Question about implementation of Neinzul Combat Carriers

[keith.lamothe]

This is one of the winners of the new-bonus-ship-type poll for the expansion, reference here: http://www.arcengames.com/mantisbt/view.php?id=9573

Question: for the ship production, do you want the internal build queue like the Mobile Space Dock, or the automatic building like the new Enclave Starships?

The suggestion sounds more like the former, but I think the latter has made the Enclave Starship much more fun (and popular) to use.  So I ask.

[LaughingThesaurus]

I think the auto-building and releasing and FRDing of the ships is really fun for carrier-type ships.
What if it had a very basic queue where you select "Hey I want it to build this kind of youngling" and it'll build any unbuilt younglings of that type and automatically keep them stored in the ship... and then when the ship isn't standing down, it will release all younglings in combat when there's some kind of enemy ship about. Any younglings that are too hurt use the same logic as with a regeneration chamber being around and will load back up into the carrier. Otherwise, younglings that can't find a target will hop back into the carrier.
I dunno, the thing about a mobile ship being able to build stuff is that you can't set a rally point and dang it I like my rally points. So, I'd kind of rather those mobile production kind of ships either be able to deploy and sit still so you CAN set a rally point, or to just work like Starcraft carriers and build a big stock of interceptors to unleash on the enemies. I like interceptors, so I'd really like to see something a bit like that, like I described.

[keith.lamothe]

I think the auto-building and releasing and FRDing of the ships is really fun for carrier-type ships.
What if it had a very basic queue where you select "Hey I want it to build this kind of youngling" and it'll build any unbuilt younglings of that type and automatically keep them stored in the ship...

The first thing you said would mean "like the new enclaves", the second thing you said would mean "like the Mobile Space Dock" but with the internal transport space it will have for the regen-chamber purpose

[Tridus]

Since it seems like the intent was to let you get Younglings to the front lines and provide mobile regen chamber like ability, IMO it should work like the mobile space dock.

The "extra" type that it gets (in the description) could work like the Enclaves though, because that mechanic honestly is fun (and getting the Combat Carrier bonus ship probably shouldn't give you another bonus ship). So it'd be a mobile space dock that only makes younglings, a portable regen chamber, and it's attack would be to release special younglings like the enclaves.

[LaughingThesaurus]

Would it just keep all the ships it builds inside itself for automatic unloading and attacking and stuff? Because I'd be fine with that. That'd function a lot more like a protoss carrier and that would be fun. It's a little bit of an inbetween where you are building the ships, but the ships are purely for hanging out in the carrier and popping out when you go and attack, and hopping back in for regeneration chamber purposes as well as when the ship isn't needing to attack.

...I thought of an idea I like more. Don't the new enclaves get more drones when you get bigger turrets? The carriers could get their own neinzul youngling bonus ships based on how many younglings of each mark you have unlocked. I still want a mobile neinzul regeneration chamber that makes just neinzul younglings because using younglings is hard. Ahhhhhhhhh
Somebody help, I'm overwhelmed with cool ideas.

[Tridus]

...I thought of an idea I like more. Don't the new enclaves get more drones when you get bigger turrets? .

They used to, now each mark of Enclave ship just gets higher mark drones (and gets them more often, so you can get more out at once).

[LaughingThesaurus]

Oh.

Let's stick with the space dock auto-storing regeneration chamber type idea. I like that one.

[keith.lamothe]

FYI, build queues and the "auto create" logic used by the new enclaves (and TDLs, and SBSs, etc) use the same build-point counter, so a unit can't really have both without tearing out a lot of code guts.

[Bones]

I'd prefer MSD type production, but having a toggle to have all units start in FRD automatically.

[TIE Viper]

So would I.  I would also like a unload button to remove my younglings if I want to do something else with them that doesn't involve the combat carrier.

[Tridus]

FYI, build queues and the "auto create" logic used by the new enclaves (and TDLs, and SBSs, etc) use the same build-point counter, so a unit can't really have both without tearing out a lot of code guts.

Ah, well than in that case I'd go with the mobile space dock & regen chamber. The Enclave Starships do a good job of the drone niche.

[pheonix89]

As the original poster of the Combat Carrier, I thought I'd chip in.
I intended for it operate like an old-style enclave ship - now mobile space dock - but definitely limited by MK, since its gonna be a bonus starship apparently. The Youngling fighter-equivalent that comes with it is because I intended it to ONLY be able to build younglings, so if you aren't playing with multiple homeworlds you would have to rely on the fighter equivalent. And IMHO, this shouldn't suffer from the problem the enclave starships had because it lets you field younglings effectively via the built in regen chamber and it has its own guns. The problem with using enclaves as anything other than a means of reinforcing your MK 1 and 2 fleets ships was micro to get them not to waste resources on drones out of combat (having the enclave ships in a hotgroup didn't work because the drones were also in the hotgroup and you couldn't stand them down) and the research cost in getting to the highend ones.

Since the point was essentially a mobile youngling base, its really not the same ship if its using auto create logic.

[Vyndicu]

I definitely don't want Neinzul combat carrier to turn into a "clone/copy" of the current neinzul carrier. So I am all for MRD build menu + mobile neinzul regeneration bay.

[KnightRAF]

I definitely don't want Neinzul combat carrier to turn into a "clone/copy" of the current neinzul carrier. So I am all for MRD build menu + mobile neinzul regeneration bay.

This is what I assumed when I voted for them.  And it sounds better to me than the other option.

[LaughingThesaurus]

I'm cool with it if the neinzul ships automatically hang out in the regen chamber when there aren't enemy ships about and you can dump them out of the ship at any time. Otherwise they hop out in FRD.