Hard Light Productions Forums
Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The FRED Workshop => Topic started by: Vidmaster on January 19, 2008, 08:45:07 am
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what's the best way to control the difficulty of an active asteroid field? :confused:
I got a large field, already changed the starting speed to 9 and downgraded the number of rocks from 150 to 39 but my capship still gets shredded! :mad:
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If you're willing to alter tables you can change the number of asteroids thrown at the ship via the ai_profiles.tbl
Otherwise making the field bigger or less packed with asteroids tends to help.
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but that would make a Mod necessary, yes?
Well, seems like I have to choose plan b :sigh:
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Active asteroid fields, even if the average speed is set to zero, will still endeavor to have two to three rocks moving toward any warships in the field. When you set an average speed, you must concern yourself with the ones the field is actively throwing at friendly ships, as well as the ones that just happen to be on a collision course. Beyond that, reducing the density (either by increasing dimensions or reducing the number of asteroids, as you've already been doing) will make things a little easier. You may also consider adding additional fighters to guard the capital ship, since, as long as there are no hostiles immediately threatening the ship, they'll attack any asteroid within a couple kilometers of a ship they're supposed to protect. If it comes right down to it, you could also set up a safe area, inside the asteroid field (using the inner dimension option in the asteroid field editor) to give the pilot and the warship a breather.
My only other suggestion would be to select a warship with more hitpoints and less surface area. There is, after all, a reason the Iceni has almost as many hitpoints as a Hecate or Orion, and that is a certain battle with a Sobek in an asteroid field.
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I asked about this around a year ago. At the time multiple asteroid fields, passive fields with inner boundaries, and other options were discussed. I wonder if any were ever implemented. If so you could use more than one field. Might have to see what's available in FRED a little later.
The safe corridor doesn't always work. If the asteroids are close enough they will leave the field boundaries and still go after ships. That was one of the reason I asked last year.
One other fix might be to give a few of the gunners on the ship high AI capabilities and have them prioritize asteroids. Again I don't have FRED fired up right now so I can't double check to see if that is an option. Only taking a quick warm up break before heading back outside.
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My only other suggestion would be to select a warship with more hitpoints and less surface area. There is, after all, a reason the Iceni has almost as many hitpoints as a Hecate or Orion, and that is a certain battle with a Sobek in an asteroid field.
Since Vidmaster is probably using FSO he can use the special hitpoints feature to have the same effect with the ship he originally picked as long as he's subtle. Giving a capship 20-30% more HP probably won't be noticeable in-game.
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I forgot to mention that it was a TBP mission and TBP asteroid fields only throw the enormous rock variant towards the friendlies. Edited the field even more but a large field with 20 asteroids still shoots 3 to 4 asteroids at once.
refredded the mission and FAKED an active asteroid field now. It was a lot of work but looks more realistic :)