Base Building, And Why It Is Fun

[Commander32]

I like in in generals where we can spam Super weapons, lol its fuuun.....'

cant have a SW if there aint no base to blow up....

[Coolness7]

Ha yeah, still a badass game even though its almost 7 years old

[VasquezMkII]

I think that base building is only needed because... how else are you going to tech up and produce an army.

Without bases you don't have much to work with and that usually doesn't make a good RTS.

[Coolness7]

It doesnt make an RTS at all, it makes an RTT

[Borreh]

My personal opinion is that I would want to play a game in which you do build the base, but the units are crucial to the gameplay. In usuall RTS games, units are throw away stuff, since you can always make more.

Now my idea is: Change the focus of the base, let it not be a unit creator, but a place when units can be supported.

How? Maybie by limiting the amount of units in the field: They can be produced, but are dropped in few minute delays, for example, by dropships or transport planes every 5 or 10 minutes. Between those 5 or 10 minutes, the units you possess are the only thing you have until reinforcements arrive.

And the base: Make it be a support for units. Since they arrive by transports, make the buildings actually DO something instead of producing units and unlocking tech.

For example: Having units to refuel/rearm by driving to an armory. Special unit powers, like long range barrage, unlocked by radar/comm uplink structure. Instead of factories: Repair pads. Long range artillery as a building. Economy dependant on silos, for example: Having a very small amount of supply (money, credits, whatever) avaible, like 2500, and having to expand it by building silos, each adding like 250 or 500.

The point is: Have a smaller number of buildings out of which every single is important.

E.g:

ConYard: Builds stuff, crucial
Refinery: Collects resources via harvesters, crucial
Silo: Expands economic possibilities, crucial
Power plant: Grants power for structures, crucial
Landing Pad: Units are dropped here from transports, crucial
Armory: Rearms units, stores upgrades crucial
ComSat: Provides intelligence, support powers, crucial
Support pad: Heals nearby units, stores upgrades, crucial

Add defence buildings, artillery structures, shield generators, etc.

This is only an example, the system may be different, but here is the idea: With only few building types avaible, each one of them is important: You do not build a building to *have it* because it unlocks something, most probably abstract, like a +1 to siege tank armor. You must have those buildings, and a lot of them, near the front, near your units, because they directly interact with them and thus can actively change the tide of the battle.

I think such role of basebuilding is more engaging, since you'd have to have a lot of outposts all over the map in order to succesfuly support your units.