Elminster (El) 20.10.2009 - Hardpoint System taster

[MajorD]

It's a great set of episodes, but watching this time through, I'm curious, what happened with Jellico in the second episode? Everyone was butt hurt over him acting like an actual captain, and I know Riker eventually convinces him to ask Riker to do something rather than ordering him, but what's the over all conclusion between Jellico and the Enterprise?

You're absolutely right about needing a Starbase to get it done fast. The episode makes it clear that modifying the systems to favor weapons is not just a matter of directing more power to combat systems, but optimizing the physical network. That takes hours and days with the ship's crew, but a drydock or starbase's extra personnel should speed it up to a matter of hours. Then again, there is an upper end to how many people can work on a single system. Either way, reconfiguring the systems physically is a drastic move. What's also interesting is that it seems to be completely up to the captain what they have their ship geared toward. It sounds like the mentioned science labs would be turned off not just while the changes were underway but after the changes, too.

[sman789]

Maybe you could have Starbases upgrading your weapons based on Command Points or something like that, but for a game you'd be much better off being able to change power & stuff from your bridge.

[MajorD]

It should be based on what's available and what the flag officers thinks you need. Everything should be free, since you're not playing as a trader, you're in the military.

[zzz]

but how does the flag officer ingame judge what you need? only way would be based on ship stats and mission performance which implies calculating some going rate.

one thing I disliked about Star Trek is just how false the "utopia" was. Relgious and political differences are flat-out not mentioned or dealt with, unless it's some primitive alien race that we have to show the way too. However characters in the series repeatedly showed how "human" they were. People gambling, fighting over women, being petty. They get a basic latinum rate for shore leave but what happens if you want to get something you're really greedy for, like the rare weapons collector with the rifle? Even Starfleet Academy had a "transporter credits" system for cadets showing that a basic supply and demand economy was needed.

Good thing I was in it for the ships, huh? 

[sman789]

Well, I always thought that the producers made a mistake in removing money from the Federation. It just couldn't possibly happen. Humans do want what's best for themselves and generally not what is best for everyone else if it contradicts that. I don't think I'll ever buy into this space-communism. They might as well just put a hammer and sickle over the UFP logo

[zzz]

well, matter replication removes a lot of the need to ration out resources or for people to buy everyday things. and I'm allowing for Gene's explanation that humanity changed so that every individual made an effort to better themselves and hold off on the outright greed and materialism.

but the problem is is that it never made it consistently in the show. someone having to give a big speech to avoid bloodshed, all the time. but for the more mundane day-to-day things the writers couldn't really make it work.

I always wondered how Sisko's dad's restaurant worked. What happens if he wanted a better location that someone else owned? would he offer to buy it from them with goods and services? does the government allocate the land or do private citizens give it away to others out of the kindness of the heart? who grows all his fresh fruit and veg? or who buses the tables? is it all automated? I can picture him having some apprentices who want to learn from him in the kitchen helping out. what happens when someone want a rare wine vintage. or any non-replicated special dish that is limited in supply?

everything is free on Earth. eating out doesn't cost a dime. and if you're good at what you do wouldn't it be non-stop crowds?

[Jon]

Can we steer this back on topic please folks?

[joe5]

so could you land a bording party and take out an eps conduit

[sman789]

Like Star Wars Battlefront 2, where you can disable systems from both the inside and the outside?

[fracsid]

I found SWBF2 to be way too simplified, with massive glowing important parts extremely obvious on the outside of the hull...  But a system similar to that where in the middle of a space battle you could also have a boarding party battling it out inside the hostile ship would be pretty cool.

El, any plans to have a crew allocation in your hardpoint system as well?  Where each section of a ship would have a designated average number of crew, and that many crew would be lost when that section was lost?

[zzz]

I think it'd be good if you had access to their computers on their ship, either by default or by killing an officer and picking up a "keycard". you could do a lot of things like take the shields offline. Federation ships have the ability to jettison nacelles using explosive bolts, which the team might be planning given the detail on the Ferengi Marauder's functions.

[MyOwnSling]

I am definitely liking the direction this is going.  It's the details like this that are going to make this game.

[Jon]

so could you land a bording party and take out an eps conduit

Potentially yes. I also envision all 'internal' key rooms haveing external equivalents (using the same 'subsystem'). The HP is in effect the framework for the First Person maps.
If you destroy medical with ship to ship weaponry it would be inaccessible internally also.

[shadow651]

Would it be posible, for example in a campain, to modify our ships power system with upgrade points or somthing to sute our personal tactics?

[MajorD]

If a ship puts a hole in your ship and you enter that room that has the whole into space, could that other ship now shoot you with its ship weapons, vaporizing you, while you stand inside the exposed room?

[zzz]

If a ship puts a hole in your ship and you enter that room that has the whole into space, could that other ship now shoot you with its ship weapons, vaporizing you, while you stand inside the exposed room?

wouldn't that require the rooms to be literally located inside the 3rd person ship model? my impression of the system was that there'd have the FPS and ship combat areas as separate levels running concurrently.

[Jon]

Thats the plan, yes. The FPS rooms will probably be linked to the location in the HP and use a few stats, e.g.
Does the room have power? (and at what level)
% damage (could be used to show physical damage in the room)
ODN connectivity (computer access available)
etc.

So if you were in a room and it was destroyed in the HP, then in theory you'd be dead.

Also if you went into a room with a hole into space, you'd die of suffocation first! lol

[sman789]

Also if you went into a room with a hole into space, you'd die of suffocation first! lol

But surely it would be sealed off - although I can't imagine how those cardboard doors are supposed to be airtight. I love the TNG episode where Riker kicks one down and it just starts bouncing on the ground like paper

[Jon]

But surely it would be sealed off - although I can't imagine how those cardboard doors are supposed to be airtight. I love the TNG episode where Riker kicks one down and it just starts bouncing on the ground like paper

Assuming the room has power! (see above)

[MajorD]

Also if you went into a room with a hole into space, you'd die of suffocation first! lol

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