I have been saying since it was first announced that this isn't well thought-through.blaine wrote:> Firing at the biters from far away isn't all consequence free, as they will come running to your train, so you will have to make sure there are some defences nearby
this kinda sounds like it is only feasible to deploy the artillery train to an already well defended outpost with turrets, supply lines etc.
So how is it functionally different from a regular (but very large) turret that you build in a regular way (sans the need for rail access obv)?
What's going to be the idea exactly? You need to deploy it somewhere well-defended so generally it's going to be making rounds of your outposts, presumably wasting space with its own station or just holding up your other trains. How many people are just going to lay a short section of track in each outpost and park this wagon on them? It's not like Factorio is a game where you need to have mobile defences that you occasionally need to move around to defend against some massive assault - though how cool would it be to need to have a button in places that calls like 15 Artillery Trains to that location to help you fend off some horde or queen - so what are the advantages of having a mobile weapon over a static one?
I would prefer entirely the opposite. A static Artillery Cannon with basically the same stats but that cannot be placed directly, instead you need to place some sort of construction building and feed it parts (much like the Silo) which eventually becomes the cannon. Have it take ages to build and maybe incur a loss of resources when dismantled. Rather than hyper-mobility, you need to seriously consider where you want to place it because it's not easy to move. It also means you need to establish a foothold in an area to expand into it, either wade in deep and set up a small fortress to defend the cannon while it is built and fired, or expand with slow but long (and expensive) steps.
The only advantage I can see to having it train-based is that you could build a rail out to your new potential outpost, put up some guns and call in the train. Maybe it brings supplies or something with it idk (though you would need to have set up walls and turrets already) but this is a very slim advantage, just that you wouldn't need to carry it with you in your inventory.
