Scouting (With Multiple Tiers)

[corfe83]

If I send 10 Mk. I scouts and 20 Mk. II scouts together (using group move), I would hope that the Mk. I scouts would all boost Mk. II scouts, such that the Mk. I scouts will all be the first to die, after which the Mk. II scouts will speed up to their full speed.

Otherwise, I'm not sure if sending my 10 Mk. I scouts with my 20 Mk. II scouts is actually helping or hindering their ability to go deeper into enemy territory. I think it's only a sure-fire gain if they use the behavior I described above. Ideally this would also work with Scout Starships such that the fastest ships are always cloak-boosted first.

I haven't tested this, so maybe it already works as I hope. Does it work this way today? If not, can it?

[CogDissident]

Cloaking boosters:
Each scout has a cloaking booster. Mk1s can boost 1 ship, Mk2s can boost two, and so on.

A cloaking booster makes the ship receiving the boost unable to be de-cloaked until the boosting-ship dies.

The best way to scout using multiple different mark levels is to send the mk1s first, then wait a few seconds and send the mk2s in. The Mk1s absorb most of the initial fire, and will cloak the mk2s somewhat, then the MK2s can blow past them and go further into enemy territory.

[x4000]

Right now it's fairly much a random mix, I believe based on which ones were created first, actually.  But, you make a good point.  In for the next version:

* Scouts with cloaking boosters no longer will ever boost ships with a mark level lower than their ship level.  Thus the in multi-level scout groups, the lower-level scouts will support the higher-level scouts, thus maximizing the chance of overall survival within the group.

[corfe83]

Excellent, looking forward to the next release for both this and the transport load bugfix!

[corfe83]

Oh, and will this work appropriately with Scout Starships too? Again, I would argue that the fastest ships should receive the cloak boosting.

[x4000]

Yep, it's based on mark level, so should work fine.  But, it's not prioritizing any ship type over another, so it would be mark I scouts would prioritize helping a mark II scout starship, etc.

[corfe83]

What I'd really like is for Mk. II scouts to boost a Mk. I scout starship (as Mk. I scout starships are faster, I believe), but perhaps this is overcomplicating the code for a very tiny benefit.

Also, obviously the group move moves at the speed of the slowest unit - but it will automatically speed up when all the slower ships have died off, right? I'm assuming that already works, but again I haven't tested.

Thanks for your prompt replies and fix, by the way!

[CogDissident]

Actually, I find the best use of scout starships is to hide transport ships so I can re-use them. I jump 3 jumps out from my home system with transports, then have them all unload, and leave the transports and scout-starship semi-close to the jump point and send my army through to take out the system adjacent, or maybe 1 farther if I feel ambitious. Then I bring the transports through once the supply has been re-established.

Home->1->2->3(unload here)->4->5(set up supply here)

That way I can get 5 systems out without having my transports all blow up when they enter 4 (and re-use them later), and I only have to march across one hostile system.

[CogDissident]

What I'd really like is for Mk. II scouts to boost a Mk. I scout starship (as Mk. I scout starships are faster, I believe), but perhaps this is overcomplicating the code for a very tiny benefit.

Also, obviously the group move moves at the speed of the slowest unit - but it will automatically speed up when all the slower ships have died off, right? I'm assuming that already works, but again I haven't tested.

Thanks for your prompt replies and fix, by the way!

Actually, its quite the reverse. Mk1s are the slowest, mk3s are the fastest.

[x4000]

but perhaps this is overcomplicating the code for a very tiny benefit.

Bingo.  And, it presupposes that I'd like to make scouting with lower-tier ships more effective, which I don't.  If we made this more effective (and much more intense on the CPU), then I'd just have to nerf the lower-level scouts in another way, and we'd have spent extra CPU work for no real gain.  The main benefit of the change I've already made is that it's very CPU-light and makes for a notable improvement to larger groups, without making the lower-level scouts that much more powerful in general.  

My pleasure on the responses and fixes!

[Arcain_One]

So if Mk III scouts will no longer boost the cloak of my Mk I raptors? This came to mind immediately as I read this, yes I can use cloak-er starships but thats an extra knowledge that I need else where, and Mk III scouts are much faster.

I would prefer scouts re-prioritize their cloak assistance at least once a second focusing on the highest marks first and then scouts second
ex: Mk I scouts will start boosting in this order : Mk III scout, Mk III cloaked ship, Mk II scout ...

and having the Mk I scouts have 1st pick in the reordering of the cloaking

[CogDissident]

Woo for x4000 making scout starships work even better with the tactic i suggested above for cloaking transports with starships.