Some of you might this topic from a while back. Now that there's scripting available I think it's much more doable. I need to hammer out some details though, and get some opinions.

So, I want to make a race of transdimensional energy beings, and I want it to be a race that actually follows a sort of build progression similar to a race or faction in other RTS games. The race would start off with an initial "rift" building, which can generate some of the more basic units. Rather than mining gold, the Flux instead consume any and all matter, be it living or otherwise. So the basic "worker" units can go up to some terrain, vaporize a chunk, and then some kind of material counter will increase back at the base rift. I'm pretty sure I can code that fairly easily.

You use this material to make more units, as well as additional buildings. Making a new building would take some set amount of time, depending on the building (facilitated by script similar to my darkstorm turrets getting built). Different buildings let you generate new units. Also, units can't survive too far from the buildings, so aside from being able to make new units, new buildings also expand the space through which Flux units can move.

All of the buildings are actually just big balls of energy floating over a crystal set into the ground. The ball of energy can't be damaged, but the crystal can, so enemies have to go after that to get rid of the whole building. Same thing with the base rift. But, a problem arises in the fact that the units themselves are smaller balls of energy spawned from the rift and the bigger balls. So if the big things can't be damaged, can the smaller ones? Being the main units and movers of the race, you'd think they could be, but I haven't quite rationalized it yet. Maybe they have small crystals in their centers?

Also, I don't want to make controlling this race too complicated. I'm thinking that each building can only generate one kind of unit. That way I can just set them up as ACrabs or something that have guns that shoot their respective units. I suppose I could just as easily slap on an invisible jetpack that does effectively the same thing, though, allowing each building to make two different units. Though really for now I figure a builidng thats a big red burning ball will only be able to make smaller red burning ball units. This would require the player to prioritize and diversify their buildings.

Finally, I have to actually come up with the various units. This will dictate what buildings get made. In this respect, I'm open to some suggestions.

Oh yeah, all of the units can fly freely, as facilitated nicely by lua.

I'm honestly not sure how the map size of CC will take to more classic RTS gameplay. A zergrush kekeke faction of apparently hard to damage creatures is going to be tough to balance, and even worse to try and defend against. Player controlled, it's going to end up a rapefactory; AI controlled it'd still be tough to defend against just by virtue of the precision required.

Race balance is always the hardest to achieve. If you choose from two or three, races can have clear advantages. If you choose from more than five, races can have hard-to-compensate disadvantages. I hate game design.

And I love it. Now you guys just make me want to work on it more. If anyone can balance it, I can.

Actually, I'm more afraid it would be too easy to beat the Flux, since they start off weak and underpopulated, and other factions can just immediately buy tough units and huge guns.

Also, yeah, how would the AI control it? I don't know. I might be surprised and find out that if I route controller functions through lua to my custom flight controls, it works out fine. Or it might not. I might be able to develop some straightforward AI of my own. The flux aren't really interested in going after the enemy brain, just assimilating matter. Some rocks and a dude with a gun are no different in their eyes. They will shoot at immediate threats though, which is some custom AI I've already developed for my darkstorm turrets. All I have to do is throw in some movement AI, which shouldn't be that hard since I'm not doing complex path finding.

SO Awesome.

Quick question: Will any and all unit be able to absorb matter, or will it only be a worker unit that can?

I was thinking that the units could work like a atom what I mean by that is since the units are the same damageable glows they could be like the nucleus and there only weak point(s) would be the orbiting electron like crystals, the stronger the unit the bigger or more plentiful the crystals are.

I was thinking since the buildings are crystals there could be defensive structures that damage and maybe poison units that get to close like tiberium.

as for a unit a small glow thats fast and has one small crystal that has a fast orbit but only takes one shot from any gun to destroy. the unit does 3 damage so it is basically a decoy or swarm unit.

Probably just the worker unit, since I don't want to try to mix code for gathering and code for fighting and other things.

As for making buildings, the worker unit might have the ability to plant themselves to become the base crystals for the buildings, which then grow. So they're kinda like zerg drones.

That is an... interesting concept. If well implemented, it could add a whole new RTS aspect to CC. I think that space might be a problem, though. Most of the maps in CC are hard to dig through, and leaving your buildings in the surface would leave them too vulnerable to air attacks. (Read: single-engine rolling dropships.)

Also, since the units apparently feed on terrain, expanding your base to a certain grade would probably consume most of the battlefield around it, leaving you vulnerable to snipers and cannons. It would probably be a good idea to have some way of compensating the terrain damage, maybe by letting your units spray unused matter around them.

And never forget the rule #1 of balancing: the taller the giant, the harder the fall. That means, basically, that your strongest units should have at least one almost-crippling weakness, while medium ones need only a slightly weaker spot in their armor, and weaker ones, such as workers, should have some feature that makes up for their low strength.

So, some planning:

--Buildings so far--
-Rift Crystal-
A Flux Rift is a hole torn open in space time, which is then held open by a large Rift Crystal. It's from this hole that all Flux are able to emerge. This is also where all matter gathered by White Flux ends up. If the Flux have no remaining Rifts, then they lose. Luckily, new Rifts may be formed by a White Flux growing into a crystal, though it is quite taxing on available matter. The crystal holding the Rift open also has the same function as a Control Crystal, described below.

-Control Crystal-
Control Crystals are the staple Flux buildings. Every crystal creates an area in our dimension that simulates the properties of the Flux home dimension. It is only within this space that Flux units may exist, as their energies would immediately dissipate outside of it once subjected to the physical laws of our own dimension. As such, Control Crystals are absolutely required for the Flux to expand their territory.

-Support Crystal-
Support Crystals, once constructed, have various effects upon buildings and units within Flux simulated space, as each individual Support Crystal dictates. They're only effective as long as they exist within the area of simulated space, though.

--Units so far--
-White Flux-
Basic gatherer and builder unit. They automatically assimilate nearby terrain, which goes straight to the Rift Base. They can also reverse this process with their ability to "paint" the nearby area with dense matter, which can create walls and shields at the cost of matter stored at the Rift Base. Finally, they can start a process where they turn into a building. The White Flux is lost in this process though.

They appear as white shining lights.

-Red Flux-
The main combatants of the Flux. They initially have no explicit attack, but any nearby non-Flux or enemy Flux actors are subjected to constant damage based on that actor's mass.

They appear as red balls of fire, almost like miniature stars.


Of course, there need to be some ranged attackers, but I want something more interesting than just "it shoots at things." There also need to be units with more unusual abilities. Also, the different kinds of support crystals needs to be hammered out, and what their effects are exactly. If you read between the lines, you can see I left it open to the idea of the simulated space having weird effects on ANYone who enters it, rather than just the Flux.

--Units--
-Green Flux-
Does much more damage, but in a targeted area. Naturally, this area is small to prevent rape.

Same as red, but green.

-Blue Flux-
A massive ball of energy, has no external attack, but those within are consumed instantly. Slow moving, about half the maneuvering rate of a dropship. Those dumb enough to fire at it will only be destroyed, assuming you can check the origin of a particle.

It appears as a huge blue ball, about the size of a pair of Dummy "rocklets" strapped together.

-Black Flux-
Has the potential to turn into any of the other ones upon contact. Useful as a reserve unit.

They appear as a black circle. They pulsate from time to time.

--Buildings--
-Lightning Crystal-
Fires bolts of lightning. It can exist outside the conditions of a Control Crystal, but only for 30 seconds.

Also, might I suggest the buildings are pilotable to wherever via your darkstorm turret spawn system?

stun the real ai, and add a movement setup that tells them where to go. which sounds simple, but its not.

Well... yeah. You move a white flux to where you want the building, and then it starts growing into the bigger crystal when you give the command to do so.

Also, these "buildings" don't have to be anchored to the ground, I've decided. Everything will be free-floating. I might even make it so you can move some buildings, if extremely slowly.

now they sound JUST like starcraft but all the races jammed in to one... me like .
and some more ideas

--Units--
-Un-Flux-
they are the same as a white flux but they assimilate energy so they are basically a recycle unit if you want to be rid of a Flux or Crystal but want a small refund. also they are a white glow that looks to be going inward not out.

-Brown Flux-
they cause a small amount of the space around them to rip in to the rift but not violently which in turn makes them unable to fight and are quite weak but the rift around them allows other Flux to follow them out side of the area of the Crystal for fighting or to set up outposts.

-Flux Capacitor-
This unit sends out arcs of electricity as it gains speed at all units friend or foe, it can build up enough speed to leave the area of the rift but since it is out of the safe area of the rift and is travailing at such high speeds it will disintegrate leaving behind a trail of fire! it looks like a yellow glowing Y or a gray oblong glow.
(come on this HAS to be done!)

Unit Idea. It's a good one.

-Purple Flux-
Bright purple in color, it can be detonated, which consumes all matter in a medium area around it, and adds it to the Flux's matter stockpile.

-What The Flux-
Uses a negative glow, I have no idea what this should actually do, probably something that results in death for enemies and friendlies alike if caught in its unholy fury. Wait, I got it. It shoots portals to the Flux home dimension. Death follows for anything caught by this attack. Only works when it hits MOs.

Huh, best idea I've heard so far. Unfortunately, the CC palette isn't real big on purple. Still, the color doesn't really matter. It's the idea I like.

Perhaps I should break down what major colors are available here: Black, White, Red, Orange/Brown, Yellow, Green, and Blue. Any more colors and it would just become hard to distinguish things. Of course they'll all have their own design as well, but each one having a distinct color would make them much easier to pick out at a glance.

I should probably screw around with the coming of god-style negative glow colors though, this faction just seems to demand it. I could probably only make one unit totally psychedelic like that though, again for ease of distinguishing. So I guess that kicks us up to maybe 8 possible units.

I need to start considering the most reality-bending ♥♥♥♥ I can think of.


Yeah, I suppose some kind of small, roving, simulated space generator would be good. It shouldn't open a rift though, since that would imply that it could spawn more flux, which is a bit much.