To Haxus : Design Volume Overhaul--a way to better war?

[Rockinsince87]

Lots to agree with here. Bigger should not = better.

There is a lot that can be done to provide balance. 

Realistically the larger the ship, the slower it should be inherently. It should be hard to maneuver aka dodge. Smaller ships should move much faster and be difficult to hit. Unles the design calls for some massive engine voulme. 

Weapons should have different hit to damage ratios. Weapons that have a high ability to hit should have lower damage. Weapons that have lower ability to hit should have higher damage. Then throw in some multipliers based on type of weapon, aka physical shells vs beam vs all the others. Targeting/Acquisition aka hit chance could be dictated by overhauling sensors.

Sensors could be overhauled to provide additional balance. Sensors along the line of something you see in Aurora 4x. Passive vs Active sensors. This alone would provide a gigantic rebalance and change how ships are designed based on purpose. External link for reference: https://aurorawiki.pentarch.org/index.php?title=Sensors

So active sensors, would be required for target acquisition, and instant identification while giving away the source ships position and radar signature. Active sensors would naturally have their own range limitations and volume requirements. Survey sensors would fall under active sensors but have their own mechanics. Let them function the way that they do but don't give them any combat abilities. This could have a research tier that improves functions.

Passive sensors would fall under two types, Thermal and Electromagnetic signatures. These would have much higher ranges naturally and their own volume requirements. EM signatures would detect shields and colonies at longer ranges. Thermal would detect missiles/torpedo's, beam weapon sources as well as engines. If generic speed multipliers for ships were added to helm controls/ships orders you could have: All Stop, Dead slow, Slow, Standard/Cruse, Full and Flank. These speeds would just be multipliers of your ships design speed limitations. This would allowed players to fly with a lower thermal signature in combat operation zones. This means a ship with huge engine volume (big ship) will have a larger signature at any speed as expected. Ships with their shields down would put out a much lower EM signature. Thermal sensors could have a research tier that improves functions. 

Turrets would naturally use these acquisition sensors as well. Their ability to provide point defense could be based on the ability for sensors. 

This adds an additional area for space and the natural environment to play a role. Certain star systems could have natural sensor inhibiting qualities like nebulas. Being close to different types of planets could provide different disruptions. Example, thermal sensors have a hard time distinguishing what's going on inferno planets. Frozen planets thermal sensors would work really really well. EM sensors would work in both situations BUT could be disrupted by the type of atmosphere. 

These above changes would dramatically force players to design ships based on function/role. You would not be able to build a "I win ship". A player would be forced to think and consider the balance of reactor power output (EM and thermal signature), engine size and acceleration (Thermal signature), Shield strength and type (EM signature), and finally all the various sensors types and ranges. With the proper fleet controls, you would be pressed to build fleets with various types of ships and capabilities. 

This would change the way players interact and make decisions. Do I warp in and survey this system blindly? If I do so I'm going to generate a massive EM spike. Do I care? nah, get the survey data and warp out. Any player in the system (starting out or advanced) would detect the EM spike. A thermal and EM scan could let the surveying ship get he idea if there are any colonies or ships present. They might not even be able to detect all or some of them based on the ship design, size of the colonies, and the star systems natural interference. 

On the flip side, a colony and or player in the system would see an EM spike form the ship conducting the survey scan since it's considered an active sensor. A player could order all stop and reduce power to conceal them self's. Do I move in to investigate? 

Honestly if you want the game to be more interesting and "realistic" you actually have to implement realistic elements. Any attempt to balance an "Arcade" style systems will result in a "Arcade" style system when you are done just rebalanced.