For Backers Only: Metal Planet Iteration

I wouldn't be shocked if there are a few unique units for metal planets. It's likely that gas giants will likely have a few unique units made for harvesting resources from them. It's not crazy to think certain specific planet archetypes will have some specific units associated with them, though their own custom game loops that don't fit within the existing systems seems less likely (Confusing, increasing complexity and lack of focus, host of other issues, most of which center around the fact we want to eventually launch this game as a finished product ).

...And now I'm rather fond of my accidental musical mex idea. Regardless, you can't tell me that using power stations on a vast artificial metal planet doesn't make sense to you? Where you have funny little lines to denote mex points, can we not have similarly funny little lines to denote power station points on a metal planet?

And waste? How many hours do you think it takes to create a silly little texture like that? You're a funny guy!

Edit: Although I'd much prefer a finished game thanks, though I'm loving it to everliving bits even now, can't wait for more! /creep

Being someone who textures for a hobby, I can tell you that it takes longer than you might expect.

That's more what I was referring to in my first post, the added models are just another reason to avoid messing about with unique systems that only apply on a per-planet basis.

I apologize if this idea has been floated about in this thread, but I haven't been able to frequent the forums much at all, and no one ever commented on my idea in the original "Metal Planets are nigh" thread from during the KS campaign:

probaply said that somewhere else before but i say it again
i personaly am totaly against the possibility to directly spawn on a metal planet when other planets are around to spawn on ... the metal planet should be something to expand to and fight over

... as to beeing able to throw down mexxes anywere i´m not so sure ... i think since the metal planet is a very special biome it should have options to how the gamehost things is best to set it up ... weither it is only a doomweapon with few or no metalspots or only a floating metalmine or a doomweapon AND floating metalmine or just another planet to brawl on from the start ...

... being able to built naval on it? ... this thing is a spacestation ... a metalmoon if you want ... naval doesn´t realy fit to it ... maybe put in an aditional option for atmospheregenerators for naval and air or something along those lines ... ... but it just doesn´t realy fit imo ...
...

all i could thing of when i saw it was...that's no moon - that's a space station!

Why would you fight over one specific planet when there are others that even allow naval?
I would like to be able to put metal extractors anywhere on a metal planet, but the surface of it would just be a bit too big for that not to be massively OP (currently). I don't know how economics will work in the future, if they will still be global then I don't like the idea, but if they will be per planet I really like it. You would have to use that metal too, and factories would require quite some space, as well as the defenses you need to defend it.

if its a doomlazer metal planet you would want it because it would be able to destroy other planets
there goes your water planet ...
if its a allmexxes metal planet you would want it simply to be able pushing your econ skyhigh

econ is always global ...
consider it a funoption ... at least to those that like the idea ... why should you forbid it for funmatches? ... it doesn´t neccesarily have to be in for tournaments ...

Are you talking about some units with a ram scoop? If so, that would be totally rad.

More like a giant hover.

The special units on metal planet should totally be made out of wood.

Its all about the contrast hehe

Just gonna toss a cent in here o.o since it's a constructed planet shouldn't it have Defensive locations built into it? like maybe old walls and/or guns that can be used to provide your base with some additional defense o.o

I like that idea jklinx. I was thinking that if the devs didn't want you to deform the planet with craters as you mined it, then an alternative would be to have huge piles of metal debris, or large derelict structures, sitting on the planet that could be used instead. Your engineers would have to be used to collect the metal directly, instead of using a mex like structure to extract it from below the surface. This would also imply that there would probably be a limited supply of metal to be used, or that it would visually disappear from the surface as you collected it. For that reason, it might be too much dev work, as it would be a large departure from the resource mechanics of the rest of the planet types. In any case, I think this would be interesting visually, and a limited resource game might present some interesting new game strategies. Maybe this is better left to a Mod at this point, however.

Proposal (based on capture units and the use of Metal Planets as giant weapons):

Have the Metal Planet be dotted with powerful defensive platforms and (possibly) artillery. Also, the super-weapon/engines/whatever. All of this is indestructible*, and inactive at game start.
(*well, "indestructable" is relative when you can fling asteroids).

In both the robot and vehicle tracks, have machines that can capture ("hack") these systems, by standing near them. The hackers need to stay near the system, and some systems (such as super-weapons) require huge numbers of hackers to work. Destroying the hacker makes the system go neutral again. Higher tech hackers may be better at hacking, or more likely just have much thicker armor (T1 being exceedingly fragile).

This creates an environment where holding defensive systems is a priority, since they can quickly and hugely bolster your base defense or otherwise act as strong points. That said, each system is specialized, so you'd need to build accompanying defenses (say, anti-air to protect a cannon, or cannons/lasers to protect a large AA array). They're also strangely vulnerable, since taking out the hacker neutralizes the system. Using the planet's super-weapon requires a huge number of hackers, which by necessity would represent a large, spread out target for anyone trying to stop it.

Concerns: You'd need to write the code for the whole hacking system and the concept of neutral targets, and targeting AI would need to know not to bother shooting at the defensive systems; shoot the hackers instead. Also, balancing the whole thing would be a can of worms, but I suspect that that's true of everything in this game.

An expansion to my above idea:

Make the systems have huge amounts of HP, but also be (slowly) reclaimable via constructors. This gives an alternate way to get metal on Metal Planets, at the cost of slowly weakening your super-defenses.

Edited to add:
... and now I'm realizing that other folk have come up with similar ideas already. Feel free to consider this all a vote in their favor.

That's one of Ralph McQuarries original paintings for Death Star concept art. When I see beautiful concept art I can't help but want it in a game, and it looks like the PA metal planet is going to fulfill this wish at least. Polar caps! the other things!

Visually, it looks really nice! I do hope that the metal planet will include some gameplay changing features, like long forgotten super weapon or defence system. Just my 2 cent anyway.

So, what happens to a metal planet when you hurl an asteroid into it anyway? Would it get an impact crater, or just a big dent of some sort? Would it rupture and explode? I can't see the damage to it being the same as an actual rock based planet. I guess I have the same question for gas giants and water worlds as well. Can they be partially destroyed by an asteroid hit, or is complete Planetary Annihilation the only option with those world types in terms of large scale damage? I would think that gas giants would not be affected at all by an asteroid collision (remembering the large comet shower on Jupiter back in 1994). On water worlds, the asteroid would just vaporize a large amount of water and reduce the water level (not to mention the tsunamis that would result). Maybe the asteroid could add some land mass to the water world? So many variables...

Edit: Water World damage was discussed recently I see, but I think gas giants, or metal planets, are still valid questions?

It would probably act pretty similar to an asteroid impacting a regular planet, although it does hinge on how hollow and strong the metal planet is in the first place. All we know, it has a small moon at it's core and the metal planet is a shell around it.

I was thinking that the metal planets were actually constructed like the Death Star. If so, Neutrino mentioned something about exposing some lava in the impact crater for "normal" planets. Maybe the metal impact craters would have exposed damage to the internal build components (still sparking from electrical damage)?