Let's design human buildings!

[kharnov]

Hello. Now, as the title suggests, let's figure out some interesting human building designs. Like the human weapon thread that precedes this, I'd like to start up a discussion on some new things to add to the game, in addition to adding to the background material of the project.

Unlike weapons, buildings are just immobile and generally passive structures, and in their case there aren't many stats to consider. Health, for the most part, is irrelevant. Here are some alternative things to consider in the case of stats for buildings:

• If the structure is defensive, how does it attack?

• What other functions does the structure perform?

• How many build points are required, and at which stage can it be built?

• Is there some interesting gimmick involved?

• Does it affect the function of other structures in some way?

Likewise, balancing structures will be different than in the case of weapons. With structures, skill is involved in their placement, rather than their usage. However, some things must be kept in mind, particularly in the case of defensive structures. Remember that aliens need to be able to attack the human base, or else the humans will always win. Moderation is key. If your structure is able to automatically kill a dretch in a single hit from a distance, the game is going to become extremely boring for both sides, as some challenge has been taken away from the human team, and it isn't fair to the alien player.

Besides stats, try to think of the theme involved with your structure. Consider how it fits in with the other structures and their displayed level of technological advancement. Try to think of the following:

• Is the building feasible? Can the technology behind it come into existence within the next few centuries?

• Does the building perform in compliance with the laws of physics?

• Can you justify your building's usage in a military environment?

• Does the building have many visibly complex parts, requiring extra work in regards to its modeling and animation?

As you consider the functioning of your building, try to determine if another structure already does the same thing. It would be foolish to have multiple structures performing the same role, simply for the sake of having multiple structures. Likewise, it would be silly to have a new structure simply to justify the existence of something else. Each structure should be its own independent building, and should not simply exist to cause something else to make sense. However, the introduction of new battlefield roles may be interesting. Consider where the building will be placed, for example. Is it in the main base, or does it work better in an outpost?

Like the weapon design thread, remember that your building should be more than a brief sentence or two. The best ideas will come from the best effort. If you are capable of drawing things, then try making a concept sketch. If you can write things, then add in some story material. With every bit of detail added, your idea has a better chance of ultimately making it into the game.

To copy from the other thread, for this one to really take off, I'd like to give a suggestion. When you post an idea, try to give some honest criticism about the idea before your own. This wouldn't apply to the person posting the first idea or two, but afterwards, I'd like to see a discussion involved. Tell each other if your ideas are good or not, and if they suck, why they suck. It's fine to laugh, but don't flame each other.

Go!

[kharnov]

In order to incite some discussion in regards to story writing, here's the material I've written for all of the human buildings back in pre-alpha. Feel free to tell me if any of my ideas suck, or if things should be changed. I'm always open to altering things or incorporating new material.

Reactor

Ever since the earliest stages of the alien invasion, humanity has found the need to engage enemy forces in hostile, barren environments, cut off from major supply routes. With the closest planet or space station often being many light years away, the brave defenders of humanity are forced to fend for themselves, their outposts being as self-contained as possible. Proven time and again over countless battles, the military field reactor is capable of generating enough power to ensure continuous operation of base structures while being sturdy enough to take a heavy beating until help arrives.

Within each reactor, a rapidly spinning magnetic field safely contains a super-heated ball of searing plasma, which is used to operate the turbines generating electricity. Power is transmitted wirelessly to each structure in the base, and while this approach ensures that no cables clutter the paths of defenders, there is a limit to the distance a building can be from the reactor. The significantly lower external energy demands of repeaters and jetpacks allow them to be operated at a much greater distance, while all other human equipment functions independently of the reactor, containing high-efficiency power packs.

Critical components of the reactor are protected with several inches of titanium alloy plating, far heavier than the materials used in combat armor. The metal takes a long time for even the largest aliens to cut through, allowing the fusion reaction within to continue providing power to base defenses. In addition to this, the reactor is capable of actively defending itself with short bursts of electricity, burning flesh and momentarily disrupting nervous systems. If even these defenses are compromised, the reactor immediately shuts itself off when damage is irreparable, preventing the fusion reaction from becoming a thermonuclear explosion.

Repeater

At times, the distance between the human and alien bases can be daunting, with the likelihood of running out of ammunition or receiving serious wounds posing a major threat to a soldier’s safety. To solve the problem of providing a reactor’s power to remote locations, repeaters may be built, small devices capable of amplifying the energy provided from a considerable distance. Similar to the reactor, the repeater contains a small fusion reactor, with most of the non-critical safety features removed in favor of a more simplistic design that can be easily mass-produced. The magnets surrounding the repeater’s plasma chamber are powered by the long-wave radiation beamed directly from the reactor, ensuring an uninterrupted power supply for as long as the reactor is functioning. If the main base is destroyed, the repeater can keep itself stable for a brief period of time off stored power, promptly exploding afterwards.

Up to two buildings may be powered by a single repeater, with varying degrees of usefulness. Besides the slight bit of power taken from the reactor, buildings utilizing the repeater do not draw from the main power source, and thus may be considered expendable. Thus, there is plenty of incentive to construct useful forward bases, aiding teammates in mounting attacks on the alien base.

Turret

As long as human bases have existed in hostile environments, there has been a need to defend them. The automated defense turret fulfills this role admirably, packing enough of a punch to deal with a variety of alien forms at an appreciable distance. When one turret is not enough to cover a single location, the common response is to build even more of them.

Fully automated, each turret observes its surroundings with several small cameras mounted inconspicuously around the frame, which are capable of viewing infrared heat signatures in low-light conditions. Multiple guidance computers are incorporated into the weapon, which can override each other when sub-optimal firing conditions are approached, such as the presence of a human soldier in front of the barrel. The computers take some time to fully lock on to their target, but when this is achieved, the torrent of bullets are unmatched in their accuracy and lethality. Several turrets can home in on the same target, although turrets prioritize the closest alien to achieve maximum efficiency and prevent damage to the internal electronic components.

Each bullet is a powerful armor-piercing round, capable of striking through chitinous carapaces to cause severe internal disruption over the course of several seconds of sustained firing. Turret rounds are fed continuously into the barrel from a large feed box in the center of the weapon, which houses a small replicator capable of synthesizing a continuous stream of rounds. The replicator is dependent entirely on an external power supply, and if this is cut off, the turret quickly becomes useless.

Telenode

While high-ranking officers and other persons of interest utilize more elegant methods of transportation to reach the battlefield, the bulk of human conscripts are directly teleported onto special receivers known as telenodes. Prior to deployment, soldiers in a system facing hostility are kept on high alert, ready to be mobilized on a moment’s notice. When the signal is given, they have less than a minute to suit up into fatigues and pick up either a rifle or a construction kit before reporting to the ready room. Lined up in neat rows, the soldiers are quickly briefed on current battlefield conditions and the nature of the threat, while a team of medics gives each soldier an injection containing stimulants and powerful analgesics to stave off severe pain. When prepared, the soldiers queue up at the base’s main teleporter, which is locked onto the coordinates of telenodes present at the forward site. One by one, the soldiers step through, traveling across an entire system within an instant.

Telenodes function with or without the presence of a reactor, due to the presence of a small generator in the pad, although one must be built for further structures to be warped in. As they must cool down after each teleportation, it is to a team’s advantage to have at least two or three present, cutting down on the time for reinforcements to come in. If all telenodes have been destroyed and there is no way to obtain a construction kit, the remaining human operatives are doomed. Thus, it is important to keep them in safe locations, away from the predations of the alien threat.

Armory

In order to lessen the risk of teleportation mishaps, such as the unfortunate possibility of a weapon trading places with a soldier’s internal organs, human soldiers are sent into the battlefield with only the bare minimum of equipment required to operate effectively. All other human equipment is retrieved at the armory, which is specially equipped to handle the transfer of munitions, armor, and other inorganic materials. Contrary to its name, nothing is stored within the armory itself, which instead contains a teleportation beacon similar in design to those used in construction kits. Keypads placed on both sides of the armory allow for a soldier to dial in a specific piece of equipment, which is then immediately transferred from a manufacturing plant on the same planet, or a stockroom on an orbiting ship. Items that are made of expensive or fragile components require the expenditure of a soldier’s credits, which are accumulated during the course of battle. Thus, battlefield effectiveness directly translates into what the soldier is allowed to equip or wield.

Second only to the reactor in importance, the armory is the ultimate source of all human firepower, and thus is one of the first structures to be destroyed when a base is overrun by aliens. Safeguarding the armory is key, as its loss renders the human team impotent in the face of serious threats. As multiple humans can use the same armory at once, the construction of more than one is generally regarded as useless.

[kharnov]

Part 2, due to character limits:

Medistation

While deceptively mundane in appearance, the medistation is easily one of the most critical structures present in the human base, solely for the reason that it can return the most grievously wounded human soldier back to fighting shape within the span of seconds. The structure itself is a heavy metal pad, with a pressure plate in the center that registers the presence of a human stepping onto it. When this occurs, the device immediately activates, surrounding the user in a reassuring sheath of light. A ring of sensors mounted around the pressure plate quickly scan along the length of the wounded human’s body, detecting wounds with far greater speed and accuracy than even the most trained human medics. When the initial scan is complete, this information is relayed directly to medical nanites present in soldier’s bloodstream, which are typically injected prior to deployment. The microscopic machines work with astounding precision, closing wounds and releasing antidotes to counteract all known forms of alien poisoning. After this is finished, the medistation automatically deactivates, signalling it is ready for the next user.

Without the presence of a medistation, the human team is unable to easily recover from its losses, as wounded soldiers have no choice but to continue fighting while facing certain death. Thus, the medistation must be protected from alien assault at all costs, hidden safely behind base defenses. Larger teams may benefit from an additional medistation, allowing two soldiers to recover at once and drastically cutting wait times.

Defense computer

When human bases are expected to hold out against a particularly threatening alien swarm, the defense computer is authorized for construction. Containing a diverse array of electronics and wireless broadcasting equipment, the defense computer coordinates all of the automated components of the standard human base, contributing its own enhanced artificial intelligence to the local network. It is capable of analyzing defects in local structures, which it repairs using the same maintenance nanomachines that the construction kit possesses, although at a slower pace. At the same time, it reports the presence of a damaged structure to human operatives, which likely indicates the base has been attacked or is in the process of being destroyed by the aliens.

While it takes up as much power from the reactor as a defense turret, the computer is still one of the most useful components of a properly built human base. Its capability to maintain nearby structures and warn of impending attack allows for the human team to venture out further from their base, providing some peace of mind in regards to the base still existing when they return.

Tesla generator

Over the course of an alien invasion, a base can easily be overwhelmed by the constant onslaught of the various attack forms utilized by the overmind. While turrets are the mainstay of human defenses, they take a few precious seconds to lock onto a target, and they must continuously turn in response to a moving alien. Thus, even the most securely defended base can be destroyed by the skillful exploitation of the defense turret’s drawbacks. For these situations, the construction of the tesla generator is authorized.

The bulk of the structure consists of the central pylon, which houses all critical electronic components, such as the targeting computer and a microfusion reactor capable of generating sudden bursts of high voltage. Two electrodes stand at the sides of the pylon, linked directly to the internal reactor. When inactive, the electrodes are kept at a stable charge by a pair of magnetically conductive metal spheres, which float between them and cycle excess current back into the pylon in a glowing display of crackling electricity. A suite of sensors located on top of the central structure detects the proximity of aliens, and when one approaches past a certain threshold, the electrodes receive a massive surge of power from the internal reactor, all of which is discharged onto the unfortunate alien in a fraction of a second. The power surge is strong enough to electrocute the smaller forms with just a single jolt, while others are repelled far enough to give the generator enough time to recharge.

Tesla generators are usually built to work alongside defense turrets, preventing aliens from approaching them so that they may fire with impunity. A pair placed just behind a door will ensure that none of the smaller aliens will be able to pass through, while even the largest forms are critically weakened by the electric shock.

[ViruS]

Fully automated, each turret observes its surroundings with several small cameras mounted inconspicuously around the frame*, which are capable of viewing infrared heat signatures in low-light conditions. Multiple guidance computers are incorporated into the weapon, which can override each other when sub-optimal firing conditions are approached, such as the presence of a human soldier in front of the barrel.

*Maybe this description should have 'radar' instead except for primary view for direct aiming, because i think its more sensible in terms of range. [keep your discription of the camera for aiming as is, except being mounted al over the frame, sounds kinda... stupid honestly]

[kharnov]

That was for the old turret model. Now that we have a new one, I'll be rewriting the description for it. It does make more sense for the camera to only be mounted in front, but on the other hand, I'm iffy about that. If you were working entirely off radar, then the presence of a human behind the turret might trigger it to turn around and face the human. With small cameras mounted around the body of the turret to provide a full view all around it, it can distinguish between aliens and humans.

[JOURNEYMAN]

Maybe instead of radar, the turrets are equipped with LIDAR? Same basic principle as radar but uses laser instead of radio signals. This will distinguish aliens from humans better than the radar can.

[Asvarox]

I believe that it'd make sense if turret used same technology of detecting aliens as helmet. It'd go for something like life sign detector.

[KenuR]

No, cameras would explain why turrets have such a short range and I can't think of anything but cameras that could distinguish aliens.

[seana11]

Maybe it could be sonar; at longer ranges it degrades because of background noise.

What if you design the reactor so that the plasma is protected by a force field, and every time ye attack the reactor, the force feild degrades; when you destroy the force field, the plasma is shut down so that it does to catastrophically explode, and then the rc self-destructs. This could be very cool if implemented. That could also explain the electricity bursts the rc creates; t6hey come from the force-field.

On the topic of force fields, what if a thin, rectangular, flat, floor-mounted structure was created that projected a beam upwards that repelled/hurt aliens. This could be used as a lower cost solution to Teslas in protecting doorways.

[JBiscuitz]

Ive been tossing around the idea of perhaps a rail gun that could be constructed, manually controlled and limit of one being built at a time. The damage output would be similar to the chaingun (though less) and it overheats if fired too long. This would give a builder a split second chance (or someone with no creds) to defend base or to set up hall defense. Due to spray, it is mostly useful for short range and swivels about 180 degrees(slow movement).

Im debating about if this is OP or even necessary. Just curious on everyones thoughts.