I am currently making a decoy commander system. How does it work? In the commander system, there is a base commander that has the stats, walk speed and cost and health and weapon, that EVERY commander has. EVERY commander uses it as a parent, every commander inheireits it. The INDIVIDUAL commanders reference unique models in their json and thier parent, the json lack any other specifiers, the json has no health values and they simply default to the base commanders. The decoy commander system will be the same. There will be a "base_decoy". There will be a "decoy_progenitor", except with every unique commander. The "decoy_unique" will copy the json of the unique commander, which just references a model, EXCEPT also parenting a different base, the "base_decoy" instead of "base_commander". Then, I will just give each commander the ability to build his specific decoy. More details on that soon. I need to make sure it gives correct warnings as if it were a commander, which it should do on it's own AFAIK. So far, the decoy looks good as being 2500 metal for 5000 health and a weaker identical looking commander primary and a t1 bot fab arm. Try to not be spammable, try to not be strong, try to not be blatantly obvious either. In that reguard, these may be very weak subcommanders with how close they come to commanders, but they will be very weak nonetheless, basically little more than a walking anti-raiding turret and a heavily fortified t1 fabber. The important thing, is being a commander, with all the importance around that, it is a huge target if the enemy stumbles across one to focus fire on. It should be part of Statera too, and the precision missile kills one in one shot, so it is a viable poke test. It also strategically makes sense, to prod with a tactical missile, and if its a real commander and survives to use either 1 nuke or 4 other precision missiles. Counters.
So the first question that springs to mind. How do you differentiate between your commander and its decoys?
Pressing the select commander hotkey would not select decoys. Also, you could have it so decoys couldn't build decoys, so you'd be able to tell from the build bar.
Yes, there are ways of doing it, but that doesn't go far enough. You should be able to differentiate between commanders at a glance. Until you can spot a decoy at a glance, I am betting that on average they will hinder the player who builds them more then the player who doesn't.
I doubt it. There's only one commander, and you should know where it is at all times. Even in team games, each choose a unique commander model to minimise confusion, if necessary.
Yeah, I am definitely going to believe players know a decoy from an actual. Anything visual I give it, like hover over description, will also be enemy viewable lol. Also, you WILL be able to tell upon selection. No "Alt Fire" command in build bar, and that colored command icon is very visible, if it has one yellow icon it's a decoy, if it has two it's the real commander. That is only accessible to the player, not the enemy. The enemy will only know it is a decoy, if it somehow notices 2 commanders and 1 has a stronger lathe, if it really pays attention to the damage of a primary shot from the commander, or if it really pays attention to the health of a commander taking a shot, although the damages and health look really close when miniscule damage is done. Both will kill a bot I believe, both will take a tank round without noticable empty space in health. You would have to do overkill to know, which would kill the decoy and sacrifice a large army anyway. The question you bring up instead, is should decoys build decoys? That sounds apeshit, and useful, but possibly OP, but I can't see how OP from beginning. I do this, but it is appauling how many don't. I choose something, teammates choose same, I choose a different one, they are like derp, I don't even understand. Now my problem, is assigning 19 new unit type combos to the 19 commanders. I will give each main commander a bracket in their buildable list, and that bracket will contain something like [unit_stationary and unit_mobile] and the decoy unit type will be [unit_stationary, unit_mobile], blatantly lying but making it very specific only that commander can build it. ...at least until Uber makes unit names a valid entry in the buildable type field, or makes more/custom unit types register. Until then, I will make 19 combos of unit type that are oxymorons and contradictions and unique combos.
Oh shiiooottt... an enemy can see "economic production" of a unit. Why is that? If the commander is given eco production, it becomes a "metal maker", and if it doesnt, it is "obvious to enemy mouse hover". What to do, what to do... A wink of good news, is when drag-highlighted, the decoy is selected and the commander isn't, when selected together. Is it better than the decoy is selected with combat units, or would it be better it is selected with fabricator units? Wait, to solve the "mouse hover eco production", I could make the commander produce AND consume eco. Removed the death weapon, STILL explodes upon death. Even though it is it's own division of unit. Jeez, why is that!!! I dont want that! Any lurkers care to comment if they know what actually causes commander death explosion, and what to change to disable it? SHIIIOOOTTTT! When your commander "produces" and "consumes" at same time, it shows "net" in the unit details hover over. Whadafuk? So, any ideas on commander explosion, and somehow getting around "economy production" hover over, please share them, I will get back to this tonight or tomorrow.
either, that wouldn't cause any problems though. My first files are using statera. I think if I can get to work, I will also have standalone, this basically relieves the game mode itself heavily off of "assassination".
