaches its target shouldn't it just keep going in a straight line because of inertia (or it could explode once it reaches the end of its fuel supply.)
This would make the game a little more interesting (than it already is)
For instance if the other side had a really dumb skipper they might pull just out of missile range when I fired a salvo of missiles thinking that they couldn't be hit. Unfortunately, the missiles continue right on once they run out of fuel and smash into his ships.

That would be cool!

[LordEd]

MOO2 Mines

The Artemis System Net (mines) in MOO2 wreaked havoc outside of combat. This was always a dissapointment!

At least give me the pleasure of watching the enemy fleet crash into my mines, instead of a text message saying:

Enemy lost 3 Titans to Artemis System Net.

[Stormhound]

At this point, I can't answer those questions. I've had very little involvement in the space combat end of things, and I haven't seen it in action in a while.

I also don't think we're giving out much detail in general, but I'll see if I can pry an answer or two loose.

[vmxa1]

Mines are handled differently in Pax and in Space Empires. In Pax they are visible during the combat screen action. In SE they are laid someplace like the worm gate and you clear them or they explode out of the combat round.
I like the missiles going away when they are out of range in Moo. It creates another strategic tactic. Consider that the distances are really quite large, it is not unreasonable that they could run of out fuel and at some point trigger an explosion (many launched rockets have such a feature to prevent them from going amok).

[SeanV]

vmxa1:

That wouldn't be to bad if they would explode once they reached the end of their fuel supply, but I just wish they would do something other than dissappear! The explosions could do damage to ships nearby too (maybe, I guess it would depend on what the distances are supposed to be in MOO3.)

Oh yeah, I just remembered another question I had (don't you just me?) In both MOO and MOO2 ships could be outfitted with anti-missile defenses, but could only use them in their own defense. In Moo3 will you be able to have one ship with anti-missile defenses get in the path of some missiles aimed at another ship and try to shoot them down?

By the way thanks alot Stormhound!

[vmxa1]

The references to Pax in this forum got me to go out to Ebay and buy another copy. I should have held on it, oh well.

[LordEd]

Re: Anti-Missile Defense in MOO2

If I recall correctly, you could order your anti-missile defense to fire at any missile in range.

[SeanV]

Okay, maybe I should have defined my terms a little better.
When I said anti-missile defenses I meant things like the lightning shield, and the anti-missile rockets, not the PD Beam weapons in MOO2.

Sorry about that LordEd.

[Mellian]

Actually, you can use the anti-ship rockets to target at whatever missile in Range in Moo2.

-LMP

[LordEd]

Lightning Shield

The Lightning shield expanded to give fleet coverage would be nice!

[SeanV]

LordEd:

The lightning-sheild (and other single-ship defenses like it) wouldn't necessarily have to be expanded to give fleet coverage (although that would be nice.) What I meant was simply that you could have one ship get in the path of incoming missiles and blast them down with its own anti-missile defenses like the lightning sheild.

For example, you might outfit a bunch of frigate class ships with anti-missile rockets and assign them to the sheild section of a task force. They would then move between the Core ships and any missile threat and blast the missiles down with their anti-missile missiles. (Something you couldn't do in MOO1 and could sort of do in MOO2)

[LordEd]

A Great Idea

Then these frigates would be something like a combination fleet minesweeper and Aegis cruiser!