A FEW MORE SNIPPETS ABOUT SHIP FIGHTING
by Hazed
Alan is continuing his coding work on a new version of FedTerm, which he needs to complete before he turns his attention to putting ship fighting back into the game.
Meanwhile, here are a few more details about the things that will be different.
Targeting
Attacks have to aimed at a particular opponent – you can’t just fire at random and wait to see who gets hit. Fighting is intended for duels between two people, not melees involving a group.
You set the target ship first, before you start firing, and they remain the target until you designate someone else (or you log off).
Try to fire before you have designated a target and your missiles won’t go anywhere, as the computer will say a firm and resounding “no!”
Running away
Remember last time I told you about the two modes of fighting: standoff fighting for missiles, and close range for using lasers? Refresh your memory here. Well, this has a bearing on how you disengage from a fight.
If you are in standoff you can just move to another location to get away from the fight. If you are in close range you have to either move back to standoff, allowing your opponent to get in her free shots, and then move away. Alternatively, you can flee, which takes you directly to a safe location such as an orbit, but will damage your engines and allow your opponent one free shot as you turn tail.
As always, these plans are subject to change when the coding actually happens.
