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Leech======
I've seen a leech vehicle before in a space combat game called Homeworld: Cataclysm.
The idea is that the leech ship is tiny, and virtually invisible to standard sensors. It attaches itself to nearby ships, and either spies on enemy movements, or if you want to be aggressive, it silences any alarms/damage control routines on board the target, and begins eating away at the hull.
It is a slow process (In the area of several minutes to destroy most vessels), but it is an excellent tactical weapon, and can provide a decisive advantage if used when the enemy isn't paying attention.
I can see a leech-like vehicle being pursued, but I worry that it is not OPish, and of course that it could turn out to be just an uninspired ripoff.
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Catapult Armadillo======
I wonder if "The Catapult Armadillos" would be a good name for a rock band...
Ahem... Anyway...
Would this thing hit the ground slowly enough to survive? Would it need parachutes or something? Most importantly: Could people use it in ways that would make the game not fun for other players?
This convec armadillo would allow the creation of bases in areas that could not be accessed without another armadillo. Once that happens, it is a slippery slope to the need for Very-Long-Range artillery weapons (already rejected) to lay siege to a colony created in an inaccessible area by armadillos, because once one colony is established, they can keep any other people from building their own foothold.
[Speaking for others]I think the problem with that idea is closely tied to the opposition to air units, which is itself part of a larger issue people have: They don't want weapons and vehicles separated from terrain obstacles. Consider, terrain is such a big part of strategy in the game, and can easily make or break your efforts, negating it in any way would completely change the game dynamic.
I believe this is what people are thinking, because it is something that so many shot-down ideas have in common: Air units, Artillery, Tunnelers, ultra-long-range missiles, they all seem to share one thing with each other and with your armadillo-pult: They would allow a player to circumvent terrain obstacles. Any vehicle that can ignore certain types of terrain for any period of time must be approached with utmost caution, because if one player gets it, then the other player needs a way to negate it's advantage, and before you know it the entire dynamic of the game is changed to either aerial armies, or duels of ultra-long-range missiles and artillery.
I think terrain in the OP world is meant to be an obstacle that can make or break you, and that cannot be circumvented with technology. That is where so much of the fun strategy comes from, and based on the responses I have read in this forum, it seems like a lot of people want to keep it that way, even if it means not being as realistic with weapons/vehicles/defenses as we could be.
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Combine Cruiser======
[personal attack]On a personal note, I think you should really make an attempt not to post so impulsively. My personal rule of thumb is to spend at least 2-3 days refining and analyzing an idea before posting it (99% of the time I find it has already been said, or wouldn't work anyway).
My way might be a little extreme, but come on, as of this writing, there are exactly 4 threads on the first page of this forum that were NOT started by you, and I bet if I took the time and effort to examine them, the majority of those threads would be of one of two categories:
1. Ideas that had already been discussed.
2. You proposing an idea, having it shot down, and then repeatedly trying to defend it by altering minor technicalities to get around each new objection.
I'm sorry to have to say it, but I've been wanting to get it off my chest ever since your arrival. I sensed that you would be like this when I read your very first threads, but I stayed politely silent in the hopes that you would either get bored and go away, or learn moderation.
You seem to me to be an impulsive poster who, either for lack of ability or motivation to do so, posts without consideration for anything other than the spur of the moment "I just had a great idea!" thought. Trust me you are not the only one on the internet, every forum has a person/people who post only because they want people to hear their cool-to-them ideas, and give little thought to whether it is truly a contribution that will be valuable to others, but it is much more noticeable on small and slow forums.
Once again, I'm sorry to attack you, but it really is getting irritating to me to come here every day and think "Oh god, another Combine Cruiser thread, what kind of poorly-thought-out idea will he have this time..."
[/personal attack]Then again, what do I know? Maybe I have no right to tell you how to post. Maybe I'm just tired and cranky...
Eh, whatever. Take it for what you will. I'm going to bed.