Combat Question

[steely]

I am new to the forums, as you can see, so I hope that I am posting this in the correct place.

First, let me say that I find Star Traders to be a lot of fun and offer a great deal of depth. At the same time, I tend to get myself beaten pretty badly whenever I play. Perhaps it is because I am trying to start out at Difficult?

Anyway, I think that a lot could be cleared up if I understood how space combat worked in a comprehensive way.

Is there a guide to space combat somewhere?

If not, then can someone offer some advice? In particular, how do you avoid getting expensive damage done to your ship and how do you keep an enemy ship (such as a bounty target) from getting away from you?

If this stuff has already been addressed in the forums, then I apologize. I did look but I did not see anything about this topic.

I would like to thank the developers for making such a fun game and to encourage them to keep at it!

[Zaereth]

Your skill stealth is crucial to avoiding damage from enemy ships, as well as the agility attribute of course. Also the pilot skill allows you to keep up with other ships, or more quickly put distance between you and a more powerful enemy. In all this makes that agility attribute rather crucial for any trader regardless of whether they're looking to fight or flee from the enemy.

Boosting it is good, but I recommend you do so only as a means to up your skills (pilot and stealth). These dont have to be your only skills, as using warrior can be effective for invading an enemy ship and winning a quick and decisive battle. Just be aware that regardless of how you choose to engage an enemy, ignoring the stealth skill can be an expensive decision.

[Cory Trese]

tresebrothers.blogspot.com/2010/12/star-traders-rpg-guide-military.html

startradersrpg.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=tips&action=display&thread=112

there are other posts on this forum but i can't find them ... so here is some other random information!


There are three major types of combat captain:

Torpedo : Fight from Long Range, desires high Solar ship + Stealth/Pilot

Barrage Gunner: Fights from Medium/Close Range, desires high Engine ship + Pilot / Tactics

Hand-to-Hand: Fights from Close/Boarded range, desires high Crew + Warrior / Tactics

All combat-oriented captains should have Warrior skill and carry Weapons.

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To start a battle you must decide what type of fight (long, medium, short.)

Torpedo hits make it harder to escape for several rounds. If you take a torp hit (or score one) go for the kill or make a change.

Avoid long repeated jamming the same action -- the AI will figure you out and counter after a few moves -- it isn't stupid!

Some ships will escape. I'm working on that (coming soon a new way to track them down again!)

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Templates

Vega Thulun (Bounty Hunter)

Primary: Pilot, Tactics, Warrior
Second: Stealth, Intimidate
Attributes: Wisdom, Quickness

Build Goal: Warrior: 15, Weapons in Hold 30

Attack Technique: Fire Torpedo, Close, Close, Gun, Board

if at Zero Range (Ships point down) Board, Board, Retreat [Repeat, mixing in Deck]

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Vincent Cadar (Military Officer)

Primary: Pilot, Stealth, Intimidate
Second: Explorer, Tactics
Attributes: Quickness, Charisma

Build Goal: Pilot 20, Lots of Torps!

Attack Technique: Fire Torpedo, Close, Gun, Retreat, Fire Torpedo [Repeat]

Vincent doesn't carry weapons -- so he doesn't like to Board. Prefers to hurt them with torps and move in for "Engine" or "Deck" kill shot.

[oldalchemist]

So unless you're planning to stay at range and torp everything into dust, Engines are probably your best combat upgrade, right? With a high enough Engine rating and Pilot score, closing and wrecking the other guy's engines seems very effective.

I'd like to see one of those torpedo upgrades turned into a barrage gun booster. Guns and Hull seem to be the only ship specs that are totally fixed.

[Cory Trese]

the balance issues required that the barrage gun and hull upgrades be high in the arrays for various reasons.

they're coming -- a few tiers of upgrades before we see the first hull upgrade but their is a barrage upgrade in the next tier.

[Cory Trese]

Engines get you there -- but with high signature and low solar sails ... you won't get close enough to use it.

the boarding captain's weakest time is the transition from long->medium range, and chasing people from medium to long

[oldalchemist]

I thought signature affected your ability to avoid combat entirely. How does it work within the combat screen? Is it basically a negative stealth modifier, making it harder to dodge torps?

Hypothetically, if I want to make a ship that is good at closing and disabling engines, I think I want a decent hull and guns on the base model with the following upgrades: Titan Components (+5 engines), Ancient Reactors (+6 engines), heavy bulkheads (+2 armor/type I boarding), and the crew/torp upgrades are less important.

I dig the actual complexity of what appears to be a very simple combat system.

[spike]

By the way -

The in-game skill description for Tactics (under Training) doesn't mention it's use in ship to ship combat or boarding. I guess it's kind of obvious, but maybe update that text. Working on my 2nd Captain, I gave him no Tactics skill, since the text said it was only needed for Wilderness landings and things like that (it did mention Mutinies). I was wondering why I was doing badly in space ship fights!

[Cory Trese]

Spike,

I have added this to my list of things to overhaul. Sorry for the poor quality of the game's text, help and descriptions.

I'm afraid if those were not so crappy I might be tempted to charger more than $2

[Cory Trese]

Feb 2, 2011 12:17:12 GMT -5 oldalchemist said:

I thought signature affected your ability to avoid combat entirely. How does it work within the combat screen? Is it basically a negative stealth modifier, making it harder to dodge torps?

Hypothetically, if I want to make a ship that is good at closing and disabling engines, I think I want a decent hull and guns on the base model with the following upgrades: Titan Components (+5 engines), Ancient Reactors (+6 engines), heavy bulkheads (+2 armor/type I boarding), and the crew/torp upgrades are less important.

I dig the actual complexity of what appears to be a very simple combat system.

Signature and Stealth are more important in Deep Space than they are in Combat.

Speed and Agility are major modifiers of stealth -- you can pick up at long range because of it's reactor signature ... doesn't mean you can catch it.

I like your setup, I think I'm on the fence about the Ancient Reactors. I think the Battle Prow might be better, just because it gives you all those Zero range bonuses.

Ancient Reactors is a good Engine upgrade, but it really shines when the Captain is trying to get onto planet with a full cargo hold.

However, ancient Reactors in Combat is only worth +6 Engines -- very good upgrade and effects almost every close range test. I think it's roughly equivalent with Battle Prow -- but BP is more about having options when you catch them.

[oldalchemist]

I thought the Battle Prow gave, armor, ram bonuses, and boarding bonuses. It doesn't help gunnery at all, does it? I like taking out the engines before coming into close contact. Having over 50 engines seems to be very good for that sort of thing.

[Cory Trese]

battle prow doesn't give any gunnery bonuses at all.

one thing that kills me a lot is pirates and angry warships using ram, thus, I often take the battleprow.

I fight close in gunnery style most of the time crippling the ship from medium and close range.

and yes, 50+ engines is fascinatingly good for that type of thing

[oldalchemist]

I might try a more 'smash 'em up' style next time. Right now, I'm enjoying flying circles around the enemy.