| 1 |
I don't think airplane and AA is unbalanced, but it is not set at a point that enable a big space for gunship play.
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1 |
I don't think airplane and AA is unbalanced, but it is not set at a point that enable a big space for gunship play.
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| 2 |
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2 |
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| 3 |
Something like likho is designed with truly minimum exposure time and thus minimum counter play. The amount of exposure time is a function of:
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3 |
Something like likho is designed with truly minimum exposure time and thus minimum counter play. The amount of exposure time is a function of:
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| 4 |
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4 |
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| 5 |
Sorties per Unit of time * (Defensive Weapon Range - Offensive Weapon Range) * Turn Radius Factor / Unit Speed
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5 |
Sorties per Unit of time * (Defensive Weapon Range - Offensive Weapon Range) * Turn Radius Factor / Unit Speed
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| 6 |
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6 |
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| 7 |
Defensive Response time is similarly
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7 |
Defensive Response time is similarly
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| 8 |
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8 |
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| 9 |
(Detection Range - Weapons Release Range) / Unit Speed
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9 |
(Detection Range - Weapons Release Range) / Unit Speed
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| 10 |
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10 |
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| 11 |
From these equations one can see that cutting the offensive air unit weapon range can enable a reduction of defensive weapon range requirements while maintaining tactical balance, without changing unit speed. (strategic balance will take analysis of maps) Increasing the total exposure time by cutting alpha damage and increasing sorties also makes counter play more feasible. With multiple engagements both sides can adapt rather than have everything based on raw guesses of opponent capability.
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11 |
From these equations one can see that cutting the offensive air unit weapon range can enable a reduction of defensive weapon range requirements while maintaining tactical balance, without changing unit speed. (strategic balance will take analysis of maps) Increasing the total exposure time by cutting alpha damage and increasing sorties also makes counter play more feasible. With multiple engagements both sides can adapt rather than have everything based on raw guesses of opponent capability.
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| 12 |
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| 13 |
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| 14 |
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| 15 |
The common design in Starcraft is that AA has less range than the longest ranged ground units at play, and this led to a lot of air transport based game play that is one of the coolest part of that game.
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15 |
The common design in Starcraft is that AA has less range than the longest ranged ground units at play, and this led to a lot of air transport based game play that is one of the coolest part of that game.
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| 16 |
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16 |
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| 17 |
There is transport skirmish with starcraft shuttle-reaver and prism-immortal. There is air transport artillery terrain 'abuse'. There is transport raids with dropship marines. There is transport pick up unit saves left and right. Transports fly around the edge of the battle area doing all sort of mobility and defense services. There are many match videos of those things.
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17 |
There is transport skirmish with starcraft shuttle-reaver and prism-immortal. There is air transport artillery terrain 'abuse'. There is transport raids with dropship marines. There is transport pick up unit saves left and right. Transports fly around the edge of the battle area doing all sort of mobility and defense services. There are many match videos of those things.
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| 18 |
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| 19 |
In ZK the transport is often zoned out with powerful long range AA and air-land skirmish is out, and air-land assault (which is not about completely avoiding losses) is what remains. Many of the tactical mobility services is done by lobster instead.
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19 |
In ZK the transport is often zoned out with powerful long range AA and air-land skirmish is out, and air-land assault (which is not about completely avoiding losses) is what remains. Many of the tactical mobility services is done by lobster instead.
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| 20 |
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| 21 |
Similar ranges between anti-ground and anti-air weapon also promotes a lot of air-ground combined arms forces in which air hovers over ground. Compositions like Mutalisk Zerging, Marine Science Vessal, VoldRay-Ground, Raven-Mech and so on.
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21 |
Similar ranges between anti-ground and anti-air weapon also promotes a lot of air-ground combined arms forces in which air hovers over ground. Compositions like Mutalisk Zerging, Marine Science Vessal, VoldRay-Ground, Raven-Mech and so on.
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| 22 |
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22 |
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| 23 |
I don't find mono-air compositions as all that interesting compared to air-surface comps, and relatively similar weapon ranges and tempos for each enables tight force integration.
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23 |
I don't find mono-air compositions as all that interesting compared to air-surface comps, and relatively similar weapon ranges and tempos for each enables tight force integration.
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| 24 |
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| 25 |
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| 26 |
I think the spiritually closest air combat model to zk from 'major' titles out of the OTA branch would be wargame:red dragon
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26 |
I think the spiritually closest air combat model to zk from 'major' titles out of the OTA branch would be wargame:red dragon
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| 27 |
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27 |
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| 28 |
There is some nice ideas on how to get fast airplanes and helicopters into the same game without breaking stuff though. Different AA ranges for airplanes and helicopters is one thing, the other is different vision system of air spotting and land spotting, so one can spot airplanes far far ahead of ground forces and thus react in time.
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28 |
There is some nice ideas on how to get fast airplanes and helicopters into the same game without breaking stuff though. Different AA ranges for airplanes and helicopters is one thing, the other is different vision system of air spotting and land spotting, so one can spot airplanes far far ahead of ground forces and thus react in time.
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| 29 |
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29 |
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| 30 |
There are also meaningful micro ground against air, with the radar AA on/off toggle (Radar AA on gets detected and hit by SEAD planes) being a somewhat interesting mechanic. Zk cloaky AA could do this, but fire state setting is not set to hotkey, most facts don't get cloaky AA and Lihko is too long ranged, tough and fast to be all that effectively counter-played here. Still, a toggle or special command like jump (or armored form...etc) enable land to counter-play air without matching unit speed.
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30 |
There are also meaningful micro ground against air, with the radar AA on/off toggle (Radar AA on gets detected and hit by SEAD planes) being a somewhat interesting mechanic. Zk cloaky AA could do this, but fire state setting is not set to hotkey, most facts don't get cloaky AA and Lihko is too long ranged, tough and fast to be all that effectively counter-played here. Still, a toggle or special command like jump (or armored form...etc) enable land to counter-play air without matching unit speed.
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| 31 |
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31 |
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| 32 |
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32 |
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| 33 |
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33 |
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| 34 |
In a infinite eco game like OTA successors, it is only pretty acceptable to have nearly "invulnerable" units like backline map ranging artillery or superweapons as long as damage inflicted is low and barrier to entry is high. As such, all air can be balanced by nerfing attack power.
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34 |
In a infinite eco game like OTA successors, it is only pretty acceptable to have nearly "invulnerable" units like backline map ranging artillery or superweapons as long as damage inflicted is low and barrier to entry is high. As such, all air can be balanced by nerfing attack power.
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| 35 |
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35 |
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| 36 |
The
design
space
for
air
is
large
and
not
fully
explored
in
zk
imo.
High
alpha
bomber
airplanes
is
just
one
conceptualization
of
air
units.
There
are
everything
from
serious
strafing
based
attacks
(
swift
but
serious
damage)
,
LOS
weapons
evasion
skirmishers,
weapon
trajectory
limited
air
weapons
(
counter
by
terraform/terrain)
,
low
damage
sustained
attrition
aircraft,
air
based
terrain
denial,
line
holding
attrition
aircraft,
tactical
ground
air
mobility
tactics,
force
multiplier
aircrafts,
flying
attitude
tactics
and
alternative
terrain-air
interactions
are
all
potentially
very
interesting.
|
36 |
The
design
space
for
air
is
large
and
not
fully
explored
in
zk
imo.
High
alpha
bomber
airplanes
is
just
one
conceptualization
of
air
units.
There
are
everything
from
serious
strafing
based
attacks
(
swift
but
serious
damage)
,
LOS
weapons
evasion
skirmishers
(
low
flying,
easy
raider
target)
,
weapon
trajectory
limited
air
weapons
(
counter
by
terraform/terrain)
,
low
damage
sustained
attrition
aircraft,
air
based
terrain
denial,
line
holding
attrition
aircraft,
tactical
ground
air
mobility
tactics,
force
multiplier
aircrafts,
flying
attitude
tactics
and
alternative
terrain-air
interactions
are
all
potentially
very
interesting.
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| 37 |
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|
37 |
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|
| 38 |
Kind of a loss if AA need to remain at its zoning out state because nerfing it would result in likho killing all~
|
38 |
Kind of a loss if AA need to remain at its zoning out state because nerfing it would result in likho killing all~
|
| 39 |
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|
39 |
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| 40 |
Still, it would be a large project to explore all that and probably take a significant fork.
|
40 |
Still, it would be a large project to explore all that and probably take a significant fork.
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buffs