Auto Repair for units and structures

Occupational damage and the need to keep your mind on the larger conflict would say it does.

It reduces the hassle of maintenance on a large empire.

You allow players to keep their mind on the larger conflict by facilitating them with a more powerful UI which lets them more efficiently get engineers to where they are needed.

As has already been stated; auto-repairs have too much a diminishing effect against light raids which are designed to cripple the opponent's position without outright killing them, and raiding and crippling should be an important factor to warfare.

I consider auto-repairing to be yet another staple function demanded primarily by bad players.

I generally just order a couple of engies to patrol the base, in FA they will auto repair and reclaim whatever they come across.

I really liked those engineering buildings out of FA. You could just plop one down and it would repair anything within a radius. You didn't need a pile of engineers on a patrol path cluttering up your base, they would be less likely to randomly die in a bombing run, and when they did blow up it was easier (clicking wise) to get your repair infrastructure back up.

Having slowly but surely made my way through this thread, it's safe to say there's some apparent problems that are inherently plaguing this issue of self repair.

Although there are obvious benefits and problems associated with it- I believe that if it's implemented -correctly- and on a -limited- scale, self-repair isn't a problem. As everyone seems more than happy to use things like Forged Alliance and such for comparison, let's go with that.

What units used to self repair? Enormous or important ones. Your commander self-repairing? That's fine- it was at a rate that wasn't too quick while still being enough for you to get them under cover and leave them until back to full health. Experimentals? Well of course- after all it would take all day to get them repaired unless you have significant resources and facilities available to the task.

You want repairing in PA? Well, simple. Either allow for the usual tried-and-tested patrols of engineers- or implement repair towers or something else, or simply don't have it. You'll never please everyone but the most important thing isn't proverbial world-peace, it's how it affects gameplay.

As has been said, the effectiveness of raids and the like is reduced exponentially if you have self repair- it's a game breaker in that regard. Not only that, but if we're looking a a game based over several planets, with masses of units and structures- how is it -fair- to allow every single one the perk of self repair?

Your assault on a base that crippled it and nearly wiped out it's defences and army is worthless, if within 10 minutes it's all back to full health despite the player having done -nothing- about it directly.

Let's face it- the method that's been around for years simply works. Adding in repair towers or area-of-affect addons to units, structures or as standalone "repair pits" would be the only other practicable option- otherwise there is, really, no or little point in repairing things manually any more.

Come on guys- this is a strategy game. Where's the strategy gone if you haven't even got to look after your own buildings and units? It would be needless nannying- we don't need it, fun is detracted and no good will come of it. We're all grown-ups who enjoyed TA and SupCom- we're all used to repairing stuff or setting up repair areas.

I would add that eliminating micro when you can't transform your thought into orders is good.
But in that case, it eliminate the need to even think about it. Which is not good.

I still feel like important structures like factory's, engineers and commanders need to have a bit of it to ensure that a raid does little damage to them.

But economic buildings however should be more then exposed, alongside your normal troops, allowing raids on another persons economy to still be viable.

Unfortunately the targets of raids (effective ones, anyway) usually are factories, engineers and commanders.

Factories could perhaps have an addon or something similar but I wouldn't really agree on that one- nor when it comes to engineers either- what's the point in raiding you if only to kill off your resources? It shouldn't take an epic sized strike to take down just engineers and production- that's half the appeal of raids in the first place.

Never before, from TA onwards, have factories and engineers had self repair- the whole principle of engineers and factories is that they are vulnerable and do need to be protected. They shouldn't be getting damaged if you can protect them and you shouldn't have either your failure in that regard be compensated for with free or even paid-for repairs that kick in automatically.

If there's going to be any kind of repair system on buildings or units- there has to be a fair way of implementing it- this is why many are quite happy to just stick with what works. Unless you have to pay and install the system on buildings, which rightfully should be on an individual basis and even then should have differing costs according to what the building is or how much it cost in the first place.

But self repair on an engineer? No. If you want your engineers repairing, then bring two and do it the old fashioned way.

The game doesn't need simplifying on this level- it really, really doesn't. There isn't a veterancy system as it is- otherwise I'd suggest it be something that could be put in that. If you want repair systems, then let's look at a unit dedicated to it- we can't have shields, right? Well let's maybe look at a repair unit?

Regardless, we don't need special snowflakes- you can't have a unit for everything, hence engineers- they roll up all you need in one package. Something's damaged? Engineer. Loads of scrap? Engineer on patrol. Build stuff? Engineer. Simple.

We can't just let selective things have self-repair- it breaks the game- this is why you haven't seen these kinds of features or implementations in other games, otherwise it would have been done already.

I love to turtle, I really do- I like to swap over and rush or try different tactics in different games just to keep things fresh. But never, ever would I say it's a good idea to implement self repair on a wide or even narrow basis as has been suggested- it just isn't necessary.

If you're too ignorant to protect your engineers and other buildings, you should pay for that. If you're inexperienced, you'll learn. Sometimes it's just luck of the draw that you get pounded in the centre of your base- but if everything starts repairing itself you'll end up having no choice but to just hurl asteroids at everything. The game will become painful and slow to play, people get bored- not good.

Simple, short version? Stick with the Commander. We don't need self-repairs on anything but that. Something else needs repairs? Engineers. Engineer towers? Repair zones? Whatever- but vote to to self repair? Nooooo!

Well attacking an opponents economy and leaving their factory's would leave them with a lot of expenditure, driving their economy into the ground as they try to rebuild.

And if your intent is to take out factory's what makes the difference between an assault and a raid? he he.

What if engineers and factory's have to take the time to repair themselves, like a normal repair rather then regeneration? Then we can cut out the unnecessary need to have extra engineers for repairing each other?

Well as above, cutting out the unnecessary redundancy while keeping the method.

Yeah, so lets have an engineer that can at least do first aid on himself!

It might, in TA tree fire could damage your stuff, at leas if the medics and factory's could repair themselves, then they could help the others in the traditional way!

As above I don't quite agree, but I do want to hear your opinion, so carry on good sir!

If things heal, then you effectively remove attrition as a potential strategy.

Even though the following is a micro-intensive tactic, people should be allowed to shoot a tiny bit then run the hell away the instant things start shooting back.

Is there a compromise between our two ideas? Like my suggestion that factory's and engineers be allowed to actively use a repair gun on them selves as they would on any other target then actual regeneration?

Thus taking time and possibly resources to do this rather then their normal duty's?

If it's automated (as in, not explicitly ordered by the player) then it's just healing with a resource cost.

Attrition still isn't viable, but it just adds an annoyance factor (which may be desirable for other reasons) to the targeted player.


If it's not automated, then maybe. But I suppose there's no difference between that and having two engineers which will heal each other.

Well engineers who patrol would stop to repair themselves, but factory's could have it as a build option.

This way engineers keep themselves alive (Not that they are hard to kill) and factory's can be order by the player to repair themselves in their build menu.

Assuming engineers are actually squishy, then this sounds like a reasonable compromise.

Won't say it's great until I see it in action, but I'd at least give it a trial run to see what behaviour emerges.

I am glad we could come to some kind of compromise, thank you for your civility and time.

To quote myself from the past, though I'd ignore my numbers, if we have an idea of how long it will take to get units from one base to another, then we can get a good estimate on the length of time before a structure should start auto-repairing and just how fast it should repair.

It prevents attrition from being an irrelevant tactic, because as long as you keep pressure on your opponent and are doing damage, the auto-repair mechanic doesn't come into play.

Are we still considering a delay mechanic as a premise or are we operating under the assumption the mechanic is always active?

chronoblip, it should always be the job of player decisions to repair all his stuff, no matter what. If you can't be bothered to assign some engineers to be on location to repair your damaged assets, you do so at your own discretion. I hate tedious micro myself, but how lazy do you have to be to not either build a repair tower or assign a simple order to some engineers?

Engineer build power and time are just as much resources as metal and energy and carry ramnifications throughout the game, and auto-repairing gives those two away for free.

Is there a compromise between water and oil? The moment you design the game around placating sh!tty players, the game can only get sh!ttier.

Like I stated before, this thread has nothing but bad.

It is impossible to say that people are or aren't being lazy because they are or aren't spending time doing something in a game that hasn't been completely designed, let alone played.

Only a buttbonnet would make assertions about things which are impossible to make assertions about.

ayceem, it should always be the job of the post author to fix typos in their posts, no matter what. If you can't be bothered to spell check your posts, you do so at your own discretion. I hate tedious literacy requirements, but how lazy do you have to be to not have spell checking in your browser or just use words you know how to spell?

Attention is also a resource, and since we can't play the game, we can't make any conclusive assumptions about how that resource will be allocated to different tasks.

Also since the mechanic itself, let alone all the details of its implementation, haven't been confirmed or denied, you have again asserted something which is impossible to assert at this stage of development.

If you are familiar with a substance called "soap", or perhaps the condiment called "mayonnaise", then you are aware of the compromise between water and oil.

If two ideas appear irreconcilable, they may just require a third emulsifying agent. The agent that had been recommended earlier was a time delay on the mechanic based on receiving damage, and I had brought it up again as the points being made recently don't seem to take something like that earlier point into account.

When you allow input from people not sharp enough to discuss the finer points of game design, the results tend to be rather dull.

I suggest another idea;

How about a high-tech building that offers either one of a few upgrades, say..

Planet-wide repair.
Planet-wide damage upgrade.
Planet-wide speed upgrade.

I'm just naming ideas, obviously there could be an upkeep associated or the like, such could always be determined during balance fases.