Explosive Charges and AI

Cosmic_Horror

So carrier ships are really fun to both build and pilot, and the explosive charges make it really easy to dispatch fighters or make a splitter ship, however currently there is no way for the AI to detonate the explosive charges on its own. This means that whenever I fight two ships in battle helper I have to manually detonate the explosive charges on my carrier/splitter ship and this always feels unfair/cheap to me. It would be awesome if there was a way to make it so that the AI detonates explosive charges on its own whenever a ship gets into combat range (or close proximity). I can see how this may not work well with all designs but in my experience explosive charges are almost exclusively used in carrier/splitter designs. Maybe it could be implemented as an option that is saved with the ship design just like the flight direction. Anyways I love Cosmoteer and think it's great already, just thought I'd share this suggestion.

thatPolarBear

Cosmic_Horror or... you could just build the ships disconnected to begin with, why even attach them if you want them to disconnect instantly.

Cosmic_Horror

thatPolarBear
1. To look cool.
2. To just have 1 ship to warp in BH mode.
3. To be able to easily repair and produce more fighters.
4. To bamboozled people in MP who set a 1 ship cap.
5. It makes for interesting designs.
6. It's fun.
7. It looks cool.

Most of these don't even involve AI but I think you see my point. There's something incredibly satisfying about dispatching a bunch of fighters from a main vessel. You're right that it's not completely necessary to the game but we already have explosive charges as a block so why not give them more utility.

Edit: just wanted to say I think the explosive charges work fine when directly piloting a craft. But I use the battle helper a lot and I don't like it when I have to intervien in a battle to use a carrier ship correctly. Also it could make for more diverse ships in BH mode which would be welcome.

Mc2

https://trello.com/c/tifRV7ic/1-docking

I would wait for this planed feature implementation.

Cosmic_Horror

Mc2 ohh that's exciting. I hadnt read through a lot of the planned features. Fighters and fighter bays is also extremely interesting. Still I'd like explosive charges to be more useful/have more features. Once we have "docks" or "fighter bays" the charges will be basically obsolete except for use as mines or in kamikaze ships, and neither of those tactics seem very efffective currently.

Mc2

Cosmic_Horror I see charges like emergency split of ship into undamaged and very damaged part. and aplsiting two equal ships, but for fighters and cariers will be another stuff.