T3 Idea and how it would work

SupCom 1.

SupCom2 didn't have conventional tiers, and a bunch of different issues to contend with that don't apply to PA.

That's right, I vaguely remember Sup Com 2 changed a few things, an overall... Change.. I'm not willing to call it an improvement. But it seemed certainly like a creative experiment. In answer to Killzone though, I'll apologise since when I originally posted I was feeling rather heated and over the whole debate thinking most people asking about it are fanboys who don't really understand the problems inherent. I was more prejudiced than actually giving you a fair turn.

To more accurately portray, what I thought was the problem. Or at least if it's not Ubers' problem it's mine.
3 tiers leave alot of ambiguity over teching. Do you rush for tier 3, do you settle in tier 2. Can you power t3 factories with tier 2 income and still continue teching up while building these expensive t3 units. I go back and play Forged Alliance Forever sometimes just for the sake of old times and I'm continually plagued by it. Although that's just me.

This in short- and I've really put it simply here- is why 3 tiers doesn't work well from a practical and gameplay perspective. That is to say, the same "tiers" of technology could be used more effectively. For example, when you have T1, T2, T3. One problem is you tend to copy paste the same units, maybe change them around a bit, add hp, add damage, add cost, and there you go. The next tier up is exactly the same as the previous tier but better.
At least that's what I think of when someone says T3.

So to more appropriately answer to you're solution, and address my previous rant. Orbital is a better "T3" because it adds depth to the gameplay, not just unnecessary complexity. Also, as a matter for discussion when we have (hopefully) galactic wars. Maybe over multiple solar systems. We're going to need something large scale, rather than just swarm in advanced units to take over 20 planets. If it's 2-3 solar systems, each with 20-30 planets. This is where I see a viable "T3" solution. mostly orbital is my guess, or something that is more easily used by something like unit cannon, or orbital transport. I'm out of ideas right now, but I'd put my money on that being one of the better ways to utilise an extra tier. Maybe in advanced orbitals?

Matt out.

Galactic mode has nothing to do with an individual game. Think more along the lines of the Rome:Total War or Warhammer 40K RTS games. At the simplest it gives you a way to find games. At the best it gives you a way to find games, with stuff.

I like the extra depth in orbital as you suggested. As for T3 being a direct upgrade to units, I am not to sure if that's how it should work if it were to be added. I do see your point in tiers only giving a direct upgrade and I completely agree with you. What I was thinking, in order to change things up, T3 would be a rather small tier meaning it has way less diversity than T2 and T1. T3 would focus on special units like the megabot as an example. T3 would be the super weapon age and it would have special buildings for destruction possibly. As for economy, I feel that T3 would not have an economy because it would be just to much. The real reason is that you will need loads of T2 tech in order to move to T3. That will make it so that it will most definitely prevent a tech race as they are doing with T2 right now. As for orbital, I feel its a bit shallow at the moment and it could go into more depth. But because orbital is T1, I would feel that T2 orbital would be very specialized because T1 orbital feels like T2 ground. So basically by adding T2 to orbital you would have a T3 for it. My brain juice is out currently and I know I can always expand on this and I know it can work while benefiting the game and I like both of your comments a lot.

I guess then, if I understand your points correctly. By T3 you mean another layer of technology in the mix somehow, like an advanced orbital, or something else. Rather than T3 in the sense that it's only ever been applied, which is Supreme Commander where you have 3 levels of technology, each practically a level of expense and power over the next and no other significant defining features.

If that's right, please remember that in the future when you refer to T3, do you want more variety? or do you want another "tier" of technology?

Well it would be an extra tier but with not vast amounts to make. For example, you could have a digger bot that can hide under the soil and cannot be detected by radar but only slight humps seen by visibility. Or a laser beam bot that shoots lasers that will kill anything in its way for a certain distance because the planet is round. There is a lot of possibilities

I have to ask then, why is it a "tier 2" or "advanced" factory not create such units you suggest? Why make them an extra tier of technology on top of whatever exists?
If you already have ideas, why not balance them out in existing discussions regarding new units, and find a way to introduce them to the existing basic and advanced technology tree? I think it would be far easier than introducing a new layer to consider, if there's substantially few things to build. As it is I only see 6-7 different units to be used between basic and advanced the way it is.

You'd have to be pretty convincing to say why all these suggestions of yours justify an extra tier, rather than simply expansion of an existing model (Basic and Advanced) of land, air, sea and orbital.

Absolutely. This plan of action would totally work and would save a lot of work. Yes you can do this but the T3 idea was really more advanced tech. I do not see anything wrong with expanding the T2 tech over making a T3 branch.

Well having T3 isn't much of a problem depending on your definition of what the different tech tiers are for.

I think this belongs into a mod instead of the vanilla game.

You underestimate how fast people can rush things.

"Make it very expensive" simply doesn't really work. People will find a way to rush it faster than you anticipate.

I also wonder if other games like SupCom had 4 or 5 tech tiers, and PA had one less than that, if people would be clamoring for that extra tech tier.

Another tech layer would invalidate basic units and one of Uber's philosophy is that all units be valid at all stages of the game. It has nothing to do with cost.