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From: cem@cs.brown.edu (Charles E. Moylan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
Subject: Re: Looking for Comments/Suggestions for Spaceward Ho! Version 2.0
Message-ID: <77185@brunix.UUCP>
Date: 31 May 91 06:27:23 GMT
References: <1991May30.185345.10261@neon.Stanford.EDU> <10242@idunno.Princeton.EDU>
Sender: news@brunix.UUCP
Organization: Brown Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 31

I'd like to see two things:

1.  Some way to retreat from battle, but done in such a way
    as NOT to give away who is a human player and who is a computer-controlled
    player.  I think that this could be accomplished by allowing players to
    set a percentage value in the individual task force "destination" window
    that represents the percentage of casualties that the task force
    will take before it retreats.  Thus, it's handled in a very deterministic
    way _before_ battle, which will facilitate computer-control, the hiding
    of computer/human identity, and network games.

2.  There should be more of a tangible difference between the effects of
    shields and weapon technology.  As it stands, there is no reason to 
    develop one over the other, because all battles are to the death and
    it's really the sum of these two values that determines a ships
    combat effectiveness.  However, if the "retreat" system above is 
    implemented then it might behoove some non-warlike players to develop
    high shield tech and then retreat from fights.  This would also work
    well for players in a sparse galaxy where they may want to have heavily
    SHIELDED but not heavily weapon-laden colony ships traveling around.
    (I realize that one can simply build ships that don't _use_ the available
    weapons tech but it would be neat not to have to build weapon tech up at
    all and see how much you could colonize by being pacifistic but well-armored
    for defense and not spending the money on weapon tech).
    I'm not saying this strategy would necessarily win games but it would
    broaden the choices of strategy for players.  Maybe other
    differentiating characteristics between shields and weapons could be added
    as well?
    
-- 
Charlie Moylan (cem@cs.brown.edu)