It's time to talk unit ideas

Plague units so when they die the nearest unit/blast radius turn the units into wild units, so they not respond to any player commands and attack the nearest unit if none available they move out in an expanding clockwise motion until they find a target then repeat. Commanders naturally exempt

A dedicated interplanetary gun structure might be way more efficient due to using energy to fire but not metal. The unit cannon+crawling bomb tactic will need metal for each bomb you fire. Still, there will be times when you can't afford to invest in the entire gun because you need to attack quick and won't be wanting to fire over and over. The unit cannon could just launch crawling bombs in the first wave, even though it's less efficient over sustained use.

I'd say, Gunships. Fast rocket buggies and rocket k-bots. A K-bot with short range jumpacks for that surprise attack. Perhaps a sniper unit with a long range laser for individual targeting of units. A missile sub for those sneak attacks from underwater. Flamethrower tank would be cool. Amphibious K-bots, orbital construction facilities.

Sub Commanders!

http://supcom.wikia.com/wiki/Support_Command_Unit

Decoy Commanders!

http://strategywiki.org/wiki/Total_Annihilation/Units#Decoy_Commander

Also Sea Planes and Hover Tanks

Lavadome...

Medium speed bot with strong armor that appears as a hemisphere with legs.

When deployed, the Lavadome cannibalizes its legs and digs in effectively hardening its armor further. The unit will then emit deadly microwave radiation at a medium radius all around itself. Its magnetically sealed casing makes it immune to the radiation from other Lavadomes and resistant to laser/energy weapons as well. In volume, these asymmetrical warfare monsters are a nightmare for advancing columns, but are quite vulnerable to aircraft. Once deployed, they may no longer move.



-Morloc

Just had an idea that I don't believe has been mentioned yet for a T1 or T2 unit. What do you guys think about a type of scavenger / salvage bot that doesn't start with any weapons but can pick up a predefined number of weapon systems from salvageable wreckage. Of course it would do this automatically with perhaps 3 to 5 weapon systems integrated at max. I think it could really add some nuance to larger battles where you could end up with some interesting combinations of weapons on the scavenger bot in addition to making wreckage more than just a means to reclaim some of your costs.

I think a lot can be done with small simple unit abilities which do not require manual activation beyond what is already present in the UI. These abilities can be a defining feature of a unit and not make them much more difficult to use. For example a unit could have some effect when it is firing it's weapon, such as moving slowly. Or units that have some bonus when they are not moving, like an automatic Siege Tank, such as damage resistance or range.

Another suggestion:
Orbital defense satellite - A mobile nuclear defense has been suggested before. TBH This is the only way I'm seeing it happen. If we ever get tactical missile defense (anti-catapult) - this satellite would also carry that, specially if tactical missiles would start targeting orbital (like it was suggested).

I'm gonna stress out megabot again because I don't see PA without a megabot. Since my modular approach idea seems to have been mostly rejected the other way I see a magabot is like commander with full combat upgrade - 2x ubercannon with ubercharge, one one each arm - this gives it some basic AA as well as that terrible punch and ability to take out lots of units in one hit, 2x HP of the commander (no self regeneration or resource generation). Size is about 2x the volume of commander. And possibly a tactical missile defense.

Trebuchet - mobile catapult on tracks, maybe have this one replace the vehicle artillery. I'd really like to see that advanced units form bot and vehicle factory don't overlap in order to make it more viable to build both typed of advanced factories. Currently there is little reason to go levelers once you have t2 bots and vise versa.

ATATs type bots we've got lots of 2 legged bots no 4 plus legged bots obviously not as maneuverable unless it had 8 legs then it's a lot more because it could switch direction quickly. Only adv fabbers have more then 2 legs.

You haven't looked at the Advanced Bot Fabber have you? ;p

Mike

I just had a great idea, but it's probably more fitting for some upcoming addon/mod after release:

I think, that the general rule of warfare (in games) should be: the bigger the battlefield, the bigger the weapons should be. So in conclusion that would mean, that with the upcoming galactic war, there should be some kind of planet destroying super weapon. A match-ender, something so far in the lategame that it would usually only be used to break up stalemates.
And I know that many people are thinking of the Death Star right now, but in my opinion, simply destroying a planet by shooting a big laser beam from afar would be imbalanced and boring. It would make things a little bit too simple for my tastes, and we already have a one-click planet destroying mechanism, called the planet smash.

My idea is way cooler than that. I'm a huge fan of the Warhammer 40k lore, and I always liked the Tyranids. Their only purpose was to devour planets, and that somehow really reminds me of the commanders in PA. There was an artwork most inspiring to me. It showed an upcoming Tyranid invasion from space. Imagine standing on the surface of the planet, looking up into the sky which is filled with massive numbers of space ships that look like little black dots, because they're so far away. But most of your view would still be filled with them, because there are so many. You could make out single fleets in this, which would look like tentacles evolving from the centre of all that. It was a really frightening artwork in my opinion, which brought me to this idea:

A giant space robot, with octopus-like tentacles (not as flexible, maybe more like giant mechanical spider legs), so big that it would dwarf most moons and asteroids. It's only purpose is to devour all ressources on the planet which it has it's deadly grip on. Reaching out with it's massive mechanical extremities, slowly but steadily reclaiming all objects on the planet (yes, units too). And all it leaves behind is a bare planet with nothing on it, not even trees.

It would have to be in orbit of a planet to start it's work on it, so you would have many options to fight it. From orbital fighters, over tactical missile launchers, to anti-orbital cannons to I don't know use your imagination.
So that's why it would work, because you'd actually be able to fight it.

A last really cool feature with that would be, if you'd have to shoot down it's legs (one would be as big as most midgame bases) first before you could destroy the entire robot. And that they'd fall down on the ground if you do so, destroying everything on which they fall onto.

Just an idea, but maybe too big to implement?

Greetings

That idea kinda doesn't feel like it'd fit with the whole PA stile. If we have to have something like that, how about the ability to build our own metal planets. We build a radius 100 one and ram it into another planet. Problem solved.

I just want to create some alternatives to planet smashing. To create variety, you know?
Games are generally more fun if they provide more possibilities for you to play with, don't you agree?

Also we don't know what will happen to planet smashing. The kickstarter trailer was showing some kind of defence against it (which didn't really do anything in the video, but it's an idea). We don't know how it will be balanced in the future, but my hope is, that it won't be the only match-ending option we will have in the final game. Also there is the problem with not having asteroids to smash with, it could always happen, and you need alternatives for that.

And just being able to build your own metal planets seems too much "Death Star"-ish to me.

Besides: In a Galactic War it will probably be better to use your asteroids for the additional ressources and to use them as orbital weapon platforms (I think that feature will be coming in the future), because every single planet will be precious in giving you an advantage over your opponent. There will be so many players at the same time that you will have no problems rebuilding your bases on a planet, after it got smashed.

And I think quite the contrary on the style issue. I think it would fit very well. I was listening to Mavor one livestream and he said, that the commanders only purpose is to wage war with one another, and that the planets they fight on are merely tools for them. They're like an interplanetary virus, draining out the ressources of the planets they come by. And that's basically the same as what the Tyranids do in the Warhammer 40k universe.

So what would be more fitting than a giant, ressource-draining, planet-eating monster robot with a never-ending appetite for more?

adv fabbers meaning bots were mentioned

Whoops. Too many threads to catch up on and so little time! xD I should check the files to see if they have any art for the Recluse yet....

Mike

No worries but they are the only 6 legged units bots and why stop at 6?8 Would be cool I think

Well units do have a 32 Bone limit so depending on the amount of articulation and the rest of the design and just the overall size it leads to could be the main limiting factors.

Mike

Unit idea.
Interplanetary Interceptor.

Xonyx Gunship,
Designed to take units out that are in interplanetary transit,
Travels faster than other units in interplanetary transit and can attack them.


Maybe it could be one use like a suicide bomber, or need to return to a planetary orbit to recharge weapon slowing its attack rate down.

That would be very, very cool. I also echo the sentiment of creating some bot that resurrects wrecks. Im thinking of some sort of grey goo esque thing that spreads from wreck to wreck creating uncontrollable, universally hostile fast things. Could be suicide bots. The idea being, ok, I lost this base/battle. Im going to make my opponent regret it, though.

I think there should be a large barge/landing ship capable of landing a force on planet. Or the transport could orbit the planet and drop units like odst drop pods. The point is to get lots of units from orbit to ground. Also ditto on the ATAT walkers...