Replying to The Venator.

I don't really bother with interdictors until later ingame when I'm hunting down surviving enemy fleets, and even then not often because the AI usually just throws everything it has at me as soon as it has it.

Given the sizes of the maps we are dealing with, we really can't simulate a thrawn pincer that well. Unless you are using something REALLY slow, and the behavior of the ai, you rarely have to wait long for hard contact to occur. And when it does, the enemy fleet tends to come to you, so subsequent ships, even in they hype into the same place, they won't have to travel for as long in order to engage the enemy. And most of the time, the interdictor being used is either a cc7700 or an immobilizer so you can kill them quickly. As long as you send something with turbolasers, you can kill an immobilizer quickly. Hell, an EF-76 could take a 418 with little effort.

Hmm yes. But how would you propose we simulate that in tactical combat? 

 

With Star Trek Armada 2-engine it would be possible to do (as you can jump -warp/wormhole- easily between 2 points on the map), but unfortunately not in FoC.

Wormholes tend to be tied to a great many bugs, especially in multiplayer for A2.

Zeta, the Thrawn Pincer is only made so easy due to the current small range of the gravity wells.
I've read comments that it will be increased in some manner for the next version.

 

Hmm yes. But how would you propose we simulate that in tactical combat? 

 

With Star Trek Armada 2-engine it would be possible to do (as you can jump -warp/wormhole- easily between 2 points on the map), but unfortunately not in FoC.

All I am going to say on reinforcements and interdictors is the Thrawn Pincer.

OK, played  bit more of Alliance to create 'small' movie from a battle.

 

http://www.filedropp...deployablefleet

 

(~600 MB)

 

Few more observations about mod and gameplay. Far too many missile ships. If too many (3+?) game suffers massively often crashing. You can't deploy fleet reinforcements if any (friend or foe) gravity well projector is active. AI cheats, cheats, cheats - Ackbar jumping with massive fleet between points in a trifle Dubrillion, Thyferra, Bilbringi, Brentaal, Fresia. Take a pick he will be there next second. Most Empire SSDs are so pathetic it's hard to believe. Rebel Colossus is by galaxy length biggest badass in game. It takes 2-3 World Devastators dozen minutes to kill it. And Eclipse's super laser barely makes a scratch. World Devastator can't kill a shit if Rebel ship has Power to Shield active - shields regenerating faster than super laser is killing it. Seriously - rarely have more than 30 minutes for Alliance. BSDM is not my kind of thing. If you are sado-masochist then go ahead - it's made for you! 

 

UI and sheer number of units is fine example how standard Foc can be greatly improved. Moronic AI is example how to screw such great project.

 

Comparing Alliance AI and PR is like comparing Brick Tamland to Albert Eistein. Meh...

I like the inability to bring in reinforcements if a gravity well ship is active. However I would far rather that it simply make a huge gravity well covering enough of the map to make it a pain at times.

 

Sounds like that guy has great menu ideas, but hasn't bothered to take the time to balance that PR has.

I'm sure Firefox_Nemada would value your feedback. Just be sure to be polite, he's a bit jumpy sometimes. Oh and be sure to cut the comparing of the two mods too.

Jumpy you say... Yes I know. And I'm sorry to say this but: That's why I don't really bother. I read multiple threads and I know how "well" he reacts to criticism.  In short something like this: 'It's my mod, don't like how I do things' - gtfo. Part between ' ' found few times.

 

Perhaps one day I will voice my concerns, but Alliance is only a diversion. PR is main thing by far despite - it's own - stability issues.

I'm sure Firefox_Nemada would value your feedback. Just be sure to be polite, he's a bit jumpy sometimes. Oh and be sure to cut the comparing of the two mods too.

OK, played  bit more of Alliance to create 'small' movie from a battle.

 

http://www.filedropp...deployablefleet

 

(~600 MB)

 

Few more observations about mod and gameplay. Far too many missile ships. If too many (3+?) game suffers massively often crashing. You can't deploy fleet reinforcements if any (friend or foe) gravity well projector is active. AI cheats, cheats, cheats - Ackbar jumping with massive fleet between points in a trifle Dubrillion, Thyferra, Bilbringi, Brentaal, Fresia. Take a pick he will be there next second. Most Empire SSDs are so pathetic it's hard to believe. Rebel Colossus is by galaxy length biggest badass in game. It takes 2-3 World Devastators dozen minutes to kill it. And Eclipse's super laser barely makes a scratch. World Devastator can't kill a shit if Rebel ship has Power to Shield active - shields regenerating faster than super laser is killing it. Seriously - rarely have more than 30 minutes for Alliance. BSDM is not my kind of thing. If you are sado-masochist then go ahead - it's made for you! 

 

UI and sheer number of units is fine example how standard Foc can be greatly improved. Moronic AI is example how to screw such great project.

 

Comparing Alliance AI and PR is like comparing Brick Tamland to Albert Eistein. Meh...

To be honest, hmmm.... Sometimes buttons must be clicked twice with something in between (e.g.) SSD shipyard/fighter shipyard/back SSD shipyard. Really depends. Searching for buildings and units is a bit cumbersome, but advantage of course is many, many more building menus without problem other mods facing when you have all stations built and can't see all ships possible to buy. Quite hard to learn quickly what is where so it's fair bit of useless clicks until you figure out ramification of what is where.

 

With all UI ideas (+fleets) it's very fine job. BUT main problem of the mod is cheating AI. In Skirmish it will lvl station in less than 60 seconds, it builds Executor in a blink of the eye.. To get the idea of the issue, by the time you click start button and see tactical map human player hears: enemy space station has been upgraded. In campaign AI is teleporting massive fleet with ease. Quite hard to defend against stuff like that.