Custom Map #7215: The Ruins. By: Qople

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This topic is for discussion of map #7215: The Ruins


Author: Qople
Size: 128x84

Desc:
You arrive at some ancient ruins on a distant planet, long forgotten by all except the creeper. There doesn't seem to be anything special here, but for a reason you can't quite explain, you are filled with a sense of foreboding.

[Helper]

Looked like a quick little fun game.
It was a lot of fun, but not too 'quick'.
Thanks for putting it together.
H

[marvinitfox]

This map:  Nice..

Although your "Launcher" unit still needs a lot of polish.

Frankly, it is severely OP.

Observations: Balance:
1) The amount of firepower provided, per energy consumed, is disproportionately HUGE. Given the same energy, the Launcher can kill 5-10x as much creep as the in-game weapons.
2) Total firepower, per footprint, is also too large. Simply put, the Launcher allows one to put too much firepower into a too small space, making both mortars and cannon **completely obsolete**
3) The recharge/reload timing is ludicrous right now. An empty Launcher can be completely recharged in under 2 seconds.
3) The launcher (or at least its display) range absolutely ignores the Forge upgrade for range.

Control:
Not bad at all, for a modded-in unit.
I Love the concept of target mode switching. But until you fix the sheer firepower, it will not be much use as the launcher just flattens everything in sight using the default mode.
Sometimes, (rarely) the input gets confused, and activates when normal buttons are clicked. Notably, i was working with launchers, then chose to build a relay. Upon clicking the relay, *all* the Launchers switched themselves off, with no other input than mouse-click upon Relay button.

My opinion:
You need to either tone down the firepower of the unit while keeping it mobile, or change its nature to a fixed-mount weapon.
As a fixed-mount, give it a slightly larger footprint.
I.e. make it similar to the Bertha, as a fixed-mount unit of superior firepower (but retain local range).

[toolforger]

"Foreboding"... well, that promised a trap that wouldn't happen.
So I didn't try the launcher because that might have been the trap.
The start was a bit hairy due to that, but that's not a trap, just a difficult start.
And nothing happened afterwards. I could steamroll over the creeper with no real issues, or thinking.

On the Launcher: Too many modes. A unit shouldn't serve so many purposes at once: It becomes able to serve as e.g. mortar AND cannon in the same spot, so you don't have to think about which one to place in a specific position. I.e. it's taking tactical alternatives away.
On the plus side, the unit worked flawlessly (not everybody manages that, so kudos for that).