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Hello,
As the subject gave away, I am working on designing and programming a PC RTS game and would like an opinion on how to approach an issue. Most of the game is worked out, however I cannot decide how to allow the player to spawn his/her own units. I might as well give away the setting: The player takes the role of the "Lord of Generals" a proxy-leader of an ancient alien faction originating near the galactic center (which they worship as "The Great Devourer") who in the last several million years or so have colonized most of the Milky Way. The game begins as humans (a few hundred years in the future) begin invading their colonies with violent fervor, etc...
Currently, the human troops enter the game via VTOL-style dropships which help to establish that they are vicious invaders. I am not sure whether to have friendly units enter the game in a similar manner, or to have them teleport onto the field or build barracks etc. I just can't really make my mind up on which would work best.
Thanks in advance for any assistance or new ideas.

I might have a some what odd idea, how about letting the friendly units send out scouts/droids that scout the area and once the area is clear or safe they transform or build portals (consuming the unit in the process). That allows the rest of the main forces to arrive that way?.

I like that idea, I was actually planning on doing something similar for immobile turrets and perhaps shIeld generators

 SneakyMek wrote:
I might have a some what odd idea, how about letting the friendly units send out scouts/droids that scout the area and once the area is clear or safe they transform or build portals (consuming the unit in the process). That allows the rest of the main forces to arrive that way?.

So you mean zerg drones?

Alright, what I've done is said that large-scale FTL travel is too stressing for an atmospheric environment (radiation, etc...) so the aliens are only able to send small objects. The "Builders" (small AI units) are zapped into an environment ahead of the main force. The player can choose to transform the essentially useless Builders into teleporter pads which allow basic troops to enter the battle field, or into stationary auto-turrets which have similar firepower to basic units, but higher shields to cope for their lack of mobility. Each level (so far) starts up with a few builders on the fields and 10CR ( to turn a builder into a teleporter costs 5CR, a turret costs 3CR, teleporting a basic unit onto the field costs 1CR)

I think the turret is overpriced if it has the same firepower as a basic unit.