Unit Cannon please :(

"like" very much

Lemme guess, we'll know



amirite?

It amazes me the amount of time you guys spent in the efforts to invalidate the very reason to be of the Unit Cannon, when you could have just implemented it already, and not having to tweak and re-tweak the game summing up work to be redone once you will finally add the Unit Cannon to the game.

Unless, you never planned to add it, and then things would make a bit more sense, but it would also add one more lie to the total.

Anyway, people saw the Unit Cannon on Kickstarter and in the game-play trailer. Most of your supporters and customers expect the game to be released *with* the Unit Cannon, not without it. It's a risk that reviewers will punish the game may the Unit Cannon be missing at version 1.0.

Assuming your business model implies completing the game, of course. Because so far your business model is simply *soon*

Good luck with that.

Inb4 even cheaper teleporters...

> someone else who uses INB4
> Mfw

Here's the issue: you're implying that we're actively working on responses to the unit cannon instead of the actual unit cannon. Frankly, you couldn't be more wrong. We're working on other, higher-priority features that require a lot of time and effort. Don't forget that we're an independent studio with a little bit over 30 people. Do we want the unit cannon? Totally. Can we do the unit cannon right now? Nah, there's just not enough bodies or time.

lies to the total? Of which do you speak?

because incorrect assumptions by the community is not a lie. It is at worst a disappointment.

I honestly don't think they could have.

Think about the design challenges the Unit Cannon presents, really think about them.

1: It needs to provide visual and semi-instantaneous travel between two celestial bodies, but due to the way interplanetary travel works that can't yet be done. The unit cannon needs to fire units directly at another body rather than have the units do that slingshot maneuver.

2: The unit cannon needs to constantly be facing the planet you're telling it to hit, if it just fired into empty space it'd look stupid, and downright unintuitive, so it needs to be constantly facing the planet. No matter where it is. ON A SPHERE, ORBITING ANOTHER SPHERE.
Hell, if they really go the full 9 yards, this means that at some times the U.C. won't even be able to fire because it'll be on the far-side of the moon. And even when it can fire, it'll only be able to hit half of the planet. If it's on the moon's equator it'll need to be facing directly up, there's a crap-load of scenarios they need to design it for.

3: The numerous balance issues. Everyone always pretends that the Unit Cannon is just a god among structures that'll solve every goddamn problem present in the game BUT GUESS WHAT? IT ISN'T. The balance of the game is already so wonky that the Unit Cannon would be a pointless addition as it is.
If it only ends up sending bots down well then what's the point? Bots die in a freaking nanosecond.
Tanks would be more overpowered than they already are because you'd just be able to throw a few infernos directly into your enemy's base and they'll be able to do nothing about it.
I dare say that the game isn't even READY for the Unit Cannon yet.

/ignores debate and wonders about the solution to stalemates
Think positively, people!

What I would like to know is what those other things are and how are they better than the unit cannon?
It would be much easier to understand if we knew what those things are and we would have a reference point for newer people that might join and ask about it. That is if the reason is simply you don't want it because it takes too long to do. Additionally, I'm sure if you asked people if they would want to wait and skip a couple of releases in order to get a unit cannon, a good portion maybe even a majority, would say yes.
Moreover if we knew what steps are being taken to solve the problem that the unit cannon would seemingly solve so easily it would reduce the disappointment of those of us that really wanted it in the game. Having your sweets taken away from you is a lot more understandable when you know it's because dinner will be ready in 15 minutes rather than being told just because something is happening soon.

"You could have done it already..."

You don't do software development, do you? We have a lot to do, we have a limited sized team. We have to choose and prioritize. We love the concept of the unit cannon, but if it was simple, it would already be done.

In the meantime, here you go:

What`s the rubber for? Amazing setup btw!

What even is this thing?
Edit: Oh wait, I see now. It be a catapult.

Didn't you say once on a stream your time size has quadrupled since you started development on PA? How many of you guys are there in fact? I remembered it was a decent number.

That's a nice unit cannon right there too. Confirms units ARE actually made of paper, since that's the only thing I can imagine being thrown by this thing through an entire solar system

They have 30 people I believe!

A little over 30 people now, but not everyone is focused on PA, and not everyone is an engineer.

And I am not trying to make light of the desire for the unit cannon. Just simply reminding that, it's not a simple binary decision. Making a brand new group of behaviors, systems, etc to support a brand new unit type takes a lot of discussion, and then even more work, followed by even more iteration, bug testing, polishing and balancing. We've had lots of discussions, and we even have ideas on how to make a good implementation, but if I was a betting man, I'd put money on the fact that the final implementation won't resemble the concept video too much. A concept video is just that - an idea. Putting it into practice in such a way as to keep a game balanced is a serious amount of work.

And when we do something, we want to do it right.

You're doing it again! We've been through this before Brad! Stahp making us frenzied!

You know we still haven't seen those new metal planet craters.
Something tells me that a "spectacular solution for stalemates" may have something to do with metal planets or craters.
#deathstarhype
#asteroidbelthype

You haven't.
Metal planet craters have been in the game files for... honestly, I'm not sure when they were added, but I know I saw them some time ago.

They look like this. Pretty sure they're just a more fitting crater for when you smash something into a metal planet.

Why semi-instantaneus?
More importantly, why direct fire?
That doesn't make any sense. The most effecient design for any interplanetary artillery would involve an orbit transfer, the only difference from a spacecraft would be that the initial velocity would have to be enough to forego the need for adjustment burns in space. Especially considering the transfer paths for the astreaus are already very innacurate, as the devs said (im not going to find the quote) 'if you want realism you can play Kerbal Space Program.', it would be more accurate to reuse the astreaus' orbital path than make some wierd "direct line of fire" system.

In answer to the ongoing balance arguement, wouldn't it make more sense to add big game-changing elements like the unit cannon before doing any passes on game balance? It seems like the many updates that have allowed other "temporary" invasion techiques like the new anchor ability to shoot down will actually make it more difficult to add a unit cannon later.

I understand the cannon is low priority at the moment, my question is why is it lower priority than the balance and roster updates that we have recieved? It seems to me like something with this impact on gameplay should be higher priority, if not the highest.