@gankdalf There are other uses for a temporary rampart than just protecting the creep that created it.

Plug a hole in a wall? (Keep in mind that you can place and protect a wall within ramparts while you build it)

Drop a boosted something in an inconvenient (but outside a hive) place?

Troll source keepers?

@crusher48 A quick test with my own ramparts seems to indicate that anything in a rampart is protected against tower attacks.

Edit: Just tested it with invading creeps trapped in ramparts... the hostile creeps in my ramparts took no damage. As for attacking structures? Yes they do indeed. Feel free to try it yourself

@gankdalf I have a hard time taking myself seriously.

Also re: The terminal example that's assuming the one creep took all of the operate terminal powers. I guess it isn't that big of an issue (or at least least any system is going to have some problems with overlapping power selections)

That said it becomes progressively more of an issue the more you restrict the selections on a given level.

Notably heroes of the storm upgrades often effect the abilities in a way that is not a straight numeric increase but effect both the strategic and tactical game as a whole.

Examples include:

• Ability is permanent until recast (Skill-shot keeps travelling across the map on the same path)
• Ability effects additional targets
• Ability now restores a recourse (Health/mana/etc)
• Ability now removes one or more negative effects.
• You can recast this ability a second time after you cast it once (only after then (or a couple of seconds pass) will it go on cooldown)
• Slows the target
• Allows the ability to operate on targets that it wouldn't normally work on
• Ability can now stack in some form.
• Ability range/ability damage (Sometimes at a tradeoff to one or the other)
• Select one of two ultimate abilities.
• Notably for screeps: Unlocks an entirely new ability that the character would not otherwise have access to such as repairing friendly structures or a blink.
• Ability gains a second 'charge'; This means that if you hit the cooldown twice without using it you can use the ability twice in quick succession.

I do have some problems with it though:

• Screeps has a much broader skill selection
• Disproportionately valuable mutations (Made even worse by the broader skill selection)
• Everyone in HoTs is assumed to be on the same level to some extent (barring experience gaps that occur during play)
• Skills don't stack: eg. Operate_Terminal can only be active once on a terminal making some mutations literally worthless in some situations.
• HoTs has all skills unlocked from the start (Barring the much more powerful ultimate abilities).
• There is no two headed creep where one player controls the legs and physical skills while another controls the power abilities.

@artch I have to pay attention the the entire tree at once if I want to attempt to optimally solve this puzzle (or indeed, to attempt to solve it at all). That is the exact opposite of a streamlined experience.

If I have a level n creep how do I know what skills I can have at what levels without having to stare at that mess for 15 minutes?

I'd know with a pyramid I could have x/y/z skills at n levels in an instant... and I would actually have the pleasure of choosing my exact skill composition right from level one to max; even if such choice was an illusion it feels better and more intuitive to grasp to my small mind.

This skill system just doesn't feel at all nice to use. You've limited our choice to three per level but we still have to worry about the entire tree if we want to achieve anything approaching usable/fit for purpose(s) for a high level creep.

I've said it before and i'll say it again. If we could pick each skill and then have to wait n levels before being able to level it up we would end up with a pyramid of choice not a threesome of suck. For the more powerful skills you can require that we are at least level n before we can pick it at all.

The end result is much the same; you force us to generalise our power creeps but you put the power in the hands of the players. This is in addition to giving us a system that does not feel awful to use and plan around.

edit: another thought is that with the current system you cannot merely add another skill into the tree later on; or even move them about post launch. You need to re-work the entire tree which has the potential to completely break builds & code.

tl dr; This system is working against us, not for us. We have to plan around it, not with.

My biggest worry is that taking and holding land inter-shard will become that much harder since a foothold is that much more vulnerable.

I don't even have code capable of creating lower tier minerals (Solitary ghodium included; I need it so rarely and in such small amounts I just buy it off the market)

You can make T3 minerals at RCL 7 (like I do) without having to rely on an external room at very high lab utilisation; If you work for it you can earn your T3 minerals much lower than traditionally available sans market. I feel like it'd be a step back to take that away. But I am biased in that regard.

Maybe if it where respawn/noob zone only? That'd stop the frustrating 'Get minerals and win' sort of thing that could happen; but if you have the code to handle that havn't you earned your victory?

And isn't that what safe mode is used for? Shut down the attack and make them waste (at their level) the small amount of minerals they have?

Awesome. I hope to see more NPC... things... in the future.

I do so hope we see some singing creeps pass through.

I know you made mention of an 'arena' area previously. From the description this would be well suited as a separate shard.

I say this because it brings to mind the idea of different environmental conditions on shards. These shards would have their dangers and rewards adjusted accordingly.

Examples include:

• Disabled player spawning (must send a claim creep to colonize)
• Disabled creep spawning (must maintain code to maintain population on both sides of the memory fence)
• Increased/Decreased creep Lifetimes/Damage/Healing/Health etc.
• Lava (that moves! this would be a particularly fun challenge to solve)
• NPC forts
• Temporary Shards/Monthly Challenges where players compete (or cooperate against a shared challenge) for prestige/practice.
• The best defense is a good offence (No towers (or walls?)).
• Roaming (shard entry points (or even rooms) move)
• Not for babies (no safe mode. even on first spawn. This would be a 'softer' version to the first one too.)

These basically write themselves. The rewards do not even have to be entirely tangible; They could be as simple as minor GCL rewards or a scoreboard.

Monthly challenges in particular would be good for long term player retention.