.com.unity Forums
  The Official e-Store of Shrapnel Games

This Month's Specials

BCT Commander- Save $8.00
winSPWW2- Save $5.00

   







Go Back   .com.unity Forums > Shrapnel Community > Space Empires: IV & V

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old August 2nd, 2000, 10:58 PM

jars_u jars_u is offline
Sergeant
 
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: behind the keyboard
Posts: 225
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
jars_u is on a distinguished road
Default tech tree/combat

I've been playing the old demo for quite a while now and fear that I will soon reach the 100 turn limit but that aside I was wondering if anyone knows if the full game will ship with some sort of "map" of the tech tree as I have found there are so many areas you can get lost, not that I am saying that is bad! Also I have notcied in the create menu and some of the technology there seems to be an option to create tanks or robots or some sort of ground based/boarding parties. Is this merely disabled for the demo? If so will combat for ship boarding/planet invading be handled the same way as ship combat? One Last thing will combat remain as it is or will you be able to target specific ship systems, any chance of seeing a "z" axis for the space combat or some other factors in the strategic mode that would influence combat like asteroid fields etc?
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old August 3rd, 2000, 01:08 AM
Instar's Avatar

Instar Instar is offline
Major
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 1,246
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Instar is on a distinguished road
Default Re: tech tree/combat

A Z axis would be hard to do now I would think. Also that would confuse.

Im going to see about that tech tree map.
__________________
When a cat is dropped, it always lands on its feet, and when toast is dropped, it always lands with the buttered side facing down. I propose to strap buttered toast to the back of a cat. The two will hover, spinning inches above the ground. With a giant buttered cat array, a high-speed monorail could easily link New York with Chicago.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old August 3rd, 2000, 02:18 AM

Darwin Darwin is offline
Corporal
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Fairfax, Ok, USA
Posts: 73
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Darwin is on a distinguished road
Default Re: tech tree/combat

They did in SE3 so I expect they will now.
__________________
Lord Darwin,
Space Empires Fan since
Space Empires 2 in 1995
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old August 3rd, 2000, 05:41 AM

jars_u jars_u is offline
Sergeant
 
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: behind the keyboard
Posts: 225
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
jars_u is on a distinguished road
Default Re: tech tree/combat

After playing the demo for way too many hours again tonight... I thought of something else, when you create your "race" in the begining you can cycle through the pre-created portraits/ships/flags is it possible to mix and match these items? In other words use one portrait and another ship style? Also I noticed somewhere in these forums someone was asking about creating your own from scratch, don't think I would have the time or talent for that but how about just inserting user made flags?
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old August 4th, 2000, 07:31 AM

jars_u jars_u is offline
Sergeant
 
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: behind the keyboard
Posts: 225
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
jars_u is on a distinguished road
Default Re: tech tree/combat

Opps, there is a tech tree... in the game. It is an option you have to turn on, it is a little confusing however. Would still like to see some sort of actual printed "tree" in the full game documentation though.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old August 4th, 2000, 07:51 AM

jars_u jars_u is offline
Sergeant
 
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: behind the keyboard
Posts: 225
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
jars_u is on a distinguished road
Default Re: tech tree/combat

Mines... Can mines only be used during "combat" or can mines be layed on the "map" say at a warp point so that any ships passing though it have the chance to be damaged?
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old August 4th, 2000, 04:13 PM

Grumbling Grognard Grumbling Grognard is offline
Sergeant
 
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Texas
Posts: 335
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Grumbling Grognard is on a distinguished road
Default Re: tech tree/combat

Mines are laid on the strategic map and frankly I am not 100% sure how they work because I won't enter a mine square and the AI seems to avoid them also...but if you mine 'your side' of a warp point they won't know they are there until it is too late!

------------------
The Grumbling Grognard

__________________
The Grumbling Grognard

I never could understand how an animal could gnaw it's own leg off... Then I got married -- Henny Youngman (King of the One-liners)

God said to me: I'm gonna kick your *** 'cause all you do is ask, ask, ask! -- Ian Hunter
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old August 4th, 2000, 05:27 PM

jars_u jars_u is offline
Sergeant
 
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: behind the keyboard
Posts: 225
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
jars_u is on a distinguished road
Default Re: tech tree/combat

Yes, that is what I was trying to figure out as well. On the strategic map the computer AI will shoot at and destroy the mines but will not run into them. When I try to run into them myself just to see what happens the option to move into the space where the mine is does not exist as the cursor automatically turn into the target pointer and then fires on the mine. Now as far as placing them on the galaxy map at planets, worm holes, etc. when ever I try to drop the cargo it just says that the space is full? So I am not certain how there are suppose to work, at least work well anyway.

Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old August 4th, 2000, 06:01 PM

Grumbling Grognard Grumbling Grognard is offline
Sergeant
 
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Texas
Posts: 335
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Grumbling Grognard is on a distinguished road
Default Re: tech tree/combat

Jars:

Are your ships equipped with the "Mine Layer"? You must have one of these to lay mines. I generally just equip a ship with one mine layer component and a lot of cargo space and it does the trick on the strategic map.



------------------
The Grumbling Grognard

__________________
The Grumbling Grognard

I never could understand how an animal could gnaw it's own leg off... Then I got married -- Henny Youngman (King of the One-liners)

God said to me: I'm gonna kick your *** 'cause all you do is ask, ask, ask! -- Ian Hunter
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old August 6th, 2000, 04:42 AM

Mark Pavlou Mark Pavlou is offline
Private
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 8
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Mark Pavlou is on a distinguished road
Default Re: tech tree/combat

One thing that does rather jar about the tech tree is that while you can build Frigates from the very start, to build Fighters, Mines, Satellites or Weapons Platforms requires 150-200,000 research points! (100,000 for Construction level 1 to open up all the relevant Tech Areas and then 50-100,000 to pick up 1 level in each area).

Surely given the complexities of ship design versus satellites, weapons platforms and the like it would make more sense to start with the small stuff (eg fighters capable of in-system movement only) and requiring research for anything bigger?

What would seem a better use for Construction in this case would be for increased levels to provide minaturisation, allowing you to build components that take up less space (as in MOO2 where increasing a tech level causes all older items to shrink in size). As well as increasing ship capability, this could also be extended indefinitely (looking forward to a game with an infinite research model).
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:46 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©1999 - 2024, Shrapnel Games, Inc. - All Rights Reserved.