Super Units in PA?

We just disagree. Some of us aren't even against the idea of a megabot in general. The problem is that in a game as complex as this one, you need a really good reason to add anything to the game. People are especially worried about megabots because of supcom, but the fact that we are talking about it with you at all means we took your idea seriously enough to discuss it.

Be polite, think before you post, and accept that you will never make everyone happy. When people disagree with you, it is fine to debate with them. Just don't insult them and try to silence them by throwing out accusations of derailing the thread. Always remember that we all have the same goal here. We want to see pa become the best game possible.

There is no difference between them.

Building forward bases fulfils the role of having a front line factory to reinforce from.

And to add to that, stargates and unitcannons also do that.

Not quite. Static structures show up in the fog of war outside of radar when scouted, and are susceptible to bombers, catapults, nukes etc.

No, we can disagree whether it is a good idea to put in. That's not what has been happening. Just the idea that a unit might be interesting is itself not the same as that unit getting in the game either.

That's what this thread is about right? Thinking about what kind of super units might be interesting and balanced.

Umm.....what isn't may I ask?

Everything shows up on radar and is susceptible to bombers, catapults and nukes. Mobile Factories wouldn't be an exception to that... even slightly.

Commander for instance. If i see nukes coming I can run. Catapults can't effectively hit moving targets and if you don't have constant radar coverage over an area all you get to see is the static buildings, not units

It wouldn't be immune to those things but it would be resistant to fire, which is the idea of it. That it can go where other production units can't.

The Commander is just as suitable to Nukes as any other mobile unit... actually more so, since he's slow. I'd assume a mobile factory would be as slow, if not slower than a Commander. If it's faster and still produces units at an appreciable fraction of the speed of a normal factory then someone's made a mistake.

So? we are talking about factories that currently have no mobile version. What is your point exactly?

If it's too slow it's not really mobile which defeats the purpose. The balance would have to favour mobility over raw power. The exact opposite of what made the original fatboy into just a big tank.

I thought I used the words 'Mobile Factory' in my post. ... and so were a lot of other people.

...

Pretty sure those words are there. ... yea... pretty sure.

So what you're proposing is a shitty factory that can move?

Appart from not fitting into the general design aesthetic of PA, exactly what does "a shitty factory that can move" bring to the game that a Unit Cannon or StarGate does not?

Air transports will be another really good way to get an army to an area that you can't easily get to. There are just so many options for this that all add interesting gameplay and logistics. I really don't see why we would want or need a mobile factory that is also a weapon.

A unit that is just an unarmed, lightly armored mobile factory could be interesting I guess. You could move your production up as you push back the enemy. I still don't see it as being that useful. In PA, gaining territory means increasing your economy. Why would you want to keep pressing the attack with the same number of units when you can lay down a few more factories and start building even faster?

Oh, well MY mistake then. You have clearly added to the discussion... /sarcasim

As I was saying, a factory as a unit has benefits over a factory that is a structure. That was my point. You asked for reasons, I gave them.

It should be a better factory that can move. It needs to produce units quickly if it is to be useful. What I mean is it needs to be fast enough that you don't have to wait 10 minutes for it to get anywhere. It doesn't need more firepower than what it takes to harass. It does need armor enough to withstand some fire. What isn't in question though is that it needs to be a good producer. That is it's primary role after all, producing. If you're wondering why you'd not just build those instead of regular factories the answer is simple. As a special purpose unit it can be good In the field but not as cost effective in raw numbers.

A mobile factory would also be able to build more engineers in the field as well.

A mobile factory might get a rally point a few seconds better than anything else. That's still barely worth a new unit, especially one as overloaded as the fatboy. Save the resources, send a bigger army, and use the existing transport options to get rid of your rally time.

So you want a FACTORY that can dodge BOMBS, NUKES and ARTILLERY?

Uh. Wat.

Or are you insisting that a gigantic factory base can somehow be hidden in a way that a stationary factory can not? Because that sounds like awful detection rules rather than anything else.

I do see the benefit in gaming the current radar rules for some obscure reason. But breaking the game rules is really not the point of game design. It's kind of the opposite. If anything, the idea of stealthing a factory-sized unit to screw with detection means that super large units need a stealth-immune property more than anything else.

It doesn't have very many. The ability to avoid a nuke... maybe... if you see it coming.

That's not a compelling reason. Sorry.

Have obvious downsides. They are useful for hot drops and harrassments. But for any large scale deployments they still need to be out of the line of fire.

The big thing that a fatboy brings that none of these other options do is provide unit build power right on the front line, not near it. Not some distance away. Right there. And it allows some permanence that dropping units by orbit or air or whatever doesn't quite give.

now we are in opinion territory