SmedBlog: Harvestable Resources

[Phisionary]

Originally Posted by Kail

New element

A good way for this is dynamically spawned nodes that need harvesting - Auraxis's core is a little unstable and randomly explodes resources upwards. First empire to sucessfully harvest and get the transport back get's a nice resource boost.

Incidentally, it would be super cool if these nodes actually spawned as a mini eruption. Imagine running in the middle of nowhere and you're screen starts to shake...

I was thinking about this concept... ways to dynamically introduce a new mining or resource site without breaking game immersion or lore too much. I agree some sort of geologic pseudosciencing could make some cool effects. Eruptions from the ground, lava, or something else, would be spectacular. Or, some other strange physical effects... I was thinking, glowing rocks (I'm imagining battling over a luminescent landscape, lit up by it's own illumination at night), or maybe some antigravity... you know, there was a suggestion of some floating islands in another thread... 'Unobtanium', anybody?

Another idea I was thinking (and this has been suggested before), is meteor strikes. They're too rare on earth to be much use, but real meteors are supposed to have high concentrations of platinum group metals. So maybe meteors could have value as a resource.

Or, and this is the idea I prefer, meteors in PS2 could actually be fragments from ancient Vanu technology or something. This tech would be a new resource, either because it was some un-reproducible substance, or because it is actually technology. A 'technology' resource could be used as a justification for the introduction of a new tier of weapons, vehicles, etc., sometime along the '3-year plan' for PS2.

Anyway, they could manifest as this huge fiery ball that streaks across the sky over a continent. Hundreds of players might see it go over. Those that did would know there would be an epic battle at the end of that trail, and would immediately be trying to pinpoint where the meteor(s) had landed. They would need to make plans to occupy a nearby base to have a chance at harvesting the resource, if it wasn't in their territory already.

Maybe this kind of event would happen a couple times a week, realtime, per cont., to which this mechanism applied? Rare enough to be special, but often enough that you'd have a chance at that play if you're a regular.
I believe that idea has a lot of potential.

[typhaon]

I think it has fantastic potential. We'll see how it is realized.

[RoninOni]

Originally Posted by Jonny

I like what Helwyr and RoninOni were touching on with the idea of stealing resources from the enemy (which were generated from territory control).

The longer a large base (ie tech plant/bio dome) is owned by one faction, the more nanites are stockpiled there out of the empires total resource pool. This could be a small percentage of the total amount of resources.

Take a special vehicle to their base and get back to your own and you steal those nanites from that faction. The stockpiled nanites however would not be stolen with normal base capturing. (That would be a major game mechanic change)

those resource pools that could be stolen would be naturally farmed by that territories automatic local resource harvesters... which could be destroyed of course to limit that territories resource generation.

Alternatively you could drive your own manually controlled harvester into enemy territory with an escort to steal those resources... if you collect them, then their harvester cannot, and you can bring them back to base to be deposited to your faction... giving a slight bonus for the squad that makes the return.

There would be no need to harvest local resources as they're farmed automatically, the only thing players need to do is guard them from enemy attacks, and to guard their territories from enemy harvesters trying to steal resources. If you use a harvester to harvest local resources, you get no bonus. They must be stolen resources to get a bonus.

NPC harvesters would have no pilot seat but an automated MG turret that a player could man. A spawned harvester would not have any AI but could be player driven to enemy territory for resource theft. as well as an anti-infantry MG turret... for AV/AA protection you need an escort. Turret is just to make it so 1-2 lone soldiers can't easily harass harvesters.

[sgtbjack]

"1) Player Owned bases - we plan on releasing continents that are empty or partially empty where players can build their own bases. These are open world bases so others will be able to attack them. We're also planning on having these continents heavily resource based with new resource types that will be very rare..and lots of cool new stuff that can be built out of these new resources.

2) Harvestable resources - imagine SC II style resource harvesting with physical vehicles doing the mining or the harvesting." The Smedmeiser

when I see these quotes where stacked together, you get the full picture, or at least I think I do(I am wrong usually though, just ask my ex wives), but I like it.

I can see clan built cities having a reason to fight. Plus I like the idea of having somewhere to go when the continental warfighting's slow(late hours and what not), plus defending your home's always a good motivator, along with defending resource nodes.

My only concern is that these continents, end up being more fun to contend over, and leave the main continents barren? I wonder how they would address this(plus you add in this arena/warzone/battleground thing smed was talking about?), you may end up having to have larger servers to compensate for all the different pvp options?

I'm thinking since the quotes are together, that harvesting nodes will be found on the continents that you can build on, which would in theory make them pretty highly contested over. I like the idea of covering and securing areas for the good of your harvestors though. It adds that whole "hit their resource collectors, hit their clan where it hurts" game play into the mix. Just another layer in my opinion.

[RoninOni]

Not necessarily... It's a list of ideas, not 1 idea with multiple parts.

However that said, I think the only NPC's (another item on the list) they should add should be that of the harvesters. Maybe some base defenses (auto turrets) which could be manned (and the AI would be inferior to a capable player)

[Chrispin]

Yeah!

[Hamma]

Win.

[Oryon22]

Originally Posted by Chrispin

Yeah!

wow that brings me back. Shit like that makes me feel old and i'm only 26