User:CrazyEddie/Draft Commander Framework Proposal
This is a framework for a new commander morphing system. The framework provides guidance for balancing commanders at every morph level. The new morphing system structures commander morphs in a way that supports the framework.
Design Goals and Constraints
- The Commander should remain an important unit throughout the entire game.
- As the strength and number of units in the game increases over time, comm morphs can be used to ensure the Commander continues to have an important role.
- The Commander's role should be active, rather than passive.
- The Commander should be used, rather than merely protected or simply ignored.
- Commanders should not be the exclusive focus of the game.
- A Commander-centric strategy should still include significant numbers of other units that must be managed and used.
- Using morphed comms should be a viable strategy.
- Not using morphed comms should also be a viable strategy.
- The outcome of the game should not be decided solely by the death of the Commander.
- The morph system should not allow comm builds that are game-breaking.
Framework Design
At any given morph level, a Commander can conceptually be considered to have a cost, a unit value, and an economic value. The cost is the actual cost in metal to morph the comm to that level. The unit value is an approximation of the metal cost of a comparable unit; this is mostly a measure of the comm's combat effectiveness, but can also take into consideration its capabilities as a builder or as a support unit for things like area cloak and shield. The economic value is based on the metal and energy produced by the comm, and is an approximation of the amount of metal that would need to be invested in order to produce an equivalent output through other means, such as investing in gridded power generators.
Framework Balance Rule:
- For every 100 metal in cost spent on morphing a Commander, the comm will gain 75 metal worth of unit value (UV) and 50 metal worth of economic value (EV).
This rule ensures that morphing a Commander is cost-effective, but only under the right circumstances. If the comm is morphed but remains in the base where its combat capabilities will be largely unused, the player will have spent 100 metal for only 50 EV and would have been better off spending the metal on economic development directly. If the comm is morphed and used as a disposable unit in battle in an attempt to make cost in kills while expending the unit, the player will have spent 100 metal for only 75 UV and would have been better off spending the metal on units directly.
With this rule, morphing a Commander is cost-effective only when the player makes use of the morphed comm's unit capabilities, either offensively in battle or defensively in high-threat locations, AND keeps the comm alive to get the payoff from the morphed comm's increased resource production. If the player can manage to do that then the morphed comm is very cost-effective, as the player will be getting 125 metal worth of benefit for only 100 metal cost.
The balance rule encourages players to upgrade their comms and make use of them because doing so is effectively free metal, but it also increases the risk in order to claim the reward. Making use of the morphed comm offensively or defensively puts the comm at risk; higher morph levels have both a higher payoff - an extra 25% of all metal spent on the morph - and a higher risk - a larger UV and larger EV combined in a single unit that could be killed. This creates a strategic decision. Morphing a comm is neither definitely correct or definitely a mistake; the player must evaluate the trade-offs and make the best decision given the circumstances.
Morph System Design
The new morph system is similar to the current one and uses the same infrastructure. In order to support the Framework, the morph levels are more rigidly structured. The number of levels is limited, capped at Level 6. The levels grow progressively stronger, and each level in the new system is significantly stronger than the corresponding level in the current system.
Modules are organized into tracks, with the modules in each track growing stronger as the upgrades progress along the track. The modules available at each morph level, and the costs of those modules, are structured such that all Commanders of a given level will have the same cost regardless of which weapons or modules have been chosen. Accordingly, all Commanders of a given level will have the same UV and EV. This allows us to estimate that, for example, all Level 2 Commanders are roughly equivalent to a Minotaur.
Starting Commanders (Level 1) are roughly equivalent to an Ogre, Felon, or Jack in combat strength, but also have build capacity and economic production. The highest-level Commanders (Level 5) are substantially stronger than a Grizzly, Likho, or Cyclops, but still substantially less powerful than striders such as a Scorpion or Dante.
Level Chart
| Level | Upgrade Cost | Added Econ Value | Added Unit Value | Total Unit Value | Roughly Equivalent Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 600 | Ogre, Jack, Felon |
| 2 | 200 | 100 | 150 | 750 | Phantom, Minotaur, Impaler, Emissary |
| 3 | 400 | 200 | 300 | 1050 | Revenant, Lance |
| 4 | 600 | 300 | 450 | 1500 | Crab, Jugglenaut, Tremor |
| 5 | 800 | 400 | 600 | 2100 | Grizzly, Likho, Cyclops |
| 6 | 1000 | 500 | 750 | 2850 | Between Cyclops and Scorpion |
In the chart above, the 600 Total Unit Value for Level 1 Commanders only includes their combat capability. The list of equivalent units assumes that only combat-relevant modules have been chosen. Commanders with non-combat modules will be less combat-capable than the equivalent unit, but will have other strengths to compensate.
