Mantis suggestions to make the player miserable

[Faulty Logic]

First, my favorite: AI defence fleets patrol around. Their counter is running away.

AI subcommanders. Two ships which just hate humanity.
Dynamic Defence Guardians. Creative AI units to make taking some planets tactical endeavors.
The Cloud. Forces some player operations on its core worlds.
Dual Processor. Has two homeworlds.
Extra Brutality. HWs have another brutal post.

Shameless, I know.

[LaughingThesaurus]

Looked through em all.
Dual Processor could use a Dual Core (or Quad Core) alternative, that functions like The Core, but with two (or four) homeworlds. ...this is assuming that it's an AI type.

[KDR_11k]

Looked through em all.
Dual Processor could use a Dual Core (or Quad Core) alternative, that functions like The Core, but with two (or four) homeworlds. ...this is assuming that it's an AI type.

If we're going for silly name-based abilities then the Core command should have a D-Gun (unguided projectile that instakills absolutely everything in its path)

[contingencyplan]

a D-Gun (unguided projectile that instakills absolutely everything in its path)

Ah, the good ol' days (especially when the AI would try it on you in a close-quarters game).

[KDR_11k]

I got a few but nobody liked the Beachheads:

Intelligent Wave Composition And Use
Optional rule: Expenses increase AIP
Zoo Master (AIP over time mechanic)
Derelict nuclear wahreads (planet-level red barrels!)

[zoutzakje]

I'd like to see an AI type that actually has 2 or 4 homeworlds. Brutal, but !!fun!!

[Draco18s]

Progressive AI.

I doubt you're going to find more misery in a single suggestion than that one.

[LaughingThesaurus]

I don't entirely know what the D-gun is actually.

[Lancefighter]

In Total Annihilation, (the rts to end all rts), you started with a single unit - the commander. The commander mostly was a really slow, fairly strong combat unit that also built basic base structures quickly. If your commander dies, you lose.

The commander also had a second, very powerful gun, the D-gun, that was very shortranged, but basically instantly killed anything it touched.

[Mánagarmr]

The D-gun and the health pool of the Commander was implemented to deal with the typical early rush that is popular in many RTS games. This allowed for some more flexibility in early builds, rather than being forced to build troops to defend against a potential rush.

[Lancefighter]

I'm not sure how faithful this is to TA, but one of the times I was playing spring, people really liked to do combombs .. .that is, build an air fact, a transport, and then pick up their commander to bomb the other team with it.

It was only particularly viable in multiplayer games, where after blowing up your commander, youd still have a team able to capitalize on that you have an airfact, and one of the enemy team completely doesnt exist. There was the minor issue of handing 5k metal to your enemy though..

In either case, it was hilarious. Granted, it was even MORE hilarious when you just built an airfact, and flew a transport to the other side of the map just to abduct your enemy's commander... It was hilarious how often that worked.

[keith.lamothe]

Yea, commander abduction was great.

[Draco18s]

it was even MORE hilarious when you just built an airfact, and flew a transport to the other side of the map just to abduct your enemy's commander... It was hilarious how often that worked.

All I have to say about this is:

Have a bunny with pancakes on its head.

[Faulty Logic]

Normally, I don't mind my threads going horribly off topic. This, however, is a bit much.

[keith.lamothe]

Normally, I don't mind my threads going horribly off topic. This, however, is a bit much.

But it may result in a bunny-shaped transport that abducts the player home command station.