GenEngineer
Prince
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2014
- Messages
- 456
@TheMarshmallowBear - Hybrid air units wouldn't be unique, from a mechanical standpoint at least. The upgrade path and perks shown for the other units mean that it would actually be exactly the same except for aesthetics. If I say 'here is a tier 4 marine, strength 48, move of 2, costs 230 production, with +15% on the attack, +20% if next to a friendly unit, and +30% when flanking,' you cannot tell from that description (which should tell all relevant mechanical details) whether the unit I am referring to is an Apostle (pure Supremacy) or an Eidolon (Supremacy/Purity).
That's why not knowing why they aren't in is like an itch we need scratched. A pattern has been set up (everything get's hybrid), then violated (except planes), and it is human nature to try and complete the pattern or see why it was not completed. Even if I wind up not liking the particular explanation (like if they say they thought it didn't matter), I would still like to know the reason, especially because it may determine feasibility of it being added later (patch shortly after release or in 3rd expansion) or modded in, should it wind up being something in a deeper system we haven't been considering.
As far as the value of aesthetics goes, that depends more on the type of player you are. From a strict 'How do I win most consistently on the highest difficulty" viewpoint, aesthetics are a low priority. Not so low that you'd be happy with just a text and numbers based game, methinks, but lower than a lot of the other elements.
For someone like me, though, I absolutely love the idea of playing a 6-person game where each player has a completely different aesthetic to their army and cities, where they play completely differently because the affinities make them want different things. So while I agree that Hybrid Cities and, to a lesser extent, Hybrid Aircraft, are irrelevant from a mechanical sense, they're still something I'd like to see in the game.
Don't get me wrong, from what I've seen, I'm very excited with what's in the game and I'm looking forward to the release, but that doesn't mean I don't wonder about those details (especially since, as they are so low priority, i'm not certain they won't be in the game at launch - as a low priority, they might well be added in at the last minute)
That's why not knowing why they aren't in is like an itch we need scratched. A pattern has been set up (everything get's hybrid), then violated (except planes), and it is human nature to try and complete the pattern or see why it was not completed. Even if I wind up not liking the particular explanation (like if they say they thought it didn't matter), I would still like to know the reason, especially because it may determine feasibility of it being added later (patch shortly after release or in 3rd expansion) or modded in, should it wind up being something in a deeper system we haven't been considering.
As far as the value of aesthetics goes, that depends more on the type of player you are. From a strict 'How do I win most consistently on the highest difficulty" viewpoint, aesthetics are a low priority. Not so low that you'd be happy with just a text and numbers based game, methinks, but lower than a lot of the other elements.
For someone like me, though, I absolutely love the idea of playing a 6-person game where each player has a completely different aesthetic to their army and cities, where they play completely differently because the affinities make them want different things. So while I agree that Hybrid Cities and, to a lesser extent, Hybrid Aircraft, are irrelevant from a mechanical sense, they're still something I'd like to see in the game.
Don't get me wrong, from what I've seen, I'm very excited with what's in the game and I'm looking forward to the release, but that doesn't mean I don't wonder about those details (especially since, as they are so low priority, i'm not certain they won't be in the game at launch - as a low priority, they might well be added in at the last minute)