Robo/seed Coloney

[Betaray]

Robo/Seed Coloney

origionally from http://forum.outpostuniverse.net/index.php?showtopic=1036

Related ideas
- Mobile Command Center
- Mini Command Center
- Seed starter module

description

this is an idea ive had for years, since I started playing OP2

the one I've come up with was actually a unit that transforms into a structure, it would be called the robo colony, and when it is in structure form it would be called the seed colony

it is basically a single vec that can start a whole new colony by it self

the vec would have heavy armor, 3000 hp move medium speed, and would be equipped to a small weapon, similar to a scorpion weapon, although it would only fire in self defence. It would cost 5000 common and 2000 rare metals to build. it would be capable of surveying ore beacons

when you want it to go, you load it up with 25 colonists at the cc, they would then be put in stasis and would not die unless the unit itself is destroyed.

the unit would have tanks of metals 2000 common and 500 rare which it would use to slowly repair itself if it was damaged, those metals would not be accessible to the rest of the colony

it could be transformed into a building at any place that you could normally build a 2 tile building, when it transforms it grows to 5000 hp and its functions start.

it would have a small agradome that would produce 10 units of food, a power plant that would produce 20 units of power, it would have a nursery that would allow half the births of a normal nursery, it would have a med center able to hold 15 people, a university that would be able to train workers at 75% of the normal university and is able to train 2 scientists at a time, it would also have a small factory that is able to produce a cc, a structure fact, a convec, an earthworker, and a very small combat unit that I would describe later. When the building becomes disabled, all the systems would shut down including the defence weapon, the only system that would remain on would be the self repair, and it would continue to mine and smelt, but it would be reduced to a rate of 50 common and 5 rare a time mark.

It would also have a mine and smelter, for maximum effect if is desired to place it on a mining beacon, but it can also be deployed away from the beacons, if it is away from a beacon, it would produce 150 common and 50 rare every time mark, if it is deployed onto a beacon it would produce its normal yield every time mark, and the other metal would be produced as though it was not on a beacon

while it is a building mode it would have 5000 common storage and 2000 rare storage, it would use these metals to repair itself those metals would be accessible to the rest of the colony

The commands for the robo coloney would be the same as the robo miner, except that it can build anywhere, and it can survey mining beacons. For the seed colony however, it would have 4 building controls, they would be, retract (see below), build (it would take you to the build window) train (allows you to train up to 2 scientists) and idle (when it is idle, all systems shut down, including the self repair system, and the mining/smelting system shuts down completely as well as it empties all tanks of metals). On the screen it would have the status of food and power being produced, and when it is happening, building a unit or structure (it can only build one at a time) and/or training a scientist (it can do both at the same time, if it is, it shows 2 progress bars one above the other)

the units it would produce would be very small, instead of being wheeled or tracked or legged, they would roll themselves with a uni wheel, they would have 50 hp with no armor, would be fast, and would cost 50 common metals a piece, they would be equipped with a weapon similar to the scorpions, the robo coleony would be able to produce 10 at a time for a cost of 500 common, and they can be built quickly, the seed colony would be the only place you could build this unit, the seed colony would still be equipped with the small defensive weapon

the seed colony would be able to transform back to the robo coleoney (by pressing the retract button), when it does all of its production facilities stop, it looses 2000 hp (if it is under 2000 hp, transformation would not be possible), if there is no active cc the colonists come back to the seed colony, if there is one, it would be empty of people and would have to dock at the cc to receive them, its metals are pumped to other storage facilities until the vecs tanks can hold it, if there is an excess, the metal is lost.

the vec would look similar to a Eden robo miner, except that the front would be wheeled and equipped with a surveyors probe, the main body would be round and would have tracks on both sides, in the center there would be a protruding tower with the top being semi-spherical, the front half of that sphere would be green from the agradome.

when it transforms into a building, the tower becomes taller and the base widens, on the right side a power dish would be made, and the front would open into a loading dock.

it would be very powerful because I imagine it being used as a last ditch escape from an invading army, its faster than panthers and tigers, and its auto defence could take care of small numbers of lynx, if driven correctly

it also fits the storyline for op3, phoenix module anyone?

for certain missions you would begin with this unit, and only this unit, and have to establish a base, to build it yourself you would have to research for this unit and build for it, the prerequisites will have to be huge, including all of the smelter upgrades (crackling efficiency, post processing) mining upgrades, factory upgrades, power generation upgrades, university upgrade, agradome upgrade, convec upgrades, you get the idea, basically every part of the colony it deals with (listed above) would be a prerequisite for this unit (as the blueprints to manufacture this unit would have been corrupted in the haste to leave new Tera)






this is a good idea because

it would allow people to build/move their coloney without having to use a huge vunorable convoy, and woud streamline evacuations of the coloney due to blight, lava, combat exc.

this is a bad idea because

(enter your dissent here, achelly below)


Edited by TH300: related ideas

[zhukant]

It seems a bit too powerful. I think it should have what your usual starting base has if you're playing say space race against the computer on easy. I would say take away the nursery and the university, and make it not be able to collapse into a robot again to make it more fair.

Your idea is great! It kind of reminds me of the mobile construction vehicle in Command and Conquer's games like Tiberian Dawn/Tiberian Sun and Red Alert/Red Alert 2

[Betaray]

my thought about the nersery and university is that most of the time when you would use it would be after your current coloney is under attack, alot of the time your too busy with defence to idle all the structures in danger, and thus you loose alot of people from the initional destruction

another is that with your coloney gone food production ceases, and your food stores will only last so long, and once the food is gone who is the first to die? the scientists, the ones who are needed to work the neursry and university, thus I thought it was nessacery for it to have the same capeability but with a much reduced capasity (half the birthrate and only able to train 2 workers at a time respectivly)

the reasion I thought being able to reform into a vec would be because if you are able to have this escape when your coloney is destroyed it would still have a huge army chaseing it, as I stated before it would be able to outrun panthers and tigers, but the lynx would take large chunks out of the vec, its self repair will only work as long as its finite internal ore reserves hold out, wich means that eventually it will have to stop and mine to replenish its ore and allow it to repair, mabe even making a convec or 2 to speed up the process

once the repairs are sufficant, or the opposing army is too close it would be able to revert back into vec form to escape the pursures

even with all this, as long as the opponet knows where this vec is its a sitting duck and being able to make a comeback with a new coloney would be virtually impossible, because as soon as you set it down and try to produce the buildings it would immedeately be beset by a huge army

so mabe also the vec would not appear on an opponets minimap, just like normal vecs with their lights off and in the dark, mabe this would only work with its lights off but would also work in the day

the reasion I beleave this should have so many feachures is because it is still one vec, the last thin lifeline of hope for a destroyed coloney, vs the entire industrial might of the victorious coloney and its army

undoubtably some people will not like this vec as it would prolong games, but eccept for the maps where the only vec people start out with is this one, the reshurch, ore, and time required to build it would be more than ample for somone to kill them (basicly, it would take so long to build this thing that you could have invaded with a whole army of thor tigers)

so I guess basicly this vec is more tuned for single player campain missions rather than multy

[omagaalpha]

Betaray please conformt to new format in Ideas Reposted in sticky on main level

[Betaray]

edited to conform

[omagaalpha]

Idea make sense, and for those don't know actual outpost 1 spacecrafte was seed unit that would build minum structural once landed on surface of planet.

ty betraray for compliened with formated

[zhukant]

Yes that is true with the Outpost1 Seed Factory, and that is sort of what the "Beginning of the Game" role for this vehicle is, but it doesn't really have a point to building it later on in the game unless you want to start another colony closer to the enemy base. If you have enough might to research all that is needed, and if you have enough spare minerals to build this mama, and the opposing force can still beat your colony s***less, then I don't think this vehicle would help too much. It will only be a nuisance to the opposing force, a way to stall the game moments before your death. I think the best thing this could be used for is campaigns, where you are given it, and several other cars, and there is some blight or lava following you across an extremely long or twisted map, and you scurry from checkpoint to checkpoint setting up mini bases and accomplishing objectives. I think I like the idea of several pre-packed con-vecs to start the game with better than this machine, though.

[Vexhare]

The idea definately needs to be tweaked.

[omagaalpha]

first off problem should be more spacecraft models not robominer.
not just stick idea

also point out that if you build unit which ore required to build it(ore would be very high level) that most likely going to win anyway

this is a bad idea because
-make less vurable to enemy attack when move units around so need less lynx or mobile attack units

[HaXtOr]

should be several units like in op1 and you should only be abble to land them in the beginning or if you have a spaceport launch them like a emp missle in op2, but the catch is they require alot of resources and all 4 ships to operate properly

[zigzagjoe]

yeah, i would have to agree its a bad idea. not really needed later in game and if you are going to move ur colony then the idea is to move it w/o loosing vecs. otherwsie whats the fun of having a juggernaut. a single deployment one where you choose where to land it in like in op1 would be cool, but the functions would have to be basica s in op1. basic factory, basic smelter, basic power, basic food i think was it.

[omagaalpha]

actual in outpost 1 it solor panel power building(believed), command center,basic factor , smelter but had limit amount food that live off until agriculture building was built(note als build chap facility other was dies still lol)

[HaXtOr]

so make the seed buildings have a certain life span ie 400 marks then run out of juce and die becomeing perminately ideled or blow up like a tokemac does  

[omagaalpha]

think try make so that limit ability will make so more likey to get rid them.
seed power->would
seed smelter-> stock pile ore slowly turn in to bars so ie limit rate to take ore turn into bar like 50 per min .
seed factory ->can only produce structure kit,basic agridome, basic research facility
Command center-> say let be perment one or we call basic and make 50 building & 20 units limits, so that has build true command center.
landing seed module -> store 1 bulldozer, 1 robominer, 4 convex, 1 earthworm thrus act gurage too but does not repair units

this really whole new idea opposed to this thread so start new threas

[zigzagjoe]

specs were cc, basic power, basic fact, basic smelter w/ integrated storage, basic vech, (probe-vec/explorer, a earthworker like thing and a robot(lets just call it a convec)). and they stopped working after 200 turns i think; except mayb the command center. ild think it'll be a one-time use vech on a starting map or 2 and a few multi and thats it for usage; no building them etc. oh yeah its a lander as well. food situtation; idk

[omagaalpha]

Seed starter module
this start of new threasd of idea of have space module land planet to start the coloney