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Split Fleet Proposal Fri, 20 June 2008 00:36 Go to previous message
ck_drknes is currently offline ck_drknes

 
Crewman 2nd Class

Messages: 17
Registered: May 2007
Location: Why do you want to know?
 Recently I've been working on yet another Rolling Eyes Stars! clone that I hope will have a better chance of completion than those before it. I've posted most of the code on http://hxnova.googlecode.com (around 11,000 lines so far). Its written in haXe, which compiles to flash, php, java script, and neko (runs on apache) so the plan is to create a flash font end that can run on the web browser or on the desktop using SWHX. Then the server could run in PHP or neko. The nice thing is that code doesn't need to be written twice as the client has access to the same code as the server (for example, the fuel usage function doesn't need to be written twice).

Anyways, I've come across one of the dreaded issues in Stars!, the split fleet dodge. Looking at the suggestions of other people, it seems like this is an overly complicated problem that is mainly created from the fact that a turn is really just a snapshot (as Ptolemy puts it). So to correct this, instead of allowing players to split their fleets in the middle of space as a sort of waypoint0 task, they should only be allowed to split their fleets when orbiting a planet, or else only as a waypoint 1+ task.

Looking at each case individually:

1) Split fleet at a star: This is absolutely needed as when ships are produced, they're put into fleets that the player might want to change the arrangement of. If a fleet is targeting another fleet that is currently at a star, it should simply go to that star and can chase down those fleets next turn.

This really is at no disadvantage to the chaser as their fleet will still be the same number of years behind as it was before. Say that a fleet is being chased by another that is one year behind. If it splits at a star, then the chasing fleet can target each separate fleet the next year and still be one year behind.

2) Split fleet as a waypoint 1+ order: This works so that when a chased fleet splits, the new fleets can be seen by the chasing fleet, which can target them the next turn.

However, there are two flaws here:

a) If a fleet splits and then merges again as a waypoint0, then the chasing fleet (which has probably split into parts to take out other parts of of the fleet being chased) has lost a lot of stacking. The fix to this is to not allow a fleet that has just split at a location to merge again the next year as a waypoint0 order.

b) The chasing fleet itself cannot split as a waypoint0 and target the separated ships, but it can still target the ships it wants to and split as a waypoint order.


While this seems kinda contrived, I think its the simplest solution to the problem. Overall, I hope it reduces the incentive to use the split fleet option to dodge another fleet and therefore not have to deal with the above exceptions nearly as much.

I'm open to any suggestions/criticisms on the idea.

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