Magic Reserves

[Ghostbear]

Can someone explain why in this game of excruciating detail the "reserve" is magic?

I mean, you can assemble a task force in one turn using ships that are probably orbiting planets on the other side of the galaxy.

Of course, at the speed of MOO, without this feature you'd never have fleets at all.

[kalbear]

I'll explain the 'logic' of it, as soon as you explain the 'logic' of FTL travel.

It's a game mechanic to get rid of the old redirection of fleet output and to reasonably allow TF creation without the massively annoying micromanagement that it would otherwise require. Furthermore, it gives an advantage to a defender and allows for the concept of supply lines and support lines to be done in the game without actually showing all of these things as a concept or a mechanic you can exploit.

Are you the same kind of person that wonders why railways could get you across a planet in a year's time, but a tank could only drive 200 miles in a year in Civ games?

[Ghostbear]

I'm not talking about defying the laws of physics, rather defying their own laws.

There's no way for ships to move that fast on their own. I.e., if I dispatch a task force it will take many turns to arrive, but I can create one instantaneously.

It would make more sense for ships to route over time to mobilization centers. But EVERY mobilization center can't have access to all ships at all times.

Anyway...

[kalbear]

Sure it can. Think of it in quantum terms - ships aren't in reserves in a specific place, they're in a state of flux, and until you observe them, they aren't here or there. Only when you observe/create TFs do they solidify at any one place when the waveform collapses.



Another way to think of it is that mob centers represent the ability to organize ships to a place. But the actual organizing gets set up over many, many years. Those ships could be travelling for that long, or that short, etc.

Personally, I view it as a game mechanic that makes my life easier. I _hated_ organizing fleets in MoO and MoO2. It was one of the more annoying things that one can do. I like that within my empire, I can organize a massive response to an invasion within moments, but have a problem projecting that force elsewhere.

Now, if only the AI would force me to do some of that.

[Tuberski]

Just think of mob. centers as Stargates from MOO2. They let you move clear across the galaxy in one turn.

ACK!

[vmxa1]

Which is why I suggested moving them farther down the list of techs, but then you get punish for the planets that build the ships. They will have to travel back the hard way.