Scout Class Ships

[Lithari]

Hiya,

I have noticed that scout ships, which technically should have longer range to explore new systems, but it seems they lack many features that would be on scout vessels, like surveying capability, longer range drives, specially designed for scout ships.

I have noticed AI controlled scout ships entering my system and staying there indefinitely, at first, I thought they were spying, but now I think they are able to send out ships, even outside their supply range.

So, my suggestion is to put in a feature that prevents you from ordering ships to move outside your supply range, so if the destination is 6 turns away and your limit is 5 turns, then It should come up with a message saying its out of range.

This feature is in MoO2, that game also has a special feature that you can place on scout ships, it takes up all the space, but it allows the scout ship to travel further then the other ships, overall, it would be good to indicate that the cargo spaces are used for fuel...it doesn't indicate this anywhere ingame.

[jorgen_cab]

You can move ships without supply outside supply range they will just move slower and certain damage can't be repaired and ammunition can't be restocked between turns.

As far as I understand the developers never intended scout ships to scout the universe by themselves. They are small scout ships to scout systems in support of support ships, such as a freighter. As far as I understand support does not equal fuel but rather provisions, ammunitions, spare parts, spare crew, recreational facilities etc. Fuel are probably part of it, but only a small part.

I like that we need to send small task-forces to explore space. So far I have made my exploration task-forces as one freighter and two scout ships. Seem to work quite nicely and not too expensive.

[Lithari]

hmmm, I think I will stick to my scout cruiser, it costs roughly the same as 1-2 scouts and a freighter to maintain and it has more weapons too.

[jorgen_cab]

I think that scout ships will survey systems much faster and the number of ships will probably add to that as well. I can't say that with 100% clarity, but that is my experience so far.

With that said, I don't mean a scout cruiser (I suppose you mean a medium ship here) is a bad choice. They are a somewhat safer choice if you encounter any hostilities. Although, I have yet to encounter any directly hostile ships in my travels so far.

[crimsonsun]

Due to my lack of combat experience in game thus far I have no in game reference for this but I am sure I have read somewhere that multiple escorts are far more effective in tactical combat than the larger transport or cruiser classes, I would imagine because they are far more agile and thus able to attack outside the bigger ships major fire arcs. I am planning to create surveying transport vessels in my next play though but build fighters as escorts to my larger battleships for fighting wars...

This role will keep the scout class ships from being redundant though it would make there name somewhat deceptive....

crimsonsun

[Lithari]

Well, agility would be effective, if it mattered, since when I was firing my weaponry, from my motherships, they were firing all of them, which means the weaponry seems to be 360degrees, which means agility means nothing.

Unless smaller hulls have a higher base mobility or chance to dodge bonus I don't know about.

[Zaimat]

Regular and Heavy mount weapons currently have 90 degree arcs so they can only fire in the direction they are mounted (Front/R.side/Back/L.side). You probably had light mount lasers.

The larger the hull size, the slower they are at turning. And don't forget initiative, faster (small) ships always act before slower (larger) ships.

Even though you can explore the galaxy on scouts, they are not the best suited for that role. I much prefer the view from 'Babylon 5' where explorer ships were some of the biggest ships in the fleet as they needed a LOT of supplies to sustain them, while they explored the rim (edge of known space).

So without going to that extreme I think transports are a good choice as explorer ships. They are pretty affordable and can hold cargo holds to extend their range. Perhaps a scout or two as escorts for defense but that would depend on your style of play.

[SugeBearX]

it would be good to indicate that the cargo spaces are used for fuel...it doesn't indicate this anywhere ingame.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. There is definitely a need for in-game documentation of what cargo holds do.

[Lithari]

Regular and Heavy mount weapons currently have 90 degree arcs so they can only fire in the direction they are mounted (Front/R.side/Back/L.side). You probably had light mount lasers.

The larger the hull size, the slower they are at turning. And don't forget initiative, faster (small) ships always act before slower (larger) ships.

Even though you can explore the galaxy on scouts, they are not the best suited for that role. I much prefer the view from 'Babylon 5' where explorer ships were some of the biggest ships in the fleet as they needed a LOT of supplies to sustain them, while they explored the rim (edge of known space).

So without going to that extreme I think transports are a good choice as explorer ships. They are pretty affordable and can hold cargo holds to extend their range. Perhaps a scout or two as escorts for defense but that would depend on your style of play.

Yeah, a single use of explorers in B5 and you bring it up....you are certainly fans of that show, might I suggest a all powerful race that randomly attacks a colony, like the Antarans on MoO2 or for a B5 analogy, like the Shadows, they have the best weaponry, armour, engines and so on, it could be another way to get the advanced tech that feels like most of the alien races start with. lol

[Madbiologist]

So if I get this right, scouts are used to keep an eye on things, explore the anthill just over that one hill, and as support light escorts for your fleets (like cuvettes or 'heavy fighters'). While Medium ships will be your workhorse ships (deep space explorers, colonisers, supply transports, troop transports, and I used them as disposable planet bombers once). Large ships will be your main warships, your ships of the line as it were (or other heavy duty well-defended support vessels).

So scouts are used as first explorers for the systems next to your home world but you will use medium hulls to make real deep-space explorers.

I kind of like that (not just because of the B5 reference). I always thought it was funny you would send one to ten men ships into the depth space inside a vessel that was not bigger than a space shuttle. B5 had the explorer vessels, even in Star Trek: smaller science vessels only went to places that was 'charted', the charting of the unknown was handled by the larger vessels (Constitution class in TOS and Galaxy class in TNG, both pretty big).

It will confuse a lot of players at first, as they need to re-adjust. Doesn't help they are called scouts, which will make people assume means 'explorer' (since the term is used interchangeable by so many other games).

[Lithari]

So if I get this right, scouts are used to keep an eye on things, explore the anthill just over that one hill, and as support light escorts for your fleets (like cuvettes or 'heavy fighters'). While Medium ships will be your workhorse ships (deep space explorers, colonisers, supply transports, troop transports, and I used them as disposable planet bombers once). Large ships will be your main warships, your ships of the line as it were (or other heavy duty well-defended support vessels).

So scouts are used as first explorers for the systems next to your home world but you will use medium hulls to make real deep-space explorers.

I kind of like that (not just because of the B5 reference). I always thought it was funny you would send one to ten men ships into the depth space inside a vessel that was not bigger than a space shuttle. B5 had the explorer vessels, even in Star Trek: smaller science vessels only went to places that was 'charted', the charting of the unknown was handled by the larger vessels (Constitution class in TOS and Galaxy class in TNG, both pretty big).

It will confuse a lot of players at first, as they need to re-adjust. Doesn't help they are called scouts, which will make people assume means 'explorer' (since the term is used interchangeable by so many other games).

Ok, your post made sense, if only they put that in the game. eh? maybe as the game is more developed. ?