Digging gold isn't really fun

[Jimmy James]

I'm struggling to see how this mechanic helps the game. I recently fired up the game after many (many) years and it just serves as a sort of slowdown mechanic for spawning units. This is the one and only game I can think of where cheating actually enhances gameplay.

[Dashy]

It is just a method of resource management, to avoid people from spawning an army of white bots with rocket launchers and so on. I dont think its so bad unless you are just trying to create silly explosions, it balances out other game modes.

[Jimmy James]

I understand why it's there, I just think that particular mechanic could be done in a way that doesn't bring the gameplay to a grinding halt while players are forced to hop off and mindlessly dig for a bit.

Even if the gold dig AI was working, what would that add to gameplay that a fixed burst of gold wouldn't solve? Or capturable points that provided periodic resource boosts? I guess you could theoretically have to worry about your digger getting shot but the AI is too poor to hunt them down. Your gold harvesters are quite safe.

[Plays Terrible Games]

The most basic game theory and game design has not been implemented in this vapourware. My condolences that you have paid money for it.

[binkyberkowitz]

There is another way: Get a dropship loaded with absolutely nothing. Get to the surface and open the cargo doors, abduct enemy units, and fly it back into orbit. You will gain gold.
Have fun with your slave trade for gold business.

[Jimmy James]

That is pretty cool Binky.

Digging still sucks though.

[binkyberkowitz]

Type this in to the command line:
ActivityMan:GetActivity():SetTeamFunds(1000000,0)
To open the command line, use the "/" key, or the tilde key. Then copy/paste the command, which allows you to set your gold. This only works for player 1 though. You have to pick the red colored player, the one with the red Roman numeral "1" in a red square for it to work though. So whether its mining, slavery, or command console, you can get money.

[toroid]

There's another cheaty way: Change the buy value of an item to a negative number.
For example, go to .../Steam/steamapps/common/CortexCommand/Base.rte/Devices/Explosives/Explosives.ini
Find this part:

AddDevice = TDExplosive
	PresetName = Blue Bomb
	AddToGroup = Grenades
	...
	...
	...
	...
	GoldValue = 5
	...

Change GoldValue = 5 to a large negative number, like -5000.
When you need money just buy some blue bombs.

[binkyberkowitz]

All these methods would work very well. Although you'd probably need to reset them when going into campaign mode so if the AIs buy things in bulk they don't gain ridiculous amounts of money.

[toroid]

Pfft! Who plays campaign mode?

[Jimmy James]

I've used both and agree that it goes a long way to keep the pace of the game interesting. I'm just trying to highlight a pretty fundamental design issue, in my opinion.

You're doing the same, Toroid—sitting down and deciding "is this fun?" would go a long way in furthering development of the game. I don't like the campaign either. I think when people are talking about Cortex Command positively they are usually recalling some crazy moment where bits of something are flying all over the place, using a mountain of bodies to scale a wall, etc.

The fun and genius of this game is the action and the way the battlefield changes throughout the battle gameplay. The campaign and everything surrounding the battles feels tacked on and just pulls me away from the good bits.

[toroid]

Mods are where it's at. Defending a brain in some of Gotcha's "Map Pack 3" maps using Shook's and whitty's ridiculously modded weapons and actors was some of the most fun I've had with this game - to give specific examples.