I’m testing interest in the community in trying to run some form of campaign metagame? I would create a campaign map and players could submit their fleets and fleet moves to me. I would then create challenges for all of the participants based on the fleet moves. You guys fight the battles and then I update the map.
Any interest in something like this?
i would be interested in this. i would also be interested in knowing exactly how you’ll do this, just because i like to know stuff.
There are a couple of different ways to do this.
Map is posted and players sign up. Everyone would get a starting world. They would be allowed a certain amount of pilots and credits to create a number of fleets. Offensive and/or defensive fleets could be created. Those fleets would be submitted to me and I would place them on the map. Each campaign turn everyone submits their moves to me in private. Whenever two fleets collide in any sector I would let the players know they need to fight a battle and with what fleet. We’d need certain movement conventions that would allow us to determine who is the attacker and defender in all situations, the defender will be the one that posts the challenge and the attacker plays the challenge. Results are reported and verified and then the map is updated and reposted and a new campaign turn begins.
Something like this could get us by until Cliff finishes his excellent looking campaign add-on.
How would you handle repair, replacement, etc. Would destroyed ships in a battle be gone, or would you just ignore all this and have the fleet continue as if it were never damaged?
that seems like quite a good way to do it 
Pending answer to Follick’s question, I may wish to join.
On repair and replacement I was thinking each planet you occupy could put out a set number of resources for replacement and creation of new fleets. I think I’d avoid the concept of repair and just use the following mechanic. Whatever % of your fleet is left at the end of a challenge can be used to reconstruct that fleet. So if you have 80% at the end of the battle of a 30,000 credit fleet you could restructure that fleet with 24000 credits before your next campaign turn.
What do you think?
OK, I’m willing to give it a try.
I’ll join this, too.
Will we be fighting for resource points, taxable populations to conquer, etc.?
Will there be any specific limitations on ability to convert modules, replace hulls, etc., within that limit? Will fleet composition post-battle be based on the particular casualties? Does the losing side keep any ships that “retreat” (that is, the ones still alive when the battle ends)?
Will ship and module construction be together or separate? Will they have construction times and shipyard/factory requirements, and will different races handle it different ways (i.e. Federation can just hire new captains, Alliance builds quickly since, y’know, insect coordination, Empire can tax its colonies/settlements/whathaveyou more, that sort of thing)?
Huh. I had a thread on this here some time ago. Even came up with the basis for the system. I could probably dig it up if you wished.
so, is this ever going to happen or did not enough people say they would be interested?
Not sure. In any case, here’s the system I worked up.
[CENTER][size=150]Gratuitous Space Strategy:[/size]
A Strategy Game Inspired by Gratuitous Space Battles.
Created by Tavar, , from the giantitp.com forums.
[/CENTER]
[center]Introduction[/center]
As you may know, Gratuitous Space Battles lacks a campaign or story mode. After talking about this fact with several members of the Giantitp.com forums, among them Warty Goblin and Agent Paper, the idea to make a Turn Based strategy game with the battles decided using the Gratuitous Space Battles game, much like the Total War series was put forward, and there was much interest. Agent Paper initially decided to work on the game, but like most such declarations of intent, the idea fell to the wayside, probably due to the length of time between when the idea was put forward, and the release of the finished project. Thus, I decided to make my own attempt, and this is the result.
[center]What You Need to Play[/center]
In order to play Gratuitous Space Strategy, you simply need a copy of Gratuitous Space Strategy and a group of people for you to crush mercilessly. Note that while not required, having an internet connection for the game is highly encouraged, as it will greatly speed up gameplay.
[center]Our Story Thus Far…[/center]
It is the dawn of the 41st millennium, and the stars know only……Sorry, got a bit serious there. The story is pretty simple: through various methods, you have gained control over an entire society, and have recently discovered a way to travel between star systems. That’s the good news. The bad news is that it seems you aren’t the only psychopath in control of a world, and such indignities cannot be allowed to stand. Here’s a ship, there’s the enemy, kill him dead!
[center]How to Work the Battle Simulator[/center]
Go read the Gratuitous Space Battles Manual. No, seriously, go read it. It explains everything you need to know in order to make a fleet, and is hilarious to boot. If you still have questions, play around with the game a bit. Otherwise, note that all battles must be played at standard speed (1.0). There are problems with running the game at higher speeds.
[center]The Map[/center]
At some point you Gm’s should post a map. There are 2 types of maps in the Strategy game: the universal map, and solar maps. The universal map is just that: universal. Note that you generally won’t see the entire maps: you only see what area’s you or an ally have ships or colonies in. This map should look something like this:
The Circles on the map are solar systems, and the lines represent plot points. These points of warped space allow practically instantaneous travel between distant points in order to create the strange substance known as plot. Now, on this shrunken version of the map it’s somewhat hard to see, but if you look closely (or enlarge it) you should see 3 different colored lines connected to a circle on one end and a number on the other. This show’s a starting position. Generally, the positions should be labeled, then interested players should be placed randomly.
The Solar Maps show a solar system. Again, you can’t necessarily see everything in the solar system right away: as a rule plot points begin and end at the very edge of the solar system. You can generally tell the number of planets, the presence or absence of other ships, and the locations of other plot points from this location. You can’t, however, tell the number of ships or the quality of planets from this point. Instead, you need to head in system to do this, surveying as you go, which unless otherwise stated takes about 1 turn. Unlike Universal Maps, the Solar maps are often not graphical. Instead, you’ll be told the relevant information as you go.
[center]Planets[/center]
Each solar system contains a number of planets or planet-like-objects. These can be settled, creating colonies that can produce the resources your empire needs to grow. Additionally, creating a colony allows you greater control over a solar system, as you no longer need to have ships stationed there to observe the station. Each planet has several markers.
[table]Mineral|High,Meduim,Low|Affects Industry
Biosphere|Terran,Barren,Toxic|Affects Population
Size|Large,Meduim,Small,Tiny,Asteroid|Affects number of improvements/population[/table]
High Mineral concentration gives a x2 industry bonus, while low gives a -1/2 penalty. Barren biosphere reduces population by ½, and toxic reduces it by ¼. Large planets allow twice as many improvements and populations, Small allow ¾, tiny allow ½, and Asteroids allow ¼.
[COLOR=“Red”]Meduim size allows for 16 population and 8 improvements.
[center]Resources[/center]
There are several resources in GSS. The first is simply imported from GSB: pilots. Every individual ship requires a pilot, thus a squadron of fighters requires 16 pilots. Each planet can only create so many pilots per turn, based on its population and training facilities. Secondly, there is population, expressed in half billions (a population of 2 = 1 billion).
Additionally, each planet produces Income and Industry and Research per turn. Each is based on population and facilities. Income is used to pay upkeep costs and can be used to speed up construction times. Industry relates to how fast one can create a ship. Research relates to how fast you get new modules, hulls, or improvements.
[center]Improvements[/center]
On any planet you can build 6 types of improvements: training schools (pilots), factories (industry), economic sectors (income), research labs (research), residential areas, and shipyards(covered in the next section), with all but the last 2 increasing the generation of its respective field by 3 per turn. Residential areas instead increase your max population by 5, and provide a +1 boost to all other improvements. Income and Industry start out at a base of 1 per rank of population. You may build 1 improvement per planet per turnexcept shipyards, which require 2 turns for stage 1 shipyards and 4 weeks for stage 2. The formal equation for each of the areas is as follows:
Income/industry: (population + (3+1 per residential area)× # of improvements)
Pilots/research: (3+1 per residential area)× # of improvements
[center]To Build and Maintain Ships[/center]
To build a ship, first you need a planet. Now, any planet can build fighters, but you need shipyards to build anything more complex. After you have the required level of shipyards, you then must design the ship, using the GSB ship creator. Note down the cost. To figure out how many turns it takes, divide the cost by [COLOR=“Red”]10. This is the industry cost. Look at the industry of the planet that you are planning to build the ship on, and divide industry cost by this rounding up. This is the amount of turns it will take to build the ship. [COLOR=“Red”]This time can be halved by spending the ships industry cost in Income each turn. Note that while building shipyards you cannot build ships.
At the start of each turn, you must pay a small upkeep cost for every ship you own (not counting ships built that turn). For ships in orbit around a planet with a shipyard, the costs are halved, and similarly fighters don’t require substantial upkeep costs. Frigates require 1 income a turn, and Cruisers require 3 income.
[center]List of Specialty Ships[/center]
Colony Ships: in order to claim a new colony, you need one of these. They have an Industry cost of 1 per population that they attempt to move, and when they leave the planet they subtract an amount of population equal to the amount they move. They cost 1 income per turn in upkeep regardless. In combat, they automatically die if unsupported.
Survey Ship: these specialized ships require a second stage shipyard to make. Their sensors are sensitive enough to resolve an entire solar system at any point within it. Additionally, they have a chance to evade any combat they would be engaged in (50% chance). Otherwise, they are automatically destroyed if unsupported. They have an Industry cost of 10, and an upkeep cost of 2.
[center]Research [COLOR=“Red”]And Technology[/center]
[COLOR=“Red”]Now, since you’ve just really discovered space travel, you don’t have all the fancy equipment. To start out you have a certain pool of hulls and modules to build with, in addition to all improvements minus tier 2 shipyards.
You get the following Hulls for free(based on race)
Federation:
Hawk Fighter
Gazelle Frigate
Rebel:
Phoenix Fighter
Loki Frigate
Alliance:
Hornet Fighter
Wasp Frigate
Imperial:
Phalanx Fighter
Gladius Frigate
Everyone has the following Modules
[spoiler]Fighter:
Pulse Laser
Rocket
Armor 1
Engine 1
Generator 1
Frigate:
Torpedo
Pulse Laser
Light Shield
Point Defense
Armor 1
Generator 1
Engine 1
Crew Module 1
Other Tech must be researched. To Research a technology, you must reach it’s normal credit cost in Research points. For example, Frigate Anti Fighter Missiles cost 61 credits. You would need to spend 61 research points on that technology to unlock it. Note that if you exceed a technology’s research cost, you can put those points to a new technology.
There are also other technologies that can be researched. Consult the following chart.
Improved engines-Cost 500-Improves you’re strategic engines. You’re ships may now move between 2 zones every turn.
Improved Population-Cost XXX-Doubles the amount of population you can fit on any planet.
Improved [Improvement]-Cost 100*(1+2*the number of times you purchased this tech)Bonus given by listed improvement type improves by 2
Teir 2 Shipyard-Cost 300
Can Build Tier 2 Shipyards.
Can Build Tiger, Fenrir, Alligator, or Legion Hulls
Can use the following Modules:
Engine 1
Armor 1
Light Shield
Crew 1
Point Defense
Generator 1
Pulse Laser
Rocket Launcher
[center]Dealing With Combat[/center]
Combat is joined whenever to enemy fleets meet. In any solar system there are several points this can happen in: It can happen at any warp point, the outer system, the inner system, or a planet’s high orbitals. In the first and last cases, it’s pretty obvious how it happens. If you have a fleet at a warp point or planet, it will attack any enemy fleet that comes through. In both cases, the defensive fleet has combat advantage (it gets to position its fleet in response to the enemy). The other two cases are somewhat trickier. If both your fleets are moving to the same warp point, or one fleet is moving away from it and the other is moving towards, then neither fleet has combat advantage by default. Each fleet has a 50% chance to have advantage. On the other hand, if only one fleet is moving the meet the other, the one that isn’t moving has advantage. In the case of the inner system, a similar equation holds: if one fleet is moving to meet a stationary one, the stationary one has advantage. If both are moving there is a 50% chance for either one to have combat advantage. Additionally, ships in the inner system can intercept any ships moving through the system, and in this case they have combat advantage.
After a victorious combat, note which ships are destroyed. For every cruiser destroyed, there is a 50% chance the pilot was able to eject in time. For every Frigate, the chance is only 20%.
[center]Taking a Planet[/center]
Taking a planet is easy: if you control the high orbitals, then you sway the population to your side (hey, if you managed to take control, they can’t be too hard to persuade). Controlling the high orbitals simply requires you to have the only ships in said orbitals. Note that the enemy is given the option of destroying shipyards before you take the planet.
So, thoughts? Volunteers to demo the game? I have a couple ideas for some of the missing numbers, so we should be able to start a test run soon.[/spoiler]
What are the problems with running battles at speed>1.0x that you speak of?
I’d love to try that. It looks like a mix of two of my favorite games, GSB and Sins of a Solar Empire, except turn based.
Not sure it it’s fixed, but when I first was creating this running at higher speeds could cause weapon accuracy problems. Especially high speed weapons against small targets, leading to almost impossible to hit fighters, among other things.
That’s exactly where the map idea comes from.
Things I think might be improved after initial read:
The large crew requirements of Cruisers (and less so Frigates) are unaccounted for. Perhaps you should do something about that and boost the pilots you get (1 in 125,000 people becoming a pilot seems like some strange recruitment rates). Also, pilot recruitment is unrelated to population, which seems weird.
Change “Improved Population” to “Improved Housing” or something similar, because that sounds like you’re augmenting the members of the population because cyborgs have fewer needs and can charge off an outlet instead of eating, removing the need for kitchens and eating places. Just saying.
Good suggestions. I’ll work on getting it all typed up in a word Doc. Didn’t realize that this forum didn’t support the coding of the other one.