We are finally rewriting the mine code so it operates similar to all of the other combat functions.
The current mine code is completely random. A random number of mines will hit any ship with a hull over a preset amount (currently 140 tech level). So if there are a million mines then anywhere between 1 and 1 million mines can hit your ship. This was very old code left over from the NGS days. it was quick and easy. That was about all you could say about it.
The new mine code will base the number of mines that attack on the total size of your ship. The larger the ship the larger the percentage of mines that will home in on your ship.
Every ship has a base hull size that is totally separate from the purchased hull for cargo. This base hull is now listed for each ship in the shipyard.
The minimum hull size has been raised from 140 to 250. This minimum hull size the the COMBINED size of your ships BASE HULL and the purchased hull. If you buy an Endeavor it has a Base Hull of 150 and a purchased hull of 100. The combined hull is 250 and it WILL get hit by mines.
1. The percentage of mines attracted is a semi-random amount based upon the combined hull size of your ship.
2. Your ships sensor, ecm and torp launcher tech levels determine how well your mine deflectors will work. The key is your torp launcher tech level. The higher the more effective your deflectors.
3. The sectopr defense weapons, sector defense cloak and sector defense sensors determine how well the mines will work. The key is your sector defense weapons tech level. The higher the more effective your mines.
4. Mine deflectors no longer take out mines 1 for 1. One mine deflects will not take out one mine anymore. Mines have a limited amount of armor and it can take 3 or more mine deflectors to destroy a single mine.
5. When a mine hits a ship it no longer destroys the ship instantly. Mines will destroy a ships armor and they are devastating against the armor. Once the armor is gone your ship is destroyed. One mine can take out up to 1000 units of armor.
Here are two example of a ship hitting 1 million mines.
This ship has a combined hull of 350 and attracts about 15% of the mines in the sector. The ship has one million mine deflectors and it takes 539k to destroy 154k mines. It took almost 4 times as many deflectors to take out the mines that attacked the ship. If the ship had higher tech levels in the other areas the mines wouldn't have been as effective.
This is the same ship but with a combined hull of 450. It is so large it attracts every mine in the sector. The one million mine deflectors could only hold off 290k mines. The remaining 710k mines hit the ship ripping through the paltry 100 tech armor destroying the ship. More mine deflectors or a higher armor tech would have saved the ship.
We are going to watch how the new mines play out and we may LIMIT the mines the same way sector fighters are limited if the mines are too powerful. Or we may make adjustments to how much damage a mine can do to the hull. It all depends upon how things work out.