minefields/minelayers/minesweepers

the idea has been brought up. nobody has as of yet commented on it.

I prefer a loose, (very loose) broad field that can be used to deter, but not stop.

Mines could be like asteroids, get to close and you get damaged.

But, that would mean your side would too, so in the end I would prefer turrets.

Well, if fighters and point defense systems can target mines, then I don't see a balance problem with them being in the game.

True but then whats the point it them?

Blockading trade routes?

Im am pretty sure that traders will always have a few guards to take out fighters and pirates, they would have no problems with mines.

In the end it would just be a very small annoyance.

It would still be fun, or even have the option to upgrade mines to cloak, like in Star Trek DS9 around the Wormhole....

funny, how do you put a minefield in space, imean, think about it

your trying to fill space, with mines OUTER space xD

if i was a fleet commander, i would laugh, and go around them

or, if it was completely covering a planet on all sides, kinda like a defense system, i would laugh, and blockaid the ouside of the field

Well I could see a couple ways mines would be useful.

However I think its important to first define what we are talking about as a "Mine"

Q: Is the mine entirely stationary?
A: Yes, the mine is stationary capable of only station keeping and aiming movements.

Q: Is it a contact mine, or is it ranged?
A: I think contact mines would be relatively pointless given the volumes we're talking about so the mine would be equipped with sensors and a ranged weapon.

Q: Does it use a nuke, missiles, energy weapons?
A: I think that missiles and energy weapon mines have promise. A simple nuke-equipped mine would be very short ranged; maybe an anti-fighter weapon? Missiles equipped with anti-matter warheads and bomb-pumped x-ray lasers would be effective ranged weapons.

Q: Won't ships simply pick the mines off while out of range?
A: Unlike ships, mines don't have active emissions from engines and shields. This means that passive sensors will have relatively low detection rates and ranges. To find the mines at a safe distance the ships will have to active, which means the mines will spot them and engage them before they are spotted themselves. In addition the mines will of course be constructed so as to have a decisive range advantage over smaller ship-board weapons.

Q: Are the mines single-shot devices?
A: Probably single-shot or single-salvo: they can't realistically hope to survive an engagement, they fire their shot and are destroyed or deactivate.

That's what I'm thinking of. Such a mine would be useful to slow an enemy attack at important installations/locations. They would drain attacking ships anti-matter with their attacks and give time for the defending force to maneuver to their advantage.

Again there is the turrets option, I mean your basicly talking about mini turrets.

Magnetic Mines!!!!!!!

Now that would be cool, but then you could just scan for traces of magnetic fields.

Ehh... I think I dont like where this is going. Before we get into an arguement about something that might not even make it in.

Dont want to start having seizures because of this thread too..

That's the way Homeworld's mines are... Ship gets close enough and they home in on it. But I don't like Homeworld's mines. They encourage camping and, even when used offensively, often slow down the pace of the game because you spend so much time either shooting down or going around the mines.

Well scanning for magnetic mines could be like a level 3 or 4 research tech. Making you work for it.

Well sort-of, these are one shot, one salvo deals. They don't have shielding. They are disposable deals but I see how they could be seen as turrets. I think they'd be wonderful as an option to defend important installations or jump points. And when I say defend I really mean delay. Because they really won't stop an attack on their own, just drain the antimatter and slow the enemy down to give you time to consolidate.

I hope that is comprehensible. Thank god for spell check. Two more days till beta! WOOO!

How are they gona do this?




I hope you mean hone

Well I expect when the mines fire on the enemy ship, the ship will use its shields to protect itself right? And shields use anti-matter. So by firing on the enemy ship they are draining its anti-matter, and when the actual battle begins the enemy ships will be at a disadvantage.

We arent sure if shields are supported by anti-matter.

We know that skills are and so is movement(partially), but I havent heard anything about shield. Though your probably right.

I have seen mines used very well in Homeworld, defensive player strategies typically annoy me, but they seem to fit this game as its slower paced. In most RTS games playing heavy defense seems to make death a certainty, a long, drawn out painful certainty

Here are a few things regarding Mines.

BASICS

The initial conception of mines are to apply a maximum amount of force with the lowest possible yeild. The primary function of which is like most traps, to disable/destroy one or more foes with the most minimal of cost to you. As Frost said, Mines are a one time/shot deal. They are ment to be used once. Therfore, mine MUST have the most destructive force when used for the lowest cost.

Having a left-over/re-usable mine is not the point and therefore a waste of material. This would make a one shot gun type mine inefficient(sp) and against the purpose of a mine.

Area denial mines are larger mines with more technical usage



GAME IMPLIMENTATION

Most likely, the implimentation of mine in the game( if they are put in) will be as a typical large area field that would server to seal off a region of space and allow for a minimal defnse force to stay and watch over the field.


I kinda took a break in this response and totally lost my train of thought so you wont get a long post for this   

I think mine fields would be ok, as long as they are more of an annoyance and not indestructible walls in space that lock opponents in.

Nah I'd imagine more of a nuisance than actual wall. They'd be time consuming but unless you were at an absolute technological disadvantage I don't see how they could be indestructible. It would be nice to have techs to upgrade the mine's abilities...