When playing a game, I often wonder myself on the T1 power generator / other buildings ratio. Through mid-game (without T2), my base is literally cluttered with power generators (20-30), compared to other buildings (mexes apart, because they act as strategic spots and forces a player to expand). Would it change a lot the gameplay to make them more powerful (I was thinking all properties, including cost, *2), so we're not needed to stack them in the build queue as we do actually? I understand that some players may be reluctant to do this, because the current optimized initial build order won't cope with a power generator with a doubled cost (but it could be circumvented by upgrading the energy generation of the commander).
Purely on personal preference, large fields of squishy and exposed economy are delightful to roll a pack of infernos through. So I quite like them as they are. Not a very compelling balance reason, perhaps, but Uber do like to do things 'by feel', and rolling white-hot flames through energy fields feels awesome.
I think they need to have a little buff. Not much of one, but just a cost decrease and a slight increase in power generation. Nothing huge.
They need to be better energy producers imho. Or normal workers need to be like combat workers. Making them just x2 on all properties is actually a nerf on their energy production.
Don't buff them too hard, just enough to make it that even without combat fabbers you're limited by metal and not by energy early game. I propose the following changes: Energy Production: 600-> 675 Cost: 450 -> 350
I would like the footprint of the energy gens to be slightly smaller. They currently make your base way too cluttered. This way you could pack them very tightly or spread them out through your base. If you pack them tightly it's quicker to build, but then you run the risk of infernos getting in and decimating your energy reserves in one hit. If you spread them throughout your base then you are not as exposed to an inferno run, but it is slower for your fabbers/commander to walk around and build them. You might also decide to build well defended tightly packed energy fields.
Or they could make multiple type of power generator, like in TA? One to start fast, very low health, and a bigger which cost more but produce more, and is more sturdy?
I like the macro scale. Personally, I wish factories had less output and cost less, but it can't happen with how necesary it would make assisting. Its very macro to encourage buildings everywhere, and I too enjoy their fraileness when you roll units through breaking tons of structures.
I don't even use T2 power generators right now. Not worth the extra cost and hassle of getting a T2 engineer going around building them.
How is that a nerf? Cost: 450 * 2 = 900 Production: 600 * 2 = 1200 600/450 = 1.33 energy production per metal invested 1200/900 = 1.33 energy production per metal invested If you are referring to the initial incremental growth it will be felt but later it doesn't really make much difference if any at all. Btw when suggesting changes to the basic economy, be aware that it is probably a misnomer to call it underpowered or overpowered as buildings such as metal extractors and energy plants have few or no competitors that can perform the same role as they do in the current version. It is much different compared to say... a Dox which basically competes with everything else that can fire on ground targets.
Indeed, that's what I mean. I'd rather have them half every attribute instead to make it a bit easier early on.
I suggested for the initial growth that maybe the commander could generate a bit more energy... maybe the value of a current PGEN?
Increase their energy production to 1000 and suddenly life becomes easier. It shouldn't be enough to outclass T2 energy gens, either. Though, the rest of their stats should remain the same. One inferno can completely destroy a field of power generators if the enemy doesn't bother building defenses.
I think T1 Pgens are perfectly valid with their current values. However there is a lack of diversity for energy tech. Right now it's straight up T1, T2, orbital. However, T2 is only worth it, if the game is going to last long enough for T2 builders to pop up. What the game really lacks is an alternate technology after T1 for fast matches with a completely different characteristic than the current techs. Namely something which ensures that their cost-effectiveness decreases over time, instead of increasing as it is the case with regular power plants. Something like a cheap "reverse metal generator" for sufficient energy production in matches which last <10 minutes, but absolutely inferior to T1 or T2 farms for longer matches since the upkeep eventually exceeds the initial savings.
