Sub-units/ design feasability
Posted: 09 Oct 2009, 08:05
Would it be possible to have a unit designer of some kind that would allow you to attach components to hardpoints on a "chassis", allowing you to, using the same basic set of tools, create a huge number of possible units?
For example, you'd open up the interface, select a chassis like "Medium Tank", then get a screen showing that basic chassis. Then you can select what equipment you want in each of several slots, like specific weapons, generators, engines, and armor.
Now, I figure that units probably can't be changed "live", but I figure that these attachable features could actually be separate units that are scripted to act attached to the chassis, which is the actual unit.
This opens a lot of options, such as having very huge units with hardpoints that can be targeted separately, though small units should have invisible hardpoints.
If that's doable, then things like generators and armor, which should normally be invisible, can have purely statistical effects on the unit, which presumably is easier to change than the graphics.
There are two main advantages to this; first, rather than having four or five different construction units with two levels each, you have just two, maybe three different "Nanobeam emitters." Then, if you need some flying constructors that can land on water, then you can select a Chopper chassis, attach a Nanobeam, and give it the Floatation Device ability.
The second is that more varied units are available; if there are, say, 6 different basic chassis types (i.e., walkers, tanks, wheeled, naval, flying, structures) with five sizes each (light infantry to ubermechs, crawlers to titan tanks), with ten reactors and ten weapons, ten types of armor, and ten special abilities, that provides 300,000 different units. Even the most ambitious mod would hesitate before promising that much variety.
Is this feasible in the current engine?
For example, you'd open up the interface, select a chassis like "Medium Tank", then get a screen showing that basic chassis. Then you can select what equipment you want in each of several slots, like specific weapons, generators, engines, and armor.
Now, I figure that units probably can't be changed "live", but I figure that these attachable features could actually be separate units that are scripted to act attached to the chassis, which is the actual unit.
This opens a lot of options, such as having very huge units with hardpoints that can be targeted separately, though small units should have invisible hardpoints.
If that's doable, then things like generators and armor, which should normally be invisible, can have purely statistical effects on the unit, which presumably is easier to change than the graphics.
There are two main advantages to this; first, rather than having four or five different construction units with two levels each, you have just two, maybe three different "Nanobeam emitters." Then, if you need some flying constructors that can land on water, then you can select a Chopper chassis, attach a Nanobeam, and give it the Floatation Device ability.
The second is that more varied units are available; if there are, say, 6 different basic chassis types (i.e., walkers, tanks, wheeled, naval, flying, structures) with five sizes each (light infantry to ubermechs, crawlers to titan tanks), with ten reactors and ten weapons, ten types of armor, and ten special abilities, that provides 300,000 different units. Even the most ambitious mod would hesitate before promising that much variety.
Is this feasible in the current engine?
