Mining Stations

[Dreadnought]

So Erik has recently reduced the battlecruiser sizes and in consequence opened up a part of the map that can be used for a completely new interior location. This is my suggestion on how we use that location.

~~ A Mining Station ~~

So how will a mining station be present on the main map (space view). I present my idea that it will be created by either battlecruiser. A large astroid will form in space, where i do not know! but hopefully between each battlecruiser and away from any kermiculite spawn locations!
"A mega asteroid has drifted and settled into this section of space."

This large asteroid cant be mined by miners or chomped by chompers, or destroyed by conventional weapons. To extract the minerals you will need to create a mining station.

To create a Mining Station you will need to bring your battlecruiser close to it, and at the construction console have someone initiate the order to construct it. It will cost 300/50/50, and the nearby BC will...spray construction bots on to the large asteroid and it will start constructing the mining station for the next 2 minutes (2 minutes for the enemy team to run off the battlecruiser and ships) and will be invulnerable.

So the mining station will be technically invulnerable but can take on debris and fire from the weapons. over the course of 15 minutes it will mine 1500/1500/1500 (thats 100/100/100 every minute). To get the minerals you need to dock (can use any ship besides destroyer and subjugator, infiltrators should have additional options of entry) and grab the minerals from the processing center with your marine.

So the interior, im thinking of 4 random hangar points of entry, and when you get off you can exit through any of those hangar points despite entering at a different hangar section (cruiser command logic). There should be the main processing center, where all the minerals will be located, and lots of small corridors for pilot skirmishes and hiding. Any marine that dies will loose the ship as well (though i recommend the ship keep its items and reconstruction time just be 1/4)

after 15 minutes, the mining station will initiate a self destruct sequence, and after 30 seconds it will self destruct, killing all marines and on the astroid removing the refining station and the mega asteroid that its attached to (its also when the last batch of minerals is processed, have fun getting it! (it could be doubled, to make the last batch more important))

The next one spawns after 15 minutes (also all debris from the previous station is removed)

The mega asteroid is essentially a kermiculite field in that it spawns between battlecruisers every so often. It will be a way to have a battleground for pilots as multiple pilots from each side can access it.

[WhyteDragon]

Number one concern I immediately have about this, and it's the same thing I've pretty much said about all the other times people have suggested these sorts of mining station concepts--

In my understanding, cruiser command is intended to be a fairly mobile game. The results of these sorts of sit down bases is that rather than scouring through the map for resource clusters, you're sitting down and protecting a source of income.

And more than that, it also heavily forces a fight. As there's only one of these asteroids in the map, what you're effectively creating is a sort of forced confrontation -- this will give one team an obvious advantage if completed and used properly. There is no other really effective method of dealing with this sort of creation other than trying to kill it immediately. And what that effectively means is that the construction of this sort of outpost essentially brings the game to an effective end due to either the resulting resource advantage or the forced fight.

Kerm is sort of in a similar situation right now, though not as an absolute. However, Kerm at least has a few points in its favor by comparison, since its possible to peg stray kerm asteroids at the edge of the field, and the tide could easily be turned by one team's battlecruiser arriving before the others. However, in the mining station's case it definitely becomes much more of a do or die situation.

In short, it plays out in three possible ways in my eyes;

1) The team completes the outpost and the other team is effectively unable to contest it. Bolstered by such resources with no effective means of replicating it due to the fact that this is a unique income source, they inevitably fall behind in the economy game and lose.
2) The team fails to construct the outpost, and is forced to run away. By consequence, the other team is equally opened up to secure it for themselves and gains an income lead which results in an overwhelming advantage -- the exact same as 1), except the opposite team gets it.
3) One of the two teams immediately dies due to fighting over the base.

The issue is this is created as a means of an ultimatum -- and in that way I find it flawed in that it becomes something you must deal with. Rather than seeing yet another method that only serves to concrete an existing lead, I would much prefer to see methods that might promote a form of comeback -- a way of allowing a team that's behind to secure the potential to fight back.

[Dreadnought]

Pew interior mining station!

Mining Station.png (40.33 KiB) Viewed 780 times

[Dreadnought]

So basically what your saying whytedragon is that it is just like kermiculite!


ok so...
we can change the rate to 50/50/50 so that it isn't so crucial and simply a better method from chomping (in fact chompers can output way more then 300 (or 150) resources a minute)

Also a lot happens in 15 minutes (+2 minutes for construction), so it can change hands a lot, also infiltrators and wraiths can cloak, dock, steal the resources and get away. (Just like pegging out stray kerm asteroids)

Another thing i want to point out is that the station while indestructible can take on debris, so you can long range kinetic it and disable the mining station to an extent.

Yes, unfortunately unlike kerm, we dont have the space to create 3 mining stations. But what im hoping for is that kerm spawns away from the mega astroid, which will draw away the BC and ships as a tactical decision and the other team can go in and take it.

One last thing, your paying a significant sum to get this thing operational, and it can be taken over by the other team easily (or stolen)

Oh and it does not create an ultimatum because unlike kermiculite, you can find the 3 resources the mining station outputs ANYWHERE on the map

[WhyteDragon]

So basically what your saying whytedragon is that it is just like kermiculite!

Not quite. I'm calling it an inferior version to kermiculite in terms of purpose since what it promotes is actually counter-productive to the current game play.

Also a lot happens in 15 minutes (+2 minutes for construction), so it can change hands a lot

... no, once a landslide starts it's exceedingly hard to come back from. I very much doubt it will change hands as frequently as you so claim.

ok so...
we can change the rate to 50/50/50 so that it isn't so crucial and simply a better method from chomping (in fact chompers can output way more then 300 (or 150) resources a minute)

Then if Chomping will be an effectively better method, why would people go for the station rather than simply chomping?
Mining and chomping create a contrast because of the effective requirements; a miner is a self sustainable ship that can gain minerals by itself.
A chomper requires the battlecruiser to protect it or the gained resources are potentially lost.
And of course, the mining station requires the battlecruiser to protect it or the gained resources are potentially lost.
The only difference between chomping and a mining station is that rather than scouting for fields, you sit around on your butt and just wait.

Another thing i want to point out is that the station while indestructible can take on debris, so you can long range kinetic it and disable the mining station to an extent.

In my opinion, this is effectively a fairly minor point. Being able to create debris won't do much to change the game -- the major point of debris is to cause chaos in a thriving battle, and block people from getting to key points of the battlecruiser before they're crushed.
You really can't claim the same will occur for the station.

Yes, unfortunately unlike kerm, we dont have the space to create 3 mining stations. But what im hoping for is that kerm spawns away from the mega astroid, which will draw away the BC and ships as a tactical decision and the other team can go in and take it.

That's another fatal flaw in this design -- even if a team goes to 'capture' the base while the opposing team gets kermiculite, since it creates resources over time it will not grant any outstanding benefits. The only way to gain a large benefit from the mining station is to effectively own it for long degrees of time. Briefly moving your battlecruiser to the station will only result in your team getting routed as soon as the enemy team returns -- and that should not be long since if you dedicate your force to taking the station, the enemy team has 0 reason to keep their own BC at kerm.

One last thing, your paying a significant sum to get this thing operational, and it can be taken over by the other team easily (or stolen)

I still seriously doubt this will turn hands frequently. It will almost undoubtedly belong to one team for the course of the game at almost all times. Just look at how often the first team to fully secure kerm effectively secures all of them. Regardless of whether or not you pay a sum for it, the other issues are still prevalent.

Oh and it does not create an ultimatum because unlike kermiculite, you can find the 3 resources the mining station outputs ANYWHERE on the map

Not true -- failure to put appropriate stock in the main resources will be fatal to a team. The main resources are equally as important as kermiculite. An economic lead is still an economic lead, and will lead to a landslide victory most of the time.

------

... I still think its shorthanded as an idea.

[DinoChicken]

So essentially both whytedragon and dreadnought think this is a good/bad idea for the same reasons.

"It will not be a snow-ball because 15 minutes" "It will be a snow-ball because 15 minutes" =P

[Caladbolg]

with whyte

[Squid]

This seems like something that would be used in a new gamemode (you know, like carrier mode and rainbow asteroids. Those modes.)
If this were to happen, each team should get like ~3-4 Infiltrators (also make it so only one infiltrator can be on enemy ship at a time, the enemy Cruiser that is)
Also, mineral fields would probably scarcely spawn like they do lategame.

[Caladbolg]

3-4 infiltrator? wtf is this non-sense.

I won't reread the whole thread because I don't care. but 3-4 infil? with one active at a time? wtf. srsly.

[Degra]

Why would you want to complicate this idea for a game mode by forcing people into infiltrators to board the mining station?
Just let normal ships be allowed to dock at it, problem solved/averted.