Goonhub
09-18-2019, 05:42 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-18-2019, 05:42 AM by aft2001. Edited 1 time in total.)
There are quite a few good ideas in here, and I think that the additional control over drone behavior as well as having types of drones are wonderful ideas which should expand the playstyles that Flockminds can have.
I particularly like the idea of multiple drone types that are distinguishable from one another and, when examined, STRONGLY hint at their function (so it's easier to RP since you won't have to meta-game to ascertain the possible actions of a specific drone).
Depending on how effective these drones are, perhaps they should be limited in some way (either lifespan or a special limited resource [possibly called Flock Processing Power] which is temporarily expended whenever a special drone is alive, so you can only have so many specialized drones at any given time)
[Combat Drone]
Largely what OP suggested. Should be able to toggle between Offensive and Defensive:
[Scout Drone]
Small, quick, and weak drone which can hide under tables, climb into mail chutes, has a multitool, and has a gripper in place of a nanite-sprayer. Useful for targeted operations, such as sabotaging electronics, stealing key items, etc. Also handy for hit-and-run combat. Designed to be directly controlled by a player. When not directly controlled, it'll avoid combat and people while salvaging high-value objects and operating far from active flock drones. Probably needs some kind of use for the materials it'll gather over time (perhaps the ability to emag something but requires the max amount of material and makes a loud distinct noise)
[Construction Drone]
Incapable of deconstructing objects and combat, but is much faster and more efficient at converting objects and tiles. Takes resources from nearby drones (non-specialized drones should 'donate' their materials to nearby Construction drones automatically) and has a significantly higher material storage.
[Salvage Drone]
Incapable of construction/conversion and combat, but excels at deconstructing objects (faster and more materials from deconstruction, and can store more objects at once). Automatically donates material to nearby drones, prioritizing construction drones which don't have filled material storage. Also has a VERY high material storage.
[Production Drone]
ONLY capable of creating new drones. Weak and slow, but creates new drones more cheaply and rapidly, and the drones are finished much sooner, but these drones are cheaper and more fragile - they're the same in all regards to regular drones, but cannot be specialized and have a lot less health.
These drones should be pretty damn effective at what they're designed to do, but you should only have so many at once, though each one should probably have different costs. Scout drones should be super cheap, maybe costing 2 FPP (Flock Processing Power), whereas Production Drones should cost, say, 5 (arbitrary number, honestly). Of course, when a specialized drone is destroyed, you get those FPP back.
This is a bit of an overhaul and mostly spitballing, but could make Flock gameplay even more interesting, both to play and play against.
I particularly like the idea of multiple drone types that are distinguishable from one another and, when examined, STRONGLY hint at their function (so it's easier to RP since you won't have to meta-game to ascertain the possible actions of a specific drone).
Depending on how effective these drones are, perhaps they should be limited in some way (either lifespan or a special limited resource [possibly called Flock Processing Power] which is temporarily expended whenever a special drone is alive, so you can only have so many specialized drones at any given time)
[Combat Drone]
Largely what OP suggested. Should be able to toggle between Offensive and Defensive:
- Offensive would actively seek out humans and borgs to neutralize and convert them
Defensive would lock onto the area that it was set to defend and not go too far from it - essentially Offensive but staying in a pre-designated area. Should also set up traps and defenses in the area.
[Scout Drone]
Small, quick, and weak drone which can hide under tables, climb into mail chutes, has a multitool, and has a gripper in place of a nanite-sprayer. Useful for targeted operations, such as sabotaging electronics, stealing key items, etc. Also handy for hit-and-run combat. Designed to be directly controlled by a player. When not directly controlled, it'll avoid combat and people while salvaging high-value objects and operating far from active flock drones. Probably needs some kind of use for the materials it'll gather over time (perhaps the ability to emag something but requires the max amount of material and makes a loud distinct noise)
[Construction Drone]
Incapable of deconstructing objects and combat, but is much faster and more efficient at converting objects and tiles. Takes resources from nearby drones (non-specialized drones should 'donate' their materials to nearby Construction drones automatically) and has a significantly higher material storage.
[Salvage Drone]
Incapable of construction/conversion and combat, but excels at deconstructing objects (faster and more materials from deconstruction, and can store more objects at once). Automatically donates material to nearby drones, prioritizing construction drones which don't have filled material storage. Also has a VERY high material storage.
[Production Drone]
ONLY capable of creating new drones. Weak and slow, but creates new drones more cheaply and rapidly, and the drones are finished much sooner, but these drones are cheaper and more fragile - they're the same in all regards to regular drones, but cannot be specialized and have a lot less health.
These drones should be pretty damn effective at what they're designed to do, but you should only have so many at once, though each one should probably have different costs. Scout drones should be super cheap, maybe costing 2 FPP (Flock Processing Power), whereas Production Drones should cost, say, 5 (arbitrary number, honestly). Of course, when a specialized drone is destroyed, you get those FPP back.
This is a bit of an overhaul and mostly spitballing, but could make Flock gameplay even more interesting, both to play and play against.