Matrix Games Forums

To elliotg, Anguille, SoM, LarryP, or anyone else who's "in the know" : I've a few questions regarding space combat in Distant Worlds. In no particular order....


1.) Is there a time limit? If so, how much (and can it be changed/edited)?

2.) Can multiple battles occur at the same time? If so, how does that work?

3.) Is retreat a viable option, or do two fleets just pretty much fight to the death when they meet?

4.) Can allied fleets fight on the same side in a battle? Or is it only 1 faction per side per battle?

5.) Can reinforcements arrive in the middle of a battle (assuming there's friendly ships close enough that can reach the battle in time)?

6.) Does combat automatically occur when vessels from two different empires meet, or is there a peaceful [choose not to engage] option?

6a.) What about when two ships from allied empires are in the same space?

6b.) What about when two ships from friendly (but not yet allied) empires meet each other?



Little has been said about this so far, and I'm very curious as
to how it all works!

ORIGINAL: martok
1.) Is there a time limit? If so, how much (and can it be changed/edited)?

No time limit.

2.) Can multiple battles occur at the same time? If so, how does that work?

Yes. This is real-time, remember [:)]. You can jump between battle locations by clicking on the event messages at the top of the screen. Or use hotkeys. Or cycle your fleets, etc...

You can pause at any time and still issue ship commands or command an entire fleet as a single unit. You can also slow the game speed right down if you prefer.

3.) Is retreat a viable option, or do two fleets just pretty much fight to the death when they meet?

Yes, you can choose to retreat. However once a fleet gets engaged in battle, retreat is often easier said than done... Individual ships will auto-retreat when they near defeat, according to tactical conditions that you can set.

4.) Can allied fleets fight on the same side in a battle? Or is it only 1 faction per side per battle?

Yes.

5.) Can reinforcements arrive in the middle of a battle (assuming there's friendly ships close enough that can reach the battle in time)?

Yes.

6.) Does combat automatically occur when vessels from two different empires meet, or is there a peaceful [choose not to engage] option?

No. Unless the two empires are at war, they usually won't engage. Empires will make surprise attacks and raids though. And when you're at war it can get pretty intense.

6a.) What about when two ships from allied empires are in the same space?

The game isn't grid-based like Civ, it's open space - your ships can be at any set of coordinates. So there's not really a concept of ships being "in the same space" (i.e. same grid square). But ships can be very close together, even overlapping. And that's ok in the game.

6b.) What about when two ships from friendly (but not yet allied) empires meet each other?

No combat by default in this situation either. Some empires are less friendlier than others though. So they might decide to send you packing...

I'm glad you answered all of these good questions Elliot. [;)]

Thanks for the answers, elliot. Much appreciated as always!


I do have one follow-up question (surprise, surprise! I know [:'(] ): When I asked if retreat is a viable option, what I mean is, is it worth doing so?

Are weapon outputs kept to a reasonable level, so that if a damaged ship decides to retreat, it has an at least somewhat-realistic chance of escaping before it's destroyed? Are damaged ships, in fact, generally worth withdrawing so they can be repaired? Or is the player better off just doing as much damage to the enemy fleet as they can before their ship(s) die(s)?

ORIGINAL: martok
I do have one follow-up question (surprise, surprise! I know [:'(] ): When I asked if retreat is a viable option, what I mean is, is it worth doing so?

Are weapon outputs kept to a reasonable level, so that if a damaged ship decides to retreat, it has an at least somewhat-realistic chance of escaping before it's destroyed? Are damaged ships, in fact, generally worth withdrawing so they can be repaired? Or is the player better off just doing as much damage to the enemy fleet as they can before their ship(s) die(s)?

The key factors in a ships survivability when retreating are: how fast it can move and turn, how quickly it can hyperjump, and the strength of its shields and armor. All of these factors are determined by how you design the ship (which components you put into it).

You can also set tactical conditions that determine when ships will automatically attempt to retreat. This can be things like 'retreat when shields at 50%', 'retreat when shields at 15%', etc.

Retreat is often viable, but it depends on lots of factors. If a ship is fast and maneuverable it has a good chance of escaping. For example, pirates can sometimes be difficult to finish off, because they usually use small, fast ships.