Enemy Establishment Enhancement Sugestion

[Grauniad]

I have an idea. It might not stop "turtling" but it would give a reason not to stay too long in each world. 
 
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Hi Tpop. There is somewhat of an interesting idea contained in you outline. As lurkily pointed out, it cannot be applied system-wide, because the burden would get too onerous for the player. However, some form of it may well make for an interesting challenge.

Don't hold your breath. Ideas like this may take some time to germinate and come to implementation. By that time you may not even recognize it. :)

[Tpop]

I fully understand. Personaly i like to turtle, and the idea would probably work best as more of a challenge after the game has been compleated. (kind of like the dubbledown system in CW1) the player could turn it on or off at there descresion. but yes it would take a lot of programing and time to put into effect. I just thow it out becouse i couldn't think of anyother way to discurage "turtleing" other then retreaving servivle pods like in the other games.  :D

[lurkily]

It doesn't necessarily need lots of coding or lots of complexity.  It just need lots of thought into how it can be achieved simply. 

Real genius is seen in solutions that are simple and effective.  Those solutions are out there, but you have to work to reach them.

[Tpop]

a way to make it easy would be to get one of those "in game timers" that starts when you get in the campain and pauses when you leave (that way it can resume when you come back) instead of haveing just any planet attack your planets you make attack planets that would launch a creeper attack force toward you. the force would travel from planet to planet (like your ship would) to the nearest cleared plenet to it. you could put multiple "attack" planets in various places and alternate which planet attacks. that way it has a higher chance of being a different planet each time and if you take out the attack planets you wont be attacked anymore. the idea of "attack" planets could give you mini boss gameplay with you trying to kill the launch pad, or a more challenging world with highly aggresive creeper so the challenge/reward would be intact.

personaly, i would make it like the dubbledown in CW1 where after the player compleat the campain they can chose it up the challenge of gameplay. that would let new players get used to the game while veterans can push themselves. too add to it i would say the player themselves can chose the time between attacks (the range from 1 hour to 5 or 6 in hour intervolse) while at the same time haveing them chose the number of attack planets (1-6)

if this idea is used or not CW3 looks like an amazing game, and though i cant wait to play it i still say take your time so you can put all your ideas in it and make it better. :)

[lurkily]

I would rather do something more like 2-4 mission intervals than X hour intervals.  I don't really like the idea of putting time-pressure on a market that seems largely to have a degree of OCD.

EDIT: Maybe add up a time amount - if the total mission time is > 1hr, and at least one other mission was completed since the last creeper attack, then generate an attack on one of your worlds.

This means a maximum attack of 1 every two missions, attacks which, if you respond immediately, you might be able to defeat more easily . . . and if you complete missions quickly, less often than that.

[inspiratieloos]

I kind of like Tpop's idea, if the creeper attack force moves one planet for every planet you clear you'd only have 1 attack per 2 worlds if you're right next to an attack world otherwise it would be longer. It also has the same feeling as the micro levels of the maps themselves. Trying to take out the source while getting through the constant attack.

[lurkily]

I kind of like Tpop's idea, if the creeper attack force moves one planet for every planet you clear you'd only have 1 attack per 2 worlds if you're right next to an attack world otherwise it would be longer.

Wait . . . what?  If you had 1 creeper attack per every 2 missions fought (two steps forward, one step back) why would your proximity to the attack have anything to do with anything?

My main problem with the idea is that it rewards speed play, and punishes people who take a long time with missions.  While a player clears one difficult mission, there's every chance that they could lose a world in exchange, totally negating their advance - or even two worlds, which would make real advancement practically impossible for methodical or OCD players.

I think the main portion of CW's player base is far too casual to respond to being punished if they don't play like it's a hardcore time-trial.

[inspiratieloos]

1 attack per 2 missions would be the maximum if you had a planet right next to a creeper attack base (thus no risk of losing ground if you take long in maps), taking that one planet would mean the attacks slow down again because the creeper starts using the next closest base.

Basically the creeper always moves slower than the player so unless you actually lose a lot of maps you will still gain ground. Also if you do lose ground creeper attacks get slower, while if you get closer to the source of the attacks the resistance becomes heavier.

Creeper attacks moving along the 'network' planet by planet means that you can attempt to extrapolate where the creeper is coming from based on where you are attacked and how often and then actively hunt down the source of the attack force.

[Ronini]

Being able to replay maps, if I wish to, is great. Forcing players to replay maps is a bad idea in general.

[inspiratieloos]

I was under the impression that defending a map would be a different level than taking it. if it's not, then yeah, creeper attacks are a bad idea.

[lurkily]

The attack is being executed on a location that you'd completed.  I'm not sure how you would prevent the player from replaying the same map without removing it from the sector and replacing it.

[ShadowDragon7015]

while if you get closer to the source of the attacks the resistance becomes heavier.

Sounds like the comets the closer you get to Bowser in the Super Mario Galaxy games.

[inspiratieloos]

The attack is being executed on a location that you'd completed.  I'm not sure how you would prevent the player from replaying the same map without removing it from the sector and replacing it.

Well, if you play a map normally you enter by dropping CN's from orbit onto an empty planet while the creeper responds from established positions.
I'd assume that if the creeper attacks you'd already have assets on the ground while the creeper doesn't start with a fixed position.
The map would be the same, but the mechanics wouldn't.

[lurkily]

Starting out with assets might be too easy - really, the reason creeper poses a difficulty if because you don't have the infrastructure to establish a balance, at first.

The rest?  I'd really have to play it before I could tell if moving the start point of the emitters and spore towers, etc would be worth another game.  Much of the tactical situation is dictated by terrain.

[4xC]

Which is where the terps come in supposedly, except that they take a fair deal of time to go to work for units that BUY time frankly.