Author Topic: Starflare/Nova GPs (Read 8328 times)

lordpalandus · « **on:** March 26, 2012, 12:28:50 PM »

As suggested by the patch thread, heres a simple poll. POLL AWAY!

Flashy · « **Reply #1 on:** March 26, 2012, 04:54:55 PM »

Well, seeing as they don't harm anyone (no, i didn't mean it that way), I don't see why they should be removed, either way no one uses them. But somehow I always got the feeling that they were intended as some kind of minefield, which never worked out.

lordpalandus · « **Reply #2 on:** March 26, 2012, 07:02:53 PM »

I get the feeling many things in Outpost 2 should have worked out differently if Outpost 2 wasn't as rushed as it was.

Freeza-CII · « **Reply #3 on:** March 26, 2012, 08:39:10 PM »

some people want them so they can pull the dick card. and build one is some ones base.

CK9 · « **Reply #4 on:** March 26, 2012, 10:50:17 PM »

When I use thm, I build them next to my cc in case my opponent prolongs my defeat by destroying one building at a time (seriously people, you beat me, I can't recover from your last attack, just kill my cc so we can try to get another game in!)

lordpalandus · « **Reply #5 on:** March 26, 2012, 11:16:42 PM »

I never bother with them thats why I suggested to get rid of em.

Maybe if they "launched" the explosive with a range of say 4, with a one use attack, then maybe... otherwise no.

CK9 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 27, 2012, 11:41:07 AM »

What if we made it so they didn't emit light? That would give them a tactical use, especially since (I don't know if this is still true) day/night was only disabled when it was a lag issue

lordpalandus · « **Reply #7 on:** March 27, 2012, 11:54:29 AM »

Well, if the nova/starflare GPs didn't emit any light, then they might be very useful, particularly as a minefield.

Freeza-CII · « **Reply #8 on:** March 27, 2012, 08:11:41 PM »

I cant remember correctly but do the flare and nova gps have to be manually set off i thought they didnt have a auto fire.

lordpalandus · « **Reply #9 on:** March 27, 2012, 11:39:36 PM »

Yep manual fire. Main reason I leave them alone. If they auto-fired it'd make them slightly more useful.

CK9 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 27, 2012, 11:59:03 PM »

I think they auto-target, though

Norsehound · « **Reply #11 on:** April 02, 2012, 06:27:42 PM »

I know the developers wanted a guard post for every weapons system but I don't see the point to these static defenses. Every unit attacking them is going to be ranged, so the only hope is for a super-nova to catch it at a distance.

And if you turn off the lights, the advancing enemy units are still going to see them before they have the chance to pounce.

Maybe one fix is to make them immune to EMP effects?

lordpalandus · « **Reply #12 on:** April 03, 2012, 12:45:48 AM »

Or make it so that they are "invisible" until you get close enough to them to detect them with a scout. Without a scout you'll detect them when you hit them.

Norsehound · « **Reply #13 on:** April 03, 2012, 03:11:43 AM »

But nothing in the game is invisible until being detected. The only thing I can think of is starship debris.

TH300 · « **Reply #14 on:** April 03, 2012, 05:33:16 AM »

A guard post is a massive structure. Why would it be invisible?

Immunity to EMP could help, because that would prevent passing enemy units from automatically idleing those guardposts. That would have to be limited to starflare and supernova guardposts though.

EMP immunity could be explained with those guardposts using only very simple electric circuits. That would mean, we disable the friend/foe detection and let them detonate on everything that comes close.

Still, if a large group of enemy vehicles passes, they will range-attack the guardpost and likely destroy it, before they are in its detonation radius. Multiple supernova guardposts close to each other may work better, but they are also more expensive.

Norsehound · « **Reply #15 on:** April 03, 2012, 06:04:38 AM »

You could also figure that most of their bulk is just chemical explosive. A single precise charge is what detonates them.

Maybe adding spontaneous activation (full explosion) when damaged might also help.

In any case they need to act as a deterrent. Removing EMP means the group has to stop and use their weapons to destroy them at a distance, so it's doing the job even if it isn't doing it as designed.

Freeza-CII · « **Reply #16 on:** April 03, 2012, 06:17:59 AM »

i think a way to solve the problem with the explosion not hitting a maxium number of targets is to reduce the site range so it will see the units inside it range rather then on the outskirts of the range and maybe only taking one or 2 it will take 4 or 5.

lordpalandus · « **Reply #17 on:** April 04, 2012, 11:05:08 AM »

If you removed the FFI wouldn't the GP go off if a spider/repair vehicle/convec came up to it to repair it after a battle or to build another gp near it?

TH300 · « **Reply #18 on:** April 04, 2012, 11:28:39 AM »

yea. forget that suggestion.

Norsehound · « **Reply #19 on:** April 04, 2012, 02:34:12 PM »

But spontaneous activation when damaged?

Sure you can hurt allies, but it kind of already does that given the nature of the design.

Deathagorn · « **Reply #20 on:** September 17, 2012, 06:56:45 PM »

I always thought those guard posts made excellent defenses on heavily defended choke points. If an enemy was breaking through with large numbers, but was more focused on the long ranged defenses, it may end up as a pain to see a good deal of units lost to a single turret, when you were distracted.

Savant_Ace · « **Reply #21 on:** September 24, 2012, 11:06:04 AM »

While I do think the functionality should be modified, I do not think they should be removed. Perhaps make them proximity sensative to all units like an actual mine. Or possibly make them the same color as the terrain they are built on for better camoflauge. Or even better make their health and armor 10x the normal guardpost (Radiation shielding for high-explosive weaponary?), then they would be a serious problem if you went to destroy them first. No matter what the reason, though, I don't want to start pulling features out of this game, no matter how remote the likelyhood of them being useful. I once won a game by 1 HP on my command center. Thats what I love about the tactics aspect in this game. Sometimes one little change can seriously alter the outcome.

Flashy · « **Reply #22 on:** September 24, 2012, 12:56:46 PM »

Those guardposts having more armor or health sounds nice, though I'm not sure about the effects on balancing and game speed since they'd make defences harder than before... and they would slow down the game, since it would take valuable seconds to destroy even one mine.

Savant_Ace · « **Reply #23 on:** September 24, 2012, 02:46:46 PM »

It would admittedly change the landscape of tactics somewhat, but I can't see it throwing off the balance too far. If anything it would be an inconvenience, but if all we're doing is playing the game because its fast, then I think we may be missing the points of tactics altogether. Perhaps that last part is just me...

Flashy · « **Reply #24 on:** September 24, 2012, 03:17:28 PM »

Just saying that a good eden player can turtle in, I'm just not sure what kind of time advantage an improved starflare guardpost would make... But then again, you technically only have to suice run a group of scouts to clean the mines... I didn't think of that.

News:

Poll

In interests of patching would you remove starflare and supernova guardposts?

Author Topic: Starflare/Nova GPs (Read 8328 times)