Post by magusunion on Nov 5, 2016 4:48:52 GMT
So after experimenting heavily with various crafts in the game (and virtually ignoring Campaign mode, as a whole), I've decided to put forth my abstract for how I believe doctrines can be handled within CoaDE.
Weapons and how they hurt (or not hurt) your adversaries:
Various weapons system have specific capabilities and limitations. For example, the accuracy of tracking on ballistic based weapon systems can be limited by the target's cross-sectional area. Likewise, lasers lose their application capabilities on their target when said targets are further away from its intensity ranges.
By analyzing these aspects of different weapon technologies, the strength and weakness of these units determine how they can be applied in combat.
Coil Guns – Retain striking power of projectile over distance – Dependent on cross sectional area for targeting and engagement range
Rail Guns – Retain striking power of projectile over distance – Dependent on cross sectional area for targeting and engagement range, plus demand higher power input
Lasers – instantaneous damage upon target when in range – distance limits weapon striking intensity, hard countered by Aerogel
Missiles – capable of carrying heavy payloads of conventional/nuclear explosives – limited by fuel delta-v, and can be “distracted” by flare/heat systems
Drones – armed with various weaponry to swarm and attack targets – limited by fuel delta-v, and can be “distracted” by flare/heat systems
Playing on these attributes of different weapon systems, the capabilities of these various weapons detail how a ship can preform in combat when primarily harnessing specific weapon groups.
Some weapon systems, such as flak cannons and flares, are purely designed as a means to disorder/destroy swarms of missiles and drones. These countermeasures are mostly reactionary, and various vessels of different weapon specializations will find the best means to incorporate these units into their design.
So how does this reflect against ships?
The game will often refer any non-Civilian vessel as a capital ship. But even at a broad spectrum of classification, this doesn't quite help bring ships into a useful taxonomy for measuring performance and utility. Most of the ships are much larger than their terrestrial cousins, and (for the stock vessels in the game), are based around specific weapon setups.
As such, you can draw some specific parallels to our space craft, and the combat styles of the ships in 20-21st Century Navies.
Ship Type: “Gun Ship”
Similar to: Battleship (Hard Power)
Tactics: A Battleship will usually carry a complement of raw firepower, with a slight edge possibly leaning toward some on-board missile/drone ordinance. This ship is the type that will engage the enemy, and bring their weapons to bear on the best means possible. These ships can be fitted with larger-than-normal gun systems, and may specialize in particular weapon set-up for engagement with enemies.
Ship Type: “Drone Boat”
Similar to: Carrier (Force Projector)
Tactics: A Carrier will often not be seen in a naval sortie when deployed in the theater of war. Instead, the ability to use (or even refuel) drones as its means of projecting damage onto an adversary at large distance gives the Carrier distinct advantages over a Battleship entering into an engagement window. As such, the Carrier will often deploy drones and avoid direct confrontation with an enemy force. This allows the carrier to stay out of harms way, while still maximizing the “fire-for-effect” ability of the drones that it carries. Carriers can also be designed to carry missile ordinance as well, and project them at will against their targets.
Ship Type: “Missile Boat”
Similar to: Submarine (Force Projector)
Tactics: A Submarine will project its damage via its missile payload setup. Slightly different than the Carrier, and lacking the stealthy ability of its naval cousin, these ships will ensure proper interception of their missiles on a target vessel. This ships won't be heavily armed with gun ordinance, but in return may have high delta-v to burn, and can use their maneuverability to their advantage offensively or defensively.
So what's the best kind of ship?
It's impossible to create a ship that has all of the aspects of Battleship, Carrier, and Submarine rolled into one without creating glaring vulnerabilities in design. Instead, the best ship is always going to be situational. In these cases, you need to ask three questions about an engagement:
1. Should I avoid getting near my opponent when attacking?
2. Do I have a distinct advantage that I can immediately use against my foe?
3. Will it be easier/harder to enter an interception with my enemy?
In some cases, you may have a foe that has a heavy Hard Power set-up, with superior guns with range and thick armor. In others, your opponent may be relying on a nuclear/missile arsenal, and may not want to enter into an interception window with your forces.
Example: RSF Carrier Epsilon has been in orbit around Venus for 1 month, and has been informed that an USTA task force is preparing to assault this ship in order to seize trade assets between Luna and Mercury. Intel suggests that the force is made of four small corvettes, yet reconnaissance confirms the usage of heavy laser weapon systems installed on more than one enemy ships.
The Carrier has a few options: it can sent its drones ahead of the pursuing fleet once they enter Venus's Sphere of Influence (SoI) to intercept. Or, it can use its set-up of missiles to possibly disable some of the enemy ships as to thin their raw firepower. Or, the Carrier could try to offensively brawl the smaller ships by combining deployed drones/missiles alongside the ship as enemies enter the interception window to do battle against the naval vessel.
All these choices can determine whether or not a ship will be effective in a combat engagement, or if the ship can properly apply fire power to its adversary. In some cases, as ship may simply be heavily hard countered in a fleet battle. In others, tactics and application of force will decide victory or defeat between two well-designed craft.
It all depends on not just the design of your ship, but how well you can apply its power.
tl;dr
I believe ships can be broken down into three distinct combat styles based on weapon setup. Those styles can maximize weapon and countermeasure usage. And any ships may be sophisticated and well designed, but if you pilot/command it like shit, it'll preform like shit.
Weapons and how they hurt (or not hurt) your adversaries:
Various weapons system have specific capabilities and limitations. For example, the accuracy of tracking on ballistic based weapon systems can be limited by the target's cross-sectional area. Likewise, lasers lose their application capabilities on their target when said targets are further away from its intensity ranges.
By analyzing these aspects of different weapon technologies, the strength and weakness of these units determine how they can be applied in combat.
Coil Guns – Retain striking power of projectile over distance – Dependent on cross sectional area for targeting and engagement range
Rail Guns – Retain striking power of projectile over distance – Dependent on cross sectional area for targeting and engagement range, plus demand higher power input
Lasers – instantaneous damage upon target when in range – distance limits weapon striking intensity, hard countered by Aerogel
Missiles – capable of carrying heavy payloads of conventional/nuclear explosives – limited by fuel delta-v, and can be “distracted” by flare/heat systems
Drones – armed with various weaponry to swarm and attack targets – limited by fuel delta-v, and can be “distracted” by flare/heat systems
Playing on these attributes of different weapon systems, the capabilities of these various weapons detail how a ship can preform in combat when primarily harnessing specific weapon groups.
Some weapon systems, such as flak cannons and flares, are purely designed as a means to disorder/destroy swarms of missiles and drones. These countermeasures are mostly reactionary, and various vessels of different weapon specializations will find the best means to incorporate these units into their design.
So how does this reflect against ships?
The game will often refer any non-Civilian vessel as a capital ship. But even at a broad spectrum of classification, this doesn't quite help bring ships into a useful taxonomy for measuring performance and utility. Most of the ships are much larger than their terrestrial cousins, and (for the stock vessels in the game), are based around specific weapon setups.
As such, you can draw some specific parallels to our space craft, and the combat styles of the ships in 20-21st Century Navies.
Ship Type: “Gun Ship”
Similar to: Battleship (Hard Power)
Tactics: A Battleship will usually carry a complement of raw firepower, with a slight edge possibly leaning toward some on-board missile/drone ordinance. This ship is the type that will engage the enemy, and bring their weapons to bear on the best means possible. These ships can be fitted with larger-than-normal gun systems, and may specialize in particular weapon set-up for engagement with enemies.
Ship Type: “Drone Boat”
Similar to: Carrier (Force Projector)
Tactics: A Carrier will often not be seen in a naval sortie when deployed in the theater of war. Instead, the ability to use (or even refuel) drones as its means of projecting damage onto an adversary at large distance gives the Carrier distinct advantages over a Battleship entering into an engagement window. As such, the Carrier will often deploy drones and avoid direct confrontation with an enemy force. This allows the carrier to stay out of harms way, while still maximizing the “fire-for-effect” ability of the drones that it carries. Carriers can also be designed to carry missile ordinance as well, and project them at will against their targets.
Ship Type: “Missile Boat”
Similar to: Submarine (Force Projector)
Tactics: A Submarine will project its damage via its missile payload setup. Slightly different than the Carrier, and lacking the stealthy ability of its naval cousin, these ships will ensure proper interception of their missiles on a target vessel. This ships won't be heavily armed with gun ordinance, but in return may have high delta-v to burn, and can use their maneuverability to their advantage offensively or defensively.
So what's the best kind of ship?
It's impossible to create a ship that has all of the aspects of Battleship, Carrier, and Submarine rolled into one without creating glaring vulnerabilities in design. Instead, the best ship is always going to be situational. In these cases, you need to ask three questions about an engagement:
1. Should I avoid getting near my opponent when attacking?
2. Do I have a distinct advantage that I can immediately use against my foe?
3. Will it be easier/harder to enter an interception with my enemy?
In some cases, you may have a foe that has a heavy Hard Power set-up, with superior guns with range and thick armor. In others, your opponent may be relying on a nuclear/missile arsenal, and may not want to enter into an interception window with your forces.
Example: RSF Carrier Epsilon has been in orbit around Venus for 1 month, and has been informed that an USTA task force is preparing to assault this ship in order to seize trade assets between Luna and Mercury. Intel suggests that the force is made of four small corvettes, yet reconnaissance confirms the usage of heavy laser weapon systems installed on more than one enemy ships.
The Carrier has a few options: it can sent its drones ahead of the pursuing fleet once they enter Venus's Sphere of Influence (SoI) to intercept. Or, it can use its set-up of missiles to possibly disable some of the enemy ships as to thin their raw firepower. Or, the Carrier could try to offensively brawl the smaller ships by combining deployed drones/missiles alongside the ship as enemies enter the interception window to do battle against the naval vessel.
All these choices can determine whether or not a ship will be effective in a combat engagement, or if the ship can properly apply fire power to its adversary. In some cases, as ship may simply be heavily hard countered in a fleet battle. In others, tactics and application of force will decide victory or defeat between two well-designed craft.
It all depends on not just the design of your ship, but how well you can apply its power.
tl;dr
I believe ships can be broken down into three distinct combat styles based on weapon setup. Those styles can maximize weapon and countermeasure usage. And any ships may be sophisticated and well designed, but if you pilot/command it like shit, it'll preform like shit.