Terraformers for different races.

[Anchar]

Is it possible to add to the game special units for different races that will be aimed solely at changing the landscape without the ability to build buildings? Correspondingly cheaper and possibly with cheaper costs of their actions.It would also be nice if they could do more than the builders, such as winter terrain tiles and possibly mountains.

[Midonik]

Itcan be easily done... Well Im not sure I can prevent them from using their actions to help mend damaged mechnical units/buildings started by other builders, but I could definetely make them only able to start building terraforming stuff. Well alternatively they could use summon like abilites instead of building to change terrain, then they can be completetly seprate from building. But I would need more concreate ideas to determine if such units would have a use and be balanced. For example, I dont think a builder that is cheaper but only has the ability to start terraforming would have much of a use, since terraforming is pretty nieche and can be started by normal builders anyway, so we would definetely need to think of different terraforming options. Im not 100% what can and what cant be terraformed.

As an idea, it would be cool to have more advanced terraforming since thats a sci fi theme.

[Anchar]

I think they would be profitable if they had a cost of 1–2 versus 3 moves for builders.

[Anchar]

You could also give them a flight, for example, terraformer flying drones are very suitable.

[Midonik]

I think they would be profitable if they had a cost of 1–2 versus 3 moves for builders.

1 is out of question, we need to avoid them cause they make the game spammy. I disagree with 2, since you barely ever need that much terraforming, it also creates a balance problem with labourer-like units, like alpha workers. Perhaps we could use the summon terraforming idea instead of making them builders, that would give us more flexability.

Drones could work I guess but we cant just give them to all races, it seems boring.

Do you have any ideas for other tiles terraforming, perhaps race unique? I could look into whether it can be done.

[Anchar]

I think they would be profitable if they had a cost of 1–2 versus 3 moves for builders.

I disagree with 2, since you barely ever need that much terraforming, it also creates a balance problem with labourer-like units, like alpha workers.

Do you have any ideas for other tiles terraforming, perhaps race unique? I could look into whether it can be done.

Well, they are not profitable just because the builders who own terraforming are too expensive and at the same time their actions go to the construction of buildings, units in 2 moves could theoretically very quickly make a water barrier instead of a wall (or maybe even a mountain wall), make the landscape unusable to advance certain enemy troops it would also make the deployed troops better performing in certain terrains (e.g. winter soldiers). At the same time, the enemies could also remove such terra obstacles with their terraformers. I think they could work well as a defense independent of the builders.

I don't quite understand about competition with workers, perhaps I mean workers in 2 moves? In any case, you didn’t answer how about reducing the number of moves for terraformers for their operations? For example, to make shallow water, reduce it from 7 moves to 3-4.

By ideas, do you mean the ideas of units (fighters, creatures, squads) or tiles (pieces of land, roads, pavement)?

[Midonik]

I meant ideas for terrain, but I'd like to see more concrete ideas for terraformers too.

It think you means "turns", not "moves" most of the time, I'm having a hard time understanding what you're saying.

[Anchar]

For the landscape, it would be possible to: 1) grow forests to slow down enemy vehicles, which would be useful when you have too many infantry and the enemy has vehicles; 2) Put winter tiles to slow down certain enemy units 3) Various ditches with acid, magma that will hold back everyone except walkers, hovers, and air units. 4) Laying mountain range sand their removal . 5)Laying ice on water so it would be cheaper than bridges, but it was temporary. These are the ones that came to my mind, but I think that you can think of more.

As for the units, my thoughts are:
For human: flying drones are cheap but very vulnerable, they could spam well, but because of their fragility they have to hide in the rear

For reptiles, a special armored walker is expensive but strong, its strength would allow him to go to the front line where he could manage to commit sabotage (for example, he could make a free road through a mountain range), also possibly has 2 actions.

Cheap larvae for insectoids. Perhaps they could be given something like burying technology.

For the myconids, something like fungal spores or fungal roots. Honestly, since the myconids are mutants, they can come up with anything.

For humanbirds, you can make a certain dear priest who would resemble an Avatar, also possibly has 2 actions.

It would also be possible to make different features for different races, for example, the creation of ice bridges could be given to a human, for reptiles it could be given better digging of stones and ridges, for insectoids faster deforestation (as if insects are eating all the vegetation)

[Midonik]

Sounds interesting. I would say that making/removing mountain ranges seems quite extreme. I can't picture a drone or a larva doing that. Perhaps it could be a reptilians special, since you proposed a big walker for them.
I can't really make terrain temporary like you proposed with ice, but ice only lets infantry, flying units and scout vehicles thru out of ground units, so it can be cheaper than bridges, especially since it also makes it harder for ships to move around.

I don't really get what you mean by a avatar-like "dear priest", how would be terraform?

[Anchar]

What do we need for this? Are the images the ones I offered?

[Midonik]

I supposed we might need images for the units that would terraform?
If there are new terrain tiles proposed they need images too.
Also, it would be good to have a starting image, the foundation like thing that spawns when worker start building. If its planting a forest, it can be a bunch of saplings or smt, If its creating ice it can be a non full ice tile (the non ice part should be transperent so the tile below is visable) etc.

[Anchar]

Is there a complete list? What will we define for terraforming? I think exactly the forest, ice on the water, toxins, lava. Will we include mountains in the list? That is, I need to draw an intermediate image for them?

[Midonik]

I think that's an ok list. Building mountains does seem a bit extreme but as long as it's expensive, I think it fine?
Yes we would at least one "in process of building" image. For something as large and expensive as mountains we can have multiple in the process images actually, although I've never moded that. Just treat each "building stage" as an animation frame and place them next to each other.

[Anchar]

?

[Anchar]

I don't have an image of ice water.

[Midonik]

I dont know if I will be able to use all of those stages, since they need to represt at least one worker action (they change as the building progresses), depends on cost.
I will send you on Discord

[Anchar]

?

[Midonik]

Seems good

[Anchar]

.

[Midonik]

Nice