Flying mountains...

[Jasonian]

While idly wandering Zeal in Chrono Trigger, I thought it would be cool if we could do something like that in SMAC... perhaps in the expantion (yeah right!) But anyway...

New base facility: Levitron. Basically, it "levitates" the base square and the 8 squares around it into a flying hunk o land. I wil refer to it as a 'mountain.'

Movement: 3-4 squares/turn. Can't move over terrain higher then 3000.

Moved: mountain comes up like a unit does. It can be moved like a gravship though the skies. Of course, it can't "land" in a base like gravships do.

Landing: A mountain could land it any of the 'holes' where one of these things used to be, or in the ocean to create it's own island.

Restrictions: obviously, only air units could land on it. Perhaps drop pod units too.

Combat: Although they can't fight themselves, artillery units on the land around it could be VERY effective (imagine the altitude bonus!)
Also, artillery could attack the land squares of an enemy mountain. Since it would be rather annoying to give the land squares a life bar, it could just be a % chance. If the attack suceeds, the piece of land crubles and falls. Any units or terrain improvements it lands on are destroyed. If it lands on a base, then 20,000 people and two facilities would be destroyed.
Once all the other land squares are broken away, you could try to destroy the main square. This would have a lower % chance of sucess, but if you actually DO destroy it, the entire enemy mountain falls to the ground and is complety destroyed.

As an alternative, you could simply 'move' you mountain inot the enemy's. The % chance of land crumbling would be higher, but your land would be at risk too.

And of course, if you move up to an enemy mountain, land units could swarm across and try to take the enemy mountain. Of course, if they destroy the base, then it will fall and all your units will be destroyed with it...

Other then that, it is a normal base. The rest of the base radius (and any sections that are destroyed in war) can't be harvested, so they could never get TOO big.

Just an idea of mine. Doesn't add much to the game itself, but it would be fun do have these things floating around.


Comments?


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- Jasonian

Back to the Drone mines

Destroyer of Command for the glorious PROT!

AND

Official Empath of Apolyton

[AlexanderIII]

Great idea, and there are lots like it out there amidst the thread archives, but... how would you implement it? You can't.

Alas, that is the limitation of SMAC(-X) modification/design; you are limited to using what the Firaxis team has hardcoded into the game design. So this idea is relegated, in my view, to that of a 'wish list', never to see the light of day till the game gods at Firaxis decide, if ever, to implement it...

For now us mere mortals work on smaller game mod miracles...

[AlexanderIII]

Actually, scratch that last post. I've thought about it for a while, and there may be a way of doing something like it...

Use the following line in #UNITS in alpha.txt:

Cloudbase, Gravship, Transport, Photon, -1,30,15, Gravity, -1, 101000000001001110000010

This unit has as abilities Slow Unit (-1mv), Deep Radar, Carrier Deck, AAA Tracking, Comm Jammer, Polymorphic Encryption, Repair Bay. With a carrying capacity of 15, basically this is a mobile hovering base. I put the price high at 30 due to logarithmic capability to produce minerals per base; and since this carries so much and has so many abilities, you're gonna have to work a little to get it, almost like a minor SP.

Now instead of -1 after "Gravity," , you use a number corresponding to a custom graphic looking like a floating city in units.pcx, and voila! Your cloud base! Cool; I think I may just put this in my soon-to-be released SNAX mod.

[SEE]

Originally posted by AlexanderIII on 11-29-1999 12:59 AM
Use the following line in #UNITS in alpha.txt:

Cloudbase, Gravship, Transport, Photon, -1,30,15, Gravity, -1, 101000000001001110000010

I'm tempted to add high morale and hypnotic trance (since it'll have to protect itself), and Clean Reactor (so it acts a bit more like a base), making the numbers 101001010101001110000010

(And I really wish you'd say how to make the Psi Missiles worthwhile. It's going to drive me nuts until I figure it out...)

[Zoot]

That won't 'fly'..ridiculios...

[AlexanderIII]

I didn't add Clean Reactor because it is not a true base in the game sense. It cannot produce its own facilities, and such is intended purely for military and transport purposes. It cannot produce a "recycling tanks" nor produce resources, so it would take energy to transport energy and supplies and waste to and from an affiliated base (i.e. lines of supply), hence I believe it should cost to maitain it.

I also did not put hypnotic trance because bases do not have the ability to acquire this defensive capability of their own. If you want to defend against mind worms, stack a suitable unit in that square.

The high morale is a good idea though...

[Jasonian]

Hmm... well you're right of course. It would just be a 'wish list' thing, and could not trully be added into SMAC.

But DANG! That idea of your is brilliant! I'm going to mess with it for a while and see if I can get it 'pefect', or as perfect as possible. Simply amazing. I wonder if artillery on board could shoot off that gravship...

I commend you for that brilliant idea!

(P.S. How do you mess with the custom graphics? I know how it's done in Alpha.txt, but what exactly does it DO with those numbers in there?)


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- Jasonian

Back to the Drone mines

Destroyer of Command for the glorious PROT!

AND

Official Empath of Apolyton

[AlexanderIII]

See thread 'Adding NEW terraforming & units for SMAC!!!' to find out how to create custom unit graphics.

[Jasonian]

After tinkering with my "Flying Mountain", I noticed a couple things:

1) Although it says they can move four spaces, they only move 1.
2) Land units can only get on or off at bases.
3) Apparently if it ends it's turn above water, someone opens a rear hatch or something and drops all it's cargo into the ocean!

But #1 doesn't make any sense, nor does #3. I suppose #2 is a design decision and is unfixable.

Has anyone else tried this and come up with results like I have?

[AlexanderIII]

I'm currently in testing of my Cloudbase unit in my SNAX 1.0 mod out soon, so I'll tell you what I find. So far, I seem to be having difficulties getting planes to stay on it -- the plane displays that L symbol saying it is on the Cloudbase (using carrier deck), but when I move the Cloudbase away, the plane stays there! Some bugs to discover, and work around, I think.

[heardie]

ardie

Originally posted by AlexanderIII on 12-08-1999 08:02 PM
I'm currently in testing of my Cloudbase unit in my SNAX 1.0 mod out soon, so I'll tell you what I find. So far, I seem to be having difficulties getting planes to stay on it -- the plane displays that L symbol saying it is on the Cloudbase (using carrier deck), but when I move the Cloudbase away, the plane stays there! Some bugs to discover, and work around, I think.

I think that Air Units have to put on at a base, becuase that is what happened to me.

[Jasonian]

Strangly enough, the needlejet storage and movement ability of what now call "Zeal" works just fine. In fact, they are the only things that don't get dropped into the drink.

Another observations: It doesn't need to have a "transport" module to move things. Just type in the carrying capactiy and it works fine. (Just like how Isles can attack sea bases and still move units)

Here's a question: How do you change it's reactor? I think that's what's causing it to slow down so much (and only move one space.)

Here is the line I have in my game.
Zeal,Gravship,Chaos,Photon,4,0,15,Disable,0,000010 00001101000110000010

Abilities: Deep Radar, Carrier Deck, AAA Tracking, Polymorphic Encryption, High Morale, Heavy Artillery, Repair Bay.


What are you people using for your "mountains"?

[AlexanderIII]

Good tip about the transport module, thanks. Wow, this means I could create an Aircraft Carrier that fights back!