How to make metal planets more unique

Just a quick thought. Haven't put much order into it yet.


I think there should be buildings that works as control points. They each control a process on the planet. There might even be more than 4 because not all control buildings aren't linked to the superweapon. for example. A station that engages a planetary shield. One that controls the planets defence systems (like cannons and such). then there should be about 4 buildings that each control a part of the process linked to the death weapon.
So when you have captured and repaired one of these buildings you control its function on the planet. One station controls the aiming system for the superweapon. Another controls the power that is funnelled into the cannon. This station controls if you want to power up the weapon. The more power it generates the more powerful shot but if too much power is generated it is overheated and explodes taking the planet with it in a huuuge explosion.
The 3rd station controls the cooling system. It makes the chances of an overheat less likely and it improves the function of all other stations if its online. The last station is the "big red button" the one that fires the station by draining all the power funnelled into it. (if cooling station is active there is a shorter period between pressing the button and the shot to be fired.) If a station is heavily damaged the control systems doesn't work and the station keep doing what its doing. (like you may destroy the launch station on an enemy "metal planet" and then damage the reactor. Not it will generate energy until it goes boom)

I think something like this would be awsome. It might create interesting political situation. Where 2 players controlling half of the planet each choose to use the weapon to defeat an common enemy. ( but be careful your ally maby doesn't fire the shot and then the core might overload.)

Some short notes of an example. Imo this would be awsome. Note that its the general idea that I want to bring forth. So the details are more for example.

No thoughts?

It's a bit complicated. Holding a few areas should be necessary to use the death stars, but I don't agree with giving the areas different functions.

Yeah, I like the base idea here (needing to capture and hold multiple points on the planet in order to use it as a weapon - perhaps even requiring some kind of additional resource investment on your part), but giving each part a different function is adding needless complication.

Actually it's kind of similar to what we've been thinking. The detail are still to be exactly worked out though. Keep in mind I'm very much a KISS kind of person.

Giving control points some identity would be very cool. It makes it different from all other games where each point is just a flag that means nothing unless you capture all.

Control points sounds awesome. That will make them really unique.

But how do you prevent instant game winning rushes? There should be some resource investment involved.

If this is implemented, it should be done more organically. Rather than making it a special case with metal planets, one could have dormant 'civilian'* appear randomly generated on planets, and capturing a control unit should turn over control of the whole base to the person who does so (this should obviously be slower and more resource intensive than regular capture operations, so as not to make it just a bunch of units for free). Metal planets just happen to have more of these, and some of them might have superweapons. General mechanics are, in general, better than special cases.

*In that SupCom definition of civilian, where the civvies have railguns and antimatter artillery for some reason.

I like that, it makes it more strategically important to get specific spots.

I'd like to see these merged with the whole reactivate or salvage choice re: metal worlds.

Imagine each metal world is basically a vessel (or series of them) half-full of resources.
These 'control points' are the Input/Ouput ports.

You can either slurp up the mass and energy for use elsewhere or you can pour your own in to bring it back online.

I would be thinking of something like Civilzation IV where you had to build the parts of the space ships so maybe you can send in a work bot or your commander and have him build the parts with that green goo that looks like it makes everything

It'll be interesting to see how they pull these off if we make it there. All i know is I'll be happy to have a death star at my disposal. :

Yes, that would be very nice.