destroying HAILLEYS doesn't stop planet's progression

Out with logic, in with gameplay.

This would be a welcome feature.

Debate!

Well seems kind of late to stop it if the bloody thing is already on its way to crash into something.
Also if you were to stop it, then it would go into some weird orbit, which wouldn't be ideal

I'm assuming you're talking about destroying a Halley while it is in mid flight to planet smash?

I think destroying a Halley should keep the planet from smashing. Have it end up in a different orbit or something. And if that orbit takes it into another planet... so be it!

on the contrary i think it would be super interesting.

considering planets can have elliptical orbits the planet could pick up one such orbit corresponding to it's last ark.

And I've killed all the engines propulsing a planet even before it reached half of it's path one too many times.

Well that's kinda the point.
It'd be an incredible counter.
Kind of like:
"Haha! Thought you could planet smash me? Well now your asteroid is on an orbital collision course with your own planet! Have fun m80."

Realistically, the planet would just smash, and personally I think it would be a better gameplay option, but that's just me.

I had situations when I had troops invading a planet, and the AI shot it off into my planet...

I think it'd be super exciting to be able to do a last ditch rush to kill the halleys before the planet smashes.

Well, not really.

I don't know much about orbital mechanics but I've played enough Kerbal Space Program to pretend otherwise, and I know that setting a collision course with something takes a while.

So technically, if you were to destroy the engines early in its flight (say about 1/4 through the flight) it should careen into the sun or end up in an elliptical orbit.

Well, in kerbal space program, you fire the engines, and then stop, and spend most of your time not thrusting. The only other time you thrust again is to adjust your course near your target, and that's because as a human player you can't perfectly fire your engines. I assume the halleys are intelligent enough to calculate the perfect firing trajectory for the engines, so that after the first firing they never need to fire again. Therefore destroying the engines wouldn't have much of an effect.

^that

And also the fact that when to fire your halley is as important as building it. Usually these things are aces in the hole. Used as backup/ last ditch plans.

Trying to take it out would likely get a player to try and quickly launch it, forcing their hand. Which can lead to hilarious moments when they realize they forgot to evac their commander .

I could have won a game due to this many a time. Many a time I purge a planet just recently launched, and by time it got to me my units were the only thing alive on the launched planet.

I also think maybe it should stop the planet if the halley's are destroyed, maybe it should end up in orbit around target planet. Because it flys in multiple stages. It achieves orbit around target planet before slamming. Also, because it should be able to eventually maybe change orbits instead of smashing anyway. That would be nice.

Capture and re-fire the engines. Destroy them, and you lose.

Is there a non awkward way to stop a planet mid flight? I'd say use the sun as gravity well and actually calculate the trajectory, if the planet was still on it's way to the sun, it will probably end up in the sun. If it were on it's way to the planet after coming around from the sun, let chance decide what it hits by calculating it.
How much calculation would it require to calculate 1 object affected by 1 gravity well?

PS: Nice bump

When an object in space is in motion, it doesnt slow down. Since there is nothing to slow it down.

But i do agree that if you destroy even just one engine, that should be enough for it to miss the target planet.

Funnily enough i had a planet miss on its own, and it hit a moon and then the game crashed i guess it couldn handle the humilation.

And i would have the footage right now to post for all to see. But uber dedicated that they didn want people to record footage from the game so :S

Fraps now crashes the game if you start it. And the game wont even boot with fraps. And nvidia shadowplay doesnt work either. FRUSTRATIONS!. :-(

that's simulated orbits and I want that one too.

Unfortunately Uber have said a big no to this : here's the thread if you want, feel free to post in it (as I feel I have exceeded my quota of "wheee"s for the day) : https://forums.uberent.com/threads/n-body-simulations.61917/

I vote yes to having them stop and create some crazy weird orbit. It would be cool. It gives us a (somewhat) more effective means to counter them rather an just go "Well, ouch." I hope it gets added, because it'll be awesome and stuff!

After looking quickly through that thread, there must be some compromises that can be made. Calculations could kick in the moment a critical amount of halleys goes down. And as the planet would already be doomed at that stage (either sun, some planet or to drift in outer space), all units going to that planet could do a spiral (360°) towards the sun or end up in outer space, these wouldn't be simulated then, but just take a plausible orbit.

https://forums.uberent.com/threads/n-body-simulations.61917/page-3#post-979750

It should screw with the collision course only if they're destroyed while they are firing.

I think if you destroy one halley it should send the planet into a wild spin (only visually) and it would either end up in orbit around A: the sun, B: a second body, or C: the target body.