[IDEA] The collective.

[BraveCaperCat]

Based on an idea by kpreid:

I don't personally think Fulgora needs to change, but I do find it a bit monotonous. Here's an idea: Instead of having any kind of mobile/expanding enemy (like Nauvis and Gleba), what if certain islands had ancient emplacements of tesla turrets and other defenses? These would be challenges that you have to find ways to defeat in order to claim their resources. (Maybe they could be guarding a second variety of scrap with a different mix of outputs.) You’d be able to collect a few tesla turrets and maybe other advanced items before you researched them (if you manage to cut off their power instead of destroying them), and it would provide the experience of attacking a base that’s built of separate buildings like you build, which doesn’t otherwise happen in single-player games.

Expanded to include other planets, technology unlocks and more by BraveCaperCat:

Having to defeat another enemy with everything that you could possibly unlock would be AWESOME!

More info at a later date.

[kpreid]

Since I wrote the original idea, here is some further musing about how these fortifications could have various levels of challenge and decay:

1. A couple low-value machines hooked up in a very unthreatening, but still functional, way (e.g. one gun turret fed by a chest and burner inserter). Everything else is destroyed buildings that used to be a fort.
2. Perimeter of functioning turrets, with a weak spot you can get through with a few grenades or such.
3. Thick wall, full row(s) of turrets behind it, no weak spots.
4. All of that and repair robots — practically requires artillery to knock out key parts, or a whole lot of patience until you can exhaust its repair pack production.
5. Highly functional fortification — has redundant repair capabilities, so it seems like you need a whole artillery barrage to overwhelm it, but if you do that, will there be any resources left worth salvaging?

All of these would have variations in what kind of turrets they have, how well-supplied they are, etc. They would cover whole Fulgoran islands, so they have the oil ocean and lightning making it difficult to move around outside the turret range, and cliffs making it difficult to enter the island at all (until cliff explosives are available).