When looking at the json files I noticed that the Combat Fabrication Bot has UNITTYPE_Offense listed in it's unit types where the [Advanced Combat Fabrication Bot] does not. That got me to thinking of how this could affect gameplay. I noticed that using the hotkey to select land based combat units on screen does not select the Advanced Combat Fabrication Bot where the Combat Fabrication Bot is selected. Band selecting will select both. Personally I'd prefer that the Combat Fabrication Bot does not get selected with the combat unit selection hotkeys. Is there a particular reason for the difference or is it simply a mistake? Edit: Some how left out what's in brackets above.
Why would a combat fabrication bot not be selected with combat units?... I'll never understand the reasons against it. As yes that means they will run into battle with combat units- but the alternative is you selecting all combat units.. And then having to cherry pick for your combat fabs. Taking WAY too much time.
I can see situations where both selecting and not selecting are annoying. Selecting - I mostly use combat fabs to build teleporters closer to enemy bases while my army pushes forward to reduce the time that reinforcements take to arrive. I have to waste time carefuly deselecting the combat fabber when trying to issue orders to the rest of my troops so that the teleporter still gets built. Same goes for having a combat fabber providing treeconomy near your factory rally point or building mines in defensive locations. Not selecting - basically whenever you were planning on using combat fabbers as mobile repair units. They can't repair if they don't tag along with your troops.
Now tree economy being a thing I'm always having to deselect combat fabbers when moving anything anymore, at least early game. Late game tree eco is usually over with.
If I use combat fabbers I use them to build mines. I don't want to accidentally tell them to stop building mines and walk into their death just because I tried to move my army into a fight.
Maybe the problem lies with combat fabbers having two very different roles. One is to repair units and so you'd want them with your army in combat. But the other role is to build offensive fortifications and front line structures and so you wouldn't want them with your army. If these roles didn't require vastly different ways they should interact with armies, we wouldn't have to decide which is more common or more important.
Exactly what colin said. Design based on use, not by name. CF's are predominantly used for tree reclaiming and mines. No-one uses them in actual combat. Why would i want to try repair dox lol.
I agree with Elodea and Colin but want to add that its decent to move in some (or just 1) cfabbers together with an army to escort it (in)to the enemy base and then your able to make a teleporter there with safety against military and the buildspeed of a cfabber. This is not a reason why its selected together with military as default.
That's just because the combat fabricator is not within the correct role, at least not by name. Anyway if you'd use combat fabs you'd use them for tanks/infernos. Not Dox. o . O
That could be true too ^^ Allowing that selection to be moddable or an option might be nice instead i guess.
