Satellites (And a few tie-ins)

Since the player is on a space station and travels to other planets, perhaps players should be able to deploy satellites in orbit.

Satellites could have certain effects or activated abilities, such as scanning, attacking, or other functions.
To make a satellite, the player would first create a generic satellite, and then create a device fitting the future function of the satellite.

The base satellite would probably be created by combining a chassis, solar panels, and electronics. Creating this would require somewhat advanced materials, placing satellites in the mid- to end-game.

Possible satellites:

Illumination Satellite (Illumination Unit): This satellite, when activated, creates a powerful beam of light that illuminates a column of the world stretching from the sky to the surface. It has two settings: Normal and High-Power. The normal mode is sufficient for most tasks, but is somewhat dim. It does not require energy, however.
The High-Power mode requires energy to maintain - when the satellite's energy is drained, it will revert to Normal lighting. The High-Power mode will provide light as strong as natural daylight.

Scanner Satellite (Scanner Unit): This satellite allows the player to activate a scan of the planet the satellite is orbiting, revealing significant resources in the area and returning a creature count.

Laser Satellite/Ion Cannon (Laser): This satellite enables the player to call down an orbital laser on any location. The laser burns through several layers of blocks and deals heavy damage to anything caught in its beam.

Power Satellite (Power Transmitter): Collects energy from a local sun in orbit. This satellite allows energy collected by the satellite in space to be delivered to a receiver on the planet’s surface, letting players power technology on the surface without requiring power plants.

Antigravity Satellite (Gravitron Unit): Enables the player to invert gravity at will in an area. The satellite can shift its target area. Anything in the area other than blocks is affected - players, loose objects, enemies, etc. Momentum is conserved as well.

Electromagnetic Satellite (Jammer/Magnet Unit): Passively disrupts enemy communications and can be activated to disable electronic devices in a large targeted area on the surface.
When switched to magnetic mode, it can create a powerful beam at a targeted location that sucks up metallic objects like robots. Heavier objects take longer to suck up (kill). If the beam is disabled while enemies are in it, they are dropped to the ground without effect.

Matter Modulator Satellite (Matter Modulator): This satellite has the ability to transform a targeted area of blocks into different blocks. It only affects a small area and takes a massive amount of energy to use. Useful for getting a few ores that the player needs, attacking (turning structures/fortifications into dangerous materials), etc.
Weather Control Satellite (Weather Controller): Allows the player to change the weather in a targeted area. Drains satellite’s charge while in use and effect ends when charge is fully drained.
Effects could be: Thunderstorms, rain, snow, temperature changes, strong winds, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc. It could also be used to call down lightning on targets, which deals moderate damage and can stun for a few seconds.

Orbital Strike Satellite (Bombardment Module): This is a non-energy based satellite that must be loaded with munitions before the player ventures to the surface. Once the player is on the surface, the loadout of the OSS cannot be changed and it cannot be replenished, but it has no energy and no recharge time between shots. It can be loaded with various arms which take up varying amounts of space within it's hold, ranging from small bombs for light bombardment to huge demolition devices capable of wrecking large amounts of everything.

(De)Accelerator Satellite ((De)Acceleration Unit): This satellite accelerates or decelerates all players or monsters within its area of effect, depending on its setting. In acceleration mode, all players within its area of effect gain a speed, jump, and attack speed bonus. In deceleration mode, all monsters within its area of effects gain a speed, jump, and attack speed debuff.

Energy:

Satellites with active abilities would have a recharging energy supply, probably measured out of 100 Units. Units would recharge at .2 Units/s (5 seconds per Unit) Recharge time is variable, power satellites could be used to increase recharge speed if set to do so by the player rather than beam down power.
Recharge time is also not set in stone. I have no idea how balanced the energy system would be.


Energy costs (Tentative):

Illumination Satellite: (1 U/s to maintain High-Power mode)

Laser Satellite: (50 Units per use) (250 s/use)

Scanner Satellite: (33 Units per use) (165 s/use)

Antigravity Satellite: (1 U/s to maintain antigravity)

Electromagnetic Satellite: (33 Units per EMP, 5 Units/s to maintain magnetic beam) (165 s/use)

Matter Modulator Satellite: (100 Units per use, can only be recharged by power satellites, requiring 3000/x seconds to recharge, where x is the number of power satellites dedicated to recharging it.)

Weather Control Satellite: (1 Unit/s for light weather (rain, snow, and mild temp change), 5 Units/s for extreme weather (storms), and 10 Units/s for natural disasters. 10 Units per lightning strike.)

Tranquility Beacon: Passive, no energy consumption.

S.K.Y. Array: Passive, no energy consumption.

Skydock Relay/Teleporter: (50 Units per teleport) (250s/use)

SPACEVIS Holographic Satellite: Passive, no energy consumption.

M.O.B. Suppressor: (1 Unit/s to maintain effect)

TEMPLAR Planetary Defense Drone: Passive, no energy consumption.

Ground items:

Power Receiver: Collects power transmitted by power satellites.

GPS Unit: Can receive map data from scanning satellites and save maps from many different planets.


Ground Structures:
These can be powered by connecting them to a power supply, either a ground-based generator or a power receiver connected to a power satellite.

Force Field Generator: Creates an impassable barrier around it. Size can be modulated, with larger radii consuming more energy.

Terraformer: Terraforms the land around it based on different settings. Speed is variable, with higher speeds costing more energy for the same effect.

Teleport Beacon: This serves as a target for the Skydock Relay/Teleporter satellite.

Sentry Gun: Static defense gun which fires ammunition or lasers. Projectile SGs require less energy but have a finite amount of ammunition which needs to be restocked, while laser SGs require more energy but do not need to be restocked with ammo.

Mass Energy Storage Device: This is essentially a large battery, which can store energy for later use. Energy stored in the device does not decay over time, but the device is only 90% efficient.


Interface:
Two active satellites and two power satellites would be available to each player (this would require balancing for MP).
The interface would be a number of boxes on the player's HUD, one for each satellite (power satellites would be combined into one box), with an energy gauge and a name/picture to identify the satellite's ability.

Maintenance: Depending on how satellites are implemented, maintenance could take a few different forms.

If satellites are a deploy-per-visit thing, then maintenance would be unnecessary on the planet's surface, but the satellites would degrade a bit on every planetary visit. Upon reaching a minimum maintenance level, the satellites would no longer be usable until they were repaired.

If satellites are a deploy-per-planet thing, then maintenance would be a stat that slowly drains while a satellite is in orbit. Upon reaching a certain level of maintenance (10% perhaps), the satellite would stop working. At 0% maintenance, the satellite would deorbit, crashing in a random area on the planet. The player would be able to salvage some parts from the satellite, or perhaps mine out scrap metal.


Feel free to suggest more!
I made most of the satellites energy based because you can't reload guns in space from the ground, but that's not to say you can't suggest any.

 

Me likely!
What about satellites that light up areas at night?

 

How about a satellite that generates power retroactively, like a solar panel? It would inherently require a power unit, but power could be transferred through gratuitous mirror use and would be a great starter power supply.

Also consider tiered generation facilities. You could have a hydroelectric facility to produce more power than a solar satellite, but would be more costly material wise and might require upkeep, something along those lines.

 

Laser satelite could be named - Ion Canon - like in C&C : D - it's so awesome.
Satelite idea is nice, it's always good option to have some "just in case" i think there should be plenty of them.

 

Something else to think of while on this is that they would need maintenance or they enter a decaying orbit and eventually crash onto the planet. A plus on that note is that you could salvage it, repair it, then relaunch it around the planet or a new one if you wanted.

 

There could be lots of fun with satellites. These are also pretty reasonable suggestions.

 

Sounds like a nice idea. I'll put that in!

The power satellites are supposed to work through solar panels. Solar panels would be one of the parts for the generic base satellite.

And the starting power supply was pretty much my exact thinking for the power satellites - a fairly weak, highly portable power supply to get infrastructure set up or just power random odds and ends that would be a hassle to set up individual generators for.

I never played a C&C game with the Ion Cannon in it, but I remember the Ion Painter from UT2k4. Awesomesauce. I'll add that as an alternative name.

I was thinking that satellites would be a deploy-per-visit thing, where the player simply chooses which ones to deploy in orbit while he or she goes down to the surface, no maintenance required (until they return, at least). Otherwise, it could be a system where the player deploys the satellites around certain planets, and they stay there whether or not the player stays on that planet (until they remove them manually). I'm generally not a fan of maintenance systems, because when they're implemented badly, they just turn into mindless busywork that doesn't contribute to fun.

Thanks!

 

This is an excellent idea! I will try to think of something to add but you have pretty much suggested everything I would have.

 

You certainly came up with a pretty good list of different variations of satellites. This would really add a lot of fun utility features to the game.

 

This is a very well-thought out suggestion, obviously made by a very intelligent individual. I congratulate thee, and give it a rating of 9.5/10. (I've decided that it's my job to rate all suggestions that I come across so that I can raise my post count xD)
Reason: Very impressive and expansive suggestion, however, 10/10 reviews are reserved for posts with eyecandy (pictures)
If you added pictures, that would be very impressive, however, that's probably just a bit too much to ask. Not saying I don't think you're capable, it's just that the suggestion is really big and... I (hope) think you know what i mean...

 

hmmmmmmm.... interesting

 

Enterdasting. I would love to see a bit of this implemented in the game!
Hell, who knows? Maybe this is already planned to be in the game.

 

Take your time.

Exactly what I was hoping to achieve!

I AM incapable of doing that. I have no skill in any sort of drawing/spriting, and I don't have the time to photoshop together a bunch of things.

IS THAT SO?

It would be awesome if it was.

 

I feel that these particular satelittes should:
1.) be rather expensive to build
2.) only have one property (a scanner satelitte can't also be the laser cannon satelitte, etc.)
3.) only have limited charges per day (unless you have some sort of battery pack add-on or something)

 

1.) I was expecting these to be mid to late-game items, so I agree with that.
2.) Realistically, it would be okay, but this is a game and balance is a concern, so agreed.
3.) I made the energy system in order to allow players a choice between waiting for energy to recharge (long cooldowns) or bursting several abilities at once and having to wait longer to get charge back. I'm not very fond of limiting abilities overmuch, because it could create the "too valuable to waste" effect and deter actual use.

 

Very good and creative.You very specific with details and descriptions.

I support this fully!

 

Believe me, if I had skill in Drawing/spriting, I'd sprite up some satellites for you faster than a bullet. And maybe I will anyway, just to try xD

 

i can tell that GPS satellite will definitely come in handy when a certain sidequest character is being rather difficult to find.

 

Oh that's a great idea! That could be a good way to increase comfort on your favorite planets, or heighten your chances on the REALLY hard planets.

Your favorite planet could be pimped in various ways:

Tranquility Beacon
A rather expensive satellite that would require a lot of research.
Sends out mind-control waves that disables PVP on a planet, until it is turned off or destroyed.
Can be used to create "safe haven" planets within a PVP-enabled system.

S.K.Y. Array
An array of drones that allow you to change the way the sky above your planet looks.
You can change colors, add fancy effects and so forth...

Skydock Relay & Skydock Teleporter
This satellite is coupled with a ground structure and allows you to teleport directly from your ship to the teleporter structure on the planet's surface and back without landing.

SPACEVIS Holographic Satellite
SPACEVIS allows you to project a self-drawn picture on the sky above your planet.
Anything from "Welcome to Bob's planet!" to your avatar, coat of arms, banner or icon.

M.O.B. Suppressor
Another expensive satellite that decreases the spawn rate of certain mobs on a planet to make your homeworld safer.

TEMPLAR Planetary Defense Drone
A battle platform that orbits your planet and engages hostile invaders to your world.

 

Ooh...
A holographic satellite that makes your favorite creatures spawn on your world, but they have 1 health and do no damage.