Currently we have this very basic mechanism for radar detection.
- If a target ship is behind a giant asteroid you can’t see it (unless your ally sees it).
- Beyond a certain range you can see a moving target but you can not target it (unless an allay is close enough to target it).
- Cloaking will have 100% effect, as in you will always be hidden when you cloak.
These factors aren’t that all complicated and leaving it probably make the game simplistic. This is what I’d call a semi-static detection system since detection range can change by cloaking or hiding behind something but most of the time it’ll always be the same. If that’s what the game makers are going for so be it.
I for one don’t like shallow gameplay. Maybe this stems from a large background of space simulators that I’ve played over years but having very simple gameplay kind of makes me bored. I’m not trying to offend casual gamers or people who like playing easy-to-play games. In fact if I am wrong in the game direction the developers wants and in truth they just want a simple and easy game for anyone to play then disregard this suggestion.
Let’s get the core basics of how a radar (in my opinion) should work.
- LOCATOR can be seen as the sensor of the ship (if they’re gonna add variability to such things) or the ship itself.
- RANGE is the range at which the LOCATOR can detect in the most standard conditions (explained later).
- TARGET is the object/ship that the LOCATOR will try to detect.
- SIGNAL is the ‘loudness’ of the TARGET. Greater the SIGNAL of TARGET the further LOCATOR will detect that TARGET. This property is in percentage (or in decimal) since it multiplies the RANGE of LOCATOR.
Now, how do the properties of LOCATOR and SIGNAL fit in togeather? We must have an end point first.
- RELATIVE RANGE is the maximum range a LOCATOR can detect a single TARGET, independent of other TARGETs, unless other TARGETs have (de)buff modifiers that affect team/enemy or (de)buff affects the LOCATOR.
Simply applying everything (I’m using something similar to programming maths):
RELATIVE RANGE(in m) = RANGE(in m) * SIGNAL(in decimal, or convert into decimal)
The formula above is the most simplistic dynamic detection system. If however we want to include a much more complex system so scouting and ‘cloaking’ have some depth in the game then we need to consider some factors that might dynamically change properties of the formula above.
The properties that changes SIGNAL or RANGE:
- WEAPON FIRE, shoot and TARGET SINGAL goes up, it could have a standard value or different by each gun type. There could even be a stealth gun that has almost no or even negative SINGAL effects?
- SHIP ENGINE, thrusters boost SIGNAL_._ Straife thrusters have little effect. Foward thrust and boosting has the largest effect.
- ACTIVE ABILITY, some abilities when activated (includes some passive) boost or degrade SIGNAL or RANGE. This is purely for balancing.
- CLOAKING, percentage drop of SIGNAL. So 25% means new SIGNAL = SINGAL * 0.25.
- BASE SIGNAL, all ships will have a base SIGNAL. Interceptors have the lowest and Frigates have the highest.
- ENVIRONMENT, where the map affects SIGNAL, such as nebula cloud or near-supernova stars could dampen LOCATOR RANGE or TARGET SIGNAL or both. Even objects in the map may affect detection like radioactive cloudes you can shoot through but if TARGET is on the opposite end you cannot target the ship, this is sort of like asteroids so would not go into calculations.
Intergrate all this togeather:
SIGNAL = (BASE SIGNAL + WEAPON FIRE + ACTIVE ABILITIES) * CLOAKING * sENVIRONMENT(only affects signal)
RANGE = RANGE(of sensor) * ACTIVE ABILITIES * rENVIRONMENT(only affects range)
ENVIRONMENT = sENVIRONMENT * rENVIRONMENT (you can naturally multiply the two)
RELATIVE RANGE = RANGE * SIGNAL * ENVIRONMENT
The final formula is the combination of all the factors that have been mentioned. There can be many many ways to impliment dynamic detections and creates an array of mechanics. I hope it’s easy enough for you to understand. If you don’t then try looking up free allegiance since this idea is based on it… well that game has a much more complex math to the detection but this is far as I’ll go so you don’t burn out of confusion.
Please keep this thread alive if you can since radar and detection is depreciated in this game…