Repair mass cost

[RedX]

What if there was a "repair tower" structure at T2? Can be built on land or sea, is a somewhat expensive and fragile, but it auto-repairs everything in a small radius for zero / low cost? (One at a time, and still influenced by build time, so no instant T4 repairs.) More towers in an area won't stack repair rates, they just repair more units simultaneously.

If we're worried about it being spammable, then maybe make it T3 with a T3-like price tag.

It feels like "cheap repairs" is good for the game, but not something we want to give to any old unit with a nanolathe (eg. Mantis)

Having it be a structure at home base / firebase seems like a decent compromise.

Isn't that just an engie station, but more limited?

[advena]

What if there was a "repair tower" structure at T2? Can be built on land or sea, is a somewhat expensive and fragile, but it auto-repairs everything in a small radius for zero / low cost? (One at a time, and still influenced by build time, so no instant T4 repairs.) More towers in an area won't stack repair rates, they just repair more units simultaneously.

If we're worried about it being spammable, then maybe make it T3 with a T3-like price tag.

It feels like "cheap repairs" is good for the game, but not something we want to give to any old unit with a nanolathe (eg. Mantis)

Having it be a structure at home base / firebase seems like a decent compromise.

Isn't that just an engie station, but more limited?

Probably will be simpler and more versatile to make it same as Seraphim regeneration field

[armacham01]

"Probably will be simpler and more versatile to make it same as Seraphim regeneration field"

I don't think simplicity is particularly important. The game is complicated enough with the units that we have. It already feels complete.

If we are going to add more units, we should be very careful to make sure they are necessary and also that they fit in with faction lore/themes. Just because something is easy to add & cool doesn't mean adding it is good. The BlackOps pack is proof of that, I think.

Just giving each faction a "regeneration station" might be simple but I don't think it improves the game.

The game already rewards defensive play in some ways (defender's advantage + reclaim field is closer to the defender's base). Having a static repair/regeneration tower is going to favor the defense again, because it's more likely to be built at the defender's base rather than as a forward operating post, and because the defender can park next to it but the attacker has to travel to make their attack, even if it is traveling a short distance. A defender that wins a fight will have damaged units already at the regen tower. An attacker would have to decide when to start pulling back damaged units vs. trying to completely win the fight (to secure the reclaim field), but the defender doesn't have to make that choice. So these repair towers probably would encourage turtling and defensive play.

Also, making the structure as a regen field would probably mean that the repairs are 100% free. Which would change the nature of the game. Being able to repair damaged units for free would probably only increase the "snowball effect" from winning a fight. So it would make it harder for a player who lost one big fight to stay in the game. RTS by nature has the snowball effect. I don't think we need to intensify it.