From: edjohn@sequent.com (Ed Johnson)
Subject: Re: What is the strategy behind standard?
Organization: Sequent Computer Systems Inc.
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 92 22:04:20 GMT

In article <1992Sep10.201531.10619@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov> richard@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov (Richard Weidner) writes:
>I am a bit non-plussed playing the standard game.
>Obviously the drones can do a lot that you can not do.
>(eg. turn, aim, fire simultaneously to different locations)
>I can sort of see the reason to go 1 on many but since they
>fight each other you can lose the game without even moving
>or seeing anything. Why that strategy? Also, it seems a 
>bit un-fair to allow them to shoot at one location and turn
>and move to another simultaneously. There is no way you could
>do that without two mice and four hands. Also
>it is impossible to perform their fire patterns. Even  holding
>the key down continually will not give that fire density. What is the 
>idea behind that game?
>
>Also, why are there so many wimpy vehicles? It seems like half
>of the vehicles can be destroyed by the standard vanguard drones
>before you could even do anything. For instance the 
>mine layers are pretty useless as well as the one machine
>gun vehicles. I am guessing they
>are for a different game but why are there so few vehicles of
>use in the standard solitaire game? Do most people create their
>own vehicles so they don't need the 20 or so supplied ones?
>
>Actually I am guessing that not many people play the standard game.
>The customized game with your own vehicles seems to be the 
>better game. You can at least put the drones in different 
>teams to keep them from ending the game before you even find them.

several points:
1- you can shoot two directions at the same time by having a tank 
with weapons mounted on the front and the turret. Or by having them
on seperate turrets and aiming close to your vehical.
2- Maybe you should check your second mouse button it should just
turn your turrets. You may have it redefined in a setup file.
3- Having the tanks battle each other makes you work at killing them
faster and keeping your vehicle costs lower.
4- Your fire density depends on the type of weapon and your heat.

I'm using an old version so may be a little different. As long as I
am on I'll post part of the source that I find helpful when desinging
vehicals.

Armor_stat armor_stat[MAX_ARMORS] = {
    /* type           def wgt spc cost */
    {"Steel",          0,  8,  3,  10},
    {"Kevlar",         0,  3,  3,  20},
    {"Hardened Steel", 1,  8,  3,  20},
    {"Composite",      1,  4,  3,  30},
    {"Compound Steel", 2,  8,  3,  40},
    {"Titanium",       2,  5,  3,  70},
    {"Tungsten",       3, 20,  3, 100}
};

Engine_stat engine_stat[MAX_ENGINES] = {
    /* type             power weight space fuel$  fcap   cost */
    {"Small Electric",     50,   100,   20,   5,   200,  1500},
    {"Medium Electric",   100,   150,   30,   5,   300,  2200},
    {"Large Electric",    200,   200,   40,   5,   400,  3000},
    {"Super Electric",    300,   250,   50,   5,   500,  6000},

    {"Small Combustion",  300,   400,  200,   8,   200,  2000},
    {"Medium Combustion", 400,   500,  300,   8,   300,  2500},
    {"Large Combustion",  500,   600,  400,   8,   400,  3000},
    {"Super Combustion",  600,  1000,  600,   8,   500,  4000},

    {"Small Turbine",     600,  1000,  800,  10,   350,  4000},
    {"Medium Turbine",    700,  1200, 1000,  10,   450,  5000},
    {"Large Turbine",     800,  1500, 1500,  10,   550,  7000},
    {"Turbojet Turbine", 1000,  2000, 2000,  10,   750, 10000},

    {"Fuel Cell",        1200,  1000,  400,  20,   600, 15000},
    {"Fission",          1500,  3000, 3500,  15,  1000, 20000},
    {"Breeder Fission",  1800,  3500, 4000,  15,  1250, 25000},
    {"Fusion",           2250,  4000, 2500,   5,  1500, 40000}
};

Body_stat body_stat[MAX_BODIES] = {
    /* type     size weight wghtlim space  drag hndl trts cost */
    {"Lightcycle", 2,   200,   800,   600,  .10,  8,  0,  3000},
    {"Hexo",       3,  1500,  5000,  4000,  .25,  6,  1,  4000},
    {"Spider",     3,  2500,  8000,  3000,  .40,  7,  1,  5000},
    {"Psycho",     4,  5000, 18000,  8000,  .60,  4,  1,  5000},
    {"Tornado",    4,  7000, 22000, 12000,  .80,  4,  1,  7000},
    {"Marauder",   5,  9000, 28000, 18000, 1.00,  3,  2, 10000},
    {"Tiger",      6, 11000, 35000, 22000, 1.50,  5,  1, 12000},
    {"Rhino",      7, 12000, 40000, 30000, 2.00,  3,  2, 10000},
    {"Medusa",     7, 14000, 40000, 25000, 1.20,  4,  3, 15000},
    {"Malice",     5,  4000, 20000, 15000,  .40,  7,  1, 17000},
    {"Trike",      2,   400,  1600,  1200,  .15,  6,  0,  4000},
    {"Panzy",      8, 22000, 70000, 45000, 3.00,  3,  4, 25000}
/* sym       type              dam rng ammo tm spd  wgt spc  fr  ht  a$  cost*/
QQ(LMG,    "Light Machine Gun", 2, 360, 300, 2, 17,  20, 200, 22, 0,  1,  1000)
QQ(MG,     "Machine Gun",       3, 360, 250, 3, 17,  50, 225, 22, 1,  2,  2200)
QQ(HMG,    "Heavy Machine Gun", 4, 360, 200, 3, 17, 100, 250, 22, 2,  3,  3000)
QQ(LRIFLE, "Light Pulse Rifle", 2, 480, 250, 4, 22,  50, 200, 22, 2,  1,  1500)
QQ(RIFLE,  "Pulse Rifle",       3, 480, 225, 4, 22, 125, 225, 22, 3,  2,  3300)
QQ(HRIFLE, "Heavy Pulse Rifle", 4, 480, 200, 4, 22, 300, 250, 22, 4,  3,  4500)
QQ(LCANNON,"Light Autocannon",  3, 400, 250, 3, 22, 200, 300, 19, 3,  4,  3000)
QQ(CANNON, "Autocannon",        4, 400, 225, 3, 22, 300, 350, 19, 4,  5,  6000)
QQ(HCANNON,"Heavy Autocannon",  5, 400, 200, 3, 22, 500, 400, 19, 5,  6, 10000)
QQ(LROCKET,"Light Rkt Launcher",4, 600, 150, 7, 25, 600, 800, 25, 4,  8,  7000)
QQ(ROCKET, "Rkt Launcher",      6, 600, 125, 7, 25, 900,1200, 25, 6, 10, 10000)
QQ(HROCKET,"Heavy Rkt Launcher",8, 600, 100, 7, 25, 900,1600, 25, 8, 12, 15000)
QQ(ACID,   "Acid Sprayer",      6, 160, 100, 3, 10, 300, 500, 17, 0, 10,  3000)
QQ(FLAME,  "Flame Thrower",     3, 200, 300, 1, 12, 700, 500, 17, 1,  2,  4000)
QQ(MINE,   "Mine Layer",        6,  50,  50, 2, 10,1000,1000, 70, 2, 10,  8000)
QQ(SEEKER, "Heat Seeker",       8,1250,  15,15, 25,1000,1800, 51, 9, 50, 20000)
QQ(SLICK,  "Oil Slick",         0,  50,  50, 5, 10, 300, 500, 70, 0, 10,  2000)
QQ(PROCKET,"Pocket Rocket",     8,1015,  30, 8, 35, 900,1650, 30,12, 23, 17000)
QQ(UMISSLE,"Unguided Missle",   8,1995,  30, 8, 35,1000,1800, 57,12, 25, 18000)



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