new component idea: holo-projectors

[Spoo]

Here's my idea:

A component that makes the ship look like a different type of ship (or even a planet). I would put it in the cloaking tree.

I don't think it would work too well in tactical combat, as you could simply click on the ship to see what components it had. But on the main scrren it could really fool your enemies. You could make a fleet of escorts look like some really scary dreadnaughts. Or maybe hide your dreadnaughts as a couple of destroyers... or as some asteroids.

Hehe... "Sire! planet Cleveland-Beta has been destroyed by... a warp point!"

So what do you think?

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Assume you have a 1kg squirrel
E=mc^2
E=1kg(3x10^8m/s)^2=9x10^16J
which, if I'm not mistaken, is equivilent to roughly a 50 megaton nuclear bomb.
Fear the squirrel.

[Taqwus]

One could simply stipulate that it had no effect whatsoever in tactical combat, rather than force more clicking. On the other hand, if one added an improved Scanner Jammer, that blocked all view of the status and components *even in tactical combat* (although perhaps you should be able to identify in-use weaponry/shields that your empire understands), then the holographic cloaking device could come *after* that, and include its properties.

I doubt a ship should be able to look like a planet; the size difference is just too drastic. If one accepts the idea of cloaking that can even fool gravitic methods (as is currently done), 'tho, it's not too implausible to allow mimicking other ship classes [including known enemy designs] of the same hull size, or maybe +/- 25% or so.

And I'd prefer a counter be available -- perhaps as a special property of Tachyon sensors (since that tree is rather expensive, IIRC, compared to Hyper-Optics), or maybe an advanced form (requiring both sensors + cloaking tech).


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-- The thing that goes bump in the night

[Newbie999]

Something I'd like to see was a high level (and very expensive -- to preserve game balance) inteligence project that allowed you to assign one of your ships with the "signature" of another race -- allowing the ship to just waltz past minefields, defended warp points, etc and just suddenly attack.

It would be wierd, an ally just suddenly attacking. A human player would see it for what it was, maybe even notice the sudden appearance of a destroyer they didn't send. But the affect on the AI would be real funny

[Tenryu]

I was thinking of trying something with the asteriod pics but then realized they'd have a flag. Duh.

[Possum]

Personally I prefer the idea of flying space-monkeys with limpet mines, or even satchel charges, like the NVA sappers...

[Spoo]

Space monkeys, eh? Hmm...

------------------
Assume you have a 1kg squirrel
E=mc^2
E=1kg(3x10^8m/s)^2=9x10^16J
which, if I'm not mistaken, is equivilent to roughly a 50 megaton nuclear bomb.
Fear the squirrel.