Defence Computer should be improved

[Lecavalier]

What about a DC that you can spend BP to upgrade range, heal rate, etc?

[benmachine]

What I'd much prefer would be a DC that altered the behaviour of defensive structures in an intuitive way: originally it tried to make turrets target different aliens, so that they wouldn't all concentrate fire on one spot (even though strategically that's probably the sensible thing to do). Unfortunately it's quite hard to come up with something subtle but universally useful. Perhaps a working DC would cause turrets to share targeting information: being in range of any one would alert every other to your location. Except that would probably be ridiculously lethal. So um.

[Crava_Loft]

[deleted]

[David]

You could make it reduce the time to get a lock?  Or maybe only if the DC has LOE to that alien?

[your face]

DC is the hovel of humans. It must be removed

Atleast the hovel had a soul.

[F50]

DC is the hovel of humans. It must be removed

Not so, the hovel actually had a use (oh look, free barricade!), but it was not used as intended. The defense computer is usually used as intended, but some believe it does not have enough of an effect on the game and that having 8 spare BP would be more useful.

[Conzul]

What I'd much prefer would be a DC that altered the behaviour of defensive structures in an intuitive way: originally it tried to make turrets target different aliens, so that they wouldn't all concentrate fire on one spot (even though strategically that's probably the sensible thing to do). Unfortunately it's quite hard to come up with something subtle but universally useful. Perhaps a working DC would cause turrets to share targeting information: being in range of any one would alert every other to your location. Except that would probably be ridiculously lethal. So um.

How about:
DC can detect aliens out of sight and range (and behind corners), and allow turrets to orient themselves toward the approaching aliens? Spinup would still apply, but you wouldn't be stuck with turrets facing inward from the last dretch kamikazi when the tyrants and maras come a'rushin

[mooseberry]

What I'd much prefer would be a DC that altered the behaviour of defensive structures in an intuitive way: originally it tried to make turrets target different aliens, so that they wouldn't all concentrate fire on one spot (even though strategically that's probably the sensible thing to do). Unfortunately it's quite hard to come up with something subtle but universally useful. Perhaps a working DC would cause turrets to share targeting information: being in range of any one would alert every other to your location. Except that would probably be ridiculously lethal. So um.

How about:
DC can detect aliens out of sight and range (and behind corners), and allow turrets to orient themselves toward the approaching aliens? Spinup would still apply, but you wouldn't be stuck with turrets facing inward from the last dretch kamikazi when the tyrants and maras come a'rushin

Not worth 8bp.

[David]

How about some sort of scanner in it, so all aliens in range get hi-lighted and get their health etc above their heads?  The turrets could then also use that information to decide who to shoot first.

[Crava_Loft]

[deleted]

[Meisseli]

Defense computer is the remnant of RTS part of Tremulous. You need it to build teslas. But teslas are not worth their cost.
I'd definitely build DC if teslas were as strong as turrets and cost 8 BPs.</1.1>

You should probably play 1.2 GPP before commenting on changing the Defence Computer in 1.2 GPP....

To the subject itself: or a system that alerts humans of alien presence? Turret #X spotted a marauder...?

It's really hard to think of this kind of improvements compared to some number tweaking, though. Would need a brilliant idea to come by.

[your face]

How about it gives all humans aimbot and wallhack around the base.

[Crava_Loft]

[deleted]

[mooseberry]

</1.1>

1.2 GPP

WAT?

^ I think that's what you meant to say.

[Aelita]

How about some sort of scanner in it, so all aliens in range get hi-lighted and get their health etc above their heads?  The turrets could then also use that information to decide who to shoot first.

Turrets in range of the DC should be able to target weakest aliens first, but giving this advantage to the humans might be a bit much. It's worth a try, but supplying target information to turrets seems the best option.

[superspirality]

Hmm.
Maybe it should increase turret speed or something slight but noticeable?

No grangercircling for me?! T_T

Or having the DCC recall humans with its Arbiter abilities.

No way! I want the stasis shield! Or at least, make it a Protoss Carrier.
On topic - I think the DC should enable some protection for the defences. Yes, the armor or more health.
Or, perhaps, get all the hardware out of the DC and use it as a mobile bunker! Ya know, moving shooting DCs should embarass aliens. 

[Plague Bringer]

On topic - I think the DC should enable some protection for the defences. Yes, the armor or more health.

Trem doesn't have armor types (PROBLEM?).

[superspirality]

On topic - I think the DC should enable some protection for the defences. Yes, the armor or more health.

Trem doesn't have armor types (PROBLEM?).

Uh oh.
I meant the shield idea expressed here.
Though the armor could be a nice thing to see in trem.
I like the idea of armor/damage types model similar to that of Starcraft. Like weapons which deal more damage to large aliens and less damage to smaller ones. But I doubt it should be implemented in Tremulous because there's already sort of a system based on plain effectiveness (chainguns/shotties/lucis are to be used against large aliens and lasguns/MDs/flamer/lucis again against smaller ones).
Anyways, I think we should have some armor types (different armor for buildables and organics). Though alien buildings are too organic. Overall, it's an idea that needs to be heavy refined if someone decides to implement it, lol.

[zybork]

The DC in its current form is useless. Give it a healing capacity that is almost that of alien buildings, because otherwise the human team is always dimished by one person, who has to keep repairing the base, tilting the balance much to the aliens' favour. Mind that in stage 2 the aliens have advanced dragoons which can spit barbs and advanced marauders with their field zap attack, in my opinion, this requires a much harder balancing than is done now. I experienced several times where, once aliens were S2, the human team could not leave the base any longer because they have been kept busy by aliens zapping and barbing their base, even if the humans were S2 themselves, because the DC is worth nothing in the current form.

Give the DC a healing capacity of almost that of alien buildings, do not make them stackable, in higher (not to say unlimited) bp-servers this makes human bases almost indestructible.

[Meisseli]

Though if it would be something like making turrets aim the weakest alien I'd still want the tesla to gain some boost since it can be very useful to build a tesla-base in 1.2 GPP.

[Celestial_Rage]

As I think more about it, I'm liking the idea to give the DC someway to display information about the enemy, especially HP. It is useful to know how low a particular alien is so you can chase it and kill it instead of having it turn around and kill you.