Orbital units - 2 directions

This. An easy way of making orbital available early without the associated rushing issues is simply make "T1" satellites have no orbital bombardment capability. If "T1" is limited to cheap resource, intel and defensive satellites, they are usable immediately without the ability to easily kill a player who didn't go orbital. Leave the offensive and satellites to "T2"

It's pronounced "Adv. Units".

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I'm with Neutrino on that point Dabullet. Orbital units need more than just a gimmick to make them well defined.

Orbital mechanics might be nice, but that's hardly enough to define them if they just end up as Air fighters and bombers that can't stop.

In fact this was the original plan for T1 orbital and could still be revived.

However, one has to consider that we are now creating a whole factory and set of units for... recon. That we already have covered in T1 in a variety of ways. So why bother? So make the orbital factory T2 and then have more advanced orbital units be built on orbit (like orbital weapons platforms for example).

They don't just have to be recon. You could have Space Station Bombardment Platforms, Solar Energy collection and ... "space fighters"... *shudders*... but they just can't be more powerful, or less counterable than Air.

In my opinion, Standard Orbital Units should be "no big thing". Adv. Units on the other hand... those might be something a little more special.

i personaly imagine it like t1 beeing for intel and tranportation
as well as light defense like the orbital fighters and resourceproduction on gasgiants
while t2 could be later the real offensive stuff such as ioncannonstyle beamsats f.e.

agreed

I am unsure of how moving between planets works, but maybe you could add little moon landers and stuff on t1 orbital as well. So players have the ability to expand asap. Ofc bigger transports/weapons/resource production would be t2. So t1 orbital would not be about recon but rather about leaving the planet (and the addition of recon, and maybe a t1 orbital fight-something that tries to prevent enemy moon landers from flying anywhere).

Adv. units shouldn't have all the fun MrTBSC. Standard units should be a joy to use... not just an obligatory stepping stone.

Imo orbiting units just add that special effect to the

I believe orbiting units are an excellent oppertunity to make orbital layer feel different from the other layers. I don't even care too much about the realism, IMO it shouldn't be complicated or hard to implement.
I would just love to have an orbital layer consisting of entirely different unit behaviors and strategy compared to air.

Btw, I think ur doing a awesome job on the game

@neutrino Where in the build system are you planning to put Orbital is it for Adv fabricators or Standard Fabricators? As if it's a case of you can go Adv <unittype> or Orbital that might be a compromise that people like @Nanolathe might like.

I think it would be a good place to have it a choice to go Advanced or Orbital if you want, not quite the Advanced level but not first building built either...

Standard orbital units will be no big thing. Things like a kinetic bombardment platform will be more expensive for sure and logistically more difficult to build and then move into position. At least that's the idea.

Agreed, many people can do well soley with power of numbers with T1.

It would be entirely possible to move some of the units to a T1 building (like a lander) if we wanted to. To me all of this kind of stuff is an open question if it doesn't work as planned.

Sure somewhere in between could work. The real question is what level of economy do you need to make it practical.

Sure. I have no qualms with standard units getting the 'meat' of the 'Orbital Sandwich' while Adv.Units are the garnish, the type of bread and the mustard.

As for when should be a feasible time to build them? I say Any time after your first few factories. Orbital feels more like... and I hate using this term, 'T1.5'.
Your Commander can't build them, but your Fabs can. The Orbital Launcher could cost a pretty penny, but it shouldn't cost as much as true Adv.Unit Factories. The units you pump out of the standard Orbital Launcher could cost as much, or as little as you wanted. That's the beauty of your new Economy system.

Standard units don't have to be cheap. Adv. Units don't have to be expensive. A units cost should represent what it can do... not what level it's situated in.

I don't have a huge issue with this in theory. The actual exact costs etc. are more about balance than anything. To me it may be *possible* to build orbital early but probably not a good idea in a lot of cases? Probably depends on the scenario.

How about when you launch an orbital unit it is st up into a "real" orbit of your choosing (ie. you can drag a circle around the planet or once at the equators click and drag a dot that appears for sync.)?

However you can still control units by altering their orbits, making move commands adjustments to their orbits (The circle is green around the planet, you reelect an orbit) in order to intercept an enemy with an orbital platform of some kind, or simply adjust a radar satellite.

Does anyone like that? Its a kinda a mix of real and fake. If people care i can elaborate on my idea further.

Indeed, but I bet you'll chuckle at seeing that first insane early orbital rush that someone manages to pull off.

Isn't that what one might call, a 'strategy'?

In an RTS game?
...
Nah.


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Anyway, as I'm sure you're aware Jon, In Total Annihilation there were vast differences between a unit's cost in metal and energy, even in the standard tier. When a Peewee costs 53 metal, and a Warrior costs 196, you can clearly tell that not all robots are created equal, even if it's the same factory doing the 'making'.