enhanced construction

posted on October 12th, 2010, 11:40 pm

i would like to see an option to upgrade your construction or repair ship with additional construction bays, allowing it to launch workbees (or enhanced workbees) that can assist in construction.  this would boost build times on stations and ships when you are in a crunch and need to speed it up.  probly should be a cap on them like 1 or 2.

posted on October 13th, 2010, 4:02 am

I like the sound of that.
  Additionally, I've played a few RTS' where you can assign multiple constructors to a single structure.

I think that would add a few options to early-game strat, rather than just "Applying the formula," which a lot of games tend to play out.

posted on October 13th, 2010, 8:03 am

I'm not certain but i guess that would require more coding work on the EXE from the devs.  I don't believe that it could be done with the current game (somebody correct me if i'm wrong).

I do like the idea, although just off the top of my head, construction speed of stations early on is not the main issue, its resources.  After all, I would assume this ability costs resources, so if you are thinking you could get ships out earlier i suspect it would actually lead to either no real gain or even a loss as your station would sit there being unable to produce... well, maybe 1 ship before you become resource locked.  If it didn't have this effect then the cost of the upgrade would presumably be too low.

However it could be more viable later game, but then this would simply become a "must have" upgrade which everyone would do as it would help with getting mining expansions up quicker, so, then what is the benefit except to add another thing.... oh, and can you imagine Feds with the ability to build turrets quicker?!?!?!?!  :2guns: 

Where this could be interesting is if like i've discussed before, the possibility of an economic avatar (or avatars), currently we basically have an offensive and a defensive avatar for each race (or another, perhaps better, way of looking at it may be early game/late game avatars).  Now if we had economic avatars who get no bonuses for combat ships but instead get bonuses to building and mining then this could be an interesting option.

So, as a general option for all races/avatars i would vote no on proposition 24 this idea, but if implemented for a specific race/avatar then it could be interesting.

[Phoenix]

posted on October 13th, 2010, 10:25 am

Last edited by Phoenix on October 13th, 2010, 10:27 am, edited 1 time in total.

I think it could be done but it would be mighty impractical. At the moment build times are set within the odf files for each station. If you wanted to create an advanced constructor, then you'd need a second odf with a replace code between them (easy enough I guess), followed by duplicate odfs of each and every affected station, each with tighter build times (ahhhh, all of a sudden that's  lot of odfs).

However... thinking about it. It's not actually a particular tough mod I don't think. I mean, they're basically duplicates of the same station, so a name change and simple changing of build time would suffice, remembering to add the entries to the tech tree and ... that other file you have to add things to  (:ermm:).

It's been a while since I've modded so things may have changed but that would be my first thought .


Of course... if you wanted some unique eye candy, then it becomes a tough mod and would need some unique sods and textures and stuff.

posted on October 13th, 2010, 1:14 pm

It is absolutely easy to do that. However it's not only the constructor you'd have to replace with a new odf but also all stations it can build, because the station odf's include their build-time. Also, the decrease of build-time should be small to avoid the pre-3.1.2 Mayson-issue of being superfast in building.

posted on October 13th, 2010, 2:03 pm

Yup, it'd only require all the station ODFs to have duplicates and the constructor to be replaceweaponed - it's really not that many ODFs 

Not sure I like the idea too much but still sounds kind of interesting

posted on October 13th, 2010, 2:05 pm

How about for the economic avatar possibility that, like weapon and defence upgrades, there is a "construction technique refinement" upgrade?

posted on October 13th, 2010, 4:04 pm

Having it as an avatar research bonus would be best to limit the number of odf's, but the Romulans have the Prefab Defense Components. This would probably be best for them or the Federation (not the Dominion; their canon specialty is ship construction).

posted on October 13th, 2010, 5:46 pm

Starfleet does have that corps of Engineering, we could always make it a type of mix tech ship.  Just another idea on how to include it, from a canon point of view and using a practical element already somewhat in the game.  But other than that, I'd have no clue.

Regards,
-Grey

posted on October 13th, 2010, 7:57 pm

what i was proposing was not so much a constructor... it cannot construct buildings.. it is more of a support platform, in which its primary purpose is to assist the construction ships in their progress.  so, when a construction ship is creating a building, you set the support ship to that location to assist. It then provides a small boost to the construction time.  the animation could be a simple run of additional workbees.  it can also provide the same assistance to construction stations, and also provide assistance to the newton class and repair docks, providing a boost to repair times. It all depends on the setting you allocate.  "repair boost"  or "construction assistance"

posted on October 13th, 2010, 8:11 pm

Kind of like The Kennel in SupCom?

posted on October 13th, 2010, 8:15 pm

i like this idea of having an assistor. in total annihilation any constructor could speed up build time, but in that game resources were allocated per tick of construction not all up front like in a2.

i would be ok with an assistor for romulans. and maybe some mixed techs.

feds already have enough stuff lol.

maybe make it so after a research is done, u send a normal con ship over to help build.

so u dont build a new ship to assist, but u need to research something to allow 2 con ships to work on same building. the research costs represent the research of how to organise 2 constructors at the same time.

posted on October 13th, 2010, 10:55 pm

Enhanced Automation is definitely up the Rom's alley.

Where was it (I think Memory Alpha) where it said they were having a lot of labour issues post-Nemesis?

posted on November 23rd, 2010, 7:04 pm

well before this could be implemented i think you need to solve this first...


what happens when you take 20 seconds off your first warp-in

how do you balance it with the klingnon expansion yard system?


build times in any rts are already complicated enough to balance. creating 2 sets of build times only increases that issue.

posted on November 23rd, 2010, 7:07 pm

I've played a few RTS' where you can assign multiple constructors to a single structure.

Im pretty sure the engine doesnt allow that, unfortunitly this isnt empire earth or age of empires.