Unit mod idea/request

[Saxxon]

I had an idea of making a mod that adds a repair/refit ship to each faction.

The problem is after an engagement, you have damaged ships at sea, and it takes a long time to send them to a relative safe area or shore for an engy, hive or engineering station to repair them. What I'd like to do is modify existing ship or add a ship in each faction that would do this at sea, thus allowing you to repair your fleet without having to send them back and forth.

For UEF adding an engineering station to the Bulwark Shield boat makes sense, the boat doesn't attack so it never gets veterancy and healing like other ships. The downside is its still relatively weak and defenseless other than its shield. The alternative is making a T3 version of it, somewhat larger with the engineering station(s) and adding defenses like torpedo defense, tactical missile defense, AA on top of a stronger shield, the ship being commensurately more expensive.

For the other 3 factions the easiest add in is putting it on their aircraft carriers, since all 3 have T3 CVs. The drawback compared to UEF is if the T2 shield boat has the engineering stations its easier to make a number of those versus 1 carrier the plus side is carriers don't die quite as easily.

Some comparable ideas are like the T2 UEF Paladin floating drydock, essentially a T3 naval engineer/ship (can't reclaim though), or a closer approximation would be the T3 advanced air staging facilities in Black Ops (some of these have a large amount of weaponry making them somewhat OP compared to the ships). The idea being a mobile version that serves to repair ships in the battle zone.

Anyone good with making units mods interested in doing this? I'll offer a $50 prize via Paypal if you can do this and make it work (ie it doesn't bug out the game or make units not work).

[vongratz]

Two mods I dont remember now have each a submarine builder, AEONS and SERAPHINS, that can repair.

[Hawkei]

You don't need to repair. Repairing is a waste of resources (and a waste of time moving the necessary build power into position). Just build more units.

[Col_Walter_Kurtz]

You don't need to repair. Repairing is a waste of resources (and a waste of time moving the necessary build power into position). Just build more units.

But, if repairing became an effective mechanic to use (let's say fast and cost efficient) it would be interesting nonetheless.

You could babysit certain very high veterancy units in your fleet for example. Or you would at least have the choice to do that, instead of the 'lemmings' mentality where you just flood the enemy with new arrivals.

[zeroAPM]

But if repairing became an effective mechanic to use

Encourage turtling and touch the status quo, hence it will never, ever happen. Period.

[Col_Walter_Kurtz]

But if repairing became an effective mechanic to use

Encourage turtling and touch the status quo, hence it will never, ever happen. Period.

I don't see how it is fundamentally different from just adding more units. Please explain. The combined dps of just flooding more units towards your enemy will probably still be the most effective way to go but that's not really the issue. In the example it allows for a strategic choice between spam and babysitting a smaller group.

And since we are just venturing into possibilities for a possible mod, I don't see how you can immediately call IMBA either.

[Saxxon]

Well I can say in playing a number of naval battles, after an engagement that I have units left, some are near dead. The cost of repair is less than the cost of a new unit.

I send those units back by the shipyards where drones repair it, then it joins other new units that are coming forward. That eventually effectively increases my force's firepower.

Does that take a bit more micro, yes, but not much. The unit would die in a couple shots in the next engagement, and naval units are more expensive than land or air spam units.

There are also a number of players that mostly play against AI and you can play in a more realistic fashion in that case (realistic as in we don't send ships on a one way journey to fight and die either, they are repaired if they are salvageable).

[zeroAPM]

OR you could either:
1 reclaim it and use the mass to build a new one
2 don't bother with repair, use the mass to build a new one and use the newer ship to tank for the other since it still shoot at full capacity

[Goldy3]

But the unit being repaired can fight back if under attack, a new unit being built can't. Doesn't repairing cost the same as building a new one? If so, then you'd be saving resources regardless... I think ultimately it's dependent on the situation.