New GDI and changes to Scrin

So now that we're into the home stretch things are really starting to become interesting. Nod is a force to be reckoned with that is for sure. The Scrin are simply deadly. And GDI? GDI is having to fight to hold it's line.

Now two things have become apparent to me at this phase. The first is that I'm going to have to do more work to GDI than I originally planned, mostly due to Doug requesting more get done than I wanted to do. So there is that. Another thing is the new Scrin are very powerful but there is a flaw.

We'll start with the Scrin. Their flaw at this point is the new Echo System. While it sounded great on paper in use on the battlefield it really didn't make a difference in how the game plays out. This is a problem as this is supposed to be Scrins ultimate upgrade. In reality it caused issues with game stability. SO what I have done for now is change the Echo upgrade to a Production upgrade. This will now make the choice actually important. War Tripods that used to cost 25s/2500 now cost 12s/2500! Yea, thats big.

Also the Scrin AI is crashing, but not always. So I get to go AI spelunking to try to figure out what tiny bit of code the game is trying to do that it can't. Yaaa me.


But GDI, GDI's changes are going to end up being much more interesting in the long run. We're looking at putting 5 more new units into an already robust army. Some upgrades will be going away and become available in other ways. So for example instead of buying a Mammoth Tank and then upgrading to Rail Cannons you'll be buying a Mammoth Tank OR buying a more expensive Mammoth Rail Tank.

Other units will be gaining better usability in the field. Zone troopers that can actually jump large distances for rapid deployment is one example.

And of course the new Ion canon system. Fire it at 8 minutes for it's normal attack or fire it at 12 minutes for a planet cutter attack! Watch as enemy units come near the Ion Cannon Deployment Center's base get blasted over and over from orbit! Make pizza and watch the show!

Next week I hope to be able to talk about the new GDI design in more detail. We're done designing it now but I want to get it finished and into the game before talking more about it.


A quick rundown though between the 2 forces will work like this.

Scrin - Power, single minded production, and constantly advancing. The Scrin are an offensive force that are able to produce large armies from small bases.

Offensive Rating - 9
Defensive Rating - 4


Nod - Multiple Choices, varying degree of units, work best with large bases and when units work together. Nod focus's on elite units and teamwork to survive.

Offensive Rating - 8
Defensive Rating - 5


GDI - Mass Production, encroachment army. GDI is a defensive force that prefers to take land a piece at a time then force their enemy into a corner before pounding them with heavy mobile weapon platforms.

Offensive Rating - 6
Defensive Rating - 7


As you can see from my ratings GDI is the most defensive force in the game but they also try to keep a very even split between offense and defense. Nod on the other hand is a force that likes to expand and can defend it's expansion bases but they also are able to produce large armies of different units that work well together to destroy an enemy force. The Scrin only need one base (this does not stop them from expanding I must point out) to be sucsessful and from this one base they can wage a war on multiple fronts continuing to force their enemies into more desperate measures as they destroy whatever is in their path.