Kombat Kwery

What? Too Kute?

from GalCiv2 Forums
version 1.59[b].098

(I didn't know I was downloading a beta, but from other threads I see it's supposed to be a final beta, so I think this question still applies.)

I'm playing DA for the first time and got a pirate mega-event. The pirate ships all have Missile 6/Point Defense 8. After being wiped out (the point of mega-event, I believe, though I did manage to by the privateer wonder shortly after the pirates started attacking) I started upgrading my PD and beam weapons.

I'm far from being an expert in the combat rules but I do understand rock/scissors/paper. The increasing PD on my ships doesn't seem to help much until it gets past the 6 mark (which is somewhat counter-intuitive but, okay), but the lasers seem rather ineffectual. And that I don't understand at all: these guys have no shields whatsoever. Lasers should rip through them, right?

I develop a ship that has 7 beam/11 PD with 21 HP and put it up against a pirate ship that has 6 missile and 8 PD, with 26 of 32 HP. In the end, my ship is destroyed after doing only 5 damage to the enemy.

What am I not understanding?

Thanks!
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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
It has to do with the off-type defense bug i think. My ships aren't hurt at all during the first few turns against beam weapons since I am using PD. This i think also is rather odd, but it just subtracts your attack roll from their defense and when their defense hits zero the surplus attack from the roll and all successive rolls are applied against a 0 defense rating. Build slightly higher attack and/or defenses and you shouldn't have anymore problems.

GalenEvil
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Let me explain the off-type defense bug, as I understand it.

Back in Dread Lords, when you were using the wrong type of defense against an attack, the square root was applied as your defense. For example, an off-type defense of 1 was effectively on-type 1, 4 was 2, 9 was 3, 16 was 4, 25 is 5, 36 is 6, etc...

However, the "Kombat" system was changed going into Dark Avatar, so on-type defense would be weaken by its corrisponding attack. However, this wasn't properly applied to off-type defense. Instead of degrading when functioning as on-type defense, it remained constant. As such, having 1 point of off-type defense proved to be far superior to 1 point of on-type defense. This is because the on-type defense would be used up against the 1st attack that dealt atleast 1 point of damage, while the off-type remained effectively 1 on-type regardless of the ammount of attacks.

Anyhow, I do recall reading that the devs are trying to fix the off-type defense bug for the 1.6 patch. Unfortunately, fixing the off-type defense bug will further nerf starbases, which have been nerfed by the new Dark Avatar "Kombat" system (Starbases don't get additional attacks, and their armour is now degradable, so a well-fortified starbases can be destroyed sooner).
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
OK, so it's a bug (probably) but not insurmountable.

Thanks Mr. Evil. Er, Galen. Er, GE.
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Wow. I just watched a battle where my ship had 15 PD to his 6 Missile attack, and 6 laser to his 0 shield defense and 21 HP to his 22 HP, and lost!

I'm going to try the other way and build up attack, I guess.