Suggestion: turn asteroids into big nukes

I stayed completely out of the raging asteroid debate as I was mostly done with PA at the time and it was quite nasty. Now the poll does not have a third option because @jables made it totally clear that the current solution is the best we'd get. True, non-pathable craters will not be appearing in PA or PA:T due to engineering and financial limitations. That is a hard line set by the devs.

That being said, I agree with the camp that says asteroids as they are now are totally pointless. I've played with them a bit since the Titans update and they simply add nothing to a system not already there in the form of small moons. This is quite silly. Here is what I propose instead:

Make them big nukes. They should create the exact same nuclear detonation effect, but larger and with maybe a slightly different visual. They should leave a large scorch mark on the ground, exactly as current nukes do but larger. The explosion radius should be about 4-5 times that of a nuke and it should completely wipe out all orbital units. Maybe as bonus you could use them to 'nuke' gas planets, eliminating gas planet turtles. I know Uber considered this solution and veto'd it, but I think it should be reconsidered. The number one complaint about the game I see is the uselessness of asteroids. I think a much better alternative to the current system is to have them act as nukes that fill a niche, not counter-able by anti-nukes, not currently present in the game.

What do you think?

I like the current approach more - not because of balance, but because craters were buggy as hell and there was no way to fix them

Did you read my post? I'm not proposing bringing back the crater system - that is a hard no. I'm proposing to have Asteroids act exactly as nukes do now, but larger.

no. it would look silly to see an asteroid hit a planet and do no tangible damage to the terrain

No it wouldn't. See, I can also assert my opinions as fact. The asteroid could burn off all trees and most of the units. It would look just fine and actually add something to the gameplay.

while i would like to have an option that allows asteroids to be as a global swipe than a planetbuster .. if i had to chose 1 of the 2 with a gun pointed at me .. planetbuster ..

Considering the size scale between planet and asteroid in game,
I think the planet won't survive after the impact in physics.
But for the balance, I vote for the making them a big nuke rather than destroying entire planet.

I believe the halley is overpower in current patch due to several problems.

1. Asteroid only requires one halley to launch it, and a halley is even cheaper than a nuke.
   However, a single asteroid can destroy entire planet.
   Nuke has its counter building, but the asteroid doesn't.
   
2. Asteroid is very small and easy to defend.
   Once the opponent swarm the units by teleporter, the asteroid will never be taken back.
   Soon the asteroid will be secured by just few umbrella and one anti nuke.
   
3. Asteroid always appears early than the nuke, so players never use nuke in a system with asteroids.
4. Asteroids resupply too fast, so player has no need to build the catalyst for destroying multiple planets.
5. After launching the halley, there is no way to send units and nuke to the asteroids.

Many players think the problem 5 is the most major problem.
But I think the real major problem is the problem 2.
Even if players can send units to the launched asteroid, I believe it is still very difficult to take back the asteroid.
The problem 2 forces the player to rush to the asteroid and secure it when he doesn't have the eco to build the halley.


There are many ways to solve the imba asteroid.

1. Increase the required halley for asteroid, at least 2, better 3.
   So player has more time to see the construction of halley, and player can do something to react.
   This also lets the players to consider the nuke first rather than halley first.
   
2. Provide the method for player to directly destroy the asteroid rather than taking it back.
   The price should be slightly lower than the price of needed halleys.
   This may become another orbital titan which can only target an asteroid for once. (like Deep Impact, 2005)
   
3. Reduce the destructive power of asteroids, make them as big nukes.
   Since the crater system is broken and discarded, I think this option may be impossible.

Do we actually NEED a crater? I mean yeah they'd look nice but I'd be happier with a big giant craterless explosion than asteroids as they are now (which, sad to say, are basically just tiny halleyable planets, the exact thing many people who wanted asteroids didn't want them to be)

Also what about the crater csg? I assume there's some reason that the asteroid explosion can't just drop a scaled up crater csg on impact.

I would also be for this solution if it is equally doable. I guess right now there is only a moon crater CSG though. I don't care at all about making the craters unpathable.

If CSGs can be placed in the middle of a game, Uber could easily design a crater CSG for each planet type, but I'm not sure they can be placed mid game. I'm sure someone around here knows.

Haungth, there is no reason why we need the crater system to make them a big nuke. You can take a nuke right now and scale it up by whatever factor and achieve what i'm talking about. A big explosion and a scorch 'decal' that doesn't impact pathing or planetary geometry.

I think it is a practical implementation, but I worry it may look too unreal and very unimpressive.
I hope the asteroid can do some significant planetary changes,
such as sweeping all the units, damage and destroy all factories, and turning the planet to a lava planet.
Though it may be very difficult to implement, but awesome.

Otherwise, the asteroid should be made more smaller than now it is.
Thus, the asteroid disappears reasonably after the impact.
About the special effect of asteroid impact, there are many pictures can be found in the web.
It is very different to the explosion shape of the nuke.


If the asteroid is just a bigger nuke rather than destroying entire planet.
I can accept it price is only 1 or 2 halleys.

they can't change the shape of the terrain after the game starts, so the crater has to be made unpathable and the metal spots and rocks just float above it

This is why I favor just blowing up everything on the surface of the planet and orbital and sticking a big decal, like nukes do now. Anything else is gonna be a hard no from uber.

No sillier than it looks now when a pebble vaporizes a whole planet. I think this mega-nuke idea makes so much more sense.

When happens if the asteroid hits the water region? The decal may be unsuitable.

I think you concept is about these:

1. Planet can destroy entire planet, asteroid can't.
2. Asteroid impact should get a greater explosion range than nuke gets.
   
3. Asteroid impact doesn't modify the planet geometry, it is just a special effect.
   Thus, the game doesn't need the crater system.

Is it right?

I still think a crater is err needed ,maybe its not that important gameplay speaking, but still visuals are a great part of any game. and so in order to have the best expirience, and because asteroids causes craters in reality, craters are a must even unpathable (fill it with lava or somthing great for all terrains).

It will be great if the crater system can be fixed, but I think it is impossible.
I remember Uber said that the major problem of crater system is about the path finding or some pre-computation.
I don't know that exactly, but it sounds like some tech which can reduce the loading of the server.
And the crater system is a conflict with it.

It is never going to happen. Uber has been very clear about this. This thread is about working alternatives they might actually consider.

I think the total planetary explosion is amazing.