I was thinking about ships that have no points in any of the 3 offensive type categories. Here's what was bouncing around inside my head:
NO-OFFENSE SHIP = FREE KILL
==========================
Just based on the descriptions of defenses in GalCiv 2 Beta, it seems clear that they are non-offensive in nature. That is to say, the defenses do not "shoot back". For instance, if a ship has all kinds of Shields, Armor and ECM, but no weapons, it has no way to retaliate against an attacker. Given time, an attacking ship with just one puny Laser should eventually be able to wear them down and destroy them. At the very least, it should end in a draw if the attacker has really inferior weapons, but should not end with the attacker being destroyed.
I am proposing that a ship with no offensive points should be considered automatically killed when attacked by any ship that does have offensive capabilities (similar to the mini-freighters in GalCiv 1).
NO OFFENSE/DEFENSE = LOWER COST/MAINTENANCE
==============================================
So why take the unwise move of designing a ship with no offense or defense? Maybe the incentive should be a GREATLY reduced production cost and maintenance cost. If you want a justification, how about this: a ship with no weapons or armor requires less expensive components to produce. No weapons means no weapons or repair crews, which should be less expensive in maintenance costs.
I am proposing that a ship with no offense or defense points should have a GREATLY reduced production and maintenance cost.
NEW SHIP DESIGN OPTION: NON-COMBAT
===================================
In order to make a ship design that falls under the category I mentioned above, the Ship Design screen should have an option to flag the design as "Non-Combat" type. This will give your design the cheaper cost described above, but will also make you a sitting duck for any idiot with a couple Corvettes and a bad attitude. When you set the Non-Combat flag for your design, it should disable the weapon and armor menus on the design screen.
I think this is a good idea, but only the Stardock folks know if this concept would complicate the AI. What do the rest of you think?
- Proud Canadian
