For Backers Only: Metal Planet Iteration

Ah i understand what you meant now. I would still like the option to actually disable the weapon (permanently). To me, it would otherwise generate matches where things like escaping the metal planet in a "two people 1 planet" case is suicide, or someone acquiring the weapon in a "2 people 2 planets" is the game ender by default.

Of course, this disabling COULD be commander sniping (if the commander is used to control the metal planet weapon) but it would be useless in a game where that's the end mode anyway.

Sniping is the right idea, but not the commander.

Sniping won't do much damage under normal conditions since full control over a planet calls for a rather wide spread base layout. But if the control over the metal planet needs to be established by taking existing control buildings (e.g. capture and repair!), then sniping those buildings should be a way to disable the planet.

Your enemy won't be able to counter this the regular way, because no matter how sparse he constructs his base and how much he tries to achieve redundancy, those buildings can't be moved and there is no (or only limited) redundancy so they provide great targets.

Well there is a scenario I thought of for game play idea if you will hear me out; assuming the metal planet is a weapon w/o resources.

The rules I like to lay out is:
1) metal planet have capture points; capture to activate only by the commander
2) metal planets are one way trip since there's no room to build rocket pods out of there
3) each capture points have escape pods with conditions (say you need at least half of the points in order to activate them)
4) metal planet have a self destruct timer which cannot be tampered with once it started

Say you reach there first, captured half the CP and your opponent comes. You already have semi control of the thing and you are able to activate the self destruct button. You set it up and eject out of the planet leaving your opponent to rush and capture the CPs in order to escape before time is up.

The problem is that the metal planet have to be worth your wild or else you are just trying to lure your opponent into a trap which he might get out of. It also works if one is in desperation.

Commander only? Why would you wanna do this? Placing the activation behind an economical barrier (e.g. by saying you need to maintain 10.000 energy upkeep for a certain period to capture) is a lot more effective, after all you don't want to give access to the metal planets main weapons, if the game isn't that advanced yet.

Making them a one way trip is also a huge, artificial restriction. Why temper with players who would like to use the metal planet just as a regular planet after the weapon system has been rendered useless?

Last but not least: Why self destruct? Destroying the control stations (even on purpose with the Del-key), so that the weapons are disabled for good, is understandable, but blowing up the whole planet?

Anyone else think that it would be awesome to see the hub brushes on some lava planets, as if they were busy terraforming them? Or maybe just as giant, long abandoned mining facilities?

In my thoughts about the metal spots on a metal planet, and the well thought-out arguments people have made for both for and against allowing an extractor anywhere on a metal planet..

The planet itself has to have it's metal coming from somewhere. If we were to make a metal planet, we would need a way to create metal ON the planet while it's under construction, right?

What if... a metal planet, along with the weapon stations and other unique objects on it.. what if it had large scale energy generators and smaller metal makers. The energy generators on the planet would have been used to power the metal makers already on the planet, but you wouldn't require them because you have buildings that generate power already. You may just need quite a few to equal one of the generators.

With the idea that a metal planet having metal makers strategically placed at certain points, and power generators seperate you could, in theory, have the same type of land control you have on normal gametypes, but instead of with +7 / +28 metal, you have maybe.. +35 or +40 metal and a possible + and - 4000 energy. It also makes it so that you cannot build an unlimited number of metal makers because the map will have a select specific number of them.

It would work similar to how units in TA had + energy and - energy of the same number, so it could power itself, but if you stalled energy, the unit's weapons wouldn't function. This would make any natural metal deposit on this kind of planet unneeded, and still have the type of area control that metal deposits have now.

Metal planets obviously are not natural, but man-made, so I would presume metal makers and their power generators will be defensible positions, but not impenetrable.

Thoughts and/or nitpicks? Or if it was thought of before, links?

This would be the right moment, to ask neutrino, if this is actually possible with the current economy system.

This is very true, but I'm presuming I have to wait for him to reply. I'm sure his inbox has thousands upon thousands of private messages and the likelihood of him seeing mine in the sea of others is slim to none. If it is possible within the current economy system, do you think it would be a viable compromise between putting metal extractors anywhere on a planet made of metal vs not wanting to mine your weapon of doom?

This is already possible in PA - the system for weapons to use energy to fire is already in use for artillery and tactical missile launchers.

Sounds like a plan.

I do think the commander being needed to activate the thing is a good one, but i think specific control points has it's merits too. Maybe have the Commander as the final keypiece in the activation?

I like this idea. It give the metal planets a difference from other planets, and assures that they are a resource boon, but not an infinite one. it''d be cool because the metal planet is already a kind of king of the hill game, and then its covered in smaller king of the hill games. King of the hill-ception 0_o

I mean units which generate and consume energy at the same time, with the condition that the energy is added to the global energy pool first AND then subtracted again. Totally different thing if a unit acts as drain and source at the same time, because these two need to be tracked separate from each other.

Well, if the structures are just kind of sitting around, they'd need your commander to capture it right? Oh ye oldschool find the Galactic Gate and Capture it style of gameplay. But this time, it's metal structures and reactors.

Perhaps the metal planet's superweapon requires all or at least a majority of it's own reactors to function (because of the immense amount of power needed for use), and thus making capturing the generators something important to keep in mind as well instead of just powering your metal makers with your own buildable fusion reactors.

• That would also make energy storage and metal storage a big deal since if you lose your metal makers, all of your metal is confined to your storage.

• If you lose your generators, you could keep your metal makers on, but you'd need energy storage to build anything or your metal income would cease because of power deficit.

Something else to consider; Will metal planets have any form of special units? And if they do, what happens when players make unit cannons.

I'm not even a Star Wars fan or anything but that looks pretty cool

Haven't been on the forums in a month or two, glad to come back to see an updated aesthetic and still thriving community. Can't wait til the beta starts and I can jump in!

Just think with just a tiny bit more money you could be playing today... mmmm robots!

Some interesting ideas in this thread, consider me inspired!

I reckon instead of metal extraction points it should just have power nodes, add power stations, get mass. Perhaps tie Metal planet capture to unique unit designs also.

Not just a different play style, but entirely different mechanics for one planet type?
No thanks.

I would argue it's not a different mechanic in the slightest, you are just placing a building on contextually predefined areas of a map. All that changes is the model. From a 'realism' point of view (hahaha) how does one go about mining an obviously artificial huge metal construct without specialised equipment? The standard general purpose dirt-pounder is liable to only make some kind of horrible approximation of music.

Perhaps if you play a nice tune the planet will reward you with mass, no?

It's models and textures that need time and effort to create for the singular use on Metal Planets.

That's a waste.