[A] Starbow - Page 449

Macro mechanics?

Stalker?
Robotic unit?
Sentinel + spells?
Corsair & Scout?
High Templar Hallucination large bug (or replace the spell)
Carrier micro

Marauder?
Reaper?
Viking & Banshee?
PF?
Ghost spell?
Spider mine bug

Viper + spells
Devourer & Guardian
Roach??

- Chrono boost & Rift
- Inject, Nurturing Swarm & Creep tumor
- Calldown SCV, Overcharge that allows 2 units to be produced at the same time.

The problem is Overcharge. It is so much stronger since it must last until both units are finished. The only technical way it can be balanced (as I know of) is to change energy cost + cooldown, OR make both units be produced at a slower percentage rate.

For example, if that value is 50%, and Overcharge is used on a Barrack, it will take 42 seconds to complete both Marines.
If they instead are built one and one, it will take a total of 42 seconds there aswell. So there must be a value above 50% BUT less than 100%.

One technical problem with this is Overcharge is used when only 1 unit is in production. That lonely unit will be produced slower. Thus, Terran actually gets punished for using Overcharge on a structure at the "wrong" time, or if he missclicks and does not queue up 2 units.

Protoss and Zerg can waste Chrono boost and Inject if they use it when they are for example supply blocked, but they never gain a negative effect from them.

- Chrono boost & Rift
- Inject, Nurturing Swarm & Creep tumor
- Calldown SCV, Overcharge that allows 2 units to be produced at the same time.


We use scaled macro mechanics:

Chrono boost increases unit prodution and research time by 100%.
Worker production by 75%.
Speeds up a cannon by 50%.

Overcharge at Barrack trains 2 units by 100%. Slower on Starport and Factory. (And maybe CC?)

The problem is Inject. If it shall affect army units better than workers, there needs to be two kinds of larvas/eggs. And that just seems complicated and unnecessary.

- Chrono boost & Rift
- Inject, Nurturing Swarm & Creep tumor
- Calldown SCV, Overcharge, Tech lab & Reactor

One easy solution for Terran Overcharge would be to let it work like this:
- Speeds up the production in target Barrack, Factory or Starport by 75% for 10 sec. (Weaker than Chrono boost)

If Terran can produce Tech lab & Reactor as usual, it will be better to use Overcharge on a structure with Reactor since the bonus is doubled. (150% during 10 seconds.) It will also make flying Terran structures move faster ^^

The problem with Reactors are that they allow T to get out a high early number of Marines + Vultures. (Which screws the balance.) If Reactor instead requires E-bay or Armory, that should not be a problem.

It is however boring that Chrono boost + Overchage will be quite similar: Both speeds up production by X% during X seconds.

CB is more versatile and can be used on almost anything. It is stronger than Overcharge when it comes to squeeze out high tech units.

Overcharge is instead more efficient at getting out high numbers of low-tier units, due to Reactors.

This would probably be easier to balance as well.

Here is the time it takes to produce 12 workers from 1 main base without any macro mechanics:

- T - 211.2 seconds
- P - 211,2 seconds
- Z - 234 seconds

If each race produces workers non-stop from 1 main base, and uses constant CB, Inject and Calldown SCV, this is the time it takes to produce 12 workers:

- T - ca 150 seconds
- P - ca 150 seconds
- Z - ca 168 seconds (The Hatchery starts with 1 Larva)

The relationship between the races is almost intact. All races now have potential to boost their worker production by the same % value. (Ca 40%)

I measured how many Marines, Zealots and Zerglings can be produced during 2 minutes from 1 production structure, without any macro mechanics. Normal values:

Z - 6,15x2 Zerglings from 1 Hatchery that starts with 1 Larva, during 2 minutes.
P - 3,5 Zealots from 1 Gateway during 2 minutes.
T - 5,7 Marines from 1 Barrack during 2 minutes.


If each race uses CB, Inject or Overcharge non-stop on the same production structure, this is the amount of units who are produced during 2 minutes:

Z - 9x2 Zerglings (46% more efficient production)
P - 5,2 Zealots. (48% more efficient production)
T - (Overcharge is special. No matter if it works like a one-time-reactor, or like a Terran Chrono boost, I have managed to get it to increase production by ca 50%.)

I tested some other units aswell. The relationship seems to be intact no matter what, All macro mechanics now have potential to boost army production by the same % value.

Chrono boost - Lasts 20 seconds, increases time by 50%. Costs 15 energy.

Calldown SCV - Cooldown 30 sec, 25 energy, 50 minerals.

Inject - Lasts 24 seconds, increases Larva spawn rate by 50%. Costs 15 energy.

Overcharge for Terran either costs 25 energy and works as a one-time reactor, OR costs 15 energy and works like Chrono boost. (I write details why at the end of this post.)

15 energy allows all mechanics to be used more often. It is a ugly number, but it gets the job done.

Well, I can not guarantee it. This is merely an extension of the production speed of BW. Which means that if a player in BW produces workers like crazy, and the other player goes more for army/harassment, he can benefit from it if the opponent does no damage. I imagine the same will happen here - if P only Chrono boosts Probes, while Zerg uses his injected Larva for a Hydra bust.. well.. the same thing would be possible with or without macro mechanics.

Zerg will probably Drone up and build armies in the same way as before, since both army and drone production is boosted in the same way by the same % value.

Protoss will get excess energy if CB is only used on Nexi, since it is so cheap to cast, lasts 20 seconds and each Nexi start with 50 energy. It is more inefficient to just wait and cast it on the same structure over and over, compared to if it has a shorter but stronger effect.

Terran can ofc just use all energy over and over to Calldown SCVs if he so desires. But then his army production will be limited, compared to P and Z. (But if Calldown SCV costs no energy, T will get energy over to use on army boost.)

But is there no way to encourage players to boost their army instead of workers?
>>>+ Show Spoiler +<<<

Upgrade Nexus
- 100 minerals
- 35 sec BT
- Starts with 50 energy
- Max energy 100
- Requires Gateway

- CB lasts 20 seconds, boosts by 50% and costs 15 energy.
- Rift cooldown 60 seconds, costs 50 energy.

Queen
- 150 minerals
- 40 sec BT
- Starts with 50 energy
- Max energy 100
- Requires Pool

- Inject lasts 24 seconds, boosts Larva by 50% and costs 15 energy.
- Creep tumor 25 energy
- Nurturing swarm costs 25 energy, heals 75 life OR speed up morphing structure by 50% during 20 seconds.

Orbital command
- 125 minerals
- 40 sec BT
- Starts with 50 energy
- Max energy 100
- Requires Barrack

- Calldown SCV cooldown 30 sec, costs 25 energy and 50 minerals.
- Overcharge costs 15 or 25 energy, depending on how it shall work.
- Scan 25 energy.

Ofc Scan, Rift, Nurturing Swarm and other values might need to be fine tuned. The most important basic aspects are at what time the macro mechanics comes into play, and how well they effect worker + army production.

With those values, both worker and army production are now even for all races.

Just editor stuff. I can make it work in two ways:

- Like Chrono boost but with different values. (Becomes better if used on a structure that has a Reactor add-on.)
- Like a One-time-Reactor that makes the Barrack, Factory or Starport able to produce 2 units at the same time until 1 unit finishes.

The latter is ofc more unique. I have managed to scale it:
- Two units at Barrack are produced at X% speed.
- Two units at Starport and Factory are produced at X% speed.

The ability MUST be scaled for decent balance. (Otherwise it is much stronger than CB and Inject when used on especially Factory or Starport.)

One practical problem is this:
- Lets say T has 4 production facilities. He drops Overcharge on 3 of them. He has all of them hotkeyed. He pumps units. The units will be spread throughout ALL of the structures. Which means that NONE of the structures will produce 2 units at the same time until all other structures produces something...



IF a structure with Overcharge produces units at a slower pace than normal, T gets punished by this! Lets say he only starts to produce 4 units. (No more resources.) Those units will actually be produced slower...

If a structure however has a normal Reactor added to it, and T has many structures selected and spams units, they will AUTOMATICALLY start to produce 2 units in the same Reactor before the next structure starts to produce.

I have not managed to fix this issue in the editor.