Author Topic: Chassis' And Turrets  (Read 3815 times)

Offline Spikerocks101

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Chassis' And Turrets
« on: June 19, 2012, 01:51:23 AM »
Disclaimer: Obviously, these ideas probably aren't new at all, I was just thinking about them for a bit, so I decided to make a post. These are Outpost 3 styled ideas, assuming Outpost 3 was 3D and had a free roaming map, as in, not grid based. Well, I mean, for units movement, I don't care if buildings are grid based, since it doesn't matter with this idea.

Turrets:
There would be 2 new turrets styles introduced. Personal Defence turrets and Assault turrets. For simplicity, they will be named Micro turrets and Major turrets. Certain chassis' and other vehicles/structures would support X number of Micro turrets and/or Y number of Major turrets.

Micro Turrets:
Micro turrets would be used mainly for Personal Defence. Light chassis' like the Cat and Lynx would support 1 micro turret. Some and vehicles might also be capable of supporting light turrets, possibly through the use of research. This could make some buildings (example: mine, geothermal power plant, ore storage) and vehicles (examples: cargo truck, convec, robo-miner) that are vulnerable able to protect them self. Obviously, escorting them with military vehicles could work, but having a cheap 100 or 200 common ore turret on the building/vehicle directly could be much more efficient then having a 500 to 1000 common ore tank following around a simple robo-miner.

Example of turrets that possibly qualify as Micro turrets: Laser, Microwave, EMP (this one I think would be the main concept for a PD turret), Sticky-Foam and Starflare (go out with a bang :D).

It can also include possible new turrets: Repair-Arm (repairs self at a very slow rate, possibly to a limit like 25% or 50%), Stealth-Beacon (hides unit on mini-map) and Radar (increase sight by 25% and detects stealth).

Major Turrets:
Major turrets, or Assault turrets, would be used for the sole purpose of destroying other units. They would be available to heavy chassis' and to Guard Posts. Rare buildings might also be able to equip Major turrets, namely the Command Centre. Upgrades might make it possible to have dual Major turrets on some chassis', making super destructive vehicle. The main draw back to Major turrets is the sheer cost. It could cost 500 to 2000 common ore, and potentially 0 to 500 rare ore just for a single Major turret. Having dual turrets could make a single vehicle cost 5000 common ore.

Example of turrets that possibly qualify as Major turrets: Railgun, RPG, ESG, Thor's Hammer, Supernova and ESG.

Chassis' and Defence Buildings:
There would be several new chassis' and buildings available to fit the new turret style. There will also be a new "optional upgrade" feature for buildings and vehicles, adding more to the customization. The main purpose of this is to allow for more tactics in combat, trade options between players, and have specially designed base defences that serve different purposes.

Chassis':
5 total chassis options will be available. From weakest to strongest, it goes Cat, Lynx, Panther, Lion, Tiger. Each chassis will fill a different role.

[size=9]Cat:[/size] The role of the Cat is to escort and guard vulnerable, yet not critical vehicles and buildings. This includes trade routes, mine routes, freshly built colonies. Cat's will have 4 wheels, and be fairly small. They will support 1 Micro turret, and be the second fastest combat vehicle, behind the Lynx. Weakly armoured, and only barely combat efficient, they will be an early game unit. Cheap and easy to build, it is likely that most armies will be made of large amounts of Cat's in early/middle game, and will see roles in late game for flanking of trade routes. The Cat also doesn't have a rotating turret until properly upgraded. They will cost 100 to 300 common, depending on additional upgrades.

[size=9]Lynx:[/size] Fast and capable of easily flanking enemies, Lynx's play many roles with its 6 wheels. Supporting 1 Micro turret in early game, they will be first seen as commanders start to set up additional colonies. They will be used for harassment, but with limited combat capabilities, will be hard to do game-ending rushs with. In mid game, they will be able to upgrade to support either Micro turret or a Major turret. This makes them more effective at destroying valuable trade routes easily, but with still weak armour, they will be outmatched by Cats when in battles of 2:1 ratios, until the Major turret upgrade. Late game, they will be used to escort heavier armour, and mainly to cover flanks, or respond to surprise assaults. Costing 200 to 600 common, they will be fairly mass produced mid game, and will see action the entire match.

[size=9]Panther:[/size] The first vehicle seen in battles to support half-tracks and the mighty Major turret, the half-track Panthers will make the bulk of the mid game and late game armies. Having medium armour in the front and sides, and no armour in the rear, the panther fills many roles and the main battle tank. Used in early-mid game as a devastating power, it will destroy Cats is 3:1 battles, and Lynxs and 3:2 battles. It will be the first unit to be able to stand up against the Guard Post. It's main draw backs will be that it is fairly expensive, yet still capable of mass producing, and that it has a weak rear. Turning at a slower rate then most other vehicles, it also has the disadvantage of not having a rotating turret until properly upgraded. Being flanked in its primitive design, the mighty Panther could be killed. To counter this, and early design feature includes having a rotating Micro turret mounted on the rear, capable of providing a small bit of defence. In late game, after fully being upgraded, the Panther becomes the replacement for nearly all Cats and Lynxs, and easily sees Panther vs Panther combat. Costing 500 to 1500 common, and 0 to 200 rare, the Panther will be super mass produced in late game, but will not see much or any action in early game.

[size=9]Lion:[/size] With bunker busting in mind, the Lion packs a punch with tracks and superior armour. The main focus for the Lion is its upgrade capabilities. It can range from being a fair speed main battle tank to a super-heavy siege tank. By it self, the Lion support a single rotating Major turret, but upgraded, it can support a dual-Major turret, and an additional Micro turret in the rear for flanks. Having Heavy armour up front, medium armour on the sides, and light armour in the rear, its purpose is to drive straight. It has a few armour upgrades, but this comes with a massive price cost, and slows down the speed of the monster it self. Capable commanders will use it mid game as a counter to enemies massing lots of Panthers, as it can easily destroy a panther in a 1 vs 1 battle, but having very slow turning speed, it is ineffective against enemy Lynxs. Late game, escorted by Lynxs and Panters, it will open new entrances for enemy bases that can turn a blockade into a full out street-to-street battle. An ability that the Lion shares with the Tiger is that it can dig it self down in the ground, and fortify itself, make a decent mobile defence turret, great for securing freshly conquered area with out sending weak convecs in to construct Guard Posts. Costing 1000 to 2000 common, and 100 to 800 rare, the Lion will see fair use by non-blitzing commanders in mid and late games.

[size=9]Tiger:[/size] A rare sight for the battle field, the Tiger will be for the richest and most prestigious commanders. Having 8 tracks, the Tiger will be a mobile firing base. On each track section, it will support a dual Micro turret, totalling 8 for the entire unit, and on its main body, it will support 3 dual Major turrets, 1 facing forward, 1 facing backwards, and 1 rotating turret in the middle, totalling 6 Major turrets. The Tiger will be used to punch through the most unbreakable defences, but moves incredibly slow. Well being easily capable of defending it self, and its sheer size makes it awkward on the battle field, so commanders will need to make sure their money doesn't go to waste, and will need to focus the monster on some one at all times to make sure it doesn't become something that collects dust. Having no upgrades, it is somewhat a prototype in itself, and will likely never have a sister on the battle field. Should 2 Tigers face off against each other in battle, that would be an epic sight. Costing 3000 common and 1500 rare, non the less tens of thousands for the turrets, it easily makes the Tiger the most power and expensive singe unit to ever set foot on New Terra. Just watch out for EMP Missiles.

Defensive Buildings:
Their will be 2 defensive buildings available, the Guard Post and the Light Tower.

[size=9]Guard Post:[/size] Early game building, the Guard post starts out as a simple anti-rush building. When connected to power, the Guard post has 150% range and auto-heals at a slow rate. The upgrades for the Guard Post make it so that it never gets out dated. Starts with a Micro turret, it can upgrade all the way to dual Major turret with a dual Micro turret on top. Its armour upgrades from no armour to Super Heavy armour. It is a match for any equally tiered unit. With power, it is some what EMP resistant. Guard Posts cost from 50 to 500 common ore.

[size=9]Light Tower:[/size] The Light Tower has very large sight. It can be upgraded early on to support a single Micro turret and then a dual Micro turret. It is best used to guard important trade route entrances. It can be placed on wall segments to provide a sight upgrade. It does not need any additional power, so it doesn't benefit from being connected to the Command Centre. Best used as a mid game substitute for scouts that guard important flanks in bases. Costing 50 to 150 common, it is an easy defensive building to construct.

Thank You:
Thank you for reading this entire post. What do you guys think about these ideas?
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Offline Hidiot

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Chassis' And Turrets
« Reply #1 on: June 19, 2012, 03:32:37 AM »
Someone's played something from the Earth series...

As a stand-alone idea, I dislike separating the weapons into light and heavy classes that can't be used on certain chassis. The Thor's Hammer lynx is fun, damn it!


Also, story-wise, a major military threat needs to develop in order for the colonists to even need to think about the more advanced military technology. And in outpost, escape from the planet is a more preferable choice than staying and fighting.
"Nothing from nowhere, I'm no one at all"

Offline TH300

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Chassis' And Turrets
« Reply #2 on: June 19, 2012, 03:38:50 AM »
I like your ideas for making combat chassis' different, i.e. don't allow all turrets on all chassis' and different amounts / types of turrets. However, I don't like the idea of changing those attributes with research.

Furthermore, I think that such a comprehensive combat system doesn't fit to Outpost 2 (and likely not to any sequel). Half of it is just too expansive, considering that the main goal is escape from New Terra. And it would need too much research, which there is likely no time for.

Offline Spikerocks101

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« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2012, 04:33:39 AM »
Well, the idea mostly came from a mix of games. Having super customizable turrets comes from the game "Gratuitous Space Battles", but is similar to Sword of the Stars. As for armour, that comes from World of Tanks.

As far as the idea not fitting the current Outpost 2, it is true, it doesn't fit it at all. But the reason is, this idea isn't really for the current Outpost 2, but my own idea of an Outpost sequel, which I named Outpost: Colonies (I made that wikia about a year ago, but I came up with the idea years ago). I never really had a storyline for Outpost Colonies, or OC for short, but the game play idea was an expansion of Outpost 2's building concept, but combined with grand-scale strategy, including games like Civilization, Supreme Commander, and Sim City 4. The idea of the game was more then just managing one tiny outpost but managing a city, and then using that city to go to far reaches of a massive map and colonize the sections.

Some colonies would be in direct control by you, but after it starts getting to much to manage, it comes a point where you'd set computers to be in control of some colonies. This would lead to trade, where, say, 1 colony has really advanced Labs, and another colony has lot of experienced war factories, then the 2 colonies would trade technology for vehicles, and work together to form their own factions. The concept of the game was more like a grand-scale strategy MMO, and so having many style of chassis would cause many styles of factions, some researching high end Panthers, other researching massive produced Cats.

The flaw is, well, I don't know what a possible story line could be, and mainly, I am just simply thinking about game play mechanics. The game would be much more about diplomacy. It would also involve finding good places to settle, but the main focus of it would no longer be about evacuating like in Outpost 2. As such, it wouldn't have the same small game feel as Outpost 2, but would more have the late game feel of Outpost 2, when you have a billion Tigers and want to have some fun. Non the less, this is all just an idea for a sequel, and not a reworking of Outpost 2.
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Offline Zhall

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« Reply #4 on: June 20, 2012, 09:04:49 PM »
The simple fact that you had to research 3 things before you could build any military units turned countless people away from outpost 2....

Then starcraft happened. And outpost 2 died.
Pumping out awsome.

Offline Spikerocks101

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« Reply #5 on: June 20, 2012, 10:43:27 PM »
Maybe, but mind you, it takes almost 2 hours of game play before you can get any serious army in games like Civilization and Hearts of Iron 3. Starcraft is a decent game, but frankly, I'm not all into games that revolve around how fast you can hit the B key to construct another unit. True, I like a little challenge once and a while (I.E., Piechart), but that is not why I play Outpost 2.
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Offline Mizzion

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« Reply #6 on: June 26, 2012, 09:35:18 PM »
Quote
The simple fact that you had to research 3 things before you could build any military units turned countless people away from outpost 2....

Then starcraft happened. And outpost 2 died.

The biggest factor was that it never had a large player base because it was not a well known game when it came out.  It's style of RTS Gameplay with having to know a diverse research hierarchy was unique and not what most were accustomed to.  It's not the issue of having to research 3 things first, but rather the complex research tree and knowing when and what to research at critical times to either counter your opponent or to sustain yourself.

Contrary to popular opinion, Starcraft did not actually kill OP2, it was when WON.net got bought out by Flipside.  At the time the common joke of the player base was calling them Flopside.

Offline Highlander

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« Reply #7 on: July 04, 2012, 10:34:24 AM »
How come Flipside was bad for OP2 Miz ?
There can be Only one. Wipe Them out. All of Them.

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Offline Arklon

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Chassis' And Turrets
« Reply #8 on: July 04, 2012, 12:16:09 PM »
Quote
Then starcraft happened. And outpost 2 died.
Actually, Total Annihilation happened. Eight days after OP2 released, too.