GAH, they made detect mines a passive ability! I just redid that for all the factions only a few days ago. Would help with optimizing system resources, esp on a large map...

Shadows and Varlons still not active in 0.43

What are you talking about?

Darvroth, you should play around with some of the vanilla factions in rebellion for an afternoon just to see what everything does, if you haven't already. They've made quite a few optimizations in this regard.

Rebellion feels faster I have to say. More optimised. Lets see what our mod can make of this (i.e. how much we can slow it down again )

The old, non-passive, version works as well. In fact, if you include both options on a mine clearer, it works out quite well.

Though late game it can add to the lagging that adds to the game. Something to keep in mind. The passive ability works very well IMHO.

It leads to more micro-managing; in the past you could warp in some scouts and they will do the cleaning. Tbqh, I prefer it if scouts flat out destroy mines rather than "detect" them.

I was mainly referring to the work required to redo the tech trees and the titans and corvettes. Additional abilities will await 0.45, still divided between 6 races and 4 additional (EA, Narn, Minbari, Centauri) rebel factions it will be a lot of new content.

Which is why there are several fleet escort ships that have the ability, faction dependent. Also, once you colonize the system the construction frigates will systematically deconstruct any remaining mines. With the varied firepower of a SotYR ships mines once detected don't last long.

TobiWahn,

Is it possible to remove the visual prompt for mines on the expanded and tactical maps? It will confer no benefit or detriment to the AI but it will work wonders for the player if they don't have a prompt on where to "scout" when raiding an enemy system and have to rely on their ships with the detect mines ability to clear a path. From what I've seen the AI does a poor pathing with its own detection ships so this would remove some player advantage and would make mine fields a feared defensive module.

I played a bit in June when it first came out but exploring the entity files will let me know what they did if not always why or how... Following the optimization will be high on my list due to the extensive planned use of randomizing abilities and the extensive use of fighters. And as TobiWahn alluded to better optimization will help offset some of what our mod brings to the table.

Not sure if I follow completely, though I do know that even if you remove their icons and reduce their mesh sizes completely, they still show up in the tree on the left hand of the screen. I usually have all those items unpinned to reduce game (as they are technically a second instance of the game). Not sure how to deal with that?

You'd have to remove every icon and string the mine has, iirc. I know I've done that for the supercap placeholders in SoGE; they don't show up on the empire tree or iirc the unit tree (and they're Titans).

If the mines display in the reticule when zoomed out or in the empire tree is fine as that offers strategic information (mines present). What I would like changed is they don't show when zoomed in to the tactical level of a single gravity well. That way the player can't plot a path avoiding all the mines he can "see" on the tactical screen. Without that cue the player would have no choice but to either integrate ships with mine detection ability or use scouts to sweep ahead of the fleet or risk damage from mines. Mines are a more serious threat since auto repair is greatly reduced or eliminated (faction specific).

In SoaSE running a Kol through a mine field was an effective way to clear the field. In SotYR inadvertenly running your fleet into an enemy mine field will maul the fleet and may account for some attrition particularly of the vanguard units. Being able to detect mines should be a priority. Once detected mines die really fast unlike in SoaSE where the mine detecting scout was at some risk. The balance will be in ensuring there is sufficient coverage in the fleet.

Thoughts?

AI will be able to see them anyways. You can't hide anything from them. So in effect you're just making this a handicap for human players unless you expect this to develop a serious PVP scene.

Depending on the balance in this mod and how you implement them, the effect might be just to bog down the game even more effectively than mines did in Vanilla.

Well, for 0.44 there wont be "rebel" factions, at max a duplication of the existing. 0.45 will contain all that. I don't want to wait too long to switch to rebellion. Rather bring it over and then start to adapt/change things.

That would be awesome. What good it a mine of one can spot it from light years away anyway?

good to know, thanks.

Sounds like a plan, and a good one. Mines should be much more devastating in SOTYR because there is no hull regeneration on most ships.

Well, I never intended this mod to be a fast casual feelgood experience for ADD partients.

Balancing needs to make the mod fun, but I want to retain the epic feeling of Babylon 5, not some rush and conquer all in under 1 hour game. I do like long games (in multiplayer one can use faster settings to get to the action more quickly, though ships being killed much more easily than in sins will help the game not getting too long IMHO)

The AI can see them sure, but the AI still plows straight through minefields without a care in the world; they AI is very stupid.

I've seen plenty of AI fleets plow through mine fields so it may not be that much of a handicap. In any event a reasonably able player should be able to compstomp.

There is a problem with strike craft.

They are a real pain to build after you load a game. some capital ships refuse to build any at all and other ships refuse to build some certain types.

Badger seem to be the most compliant, and thunderbolts seem the most hassle.

AFTER A LOAD - a fresh game is perfectly fine.

It's really annoying and impossible to win against EA without them even on easy AI as they like to spam hanger ships (+50 squads at a time)

just a heads up

We'll probably use the additional Weapons in rebellion for some Anti-Fighter capabilities. But thats up for discussion

You need to research the fighter types. Every fighter needs to be researched.

Also, we use MysticAngels Automated Fighter docking ability, which should keep the fighters from leaving the ship/hangar when no enemies are present.

Also modern fighter variants require a lot more time to build (and probably more anti-matter) than their older counter parts.

If a ship doesn't have enough AM, it won't build strike craft.

Tip:- station a freshly built carrier/capital ship next to a source of anti-matter and wait a while ... ... they'll build fighters eventually. The host ship will then have enough AM for abilities after building all those fighters.

I haven't timed the build times of EA strike craft (they didn't seem that slow), but a squad a Minbari Nials can take around twice the build time of a Sharlin, Tishats on the other hand build fairly quickly. Haven't yet look at Shadow/Vorlon fighters yet ...

Is there a way to make experience levels race specific? For example a Volon capital ship to increase from level one to two it would take 2500 experience points, for an EA capital ship to increase its level it would take say 750 experience points.

I think it would be cool if the more advanced races would need more experience to level up, this would also give the younger races a slightly greater fighting chance against the older races.

Just a thought.

Sadly, that isn't possible.

Thanks for the tip, i didn't take note of my AM maybe that is what i overlooked BUT while i was playing (before loading) i didn't notice a drop off with my fighters being built/re-built but i'm sure your right will test tomorrow!