The Last Federation:NPC Battles

NPC battles are engagements on the solar map between two races. They generally come in three forms: battles in open space, outpost attacks, and planetary invasions.

Mechanics

TBD

Open space battles

When two hostile armadas meet, they may engage in a battle in open space. Two fleets enter, one fleet leaves. These are not generally of strategic significance.

Outpost attacks

When one race dislikes another, it may send armadas to attack the other race's outposts. This is a provocation that often leads to all-out war.

When the attacking armadas arrive at the target outpost, they will first engage any defending armadas present. Up to two attacker armadas may engage a single defending armada. If there are any attacking armadas left over, they will try to destroy the outpost (after they have spent enough time orbiting it), which will usually take several days. There is a 20% chance that the outpost will be captured instead of destroyed.

Player-owned outposts will resist attack with security goons if any are available. These can kill weak attackers, and buy time for the player to directly intervene to defend the outpost.

Planetary invasions

These are the largest and most important NPC battles in the game. Success here will result in a planet changing hands, and possibly the destruction of the conquered race.

Initiation

The attacking race will assemble armadas and troop transports (if applicable), then fly to the target planet.

Planet attack events are announced as an event notification. Usually, several solar months elapse between the announcement and the actual movement of ships.

Engagement and planetary bombardment

When the attacking fleet gets to its target, it will first engage any defending armadas present. Up to two attacker armadas can attack a single defending armada. If there are any attacking armadas left over, they will begin bombarding the planet (after they have spent enough time orbiting it)

Bombardment reduces a planet's population, and caps its natural birth rate is capped at the natural death rate (before bombardment effects), so its population can only go down, not up. Bombardment may also randomly destroy buildings.

Bombardment strength is based on the attacking fleet's strength. This is further modified by a series of five techs under the Orbital Bombs category: three with a 1.2x bonus, one with a 1.3x bonus, and one with a 5x bonus (for a maximum cumulative bonus of 11.232x). Peltians have access to a further three techs with a 5x bonus each, for a further cumulative bonus of up to 125x (giving a maximum bombardment strength of 1404x the base value).

Each Bomb Shelter building (maximum 10 per planet) offers 1.1x defence against population loss from bombardment, and each Regional Blast Shield (maximum 3 per planet) offers 8x defence against both population loss and building destruction. The Thoraxians' unique Underground Tunnels (maximum 1 per planet) offer 40x defence against population and building loss; it will change hands if the planet is captured.

During an invasion, the planet will devote all its resources to building and reinforcing defending armadas. The attacker will, in turn, send new armadas it builds to reinforce the attack.

While the attacking armadas are in orbit, they will be fired upon by any Planetary Ion Cannons present.

Ground combat

Ground combat occurs when the attacking race lands its troop transports on the planet, but cannot proceed until there is at most one defending armada orbiting the planet. Each race has a base ground combat strength, which is further augmented by a number of techs, primarily under the Ground Military Power category.

The base soldier strengths by race, as of 1.006, are:

• Acutian: 3
• Andor: 0.3
• Boarine: 2
• Burlist: 9
• Evuck: 1
• Peltian: 0.01
• Thoraxian: 50
• Skylaxian: 1

Civilians also participate on the defending side, although they are much weaker than soldiers. Burlusts, Thoraxians and Acutians do not have civilians distinct from soldiers. Andors do not have soldiers.

Peltians do not invade with troop transports. Instead, they use suicide pods, which enable their troops to trade with the enemy 1:1 regardless of target.

Capturing a planet

When the planet loses enough population, it may surrender, converting the survivors to prisoners and/or resistance fighters, or it may fight to the death. Thoraxians do not take prisoners. Andors cannot capture planets, and will instead sign a ceasefire with the enemy race. The conquering race takes over the planet, with a population of 1 million. RCI values are reset to a near-zero baseline.