A Fuel based game mechanic mode?

[GeneralSGJist]

Subject:
A Fuel based game mechanic?

Description:
I know fuel inn RTS or any games usually seen as unnecessary and a hindrance, however it's still an aspect of real life , and could provide C&C with another resource.

So theoretically you would no longer pay for the actual units in a "uncle Sam" style game in which you would be given free units on a regular basis, or kinda like cc4.

However now, since the units and structures you are given are essentially free, but you harvest fuel which as fuel should, determine how far your units can move.

Furthermore a power system based on fuel requires a distribution method.


So instead of harvesting money u harvest fuel which determine how far and how powerful your units are.

So in theory you could give a single unit All your fuel and it would become an uber unit in all stat areas for as long as the fuel lasted. The longer you used this unit, the more fuel you burn, and the unit becomes weaker over time.

Units and structures without fuel will need to shut down, until more fuel is distributed to them.

The actual harvesting of fuel would need to be more efficient then the use of the method of harvesting.

Come to think of it, this could have worked for C&C4 and brought an actual economy of sorts to the game, each crystal would give fuel..........

Pros:
-a new type of game mode to explore

-able to make units as powerful as you want (for durations)

-Able to research as fast as u like as long as u use a lot of fuel.

-discourages spam and forces players to plan out their strategies.

Cons:

-could be really annoying

-demands constant vigilance over everything.

-significantly change objectives of the game.......

[CnC_Fin]

Cold War Crisis for ZH mod uses a fuel system, in which all most structuers and vehicles require fuel to work. However I didn't like the system much. Even in YR Robot Tanks shut down once the player is low on power.

Powering units with fuel... not my kind of fun.

[MILINTarctrooper]

Although it does add a level of complexity to the game, that could go a ways to counter act rushing. You get a problem...too many soft targets. [Fuel and Ammo Trucks.] Then you may find in smaller maps such a fuel and logistics based system is unnecessary. Play Men of War...which you both have to play with your forces fuel and ammunition sets. (However, they deliberately left out certain ammunition types....so certain factions only had ammo in the ammo truck for X number of units...and you had to scavenge wrecks or micro manage down to the Single Shot with Y units that were not ammunition reloadable via the ammo truck. And the Engineering Truck was the fuel carrier. But you had to use Jerry and Barrels to move fuel from vehicle to vehicle.)
And excessive Micro...and not enough Macro.
In Blitzkrieg the system is more simplified...more around ammo. But it is possible to do it with fuel. Basically your units have unique logistic icons that indicate certain types of damage, low ammo, or no ammo...forcing your logistics into overtime. So maybe a simplification will make it part of the overall macro of a game. (This will require a very simple but effective set of status icons and bars...but right now that will not be done since the overwhelming pre-occupation with graphics and wonder games.)

[GeneralSGJist]

Nothing so complicated, I was thinking like for the Scrin, they could have crazy OP things, but they use tiberium differently, instead of the regular money system, the tib they harvest powers everything like a fuel system.

So more tiberium you harvest and alocate to units the more powerful both in speed dmg and range......

So they not really useing credits, but convert tiberium into fuel which lets their units move around and such.........

Not fully developed but that the general Jist of it.

[wombat789]

I agree that tiberium would be good as a fuel mode. And the base would be, more so harvester dependent . The fuel component would need to be fairly generous . 80 % of the ore value . The silos should also have a far greater capacity .
This would be interesting in Global Conquest mode because of the distance factor ,of the strike force, from the base . What of teleportation of fuel ,ammo .
In addition teleporting harvesters .Like the chrono harvester .

[Warthog167]

Here is an Idea. Instead of fuel for units, how about harvesting a fuel source for your power plants?

I think the idea of unit fuel would get annoying, but running out of ammunition would make sense.

If you have ever played any games in the Earth serious (specifically Earth 2150 and The Moon Project) there is a supply center where an aerial unit lands, picks up ammunition, and then flies to your units and distributes it. The units have an ammunition counter and a bar so you know exactly how much ammo is left. It makes more a more in-depth experiences as you have to make sure your units are supplied with ammo before you make an assualt.

I agree with you guys, it would be awsome to incorporate more decisions like fuel, ammo and things like that, but from my experience it turns alot of players away from the game because at a certain point it becomes too complicated for some to enjoy.

[Nahilus]

Spamming 10,000 tanks and steamrolling the enemy base is a core mechanic of CNC gameplay.

This would interfere with that.

So no :P

[stormgear]

^ This

I feel that this type of game mechanic would only alienate fans of the series like the crawler system did. I'd suggest that you put it in an alternate game mode or a mod but not on the core mechanic of the game.

[Coolness7]

Spamming 10,000 tanks and steamrolling the enemy base is a core mechanic of CNC gameplay.

This would interfere with that.

So no :P

Pretty much. Having a fuel based system makes it more into work than a game so no.

[GeneralSGJist]

Here is an Idea. Instead of fuel for units, how about harvesting a fuel source for your power plants?

I think the idea of unit fuel would get annoying, but running out of ammunition would make sense.

If you have ever played any games in the Earth serious (specifically Earth 2150 and The Moon Project) there is a supply center where an aerial unit lands, picks up ammunition, and then flies to your units and distributes it. The units have an ammunition counter and a bar so you know exactly how much ammo is left. It makes more a more in-depth experiences as you have to make sure your units are supplied with ammo before you make an assualt.

I agree with you guys, it would be awsome to incorporate more decisions like fuel, ammo and things like that, but from my experience it turns alot of players away from the game because at a certain point it becomes too complicated for some to enjoy.

uhh Earth........
Thing about that is, your taking an idea from another game and essentially copy and pasting it in. (tweak of course to work)

sure, but ideally you could streamline an entire faction by making one resources which is fuel and run everything......ammo fuel power everything. I would say that is very Scrin like.

They are addicts in disguise as a species, without tiberium they die or just become significantly weaker.

@ Nahilus,

ideally you could, but now your esentially being billed by the minute XD.....