If we are going to have terrain deformation then what about being able to level out the terrain so that it will be buildable again? Or even digging a mote around your base or putting up a mountain range? If you want a good example of what I'm talking about then go play TA spring http://springrts.com/
Jon has said that there might be super units able to demolish mountains and such. Might be. This link might help https://forums.uberent.com/threads/terrain-deformation-is-it-still-coming.51182/
The link you gave is about units destroying the terrain. I was thinking more along the lines of construction units being able to change the terrain (IE: flatten, raise, lower).
mentioned but not discussed. For instance, If we could use construction units to make mountains (make walls out of the ground) then should the current walls be replaced with a gate? Do we want construction units to be able to change the terrain? I think that if we do let construction units have the ability to change the terrain it should only be advanced tech and leave the current walls as basic tech.
But they're still very much related, the same core idea drives both aspects and Neutrino's comments on it affect both. To Neutrino, Terraforming is not a core element of PA, so it's not going to be part of release and honestly isn't all that likely to come after release either. Mike
We were promised destroying the planet. They aren't adding building a la minecraft. However, the planet generator already adds terrain as well as removes, and otherwise directly modify a normally round planet. This can be used to make mods, where units can add and subtract geometry from other existing geometry, leveling mountains and carving rivers and building up walls. In an rts, id expect terrain be too exploitable if edited.
Digging a hole straight through the center of the planet would make an excellent counter to metal planets. The metal planet is just PEW PEW PEW PEW and your terraforming satellite just says "nope", blasts a hole clean through the planet where the beam would hit. The beam then travels through the hole, out the other side of the planet, and (not so) harmlessly into space. Planetary Annihilation - the final word in strategic dickery.
MushrooMars, you changed you reply, but I'm still going to reply to it because it took me awhile to remember where this was; Mike
I remember watching that, it was more of a reference to that crappy new version of Total Recall than based on logic.
While I think that full-scale terraforming with tunnels, underground multilayered bases and stuff will add a lot of fun tu the game, it's unlikely that engine will ever support it, since it requires full-3D pathfinding (that one is really hard) and significant UI enhancement to support terrain cross-sectioning (not that hard, just tricky to get it convenient). Ajusting terrain height, like in Zero-K, should not be a problem though - it's just a matter of design decision.
