Refitting Centers

[ChrisPerson]

OK, so I came up with a rather interesting idea that would provide an incentive to save your units even more than EXP - the ability to refit units. This method would also make upgrades a bit more realistic. Here's the basic idea:

Refitting centers are like factories with only one module, and are horizontal. Units can be ordered to be refitted by selecting them, opening the unit settings screen, and clicking a "Go to be refitted" button. This would open a new window similar to the unit design window, allowing the propulsion method and weapon turret to be changed, but if it's a VTOL, only the weapon can be changed.

Updates to the upgrading system because of this would be as follows:

All major research upgrades (like Advanced Missile Allocation System) would require refitting to gain the upgrade for that particular research. This would be in the form of just clicking an upgrade button on the refitting window.

Minor research (such as Advanced Missile Allocation System Mk2/Mk3) would NOT require refitting in order to get the upgrade for the weapon.

When new armor (alloys/thermal) is researched, major is upgraded when the unit goes to be refit automatically, minor upgrades use the old system and don't require refitting.


New game mechanics implemented for Refitting centers

*Unit settings screen updated to add "Go to refitting" button.
*Addition of new structure (Refitting center), gained by researching neural synapse research brain, sensor upgrade Mk3, and advanced engineering. (That's just my suggestion)
*Refitting centers have 2 rallying points - one for units waiting to be refit, and the other for newly refitted units (just like factories)
*Cyborgs cannot be refitted, except for armor upgrades.
*VTOL's can only have their weapons and armor upgraded.
*Refitting only takes 1/4 the time it would take to manufacture the new design. This is both realism and an incentive to preserve your armies.
*Only 1/4 or 1/3 the power needed to refit units to the new design, less if it's just upgrades (optional).
*New section under the Factories section, allowing units to be refitted.
*The refitting center's window shows units that have been sent to be refitted, in the exact same way that factories show available unit designs.
*Units that are sent to be refitted automatically select the refitting center with the smallest amount of units to be refitted.
*When the refitting center window is open, if a unit in the waiting list is clicked on, what's going to be changed on it can be modified. Right clicking on a unit in the waiting list will pause it (almost like factories), so it's sent to the back of the waiting line (not shown, not changeable). Right clicking again will stop it from being refit, and left clicking will unpause it (like normal factories)
*Refitting centers can recycle all units like factories or repair centers.

Perks to refitting centers:

*Faster way of upgrading armies
*More strategic incentive - preserve your armies to make them stronger, or recycle them and wait 4 times longer to upgrade
*More realistic way of upgrading units, rather than it all being automatic.


Things that would NOT be done with Refitting

*Changing Cyborg weapons
*Changing VTOL's to a different propulsion



Well, that's it! Please give me any feedback that you may have on it, and pass the idea along if you like it!

[Shadow Wolf TJC]

I had the same idea for refitting units as a quicker, cheaper alternative towards scrapping your own units and building new ones in their place fresh from the factory. However, it was meant for a sequel to this game, and had the following differences:

- Both vehicles and cyborgs could be refitted from Factories or Repair Facilities. (My sequel would've allowed players to customize not only vehicles, but cyborgs and structures as well.)
- Units cannot change their body (size) or propulsion while being refitted. (My sequel would've done away with the concept of different body types to choose from, instead allowing players to choose from a unit type, such as a hovercraft, cyborg, or hardpoint, and then selecting the unit's size. The major upgrades to armor, engine power, and HP that the more advanced bodies would've provided would've instead been handled by the usage of unit add-ons, which could boost some of the unit's stats, like armor or engine power, at the cost of increasing the unit's cost or weight for example.)
- Units sent to a Repair Facility cannot have their weapon changed, but can have many of their weapon and vehicle modifiers, including ammo type and armor type, changed. (My sequel would've added some new features such as different ammo types (like incendiary, armor piercing, high-explosive, etc.), and add-ons to name a few.)
- Units would continue to receive upgrades, such as armor, engine, and weapon upgrades, automatically without requiring refitting.

[Per]

A better idea would be to allow units to be re-fitted with major upgrades in the field by pressing the appropriate button and waiting the appropriate time while they transform themselves (being vulnerable to attack, of course, while they do this). Requiring units to go back to base to refit would be a seriously boring hassle.

[MaNGusT]

Starcraft II, Zergs? ))

[ChrisPerson]

Starcraft II, Zergs? ))

Please speak Warzone 2100. What do Starcraft II Zergs have to do with anything?

A better idea would be to allow units to be re-fitted with major upgrades in the field by pressing the appropriate button and waiting the appropriate time while they transform themselves (being vulnerable to attack, of course, while they do this). Requiring units to go back to base to refit would be a seriously boring hassle.

But how would they do that? Like I said, it would take a short time to upgrade units, and that self upgrading process would take a long time as well (why do you think auto-repair is so slow?).

My compromise would be to have both available (self upgrade, or refitting center upgrade), so that players who don't want to send units in a fought-for position can have them upgraded, while players who want to upgrade whole armies can get them all refit.

I had the same idea for refitting units as a quicker, cheaper alternative towards scrapping your own units and building new ones in their place fresh from the factory. However, it was meant for a sequel to this game, and had the following differences:

- Both vehicles and cyborgs could be refitted from Factories or Repair Facilities. (My sequel would've allowed players to customize not only vehicles, but cyborgs and structures as well.)
- Units cannot change their body (size) or propulsion while being refitted. (My sequel would've done away with the concept of different body types to choose from, instead allowing players to choose from a unit type, such as a hovercraft, cyborg, or hardpoint, and then selecting the unit's size. The major upgrades to armor, engine power, and HP that the more advanced bodies would've provided would've instead been handled by the usage of unit add-ons, which could boost some of the unit's stats, like armor or engine power, at the cost of increasing the unit's cost or weight for example.)
- Units sent to a Repair Facility cannot have their weapon changed, but can have many of their weapon and vehicle modifiers, including ammo type and armor type, changed. (My sequel would've added some new features such as different ammo types (like incendiary, armor piercing, high-explosive, etc.), and add-ons to name a few.)
- Units would continue to receive upgrades, such as armor, engine, and weapon upgrades, automatically without requiring refitting.

Pretty much what I was thinking, except the research thing just popped into my head as an idea for refitting centers (I was never happy with automatic upgrades for units).

Oh, I disagree with you on several other points, like cyborgs having the ability to be refit - there is no way of changing the weapon type on cyborgs without changing the body size, so it would be almost pointless.
- Different kinds of ammo would be going back on the whole "Warzone is strategy game, not a war simulation." That's why units that do things like that are different weapons all together.
- The unit design system is essential to the game - bodies need to be available to be chosen. It's strategy - I often make disposable armies of tiny yet powerful units that are meant to be destroyed, and send them all in. It's very effective.

[NoQ]

What do Starcraft II Zergs have to do with anything?

They have units that upgrade themselves by spending some time in a vulnerable egg form, without returning to base. Much like it was suggested by Per. It also happened in Starcraft I though.

[Corporal Punishment]

If it's about realism, we could always have "field upgrade" as a function of repair vehicles/cyborg mechanics. It's pretty much what a real army would do.

[Iluvalar]

That's close to a brand new idea. But much more simplistic way would be to have a button in the unit behavior meaning "and refit" along with a button "refit" in the command panel. With that another button for the factories "accept refitting". When a unit would have the order to "refit" it would check if his design template was modified since it construction and if so would go to recycle and the factory designated would freeze whatever other order it have and start to refit with the experience of that unit (maybe with a recycled production cost as well). And the button "and refit" would mean "retreat at medium damage [and refit]" and the droid would look for newer templates before going to repair.

[ChrisPerson]

That's close to a brand new idea. But much more simplistic way would be to have a button in the unit behavior meaning "and refit" along with a button "refit" in the command panel. With that another button for the factories "accept refitting". When a unit would have the order to "refit" it would check if his design template was modified since it construction and if so would go to recycle and the factory designated would freeze whatever other order it have and start to refit with the experience of that unit (maybe with a recycled production cost as well). And the button "and refit" would mean "retreat at medium damage [and refit]" and the droid would look for newer templates before going to repair.

I would NOT like units to automatically refit - think, you're just destroying the enemy when "Major research completed" and suddenly they all stop to refit themselves. And for retreat and refit at a damage level? NO. Commanders would not work well with that at all if their damaged units went to be refit, especially if they're high-powered units like Dragon bodies.

Plus, having Cyborgs change their design is a bit weird. I wouldn't really want an army of lancers change to an army of scourges, would you? (Just hypothetically).

Interesting idea though, when it comes to unit templates, but a lot of people don't trash templates, they just change them, so it could, again, cause an epidemic of units changing what exactly they are.

[milo christiansen]

This reminds me of MAX. I always hated having to upgrade my units one at a time

I think it easier to just recycle/rebuild and have upgrades installed automatically.

[Asgorath]

I think of an even easier way to refit units.
Instead of having a "refitting center", normal factories get a speed boost for every unit that has been sent back into it. For completely intact units sent into a factory, the same amount of tanks will be build 50% faster.
For medium damaged tanks you still get 30% boost and for heavy damaged tanks like 20-15% boost.

Means if I scrap 4 healthy tanks, the next 4 tanks being build in the factory will be build 50% faster.
If the factory gets destroyed while being boosted, all boosts and experiences will be lost.
Now I can decide if I want to build a factory at the fighting line to get new units very fast (and to be able to scrap/rebuild new units fast) which is dangerous or if I want my units to still be refited (scrap -> rebuild with boost) in my safer base.

€:
In order to prevent people building lots and lots of very easy tanks to scrap to build dragon-tanks 50% faster, there should be a gradation. If you rebuild a light tank to a heavy tank the bonus decreases down by 2/3, if you rebuild a medium tank to a heavy tank the bonus decreases down by 1/3 and if you refit a heavy tank to a heavy tank you get the full boost of (50%; 30% or 15%, depending on the physical health)

[Doomspark]

What about a mobile "Refit Unit"?

Concept: a slow unit limited to ground maneuvering only (no VTOL, no hover). You get the refit turret at the same time you get repair centers. The refit unit has a "power tank" which holds 1K power initially. Upgraded turrets could hold more perhaps.

Select the refit unit and set it to upgrade body or weapon. It can't change the propulsion. With the refit unit selected, click on one of your own units. That unit will be upgraded until the refit unit runs out of power. It won't start a refit if it doesn't have the power to complete it. The refit unit recharges by going back to HQ and sitting for 30 seconds per 1K of power.

My initial thought was that a refit unit wouldn't be able to upgrade the body type (Light -> Medium -> Heavy -> SuperHeavy), but I think that would seriously limit their usefulness.

[bendib]

I don't think we need this. Sorry to be a killjoy, but I think that changing warzone too much is a bad idea. We are already inconsistent with the campaign by a lot!