With the diverse array of planets and biomes we have in Planetary Annihilation, there is potential for different environments having some effect on gameplay. I'm not going to make a case either way, I'm just going to provide as wide an array of possible poll answers as I can. Neither is the answer to this poll intended to spur Uber into doing anything other than continue being awesome. I just thought it'd be interesting to gauge Backers' opinions on the matter, as we constantly see threads about power-generator diversification, specialised units, environmental disasters and bonuses/penalties for fighting in particular biomes.
Biomes should impact gameplay as they do now, which is to say by the different impassable terrain features they have (mountains, lava) and their general layout (metal planets and their bridges vs continents with lakes vs mountainous chokepoints). No weird inconsistent special rules, just natural effects. "Special units" are more of a no-no. Geothermal power plants for geothermal hot-spots, He-3 collectors for gas giants, amphibious tanks for crossing water, yeah, but those aren't really all that specialised. Lava-proof tanks would be dumb, given that the point of lava is to be totally impassable.
To me, a global modifier like Gravity is best. I mean, we are on different types of planets after all. Nothing fancy, just affects move speed. Maybe less grav = Fast skirmishing units have their full speed. Higher Grav = Fast units slow down a bit, but tankier units don't by much. It's easier for the player to understand. Doesn't force micro. And maybe easier on the game engine? It will also force unit diversity among your forces. Make it truly feel like you're fighting an interstellar battle.
Easier to understand?! That's basically different rule set and balance (or lack there of) on every single body! Planet size is just a map size. You don't apply different rules to maps just because they are differently sized. As for biomes - some specific stuff would be nice. Since gas giants and (possibly) metal planets are probably getting their cut here, why not give other places a shot too? Specification can be purely visual, by the way, like buildings you place on water. And lava-passing tanks is not a good idea, I think.
I'd like to see one of two things applied to biome-specific modifiers; 1. Substitutions for certain buildings per biome (E.G. a Geothermal metal extractor on Lava planets that also grants a small amount of energy; Super-Cooled energy plants/storage on Ice planets for greater efficiency) 2. Unique buildings per biome (Doomsday Weapon Controls for Metal Planets, Floating Platform for Gas Giants so Commanders can have somewhere to stand/walk) Biome-unique units I don't like so much. We already have naval for earth/tropical worlds, and a probable increase in Air play on Gas Giants.
Might be worth putting a link to this thread here on Power Generator Diversifications: https://forums.uberent.com/threads/pgen-technologies-and-possible-diversifications.51371/
I remember TA had these craters through which units could somewhat clumsily manage to navigate. Some better than others of course. I always thought that was really cool. We already have a few defining landscape features, water/land/mountains/rocks/(eventually)lava. But I would love to see cliffs, much like the desert planet rocks, but with a biome sized surface area.