Why I think the "Spawn Anywhere" Function is awesome.

The "Spawn Anywhere" Function effectively fixes spawn imbalances.
We choose what resources we want, what terrain we want, and therefore how competitive/dangerous our spawn is going to be.

Such a feature will become more awesome when and if new localised terrain features are added, such as:

• Reclaimable Derelict Bases
• Reclaimable Terrain (Boulders for Metal, Trees/Plants for Energy)
• Capturable Neutral Buildings
• Geothermal Spots
• Height/Sight Terrain Advantages

For instance, here is a system which I set up to check out the new Incidental Smashing:

Three planets. Fire and Ice collide continually until they are littered with craters. It's a rush to escape - if you're lucky enough to survive the first collision, you may not survive the second (or third)!



New to the 'Spawn Anywhere' feature, we all foolishly spawned on rich metal, hoping to get off-planet quickly.


That's me! The other three didn't fancy allying.
I couldn't complain - I made a silly decision spawning there and ended up between three other Commanders.


The unallied, and unlucky, annihilated by the first smash.

I know this is a loose example of how the "Spawn Anywhere" function is useful in-game to get us thinking about tactics.

Hopefully as maps get more things worth fighting over then this freedom will become more useful.

I played a 2v2 recently and my commander spawned in right next to Quitch's commander. We both comm boxed and died at the same time while our teammates were building up bases.

*Edit*
Totally posted in the wrong thread. Ignore this post.

I was there

i die for that thing the other day, was funny hahaha.

It happened to me too.

I think it kind of proof how unbalanced maps are. If more than 2 people are spawning at the exact same place when they are 3 planets available, there is clearly a problem with mass repartition.

It doesn't fix the issue, it only put emphasis on it.

I'm of the opinion that Metal should provide a lower yield per spot.

However this does help spawn imbalances once you realise spawning right on top of a mountain of metal is a risky move.

Captain I officially grant you the key to the internet for positing a clip from Galaxy Quest!

It's definitely a cool mechanic. And it'll only get more interesting once 40 player games make their grand entrance.

Well, it's obvious that players want to start in metal rich spots. So if you want to avoid comm boxing, you might want to start at less metallic spot, second best. Now, some people are not good enough at evaluating starting locations, so they might as well think that second best is the best out there. So if you really want to avoid early contact, you should pick third best. And the problem is, if there is another smartass who wants to avoid shootout at the very begging as much you do, you will spawn at the same spot!

I'm yet to be in the start anywhere match where there are no commanders starting at same spot.

I kinda like the comm boxing and start anywhere in 1v1's, it gets REALLY interesting when you spawn in the same location and make a decision to either risk fighting the other commander and win early, run and build an army, or stand your ground.

I had a 5 v 5 com box... It wan't meant to be a com box, because the host had lots of planets set up for a clever game. I ended up taking control of every commander and throwing them at the other team. They had no idea it was coming and they (literally) wiped each other out. Perfect annihilation, no commanders left. We still won though, because of my genius skills, of course.

reminds me of the AI in TA, when they started together, there was no quarter.

Instant d-gun to the face, death nuke seppuku move!

Turn metal density down to 1, turn metal amount up a bit, make metal spread out in non-clusters and individual specks all over the place.

Also, now you get free startup eco since last patch, commanders can start factory first. Just land in an EMPTY spot, start a factory and ANNEX a metal patch nearby. Brains and such.

There is a certain amount of meta to be made about spawning here.

The key is picking a good spot, without putting your self in a bad position.

I want to see north vs south spawn areas.