Combat

Important: Information is subject to change during development

Crew effects

Crew is essential in combat. The more experience the crew has the better the ship will perform. The number of crew members and their experience affects the performance of the ship as well.

Ship combat

Combat takes place in points of interest though they can occur anywhere in the map. These points create small maps which allow an up close and personal combat style. This also means that there will be a smaller number of ships compared to other games adding to the importance of flotilla composition.

The combat is also physicalized with every shot affected. Armor and the angle of impact can affect the incoming shot making it ricochet. Turrets can swivel but there are firing arcs. The size of the ship hull and its health is fixed however individual ship components can be damaged with penetrating shots which affects the performance of the ship in combat. This means that a hit at the engines limits the ships ability to move or destruction of the bridge kills the command crew forcing the crew to abandon ship. Crew can also be killed by penetrating shots. Command crew members who are killed affect the ships performance in respect to the crew members role. Different weapons have different penetration chances.

Ships can assume a specific rule of engagement. Rules of engagement (ROE) refer to the combat stance a ship takes. These can be return fire only, hold fire, focus fire on a single ship at a time or balanced fire across multiple targets.

Ships cannot preform blind jumps. When a ship is in combat it is usually in orbit or near celestial bodies. This means that the celestial bodies mass inhibits the ships ability to perform an FTL jump. Ships also cannot perform ramming maneuvers or board other ships. The only boarding actions that will be ingame will be boarding stations.

A ship can be neutralized by different methods. Killing the command crew makes the rest of the crew automatically evacuate the ship. A ship can also be evacuated due to crew moral. These ships can be used for salvage but cannot be recrewed.

Ground combat

Ground combat will take place in the form of invasions. These invasions are approximated and the player cannot control specific ground units. There will be an invasion mechanic that will be driven by both transport ships and air superiority. First step would be to gain air superiority prior to launching an invasion. An invasion would also silence any planetary defense guns that are on the world. Invasion will purely be numbers/sliders that reflect the control of the world .Ships can also preform orbital bombardments to neutralize planetary defenses or enemy armies but comes at a higher cost of life to the civilian population.

There are planetary and orbital shipyards. Planetary shipyards can construct small ships like frigates and basic ships. Small ships can also land on the planet. This means that if orbital shipyards are destroyed the player can still field ships to continue with the game. However, it takes more time for a planetary ship to be usable because it must reach orbit first. Larger ships can only be built in orbital shipyards.

Players can build planetary spaceports as well as other civilian and military defensive structures on the planet. Ground based construction uses the local resources but costs more and can be destroyed by orbital bombardment. Some defensive structures are:

- Orbital railguns

- Ground based missile emplacements: can one shot ships however they can be taken out by PDC’s.

Space based defenses:

All weapons available on ships can be used on defensive platforms. This means that cannons, rail guns and missiles can be built on defensive platforms.

Flotilla

Coventry performing an FTL jump

Flotilla composition is key. The size or number of ships does not automatically signify a victory. A small group of specialized destroyers can potentially win in a battle against a battlecruiser. Ship customization heavily influences a battles outcome therefore careful planning must be made to ensure success in combat. Admirals can improve the cohesion of their flotilla and its combat maneuvers. They provide the ability to make cohesive jumps between a large group of ships, specific formations and merging on a position at the same time. (More information on their abilities to be announced)

Line of Sight

Being able to find the enemy is a key component in combat. Asteroids and stellar objects block a ships line of sight. This provides the perfect opportunity to setup traps for the enemy or to hide and retreat while using natural cover. These objects can also be used to block incoming fire however asteroids can be destroyed (minable asteroids cannot be destroyed) and with them your advantage.