FIRE, HIT and MOTION DYNAMICS in vcr

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FIRE AND HIT DYNAMICS

First the screening only should be possible via a larger number of the types which should do the screening job and the stats
itself. When wings&PD fire at wings the targeted type should be randomly.
A system which is based on the documented stats in a manner that the documents have a meaning would be fine. I.e. then printed
value for fighter missile range and LW range should be of the same unit.

I would like to see that the ability to form over kill wings is tuned down, i.e. a max number of fighters in a wing, for example
1000 like it is for homeguards.

Maybe there is no need to resovle any single fighter shot. Some time for other calculations can be saved if one calculates the
all over effect of a salvo of a type in a wing at ones:

drain/damage= FighterDrain/DamageMod * f( Min[Battery/Energy for one shot;FighterCount] , FighterHitOdds, RND) where f is chosen
as suited enough to provide

Min [battery/Energy for one shot;FighterCount] * FighterDrain/DamageMod * FighterHitOdds as mean (RND is the usual random number)
and simulates the inverse of the cumulative binominal distribution

which would otherwise be needed exactly. HitOdds depends on fighter stats, ships evasive mods range, etc. in the usual manner.

Both sets of equations for the motion of ships and fighters should be of the same form and filled with different parameters. Give
fighters a small mass. If the underlying motion follows some modified form of Newton's law F=m*a with several helping equations
then moving behavior should be not problem. Maybe you introduced some latent friction to avoid everything moving arround madly
fast. Friction could be made dependent of mass, actual velocity and max combat velocity.

Maybe to time resolution sometimes is to large when object tend to "overshooting" in their motion (often unwanted and mad effects
occur when numerical solved differential equations are treated not carefully enough) and sometimes is to small when anything is
moving very slow although only a few objects are present.
Maybe you introduce further ticks between the combat tick and introduce a dynamic time resolution due to the currently fastest
objects in the vcr.

Assume a object O has chosen it's target T. Assume O is offensive and wants to stay at point blank (that means wants to be close
to T). Then the equation of motion could be

q * IIF[Distance(T,O)>FireRangeO;LocationT - LocationO;0] + p * (VelocityT - VelocityO) - r * Max( VelocityO-Vmax;0) = MassO *
AccelerationO

q, p, r are some parameters which have to be fitted to supply good motion behavior.

This equation gives low mass ships a higher aceeleration. Also the acceleration grows with increasing distance to target or vice
versa the closer the distance to the target the smaller the "wish" become faster.
In addtion there is an "escorting" term which tries to bring up the speed of O to the speed of T. Finally there is a damping term
which let the velocities not grow into the sky and should avoid annoying "swinging" and overshooting of O due to T.

So this equation serves the motion if a object has a target and wants to coming close to it.

Now one has to introduce for each mode of behavior which objects can have an set of equations of motion.
If a mode contains the condition that a target must exist then the equation should contain the target as an attracting source of
force for the object.
For example if an offensive strike through wing is in recharging mode then the outer perimeter could be made as attractor by
writing down the equations in polar coordinates and uses some suited equation for the radius coordinate of the object.

As I once suggested it would make sense if the underlying code or at least the underlying equations of motions can be discussed
by poeple who are willing and able to do this. One then could write a little VBA platform to examine the different motions before
implementing them into host. I bet there are enough outside here which could do a good job and N eyes see more than two assumed
N>2.

GFM GToeroe

 

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Archived from groups: alt.games.vgaplanets4 (More info?)

This equation gives low mass ships a higher aceeleration. Also the
acceleration grows with increasing distance to target or vice
versa the closer the distance to the target the smaller the "wish"
become faster.
In addtion there is an "escorting" term which tries to bring up the
speed of O to the speed of T. Finally there is a damping term
which let the velocities not grow into the sky and should avoid
annoying "swinging" and overshooting of O due to T.

Part of the problem is the ships have no apparent max speed or if they
do it is the same
for all ships. I think we all expected to see small ships accelerate
quickly to their
max speed close on a target then slow overshoot and try to return again
over shoot
by a lesser amount and return again. The larger slower to accelerate
ships should
also have a max speed tied to the engine type and hull type. Some could
accelerate
to the same max speed as their smaller counterparts if they have for
example the same
max speed hull design limit and installed engines powerful enough to
drive the ship
to its max speed.

Perhaps a pure newtonian physics model would not work because it might
offer
huge combat advantages to small ships that have high speed limits.
Unless fleets behaved with a fleet formation editor.
The idea of the carrier task force comes to mind.
Place your large ships in the center screen them with lighter ships and
then
screen those with fighters in the outer ring of the fleet formation.
Have the behavior of the entire fleet stay intact as it moves about the
vcr.
Have each ring of the formation editor be able to react to targets
independent
of the fleet editor only so long as the ship remains within the limits
of its ring
size. I.E. A picket ship can target and accelerate toward a ship
attacking it
only so far as its zone it is assigned to extends away from the center
of the fleet
editor. Then slows to remain on station. The fleet editor itself moves
about
the combat vcr as per the combat vcr swith commands I.E. the strategies
of hold at all costs or strike through or flee etc. The large ships in
the center
area of the fleet editor also can move about within the center zone
responding to
threats but never so far as to leave the boundries of the center zone
which is itself
moving as per your strategy command modes of opperation such as again
strike though or flee.