Discussion: Conventional missile strength

[Dio]

If you would like me to start a new thread, I can. Anyways, regarding the intense rivarly custom rule, I think I have identified the connections and generally how it effects the ai aggressivness. Now the only thing left is to actually identify the exact workings of it.

[Yitzi]

If you would like me to start a new thread, I can.

Might be a good idea.

Anyways, regarding the intense rivarly custom rule, I think I have identified the connections and generally how it effects the ai aggressivness. Now the only thing left is to actually identify the exact workings of it.

Actually, what I'm really interested in is where in the code it is referenced (i.e. all the places where it's referenced).

[Yitzi]

I like the way Conventional Missiles are described in the Datalinks: 9*Reactor. That's a good hefty punch at Singularity. As it is now, I use fewer and fewer of them as the game progresses because they do become, as you said, near-useless.

Though that does mean that they increase in power but not in cost...

Not good. No existing code to edit here? Maybe 2x base cost for Fusion Reactor, 3x & 4x for Quantum & Singularity? So the cost increases but not as fast as the power.

Actually, now that I think of it, it doesn't matter.  Due to the reactor-based minima, and the fact that you can't give missiles armor or special abilities, a quantum reactor* missile could have a weapon cost as high as 27 without increasing the price if I've calculated correctly , and a singularity reactor missile could have a cost as high as 63 with no effect on price.  So even if the cost increased ridiculously faster than the power, it would have the same price.  (It would, however, need consideration when reworking the unit costs/values so that later weapon/armor upgrades are more significant and you can't build a top-of-the-line unit in one turn in the late game.)

*Since it seems to be balanced around fusion; fission missiles are horribly underpowered and overpriced, and you'll usually get fusion before or soon after missiles anyway.  And the actual value and datalinks value are the same for fusion.