CW3 Suggestions Redux

[Anonymeus]

Any ability to affect game time should carry a penalty in game space (and vice-versa)

The balance is energy.

This is what works in CW1....

[Shrike30]

Titan suggestion:  Deep-bore rig.

Description:
The deep-bore rig, once constructed and aimed at a location, begins to dig a tunnel.  This tunnel is pumped full of anticreeper, which helps to prevent collapse and provides the pressure that drives the drill bit.  Upon reaching it's target, the deep-boring rig's drill bit breaches the surface and creates a veritable fountain of anticreeper at the destination.

Game effect:
This is a titan that draws AC continually while in operation, both during the drilling phase and once the tunnel breaches the surface.  The tunnel doesn't exist in-game; it's theoretically "below" the map, and so will not require the game engine to be modified to handle things like multiple layers of terrain.  Drilling time will be based on distance to target.  Once the tunnel is complete, the anticreeper being fed into the rig appears at the tunnel mouth, behaving much like an AC emitter until the player shuts down the rig, retargets it, or runs out of AC to pump.

Possible limitations:
*Running out of AC or shutting off the rig might cause the tunnel to collapse, requiring a new one to be drilled when the titan is turned back on.
*Tunneling across void might be impossible, the distance to a legitimate target might be calculated as overland distance rather than a straight line, with parts of some maps being completely inaccessible from other parts due to void.
*While there is no structure at the tunnel mouth to be damaged (it's a hole in the ground), having enormous amounts of creeper on top of the tunnel mouth might create enough backpressure to force creeper back along the tunnel and up into the Deep-bore rig, damaging it over time (but at least reducing the amount of creeper at the destination).  In the event the Deep-bore rig is destroyed, explosives lining the tunnel might deliberately collapse it to prevent a sudden upwelling of creeper in your base.

-----------------------------------
Titan suggestion: Space Elevator (mark II)

Description:
This titanic structure forms a physical bridge to the command ship in orbit above the battlefield.  Once constructed, the space elevator lifts both packets and anticreeper into orbit, providing the raw material for the construction of an Emitter Cap and the anticreeper to fill it.  Emitter caps are dropped from orbit directly on top of creeper emitters, whereupon they block off the emitter, breach their storage containers, and pour anticreeper in all directions.  While it is only possible to temporarily block an emitter with an Emitter Cap (as the creeper being produced within will burn through the cap eventually) this can allow for the creation of a temporary beachhead and the assembly of a Nullifier to permanently shut down the emitter.  It is possible to drop an Emitter Cap anywhere on the map, in which case it will simply act as a single massive anticreeper bomb before self-destructing.

Game Effect:
Once "charged" with packets and AC, firing the Space Elevator drops an Emitter Cap onto the battlefield.  Any emitter the cap is placed on top of will cease emitting creeper, but the Emitter Cap will take damage at a rate proportional to the emission rate of that emitter.  This is a fairly sturdy structure, so it ought to be possible to have a well-timed air assault establish and detonate a nullifier before most emitters can burn through the cap.  The Emitter Cap will also release all of the anticreeper it contains upon landing, hopefully clearing an LZ for those air forces, or simply making a giant bubble of AC in a convenient location.  In the event that there is no emitter under the Emitter Cap (either because it was Nullified or because the commander dropped it in the open) the Emitter Cap will then self-destruct to clear the area for more useful structures.

Possible limitations:
*The Emitter Cap might release AC over time, rather than as a solid burst.  This might make dropping it into deeply covered areas less successful, as the creeper in the surroundings will also damage the Emitter Cap and shorten it's overall lifespan.  Destruction of an Emitter Cap should result in the release of all of the AC left within (you've simply broken the container) but will also uncap any emitter the Emitter Cap was placed upon.
*The Emitter Cap might require a certain amount of Packets to construct, but have a much larger AC payload capacity.  Thus, it might take 100 packets to construct the Emitter Cap, but it would continue to draw AC after the Cap was constructed, filling it's storage compartments with more and more AC.  A commander could drop the cap immediately, or choose to wait a while and put more AC on target.  This would cause the Emitter Cap to behave somewhat like a CW2 Maker set to store AC, and it's deployment would be much like a Burst.
*Related to the above limitation, there might not be any AC storage at the top of the Space Elevator; the Emitter Cap might have to be constructed (with packets) before any AC can be lifted and stored, thus slowing the deployment of the Cap.
*Dropping the Emitter Cap onto a spore tower might do something entertaining, or might do nothing.  Suggestions?

[lurkily]

What about a Creeper ship, or even submarine? It can only function when surrounded by Creeper (minimum of 1 elevation layer) and will provide connections when in range of land units. Its crazonium alloy prevents destruction. Can be moved around slowly and is able to drop depth charges. If you kill the Creeper around it too soon, it will be stuck. Will also float on anti-Creeper.

Reminds me vaguely of the torpedo weapon that pathfinds to deepest creeper in reach, but can only reach creeper that it can access via a continuous connection of AC/Creeper from the launch site.

Honestly, the "Tesla" weapon discussed before on the blog is my favorite contender - deal slight damage to every single cell of creeper that's connected to the strike site by contiguous creeper.  It's a very situational weapon.  It could be very powerful, or it could be a waste of resources, based on geography and your tactics.

EDIT: I should add that I do also like the idea of weapons that require you to invest resources off-the-map, such as by sending resources into orbit.

[UpperKEES]

What about a Creeper ship, or even submarine?

Reminds me vaguely of the torpedo weapon

It reminds me vaguely of a proposal from 2010.... ;)

[lurkily]

It is interesting how certain ideas seem to reside in some collective unconscious.  Always makes me wonder if the  underlying source of the idea's structure is somehow communicated before the idea arises independently, or if it's more likely that the underlying structure of some ideas are just present in all, (or many,) men.

I wish it were actually possible to answer questions like these.  I'll shut up now, before I turn a practical thread into something philosophical.

[Grauniad]

I wish it were actually possible to answer questions like these.  I'll shut up now, before I turn a practical thread into something philosophical.

It *hurts* to forcefully expirate some kinds of liquid through one's nostrils. Cleaning up my keyboard is what I'll be doing for a little while now. :(

[Chawe800]

Wow quite a post Shrike.

Deep Bore Rig:
I could definitely see that in game but I wonder about how much AC that would cost. That seems like a ridiculous amount of AC but I really like the idea. What about the potential of allowing packets to go through the tunnel or even just the the idea of a landline tunnel separate. What if it could just suck up some Creeper into the tunnel before detonating trapping creeper into the tunnel. Just some suggestions.

Space Elevator (mark II)/Emitter Cap
The idea of temporarily disabling an emitter seems interesting. I think you shouldn't be able to destroy it when it has a cap on it and that it releases some pressurized creeper when the cap is destroyed. I like the idea otherwise.

I really like those ideas Shrike :D

P.S. We have a Philosphy thread in the random stuff section that I'd like to see revived :P

[ShadowDragon7015]

I think there should be a possibility to make micro rifts but only for some of those extra large maps.

[mpete]

I think there should be a possibility to make micro rifts but only for some of those extra large maps.

Are command nodes not mobile?

[ShadowDragon7015]

There are only three. Also some people were saying there should be the option to make them immobile once you place them if you want that for your map. Also think of the map area 256 and how big it was.

[hoodwink]

@Micro-rifts:
Yes, the command nodes are mobile, but there are only three of them. On CW:E I always found myself moving the city around when the supply lines were getting too long - if there was space, anyway. Have we actually seen a video of V moving the CN?

I think that a sensible and confident attack would allow for the commander to continually edge their CN forwards if it's just too far away. Micro-rifts just seem completely overpowered to me in that they are basically saying you can have the same network on opposite sides of the map. I'd always prefer guppies to do this - it seems a nicer way to do it. And, if all else fails, I might well rather have my un-supplied forward base overrun than have the overpowered feeling of micro-rifts. Don't get me wrong, they were very useful in CW2 (mostly because a lot of the map i've played actually required them) but it just seems overkill on a top down map where you can reach anywhere with guppies or mobile CNs.

Just my opinions on the matter.

P.S: A micro-rift as a titan? I think titans would be better mass destruction or mass effects based, not economical. Too complicated.

[lurkily]

I honestly can't imagine REALLY needing more than three rifts.  If a mapmaker restricts CN's, well, it's up to them to ensure that the map size can be managed.  Nothing will stop bad design, and if it's badly designed, I suspect a large map size with restricted CN placement will be the least of your problems.

I honestly think guppies serve every function that a rift does . . . only more interesting in its function.

[hoodwink]

Nothing will stop bad design, and if it's badly designed, I suspect a large map size with restricted CN placement will be the least of your problems.

Definitely.
It must be doable for upload, but that doesn't mean it has to be easy, interesting at all, or just plain decent.

[UpperKEES]

Regarding the microrifts:

- CW2 was wireless, so it made sense. CW3 is network based, so it doesn't make sense.
- In CW2 you had to dig your way down to able able to reach all corners of the map. In CW3 you can send every moveable/flying unit anywwhere, without it touching the Creeper until it lands.

[ShadowDragon7015]

I was thinking it could be something you need to protect in a map with large voids between asteroids where you have to obtain the guppy tech from a different asteroid.