Just a few ideas I had, about how it could be in the second AI War. Note, those don't have to be one or the other solution.
I think that the main problems with reclamation was that:
- too many units were immune,
- the cap of "reclaimed" unit could be a bit too high.
Possibly other, but they don't strike me now. Please remind me if I've forgotten something.
Proposals:
1) Parasite.
It always bothered me that parasites ain't, in fact, parasites at all. So, let's make them. I envision those as units full of acid & saws which aim to replace whatever command center is on the bridge of the enemy vessel.
- As a general note, Parasite have a "max" cap, and can get ships whose cap is as high as theirs (Exception for larger threat).
- Parasite are all melee.
- If the unit targetted is immunes to parasitism, the parasite dissolves his target and himself (average damage short range self-damaging attack).
- If not, the parasite rushes toward its target, to transform it into a parasited version of itself. If the rush is successful, it transforms the parasited unit and himself into a cocoon, from which the parasite unit emerges after a few seconds.
- As long as the "parasited" unit lives, it gains the "parasited" affix, which does nothing but prevent new parasites from being built. Once the parasited units are dead, the player can rebuild a parasite from the docks.
This would have the advantage to create specific anti starship parasites, have minor factions and others create specific dire guardian parasites, and so on.
Possible upgrade: teleport on cocoon exit.
2) Slave master.
This version of the reclamation mechanic works in the other way. Some unit, "masters" remote control their "slaves". To do so, they use a similar method as was used in AI War classic, and reclaim the "parasited" nearly deads into their control. Main differences are :
- Each "master" provides some control to one global pool.
- This global pool defines the maximum number of slaves under control.
- All slaves have a "slave value" which is the inverse of their cap. Largest ships can't be controlled that way.
- If one of the master die, and the slaves are too numerous, they all revolt. (Or, only a few random unit in the controlled pool revolt, so the control pool = slave quantity).
- Most ships "slave" value is an inverse of their cap.
3) Zombie master.
Save as above, but zombies act as they did in the first AI War. Compared to above, for the "same quality" of master, Zombies are more numerous than slaves.
4) FoF jammer (Friend or Foe).
This unit does not actually remote controls the others. It "merges" with a target, and then acts as a target for other units, so both the jammer & the unit attacked is destroyed.
- To work it needs to attach to one unit.
- Multiple jammers can attached the same unit.
- What it does is make it so the targetted unit is now considered hostile by all.
- When the attached unit is attacked, the jammer also takes damage. If the jammer dies before the unit does, then units FoF status reverts to what it was before. If the jammer would survive, then it dies.
What do you think of those ?
Any improvement on those ?
Any other ideas ?
