A Strategic Macro Model

[Norfindel]

Remote Mining Droid
Cost: 50 min, 100 gas, 2 supply
-Permanent unit that is slower and more expensive than SCV and therefore an attractive target for base raiding. Can harvest away from the base.
-Designed for deep space mining. Contains all the mineral processing facilities on board. Does not need to return to a command center to drop off minerals.
-Limit one RMD per mineral patch. Gathers 4X the rate of regular SCV. RMDs can mine from same mineral patch as a SCV.
-Unlocked from OC but can be produced by CC, OC and PF.

But wouldn't the player just use it in it's own base? Exactly what does it add to the game?

Supply Landing Pad
Cost: 50 min, 100 gas
-A Supply Depot can upgrade to a Supply Landing Pad.
-Provides +16 supply in addition to the Supply Depot's original +8.
-Loses the ability to submerge but gains hitpoints.
-Visual is that it catches falling drop pod supplies every 30 seconds and dismantles it with robotic arms. Robotic arms brings supplies below.
-Unlocked by PF but can be produced by CC, PF and OC.

Again, what does it add to the game? Would you use the gas instead of just making 2 additional Supply Depots? Won't the Drop Pods be annoying? (remember the fireballs being removed from Char)

Refinery Drilling
Cost: 200 minerals
-Refinery ability.
-Increases gas production.
-Allows 6 SCVs to harvest from refinery for 1 min. SCVs must be reassigned before and after.

You trade some minerals for gas, and requires attention. As everything, would require testing to see how it goes, but it's interesting.

[ArcherofAiur]

But wouldn't the player just use it in it's own base? Exactly what does it add to the game?

Yes the unit would be just as useful harvesting at your home base as at a blue mineral field that you dont control yet. So why did I make it so that it can harvest without going back to the base? Two reasons

1) Make it so one Remote Mining Droid is always next to a mineral field. This makes them easier for raiding parties to snipe. They also move slower. Also makes it so that the maximum mining droids you can put on a mineral field is 8. If you have them going back and forth then RMD saturation would be higher.

2) Allows daring Terrans to harvest from yellow minerals early game. This encourages Terran to control the map rather then turtle. Also provides attractive target for enemy raiding units. However the numbers may be alittle strong as MattII points out.

Again, what does it add to the game? Would you use the gas instead of just making 2 additional Supply Depots? Won't the Drop Pods be annoying? (remember the fireballs being removed from Char)

The Supply Landing Pods would allow players to spend gas to upgrade their supply. Gas is a much more limited and precious resource which is why upgrading to a Supply Landing Pod produces much more supply then just building another depot. Think of how you can use gas to make much more effective combat units. The Remote Mining Droid and Supply Landing Pad allow you to use gas to make a much more effective economy. But you have to wiegh this with less gas for combat units and tech.

I really loved the supply ships coming down to your base in Halo wars. It made your base feel alive and active. There was a real sense of support like you were the front line force with orbital or interplanetary support. That being said visual clutter is a concern. This was one reason I tried to make the supply boost so high. A upgraded Landing Pad provides a total of +24 supply. This means that you need much less Landing Pads then you would
Supply depots. It also means that the Landing Pads are attractive targets for base raiding.

You trade some minerals for gas, and requires attention. As everything, would require testing to see how it goes, but it's interesting.

The refinery allows minerals to cycle back into the gas pathway. If you draw out the pathways its quite interesting.

I think people should note that this mechanic is very similar to the widely unpopular WWI gas mechanic. The twist is that there is baseline gas and attention provide above baseline rates.

[Norfindel]

Yes the unit would be just as useful harvesting at your home base as at a blue mineral field that you dont control yet. So why did I make it so that it can harvest without going back to the base? Two reasons

1) Make it so one Remote Mining Droid is always next to a mineral field. This makes them easier for raiding parties to snipe. They also move slower. Also makes it so that the maximum mining droids you can put on a mineral field is 8. If you have them going back and forth then RMD saturation would be higher.

2) Allows daring Terrans to harvest from yellow minerals early game. This encourages Terran to control the map rather then turtle. Also provides attractive target for enemy raiding units. However the numbers may be alittle strong as MattII points out.

If you can use it inside your base, there's no need to put them into risk. Getting your resources faster, then expanding is better than sending them to unused expansions, just to be slaughtered by the enemy (or sending them with an army).

The Supply Landing Pods would allow players to spend gas to upgrade their supply. Gas is a much more limited and precious resource which is why upgrading to a Supply Landing Pod produces much more supply then just building another depot. Think of how you can use gas to make much more effective combat units. The Remote Mining Droid and Supply Landing Pad allow you to use gas to make a much more effective economy. But you have to wiegh this with less gas for combat units and tech.

But it isn't a much more effective economy. It provides the same supply than 3 Supply Depots, and costs 50m 100g instead of the 300m of the 3 Supply Depots, so the involved strategy is if it's worth it to invest 100g instead of 250m. It isn't too different from a gas-to-mineral mechanic.

I think people should note that this mechanic is very similar to the widely unpopular WWI gas mechanic. The twist is that there is baseline gas and attention provide above baseline rates.

Well, not that similar. The original gas mechanic was horrible:

How the New Vespene Gas Mechanic Works For StarCraft II, with the new Vespene Gas mechanic, players will have 2 gas geysers at their starting position. These geysers will start with X amount of gas (currently 600 and subject to balance) and at any time players can purchase additional gas in their geysers for X minerals (currently 100 and subject to balance). With each purchase of additional gas for your geyser, the geyser increases with X gas (currently 600 and subject to balance) and the geyser shuts down for 45 seconds. When a geyser is depleted, workers will still be able to gather gas at a low rate of 2 per round (subject to balance).

[ArcherofAiur]

If you can use it inside your base, there's no need to put them into risk. Getting your resources faster, then expanding is better than sending them to unused expansions, just to be slaughtered by the enemy (or sending them with an army).

So Ive got MattII saying that its going to be too powerful and you saying its not going to be powerful enough.

But it isn't a much more effective economy. It provides the same supply than 3 Supply Depots, and costs 50m 100g instead of the 300m of the 3 Supply Depots, so the involved strategy is if it's worth it to invest 100g instead of 250m. It isn't too different from a gas-to-mineral mechanic.

I can see your point. There are differences but perhaps we can make it really unique. How does this sound?


Supply Landing Pad
Cost: 100 min, 250 gas
-A Supply Depot can upgrade to a Supply Landing Pad.
-Supply Landing Pad recieves a supply pod every minute. Every Supply Pod adds +2 supply to the Supply Landing Pad. The Supply Landing Pad continues to automatically gain +2 supply every minute until the supply limit is reached.
-Loses the ability to submerge but gains hitpoints.
-Visual is that it catches falling drop pod supplies every 30 seconds and dismantles it with robotic arms. Robotic arms brings supplies below.
-Unlocked by PF but can be produced by CC, PF and OC.

[Josue]

It's floating around somewhere. I forgot what thread I posted it in :\

What? are you going to let down your own idea? c'mon! cheer up! post it!

Since I had pretty much the same Idea, and it's quite similar to the one ArcherofAiur is posting here, I think it could be very interesting!

Minerals —> Gas

Another resource mechanic is a modified version of the original gas mechanic. Instead of getting a flat refill of gas for a flat rate of minerals, the effect would degrade each time you use it. This degradation would come in one of three forms: either less and less gas for the same amount of minerals, the same amount of gas for more and more minerals, or a mix of both. In between these "phases" the player can obtain fumes.

The big question is, should there be a fixed maximum number of phases? Obviously, if it is set to return less and less gas, there would have to be and end at some point; however, this wouldn't necessarily be so if you can get the same amount of gas for an ever increasing amount of minerals. In theory there would come a point where additional gas would just not be worth the minerals anymore, and it would be cheaper to expand instead, but this would be a natural limit as each player would have a subjective value on gas.

The big advantage of these two resource mechanics would be allowing players to explore different strategies and build orders. Players who are gas heavy (high tech and casters) or mineral heavy (low tech and warriors) could use these mechanics to really make their own gameplay, and thus make it more fun and interesting.

Of course a very important balance issue would be to ensure that, even with a perfect back-and-forth between these mechanics, there is a net loss of resources. One should not be able to rapidly switch between mechanics in order to gain more resources than someone who never uses the mechanics at all. If you pitted a person who never used them against a person who used them at every chance possible, the latter person should only end up with about 85-90% of the resources that the former person does after the same amount of time. The mechanics are for a quick boost, not continuous abuse.

let's see if it's even more interesting... anyone else ?

[Norfindel]

So Ive got MattII saying that its going to be too powerful and you saying its not going to be powerful enough.

Actually... i didn't say it was underpowered, just that the part about using it outside of your base isn't likely to be used. The mechanic gives you the same amount of minerals, on your base or out of it.

I can see your point. There are differences but perhaps we can make it really unique. How does this sound?


Supply Landing Pad
Cost: 100 min, 250 gas
-A Supply Depot can upgrade to a Supply Landing Pad.
-Supply Landing Pad recieves a supply pod every minute. Every Supply Pod adds +2 supply to the Supply Landing Pad. The Supply Landing Pad continues to automatically gain +2 supply every minute until the supply limit is reached.
-Loses the ability to submerge but gains hitpoints.
-Visual is that it catches falling drop pod supplies every 30 seconds and dismantles it with robotic arms. Robotic arms brings supplies below.
-Unlocked by PF but can be produced by CC, PF and OC.

I did get that right? +2 supply per minute until you reach the supply limit? You mean 200? That's like getting a new depot every 4 minutes. While games in Starcraft don't last a lot, that's one less depot you need to build every 4 minutes, for every Landing Pad.

[ArcherofAiur]

Actually... i didn't say it was underpowered, just that the part about using it outside of your base isn't likely to be used. The mechanic gives you the same amount of minerals, on your base or out of it.

Blue minerals do but Yellow minerals usually arnt in your base early and mid game.

I did get that right? +2 supply per minute until you reach the supply limit? You mean 200? That's like getting a new depot every 4 minutes. While games in Starcraft don't last a lot, that's one less depot you need to build every 4 minutes, for every Landing Pad.

Yes. Average Starcraft game is usually around 20 minutes. And your right this would decrease the amount of supply depots a player needs to build.

[Lucius_Raecius]

It would also mean that the player would have less supply Depots, meaning a base raid which kills 2 Starports would suck majorly.

Also, Supply Depots are great for Walling, Starports are not, meaning alot of the time those depots will be built anyway.

[ArcherofAiur]

It would also mean that the player would have less supply Depots, meaning a base raid which kills 2 Starports would suck majorly.

Also, Supply Depots are great for Walling, Starports are not, meaning alot of the time those depots will be built anyway.

So you dont getting +2 supply every minute would worth it?

[Pandonetho]

Doesn't that seem a little too worth it? Just by upgrading 8 supply depots you won't even have to build any supplies anymore.