The Logistics of Invasion

== More Strategy..:)

Hi,

It's been a while since I've played Galciv 1, which I found very entertaining, but there was one thing that always really bothered me about it; crossing the frontier between your zone of control and some other empire posed no logistical problem for your fleets. I think that invading vessels should have finite supplies of material once they move across the border (the zone of influence would make sense as any empire's natural border) into enemy space, and either have to be resupplied via convoy from your own space, or have to supply themselves through conquest or intercept of enemy supplies (ie along a trade route).

This could be calculated through a point system, where movement, combat and repair all burn supply points for a given ship (even having a point system that focused on only one of these elements would be fine). This would introduce a whole new level of thinking for both the offense and the defense, and would make freighters valuable in a direct military sense rather than just economically. You could also take things a step further by having the 'supplies' transported from planets or starbases reflect the economic output of each empire (each planet in an empire), so that only so many are available to ship per turn (although the way economies work now would probably already sort of reflect that).

I think this sort of depth would open a whole new set of options for diplomacy (getting friends to help with supply), technology (for example, imagine what would happen if someone developed a wormhole tech that let their ships 'hop' from point to point for a limited range, how would you defend against that?), and most importantly, the thought put into defensive and offensive strategy.

Not sure if this is doable, but I guess now is the time to suggests...Comments anyone..?
23,579 views 29 replies
Reply #1 Top
g/refitting effect of the mini freighter would be delayed.
Reply #2 Top
ou do a space-based strategy game.
Reply #3 Top
um this is why each ship had a range.

range acted like the outer limit of your ability to "supply" each ship to keep it running.
Reply #4 Top
s very expensive.

Paul.
Reply #5 Top
if it were on some sort of sliding scale, where the further from your own territory you were, the weaker you were.
Reply #6 Top
able to trace a supply line back through friendly/neutral territory before being able to attack an enemy - but what about fleets that are stranded by sudden changes in the map?
Reply #7 Top
i read a comment somewhere that brad was considering some attack/defence adjustments based on 'territory ownership". it think it was in one of the interviews. could be wrong......
Reply #8 Top
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Reply #10 Top
but I find it all on the economic/political side of the game; once a battle starts it just turns into a question of churning out ships...
Reply #11 Top
hing?
Reply #12 Top
Simply flying through space which is exactly the same everywhere is different from invading Russia in the winter. Does everyone get that?
Reply #13 Top
0 ALIGN="absmiddle">, this is a universal problem as long as vehicles and people consume material to do whatever they need to do.
Reply #14 Top
off.

So basically I'm all for some sort of system where your combat strength erodes the longer you are out of your territory...
Reply #15 Top
lishment of supply depots or fuel dumps, which can be made within enemy borders - culture doesn't come into it. The only thing I can't resolve is the map size dilemma that Star Pilot mentions eg is scaling range to map size appropriate?
Reply #16 Top
s could attack. Actually, that might be a pretty good compromise...
Reply #18 Top
dle">

If Brad really had to have something, I'd suggest fuel counters (and maybe ammo counters). That forces all the depoting and other supply line behavior. But again, I think the majority of the player base would grief about it.
Reply #19 Top
ace; even if you aren't in battle at the moment, you're usually hurrying around to get to battle, or to defend, or just to look scary enough to make your enemy think twice. It takes it's toll.
Reply #20 Top
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Reply #21 Top
ement game that GalCiv aims to be.
Reply #22 Top
movement or begin combat out of supply), they will begin aquiring penalties. The penalties will mount quickly and fleets could find themselves stranded after extended operations out of supply. Risk == FUN.
Reply #23 Top
wth to out-grow the AI, and that I can leverage to crush or persuade the AI to see things my way... that is *fun*. So, clue me in. What am I missing?
Reply #24 Top
s; and that's hopefully something that could be configurable, so people who don't want to deal with it don't have to...

Reply #25 Top
reduced in a war zone or even in another empires space.

If a ship has full range in open space, 3/4 range in neutral empire space and 1/2 range in enemy space.

Simple solution which would reduce the problem.

Paul.