A potential space battle system for KSP

[Flaglore]

So I just watched the series 1 conclusion in macey deans KSP series.

This was really impressive for me, and I was wondering if we could develop his battle sytem into something that could be used for other engagements.

At about 8:10, the rules of engagement can be seen. I'd love to use these rules for some other battle, and even organise them over the forums, but first I feel some discrepancies need to be cleared up.

1. There should be a minimum distance away from every other ship a craft can stray during its turn. This would be to stop people splitting the battle up unfairly.

2. There needs to be a defined way to classify ships as a fighter, frigate, or capital ship. Maybe tonnage or dimensions?

3. There should be a way of quantifying the strength of each ship so that engagements can be fair.

Let me know what you think.

[_Aramchek_]

I like the idea, except I think rule #3 is unnecessary, whoever builds the better ship should have the advantage just as they would irl.

[0x7be]

KSP is a great game because it offers you a lot of challenge without any violence.

[Scotius]

But...why? There will be no aliens in this game. Multiplayer is waaaaay away according to devs. So what? First you have to laboriously put two complicated, part heavy ships in space. Then you have to match their trajectories so fight is possible at all. And then you just destroy your own work - all the while knowing everything about their relative positions, capabilities etc. No surprise, no fog-of-war...where is excitement in all this mirror-fighting? Macey Dean at least does it for the purpose of movie making. Does this game lacks difficulty and challenge for you? Is it for role-playing? But then it's like a RPG session where you are both GM and sole player - again no surprise and excitement since you automatically know all and controll all.

[Sirrobert]

O look, this again

It's a SINGLE PLAYER GAME

Make your own rules, shoot at ships with wack a kerbal, instal a mod, I don't give a hoot. But stop spewing your battlefield fanboyism over here

[soranno]

could never play a random game or something, as people would probably just abuse quick save to get the perfect shots in, and do silly things like approacing to 20m over the course of 45minutes careful maneuvering.

Macey and suestra here played it fair, and for the camera, (although I really disagree with the suiciding hanlan, I think it spoiled something) macey even taking shots from way out at 600+ metres when he could have come right up to the damn ship and fired point blank at whatever weak spot he wanted, and no quickloads when things didn`t go quite to plan.

Playing with a friend of yours.. sure why not, but abuse would be impenetrable in any sort of randomly shared game

People are probably better off playing an online space combat game, and leaving KSP free of this stuff, other than for cinematic purposes

[Mr.Desmond Tiny]

"Not happening

The following features have been confirmed to not be in the game:

Steam achievements

Weapons or military features

Alien civilizations"

http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Planned_features#Not_happening

Plus this is a single player game currently

Isn't this similar to a post called "Almost Multiplayer Pass along the save file" forum post as well, just with military action instead?

Would be very neat, but it doesn't seem likely to happen.

Edited June 21, 2013 by Mr.Desmond Tiny

[SuperWeegee4000]

Aww, they're not putting in Steam achievements? Oh well....

I think weaponry would go against the spirit if the game, to explore, make your own history, and have fun all the while. There are mods and loopholes for missiles and ICBMs, but that just isn't how the game was originally meant to be played.

[JonoRig]

I believe he is talking about a rule set using stock items between friends. But standardising them on the forums, so that anyone can play if they want. He's not asking for dedicated weapons or multiplayer... Afterall macey dean. The example he gives, Is all stock, and just used a persistence save, like the IYSS and IYMSS do

[Guest]

One thing that gets overlooked in these combat scenarios is how crushingly, mind-numbingly boring combat bound by Newtonian physics really would be. You spend hours trying to intercept your opponent (assuming he's not actively avoiding you, which would be ridiculously simple as long as his engines are halfway functional), you get one chance per intercept to blast him as you go whizzing by so you don't take a beating as well, wash, rinse, repeat. Yawn.

Not trying to be a party pooper, but reality (or quasi-realism with a Kerbal chaser in this case) is a lot duller than Star Wars.

[The Error]

While I'm not big on pitting Kerbal vs. Kerbal, if he wants to put these up Just For Fun, don't flame the guy. There's already weapon mods and armed spaceships-

It seems to be human nature to do this kind of thing.

If you don't like what he's saying, why did you post here? Just ignore the thread. It's not like he's forcing this upon you personally.

[Themohawkninja]

There's no point in needing to have the game choose names for you, since you can just designate classes yourself. As you can see with Macey Dean, he gets everything done without mods, so just be patient, and wait until somebody makes a full-fledged multiplayer system for you to do this in.

[Canopus]

To be honest, i would really like to see Space combat game with orbital mechanics. There was even one in development on kickstarter called "Torchships". but it never reached the needed money.

Here is a video:

[JonoRig]

There's no point in needing to have the game choose names for you, since you can just designate classes yourself. As you can see with Macey Dean, he gets everything done without mods, so just be patient, and wait until somebody makes a full-fledged multiplayer system for you to do this in.

Also not what he said, he stated that players would have to decide what constitutes a fighter, frigate, etc, and agree whether its based on tonnage, size, capacity etc

[Themohawkninja]

Also not what he said, he stated that players would have to decide what constitutes a fighter, frigate, etc, and agree whether its based on tonnage, size, capacity etc

There needs to be a defined way to classify ships as a fighter, frigate, or capital ship. Maybe tonnage or dimensions?

That doesn't specify the players deciding. While it doesn't define the computer either, he is implying some sort of classification system, like in Kinetic Void.

[JonoRig]

Touché I suppose, I guess people just read things differently... Not to mention I've never heard of kinetic void

[ThePyrateCaptain]

You opened a can o worms with this one! Sure it's a single player game, sure it's a sandbox, but when I was a kid I used to wage WW3 in my sandbox all the time. It's what makes us (and you know who you are) survivors. I say kudos to the guy that plays ksp with war in mind. Eventually this game will reach a release state or finished state. Now as for becoming number one in any pc magazine? Without warfare, I don't see that happening. With games like black ops, and the sorts? People love conflict. Most of the replies on this thread are conflict. I say build a militia. I am. That way if there is ever an alien presence in this game, you will be that much further ahead of the Carl sagans here. Pray for peace, prepare for war. Space flight will never be safe, and bringing a gun along is always a good idea. Enough of the wholesome were explorers crap. Columbus was an explorer, Magellan was an explorer, both came bearing gifts, and arms.

IMO.

[Stealth2668]

"Not happening

The following features have been confirmed to not be in the game:

Steam achievements

Weapons or military features

Alien civilizations"

http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Planned_features#Not_happening

Plus this is a single player game currently

Isn't this similar to a post called "Almost Multiplayer Pass along the save file" forum post as well, just with military action instead?

Would be very neat, but it doesn't seem likely to happen.

Judging from your name, is it safe to assume you read books from Darren Shan?

[ThePyrateCaptain]

"Not happening

The following features have been confirmed to not be in the game:

Steam achievements

Weapons or military features

Alien civilizations"

http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Planned_features#Not_happening

Plus this is a single player game currently

Isn't this similar to a post called "Almost Multiplayer Pass along the save file" forum post as well, just with military action instead?

Would be very neat, but it doesn't seem likely to happen.

REALLY? MILITARY FEATURES ARE OUT. Dayum! Ok , anyone want these private models, pm me. That's does it. I have the APC, an armored car version, an orbital defense platform version. A scout, and I have added military helmets to the Kerbals. WAR WAR WAR!

[Khrissetti]

I think this could work assuming you started battles about 1 or 2 km away from one another and made it a precondition that you had to stay within a certain distance from something (perhaps a third 'referee' ship or beacon floating between you?)

That would at least dispense with the idea of taking hours to wait for rendezvous to fire one shot at one another (assuming the second player didn't slightly adjust their course...

[SuperWeegee4000]

Didn't cosmonauts used to carry guns in space?

[The Error]

Tonnage and classifications are tough...

Maybe have a neutral 3rd party build a ship type for each class (One fighter design, and frigate design, etc.) so you can both just rename your ships appropriately. Given you're flying a 3rd party ship, you're fighting on even terms.

[A Fat Pokemon]

Once.multiplayer comes around.. If it ever does, I'd say just hosting a sort of space battle would be fun, the designs some people would come up with might be amazing. You could go for a small versatile craft, or a large, armored carrier. Oh, how I would love to do this.

[Themohawkninja]

Didn't cosmonauts used to carry guns in space?

Yep, Soviet cosmonauts used to carry a specially made firearm ever since one of their manned missions landed in the Ural mountains, where the cosmonauts had to fend off wolves. This practice was ended in 2007.

[SuperWeegee4000]

Yeah, I remember learning that from somewhere.