The usage of Stars needs improving.

from Sins Forums
Currently Stars are dead zones. The only use I have seen for them is as waypoints to other systems/galaxies. Other than that, they are useless.

Here is what I believe to a possible solution. A sort of orbiting station that is set up by a special ability by one of the Capital Ships. This station would be the equivalent of a massive power station. This station would spawn a new type of civilian ship, which is essentially a massive flying battery. These ships would then travel to trade port of the controlling player, where they would offload their supply of energy into the planetary energy grid. This would result in a massive increase in the receiving player's credit supply.

The technology of the power-plant station would only be available somewhere high up on the empire tech tree.

Of course, that is just my opinion.
16,815 views 68 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top
maybe some kind of possibility to generate money from the star..just pitching ideas.
Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top
I have to agree with your assessment of the current situation with stars. Currently we are sort of addressing the "dead zone" issue in another thread.

It appears there is popular support for doing something with the stars but without knowing the full development details of the game and the factions we are in effect grasping at straws trying to suggest thing. This is especially so for ideas that would have a significant effect on game play beyond neutral concepts like random solar events and fleet gate keeping.

In my opinion there should be something built in at a fundamental level that facilitates or even creates situations where inevitably major fleet engagements will occur around stars.
Elemental: Reforged
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top
As long as there are ships that have Phase Space Inhibitors, stars will definitely become highly contested zones.
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top
Doing stuff around the stars has been something we've talked about internally for a long time. Not sure where things stand right now with it, however.
Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top
Anti-matter harvesting around a star? For a Super Weapon? OMG!

Ehh just throwing this out, but wouldn't it be cool if each race had 1 SUPER WEAPON, but that it required so much anti-matter that you would have to have special harvesting ships to power the weapon?

Sort of like how the refineries work now. Only difference is the ships would travel to the sun, absorb the anti-matter and travel back to the storage facility.

Make a limit though so that the super weapon is very powerful but requires at least 40-50 minutes of game play to acquire enough antimatter to use it. And make it a one shot thing, that could perhaps eliminate the entire enemy at a given location.

It would make the end of the game go faster, plus give another reason to place ships at the stars for defense.

Ah well its just a thought...

Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top


One thing that disturbes me in this game is that if my capitol planet is next to the star and I send my fleet(s) somewhere else, my home planet is at a severe risk. Thats why I prepose putting star bases in the game (although it could be a little late for this). Maybe you and your allies could all have bases there (bigger gravity well, why not share the wealth? ). Since its a star maybe bigger stations that have fighters and produce ships and are some kind of "advanced researched station".



https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/?forumid=402&aid=152127#1207476

Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top
Ehh just throwing this out, but wouldn't it be cool if each race had 1 SUPER WEAPON, but that it required so much anti-matter that you would have to have special harvesting ships to power the weapon?

in simple terms? or in pig latin?
simple terms: no
pig latin: o-nay
Make a limit though so that the super weapon is very powerful but requires at least 40-50 minutes of game play to acquire enough antimatter to use it. And make it a one shot thing, that could perhaps eliminate the entire enemy at a given location.

It would make the end of the game go faster, plus give another reason to place ships at the stars for defense.

Ah well its just a thought...

eh... I just think it would be a bit unbalanced.

maybe a corruption style, that if you feed antimatter into your enemies base it would mess with his various functionalities.
Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top
its not unbalanced if ever race has one
Reply #10 from Sins Forums Top
but seeing as only one person would be able to hold onto it at a time, factor in the already amazing ease of turtling and wammo, easy win.
Reply #11 from Sins Forums Top
what turtling ?

*looks at his 30 hangers , 50 gauss cannons, and 10 phase space inhibitors*

Reply #12 from Sins Forums Top
As long as you can't build hangars, gauss cannons or other facilities at stars, turtling won't be as easy as you think. It will still come down to fleet versus fleet. Of course, alliances, economy and production capacity will also figure into this pretty heavily.

However, if you win that massive battle and actually control an opponents star...well, actually you will probably need to rebuild up what is left of your fleet. But then you will have the choice of which planet to attack. Just make sure it is the weakest one of the four.
Reply #13 from Sins Forums Top
I will repeat this, so that it is obvious:
even if you were to take a star (by some unimaginable stretch of stupidity on the defenders part, seeing as he didnt see your fleets several trillion miles away) then in the time it takes simply to MOVE forces to your new foothold (forget creating them for now) a counterforce would have wiped you out.
Reply #14 from Sins Forums Top
Okay Schem, I'll agree that a stalemate could occur IF there are only 2 players in the game, each has a complete star system with identical resources AND each one has the same size and fleet composition (at the same level tech).

However, you could say the same thing about 2 players in a single star system where each has 2 of the 4 linking points built up into super fortresses. So, since you are arguing against stars becoming relevant in the game for fear of stalemates, why aren't you complaining about the other possible stalemate situations in the game?
Reply #15 from Sins Forums Top
Personally speaking I doubt it would even be possible to have a real stalemate. And for the sake of argument if it were so then what is different about a star that warrants Schem's level of apparent concern? I simply cant see any valid reasons. The argument is flawed as I said before pure and simple.


What is that old saying... In the end there can be only one.
Reply #16 from Sins Forums Top
How about an option for a supernova weapon in a "Last Flagship Standing" mode? Can call it a "Last Star Remaining" game:

Have your fleet defend some T6 military tech devices that need to stay in orbit around the enemy star for a certain amount of time... if successfully deployed into the star, it gives you a certain window of safety to jump to safety back into your own star system before annihilation.

This would give another use and options for multi-star system games, more flavour to choose from.

I'd love to see the solar fireworks when I wipe out 20 enemy planets in one fell swoop, after decimating their armadas! THAT would be an empire to fear. Star Wars can keep their feeble Death Star... gimme a supernova to play with!

  
Reply #17 from Sins Forums Top
Unbalanced....maybe? But Super Novas would be pretty. I doubt we will see anything like that though. But if something like supernova ships were introduced, that would encourage game play around stars (incredible understatement!).
Reply #18 from Sins Forums Top
Hmm perhaps maybe there could be something like the Ring from Ringworld (by Larry Niven) around the stars (though alot closer then the one in the book) that you could build and it would basically count as a few worlds. The reason why it would count as a few worlds was that in the larger Ring from the books (the diameter of the ring was the entire orbit of Earth basically) the total space on the ring was a the equivalent to a few million Earth's. And maybe if some super structure like the Ring was made, then the other planets (if they can see the star) will notice if you look at the star that there is some sort of object at it.

On the subject of the Empire and supernova weapons, while I am not the biggest SW fan I know (though I am semi good), for a while the Empire did have such a weapon. It was some sort of ship that they found (I think) that it's armour made it invincible and it could make star's go supernova (hence the reason for the armour). And since they couldnt destroy it the rebels chucked it into a gas giant. Later the Empire got it back out somehow, so the rebels took it again, and this time sent it into one of the black holes at Maw (I think). Correct me if I'm wrong on that stuff.
Reply #19 from Sins Forums Top
That's either a (very) expanded SW universe or you are wrong. The movies and their direct story say nothing about such weapons, tossing into the stars etc.. Otherwise a lot of crap was written in the SW universe.

Anyway, it would be nice if one would be able to outrun the star-defending fleet and jump away toward the inner planets. It would be cool to send several smaller fleets to the star and have each jump to another planet.

The defender would either only follow one attacking fleet with all forces to save one planet or he would have to reshuffle the ships into several smaller fleets and follow every attacking one.

I don't know but this seems better than a huge decisive star battle that would always define victory.
Reply #20 from Sins Forums Top
Would it be possible to use the stars for research?
It is a bit far fetched, but one could argue that the close proximity to the star with a complete research-station offers unique observation and experimentation opportunities that can increase the productivity of research.

I suggest this because it makes the stars a valueable resource since the player who controls it can easily gain a technological edge and it isn't a too special case.
However, one would have to spend some thoughts on how to "colonize" the star. If starbases are in the pipe then that would be an option. Otherwise it'd be difficult to explain what a colony frigate is doing with a giant blob of fusing gas.
Reply #21 from Sins Forums Top
Hehe. MazonDel, the ship you are thinking about was from a Star Wars expanded universe (Post Endor) story. The author was too much of an idiot to write a story about plot, politics and tactical/strategic insight. So, like most idiot authors, they just threw in a super weapon plot..a bad one, at that. I read the story because my buddy thought it had such a bad plot, it was funny.

Basically, the ship was a fighter that was equipped with indestructible armor. The fighter even destroyed a Star Destroyer by ramming it and flying holes through it. The only 2 things that could damage the armor was 1. Black Holes and 2. Death Star main gun.

Wait, it gets even better. The main weapon of this fighter was used to destroy Stars in a single shot. Man, I can't remember the name of the author, but he SUCKED!...or he could have been 8 years old.
Reply #22 from Sins Forums Top
Okay Schem, I'll agree that a stalemate could occur IF there are only 2 players in the game, each has a complete star system with identical resources AND each one has the same size and fleet composition (at the same level tech).

you can take out all of those qualifications, and a stalemate would still be highly likely.
I simply cant see any valid reasons. The argument is flawed as I said before pure and simple.

how? how does such an amazing chokepoint not warrant concern?
However, you could say the same thing about 2 players in a single star system where each has 2 of the 4 linking points built up into super fortresses

because there are OTHER ways around.
why aren't you complaining about the other possible stalemate situations in the game?

there really arent any other ones
What is that old saying... In the end there can be only one.

and yet... completely untrue
Reply #23 from Sins Forums Top
Only way i would see stars being used more is if they were incorporated into larger gravity wells with planets.

As it is the prospect of owning the gravity well with the star seems very bad. Especially if you don't yet controllt he whole galaxy. I don't think you shoudl be able to control the star if you dont control the whole galaxy.

For now they seem liek good places to restock antimatter.
Reply #24 from Sins Forums Top
I dont think anyone should be able to "own" the GW around a star.
Reply #25 from Sins Forums Top
and yet, anyone with the majority of the planet connections around it is just as well off as placing static defenses on it.