Extra vehicle system

[Per]

While thinking about how to allow a player to counter and invade an extreme turtler defense with land droids, I came up with some solutions that really require some more flexibility in how to design them. So I am going to try to spec up here an old idea - adding an additional "extra system" to droids that can contain very different capabilities.

Basically, it means that you can add a new component to your droid when designing it, in addition to propulsion, weapon(s), chassis and body. For lack of a better term, I call it an "extra system". Each would add additional hitpoints, cost and weight to the final droid.

Suggested extra systems:

• Extra armour - for a lot additional weight and cost, armour is significantly increased
• Front plate - for a lot additional weight, armour in front and top only is vastly increased
• Thermal dissipators - extra thermal protection
• Randomized guidance computer - all indirect missiles fired by droid will have randomized trajectories, making CB useless; expensive
• Autorepair assistance computer - faster autorepair, expensive
• Targeting computer - increases accuracy and cost
• Supercomputer - starts with an extra veteran level; should probably not be possible for commander
• Nothing - does not increase weight or production cost, should be a useful option

(Actually, you could split the above list into separate armour and computer components. In the original Pumpkin source, they did have unused armour and computer components that were probably planned for later.)

[Kacen]

I like this idea a lot, when I can compose myself to think of specific modules I'll suggest them.

I also suggest this: Depending on the body size, it should be able to get more.

Light body only one extra module.

Medium two.

Heavy and Wyvern 3.

Dragon 4.

Sound fair? Or a bit unbalanced?

Perhaps certain bodies should have advantages and disadvantages in this category besides being seperated by light/medium/heavy etc, would give maybe one faction an advantage.

Then again, I believe we're going to be re-balancing the bodies so none are completely useless (hopefully), so my light/medum/heavy should be good enough in that case, no?

[silberfuchs]

I like the idea, but I think being able to select more than one option for a single unit would be overpowered and add unnecessary complexity. It also seems like this is one of those ideas that would be difficult to implement well and so will probably never be used.

Would be nice to also see:

• Engine upgrade - increase speed
• Piercing ammunition - increased damage against heavy body tanks
• Laser range finder - increase weapon range by a small amount
• Active armor - absorb the blow of a single anti-tank weapon hit; cooldown of 30 seconds; very expensive

[Arreon]

I think this is a good idea, other than one problem

The maximum unit cost is 1000. If players get to the point where they start accumulating a lot of power (late T2 - Mid T3), then there's nothing stopping them from creating units that should theoretically could cost more than 2000 (including this new system) for only 1000.

I can see a major imbalance if this becomes a reality.

[Avestron]

I'd been thinking of coming back to this element for a while. For the purpose of retaining the same design layout as other phases of design I would suggest two phases of the Customization phase - Armour Distribution and Utilities.

Armour distribution would be represented by several premade layouts in three different intensities.The following picture represents a vehicle (the arrow) and the 4 fields of potential protection (Front, Rear, Both Sides, Top and Bottom)



Pre-made configurations would be as follows:

Code: Select all

CLASSIFICATION   FORWARD  REAR      FLANKS     TOP-BOTTOM
=========================================================
GENERIC          100      100       100        100
FORWARD FULL     175      050       075        100
REAR FULL        050      175       075        100
FLANKS FULL      075      075       150        100       
TOP-BOTTOM FULL  075      075       075        175

FRONT-TOP        150      050       075        125
TOP-FRONT        125      050       075        150

FRONT FOCUS      125      075       100        100
ALL SIDES FOCUS  125      125       125        025   

A simplification to the process would be the offering of 4 buttons only - Forward, Rear, Sides, Top/Bottom.

Pressing any of these up to three times determines the profile of the vehicle.

For instance, pressing Front, Sides, Top = Front,Sides, Top focus with very poor rear shielding

Pressing front 3 times = extremely good front shields but rather poor shielding everywhere else

Pressing front a single time will produce less focused advantages to front armour.

on screen the representation of the arrow and shielding has the shielding change colours based upon the strength and weakness of a current arrangement and come in 25% increments:

Black = 0%
Red = 25%
Orange = 50%
Yellow = 75%
Green = 100%
Turquise = 125%
Sky Blue = 150%
Pearl Blue = 175%
White = 200%

This would provide easily interpreted visual queues - the area normally dedicated to attributes of bodies and weapons could be adapted for use to represent forward, rear, side and top/ bottom armour.

- - - - -

A number of utilities have already been mentioned by previous posters so I'll give it thought later.

However an extra providing amphibious capability would be useful. It would allow wheeled/ half tracked/ tracked vehicles to slowly travel over water without the need to bring on a new sea worthy propulsion for each.

[winsrp]

me like idea a lot, but leave it to only 1 all around.. and remove the 1000 cap cost or raise it to something like 3000 or so... so if you build a 1000 tank and add one of those cool features, then it will actually count for cost.

[Avestron]

Spent some more time thinking: I like Kacen's suggestion of slots for different body classes.

For the sake of ease of adaptation and expansion I suggest that light bodies have 2 slots, mediums have 4, heavies 6 slots and superheavies 8 slots with most basic add-ons take up 2 slots rather than 1. May be useful for cyborgs.

-

Ammunition Bay - for VTOLs and any variant where unit ammo becomes a constant factor

Type I - +50% ammunition, 2 slots
Type 2 - +100% ammunition, 4 slots

-

Smoke Screen Generator - Reduces visibility and accuracy for a period of time (no effect on heat seeking projectiles)

Type I - 1 tile radius, Dissipation 10 seconds, 2 slots
Type 2 - 2 tile radius, Dissipation 30 seconds, 4 slots
Type 3 - 3 tile radius, Dissipation 60 seconds, 6 slots

-

Flare/Chaff Generator - Reduces accuracy of guided missiles

Type 1 - 1 tile radius, Dissipation 2 seconds, 2 slots
Type 2 - 2 tile radius, Dissipation 4 seconds, 4 slots
Type 3 - 3 tile radius, Dissipation 8 seconds, 6 slots

-

Refractive armour - Reduces damage from laser

Type 1 - 20% - 2 slots
Type 2 - 40% - 4 slots
Type 3 - 60% - 6 slots

-

Camauflage armour - Reduces visibility of unit to enemy

Type 1 - Reduced enemy scan range by 1 tile with regard to unit- 2 slots
Type 2 - Reduced enemy scan range by 2 tiles with regard to unit - 4 slots
Type 3 - Reduced enemy scan range by 3 tiles with regard to unit - 6 slots

-

Trap Negator - Nullifies the penalties induced by tank traps

Type 1 - 2 slots

-

In-built ECM - Reduces the effectiveness of EMP and Nexus Intruder Virus

Type 1 - 20% - 2 slots
Type 2 - 40% - 4 slots
Type 3 - 60% - 6 slots

-

Divine Wind - The unit is rigged to explode upon destruction

3 types

-

Undercarriage blades - Suitable for trimming the long wild grasses of the battlefield. Also comes with a crop-circle manufacturing feature. ^_~

[Zarel]

Divine Wind - The unit is rigged to explode upon destruction

I approve of this allusion.

[psychopompos]

i put something like this (though not so extensive) in a wishlist a while back as "defence modules".
so, yea, i think its a great idea
for a fuller list, all from iRL military tech.

passive defences
(that can be combined with each other and the selected active defence)
slat armour, reduces rocket/missile damage (low waight + cheap)
era modules (explosive reactive armour) HE armour boost ( medium weight + high cost)(counter to massed howie)
DU (depleated uranium) plate, AT+THER armour boost (very heavy + high cost + production penalty)
du/era ablative scale, AT+HE armour boot, repair rate bonus. (very heavy + high cost + heavy production penalty)

active defences that sit on the main turret
(you must chooses between these)
flairs/chaff smoke = guided weapons loose target, only good for moving units really (very light + cheap)
auto support gun = anti infantry/(poor)light projectile/close air defence.(light + medium cost)
thel module/laser defence = destroys incoming projectile / anti infantry / air defence (light + very expensive + production penalty)
idealy, active defences ability should be increased when a cd turret is close, and when assigned to commander that has cb sensor assigned)

thinking about it, those active defences could be put on vtol too.

[winsrp]

I mean the idea is good, but putting more than 1 slot overall its just no fun... if you can get to put 4 of these things, it wont make it a fun extra, besides its an strategy game remember, not a overpower my unit game. By having limitation is that strategies are created, if all tanks would have the range of the archangel then it would be no fun.

this topic should be of, what to put as a perk (extra, or what ever you want to call it), since are these kind of things that would be the most fun.

#1, perks (yes I'm calling them from now on), should be researchable, yes more researchs.. hurray
#2, cap cost of unit should be increased since this will add value, and its already fun to make 5000 points tanks for just 1000 since there is the cap there that allows you to keep things cheap when they should not be.
#3, Good ideas on perk will have to be analyzed, since most things might be hard to program.

[Corporal Punishment]

This is analogous to the unit design system in Homeworld 2. Its spacecraft came with standard systems and weapons and a number of empty system slots individual to each type of hull. These could be fitted with additional systems that had to be researched first. It went up to four slots with capital ships, I believe. Carriers might even have had six. However, the units would not become overpowered by this, since the enemy had the same possibilities for upgrading his vessels. Of course we are talking about vehicles and not spacecraft here so four or six slots is off the scale, an be it only for the space required within the body. On the other hand, why not distinguish between external and internal systems? A smoke screen generator is classic external equipment, while a targeting computer can stand exemplary for internal systems. Furthermore, the number of slots available for internal equipment could be increased by researching miniaturized components. There is some research like this already, I think it reduces weight at the moment.