Capturing a Starbase

Yes. First, when does DS9 come on Spike, and how far into the show are they right now? I miss that show.

I always thought it would be neat to have a tech line based on "Boarding Parties" that would use your soldiering (and race) bonuses. Of course, there would have to be a "Repelling Boarders" defensive tech line as well, or you could even rely on defensive techs already in the game.

Such offensive techs could require their own attachment to a ship (to use up a weapon space) and would have to be balanced for game play (the tough part). Since the victor actually gains a ship that could be a problem. Maybe have a % to self-destruct or something.

This would allow entire pirate or Borg type races that focus on ship stealing, with ships armed entirely with boarding parties and little else.

I could live without it, but it would be neat.

great idea!! Stardock, any comments?

Capturing ships and starbases (say, by using troop pods) would be a neat feature. The problem is that the combat engine isn't interactive (ie you can't give orders "on the fly" with it as-is). Perhaps once/if tactical combat is introduced, it will be a more viable option.

Perhaps once/if tactical combat is introduced, it will be a more viable option.

not likly your the emperor of a giant empire your not gonna care about small combats

Yea.. but still, I do like the idea of taking over starbases. Im sure if stardock put their minds to it, they could have it done very smoothly. Its just a matter of figuring out how many people would actually enjoy this feature, and if it would add to the overall fun factor of the game.

So lets get the votes and ideas for this rolling in people

I would love to see this feature in GC2

Here, here...

Starbases are a very central and fascinating aspect of GC2. The ability to sieze control of them would be a lot of fun. Particularly in light of shows like Deep Space 9 and Babylon 5, where the stations had to contend with boarding actions from time to time.

I don't know that you'd need a tactical engine to add this to combat. Seems to me there should be combat components that would make it possible. Or barring that, a flat percentage based on the number of attackers and rounds of combat.

I don't like the idea of implimenting Tactical combat... at least, not yet. (M. Frogstar already told why, and I agree 100%), however.. A complimentary to the Tranporter module, let's say, a "boarding party module", would be a neat trick. But only could board stations, and only when they are reduced at 10% of their hit points and there is still one attacking ship standing (you could not board an armed station if you cannot beat it).

You could put a garnison on strategic starbases, and ennemies could try to takeover them.

Off course, the boarding party module would have a limit of.. let's say, about 5 troopers (5 million peoples!!!), but be the same size than a Transport Module, but the Garnison's would be in proportion of the number of the Starbase's improvement (a heavily armed station, with LOTS of influence bonus would a lot more garnisonned than a lousy trade post, isn't it?)

I just buy them

I like the idea of troop pods and the ability to take ships, starbases etc. It would be interesting tech tree progreshion, perhaps needing marines and medium to large vessels as these pods would take up space on ships and having to place these on stations in order to repel bording troops would add a new aspect to game stratigy.

So in short, like the idea and would love to see it in the game.

I like the idea of troop pods and the ability to take ships, starbases etc. It would be interesting tech tree progreshion, perhaps needing marines and medium to large vessels as these pods would take up space on ships and having to place these on stations in order to repel bording troops would add a new aspect to game stratigy.

So in short, like the idea and would love to see it in the game.

Didn't they have this in Master of Orion 3? I think it added an uninteresting layer of complexity. Basically, if you have blockaded a space station, no amount of resistance could be mounted to repel a boarding party indefinitely.

I get really annoyed by starbases, sometimes. It would be nice to be able to invade them directly or subvert them in some manner. Realistically, though, most starbases would have some kind of auto-destruct sequence to prevent them being used by opposing races (if only by overloading the local fusion reactor).

Didn't they have this in Master of Orion 3? I think it added an uninteresting layer of complexity. Basically, if you have blockaded a space station, no amount of resistance could be mounted to repel a boarding party indefinitely.

Well, that would make sense. If you fail to relieve an embattled space station, it eventually would fall. I like the idea described a few messages back.

Based on the number of improvements, the Star Base would have a certain amount of intrinsic defense. This could be augmented by modules specifically designed to repel intruders.

Attacking vessels would need boarding modules (size justified not just by the troops, but boarding vehicles, hangerbays, etc.). These components would come at the expense of additional weapons and defenses, so there's a trade off. And the tech tree for boarding modules could be a simple as the % chance per turn to capture a Star Base, minus the defending value.

Having said all this, I think ship to ship boarding actions would be tedious and game breaking. Since Star Bases are static and HUGE, their more realistic to model and more interesting as a strategic target.

Yep buying stuff is great... you can buy peace or you can pay a race to go to war for you (korx) great stuff, you can buy just about anything if you have the cash.

speaking of DS9, that show was just sooo good. It gave the best look at the startrek universe better than any of the other shows and it had great long reaching story arcs. To bad Berman got rid of the guy in charge of ds9 and ruined voyager and enterprise. Loved the hard reality of choices in the last few seasons of ds9. Babylon5 was fantastic (I still watch it over and over on dvd) and Farscape was alot of fun too. By far those three shows are the best thing to ever happen to sci-fi.

Hehe, while capturing starbases would be difficult to implement, there is a quick, functional, and deliciously devious work-around.

Last game, when I was preparing for a big military push, I noticed that the enemy had 4, count 'em, 4 >10 planets, all with full stardocks within a very small space. I designed and built a half-dozen super fast constructors and marched em in right behind my main force. When I was almost there, I rushed all 6 constructors out ahead and slapped together a (fairly) massive military star base right on their doorstep. I couldn't help but laugh as my freshly buffed fleets proceeded to wipe the proverbial floor with the whole sector.

So while it's not the same as capturing, it's effective and has a certain style all it's own.

I always wonder why you couldn't upgrade Star bases into something similar to a mediocre planet. Following that you could improve the whole star base tech line to include poplation modules and construction modules for ships and docks.

Granted a base isnt a planet so supply lines would be in place, allowing point of blockading with a consequence if blockaded. something like weaking base def/weps and pop till they either give, or if too loyal at that point destroy the base. Would also be nice for some of the larger maps, espeacially the more realistically planet sparse ones.

Also if Stardock makes some truly epic sized maps (20x20 etc) but capped out system numbers it would make starbase tech a viable and neccesary component.

Maybe a bit off topic but an idea I had concerned acquiring technology following combat victories.

Basically salvage. Providing the defeated ships possessed technologies the victor doesn't, there could be a small probability of learning those techs.

What say you?

hotcoffeedude, I don't remember exactly when it comes on. It's sometime around eleven or noon on weekdays. I think there are two episodes of DS9 and three episodes of TNG every weekday.

Ironically, in the episode something failed on DS9 and they had to salvage the item that wasn't working from an abandoned Cardassian space station. I hope that helps as to telling you where they are in the series (I didn't follow it very closely).

Glad to see a lot of people think this is a good idea. Maybe it would be a possible addition.

I don't know if I was clear though, I never suggested that combat needed to be tactical. For instance, your ships could attack a starbase. Afterwords you would have the option to destroy or disable the starbase. If you destroyed it, end of story. If you disabled it, then you could safely move a troop transport to the starbase (without the instillation attacking it) and attempt to take the base. Of course, then starbases, like planets, would have to be capable of holding a small number of troops. Thus, attacking a starbase would be the same as attacking a planet. Maybe less troops involved and a change in scenery.

Maybe a couple of added techs for invasion and defense of starbases. Or those could be included with the already present starbase defense and planetary invasion tree.

I love the idea of tactical combat too but like Cikomyr pointed out and as Frogboy stated some time ago it would be a weak-spot for the AI.

Oh, by the way, I would love to see a larger map too.

I get really annoyed by starbases, sometimes. It would be nice to be able to invade them directly or subvert them in some manner. Realistically, though, most starbases would have some kind of auto-destruct sequence to prevent them being used by opposing races (if only by overloading the local fusion reactor).

It would be more like boarding parties like they had in Moo2. Ahh those were the days when a somewhat viable tactical strat was to use boarding parties and capture all your enemies ships. Now that would be fun.

somewhat viable

Now how would you what is viable in this game world. How is it not possible that it would be impossible to board another craft because it, by some means, is extremely easy to avoid any form of forced docking?


Damn you George Lucas....damn you.

You know what I constantly love about this place. People use TV shows and movies to describe what would be realistic. NEWS FLASH This is fantasy. None of this is remotely real. It is whatever we imagine it to be. I could understand if someone said I had this dream about this and I think it would be really fun so can we do it. But, I saw it one TV and it is realistic that this would happen because I saw it on TB, so it should be in the game becuase it is real. Come on. They stole starbases on DS9 and B5 so it is real and I should be able to do it in game. Now I am not necessarily picking on the OP. I have seen this all over the forums since I started actively posting a couple months ago. I have just been prodded by this line of thinking so often I had to post something about it. *disclosure* I never watch TV so I am definitely biased against TV viewers.

brigiton, neither I nor anyone else stated that we should add this feature for realism or because it was in sci-fi shows. I simply thought of the idea in part because of the show Deep Space 9. I might add that I think it's perfectly acceptable for a game to borrow from other elements, be it another game or television (and, by the way, GalCiv certainly does this). However, I never said anything about realism.

I said that I thought it would be a good feature and add a new level of strategy. Other people said it would be a "neat feature" and "a lot of fun" but no one said "we should do this because it would be more realistic" or ".. because they do it on TV (which, by the way is fantasy too)."

If you don't like the idea, that's fine. If you don't watch TV that's fine too. But don't claim that I "saw it on TV and it is realistic that this would happen because I saw it on TV, so it should be in the game because it is real." No one made any claims remotely close to that. In this forum you see people talking about the idea, expanding to other things it relates to, and, yes, talking about sci-fi shows that have come and gone. No one, though, said what you claimed.

I like the idea of capture as well, and even if its not tactically applied , thats fine by me. Just being able to capture ships and bases is cool enough, and would be a great option in game play.