1 hull|hardened = 100% efficiency for 0.2|0.4 systems.

[NeonSturm]

If you buy a blueprint with blocks, you have to pay each block and weapon arrays count block numbers too => counters for blocks per type are already there.

Count hulls and add 0.2 points to energy_grid_points for each hull, 0.4 for each hardened hull.
Plex's Doors and Glass count 0.2 or 0.3 (may depend partially on hit-points, partially on weight)

Other blocks need this energy_grid_points in order to work.
Or call them structural_integrity_points ... doesn't matter.

Example:

• 10 reactor blocks
• 10 weapon blocks
• 10 shield blocks
• 10 thruster blocks
• 10 passive effect blocks
• => or any other combo 50 active blocks instead of above
  
• -5 for core
  
• 225 hull blocks or 113 hardened for 100% efficiency

=> blocks occupy a minimum volume/box{ normal hull: 271=7*7*6, hardened hull: 164=6*6*5 }
=> the surface area is with 7*7*2+7*6*4= 266 and 6*6*2+6*5*4= 192 still larger than hull block count.

Giving the core a few energy_grid_points (maybe 5?) make very small ships possible without having to add an extra block for each little planet-gravity escape pod.


You have 100 energy_grid_points and 100 active blocks? => 100% efficiency
You have 50 energy_grid_points and 100 active blocks? => 50% efficiency for everything
You have 100 energy_grid_points and 50 active blocks? => 100% efficiency (not 200!)


I am aware that this might not be the optimal solution, but at least it would close the gap between RP and Borg ships.
=> which is a key requirement for a good default balance.


I would work well together with power-distribution suggestions -> disabled systems may increase the efficiency of others, but only if you have more systems than your energy_grid_points are supporting.

 

[Mariux]

What?

 

[NeonSturm]

You need 2.5 hardened or 5 hulls for each active block.

Active blocks are: power, thrust, weapons, shields, effects... anything you can control from a core.

PlexDoors are active, but I would count them like hull. After all it's to prevent doom-cubes of death being stronger than a decorated ship and allow decent balance for Role-Play /battle hybrid ships.

 

[starhaiden]

what sometimes I don't get you actually most of the time I don't get you

 

[Megacrafter127]

First of all, no "hard" caps. Efficiency shall NEVER be able to reach 0%. In the same way, there shouldn't be a "hard" maximum efficiency limit.
Create nice and smooth functions.

Spoiler: I suggest a logistical-growth function in this case[It reaches neither 0 nor 1 in this example]

 

[NeonSturm]

5 energy_grid_points (from core) / 100 systems = 5% efficiency - on the low side I already thought about a soft cap.

I also want to agree on a soft cap near 100% efficiency, but I haven't thought out something that does not screw up balance decisions such as (make just hull and 1 reactor to get 1000000% efficiency).
I rather want to hear a general opinion first.


I would like to have at least the option to do this, not necessarily enforced.

Right now most ship builders build for one server or give options to enhance abilities. There is no general guideline which ratio to choose to have a ship: A playable on all no-doom-cube servers, B playable on the majority of servers

 

[Ithirahad]

A very interesting idea, but in practice it seems that it would feel somewhat awkward/artificial.

 

[NeonSturm]

IRL, you can't build a space ship out of computers.
You need something that separates atmosphere from vacuum. You need something that provides structural integrity - especially if you wanna reach realistic travel velocities.
Do you know why nobody built a 1 km long ship IRL? It would break. And so would a fast accelerating space ship built solely out of computers and other soft components.

We have other artificial stuff after all. This is not a game that tries to be super-realistic like space engineers - and even they have an artificial speed limit at 140m/s.
Not artificial limits are wrong, but keeping key features (nice looking things) useless is..

 

[Megacrafter127]

IRL, you can't build a space ship out of computers.

Challenge accepted.

 

[psteiner]

Great idea, adds an edge to armor without making entirely new systems. I like it.

 

[jayman38]

Let me see if I understand your concept correctly: Structural integrity, converted to efficiency percentage is applied to all subsystems on a ship? So if you have 75% structural efficiency, your weapons fire at 75% dps, your shields have 75% shield points and 75% recharge rate, your salvage beams eat 75% of the blocks that they normally would, your ship has 75% thrust, etc, etc, etc.

I rather like the idea, as long as the caps would be server-configurable. (I'd prefer not to drop below 50% efficiency, and cap the upper limit at 100%, but with the option to go up to 200% if I'm feeling munchkin-ey that day.)

 

[NeonSturm]

You only drop below 50% if you lose many hull parts and few vital parts.

But then you also lost mass, thus you have similar stats to what you had earlier.​

Once you lose vital parts, the efficiency for others increases again.

Maybe we should have 100% = average and cap at 200%

Between 200 and 100, vital blocks should always give you more bonus compared to adding hulls, but once you drop below 100%, hulls give you more than adding more vitals.
Thus more hulls give you better stats, but not that much better that you don't need more vitals and hide the few you have at various distant points in your ship.​