The more I look at Rebellion, the more I wonder why they didn't just make it a MOBA.
Seleuceia named the game right: SINS OF THE TITANS
Let's stop trying to fool ourselves and everyone else that the game should be balanced, support fleets are worth dealing with now and that Rebellion isn't about the Titans and Op starbases. Lets, as a modding community, make the Rebellion MOBA. Let newbies not have to worry about economies, building fleets and managing more than 1 ship at a time, or even colonizing new worlds. Think of it. We can so completely simplify the game for them that they won't even have to unlearn the MOBA skills that have flashed into their DNA.
5 asteroid home start points with 8 civ/mil labs, 4 factories that beacon fleets and send them to scout like minions, and an artifact with 50k hull and 50 armor that generates some credits/metal/crystal per minute for 'research upgrades'.
You of course start with your TITAN/CHAMPION and if you lose it, no worries! They cost nothing to build and only take 30 seconds to get on the field. Once you and your fellow champs start the match, run the 'LANES' and investigate spawns to get experience and 100% salvage from whatever you or you fleet/minions can blow up.
Forget Empire management -well, most of it. The map will have tons of asteroid fields and lots of uncolonizable planets that you can't put starbases in. You will have some "TURRET" planets where you can plant down 2 starbases per player, but we'll nerf the starbases to a single 'Flavor' weapon because 3 are just too damn much to consider.
Fleet Management -nah... too much thinking makes for bad gaming!
Okay, colonyships will be able to deploy phase jump inhibitors and turrets -but then they go boom just like starbase constructors. These are the only 3 'frigates' you will be able to build.
The only capitalship you will be able to build is one that deploys turrets, repair platforms, hangars, mines, and phase jump inhibitors -without blowing itself up.
MINIONS!
There are capitalships, but you start with 9000 fleet supply and 64 capital ship slots. The capitals are not going to gain armor, hull, shields, antimatter, etc... per level -not even strikecraft per level. They'll gain 5% damage, but their stats will start at being about L4 vanilla with no tech applied. Only their abilities will improve. As with your spawned frigate we're using "pickRandomPlanetToExploreForAutoCastTarget TRUE" and all ships will have that scout ability on them so they do it.
Research
This is something that the average MOBA player can do really well. They buy boots, armor, swords, hammers, mana potions and all sorts of shit. Remember, you get 100% of the credits, metal, crystal that goes into what you kill. We can re-arrange the research so there are the special things like "Autocannons of Thunderous Doom" and "Plasma Shokolate Nipples" or the popular "Engines of Elven Kin" that make your capital minions and even your Titan the nimblest ballerina of the stars.
For those of you who think you know me and think I'm just taking an incredibly long piss in woods at Rebellion, Stardock, Ironclad and their own MOBA development, I'm not. I think we've enough creativity to take 6 titans and split them into Carry, Tank and Support Titans just so there is some flavor. We could also have different weapons unlocked by different research.
Just consider it. Who'd want to make a MOBA Mod for Rebellion?
