Large explosions should create craters

[mrvn]

TL;DR

When you set off a nuke (or explosive rocket?) there should be a crater left over after the explosion.

What ?

With the introduction of cliffs there can be craters in the landscape:

Crater

U4BfYRr.png (1.09 MiB) Viewed 1498 times

My suggestion is to create such craters when setting off any large explosive, In vanilla this would probably be just nukes. But mods like the orbital canon would qualify too. Explosive rockets might qualify but probably don't have a large enough explosive radius for a crater.

A crater that overlaps water should probably filled with water instead but one could also argue that the explosion creates a wall around the crater preventing water to flow in. Either way works.

Why ?

It would be more realistic to have some landscape altering effect from the explosion.

[bobucles]

But if you can generate cliffs, what will stop the player from building an invincible cliff wall? Other than it being really REALLY expensive, of course.

[Jon8RFC]

I really like this, and more explosions causing multi-leveled and larger craters would be awesome.

However, as bobucles mentioned, it could be a cheap tactic people would use that really shouldn't be in vanilla. Dang it.

All I can come up with is that they already have logic to prevent trapping a player by preventing overly long stretches of cliffs. So, the crater could have multiple gaps to mitigate cheap tactics.

[mrvn]

In reality when a new crater is formed overlapping an existing one then the existing one is destroyed.

If you fire nukes near each other to form a impenetrable wall then I would assume the second explosion could destroy part of the old crater leaving a gap or ramp. So while you could create obstacles by nuking a wall of cliffs into existance there would be ways through them.

Or not. If you spend that much resources on nukes shouldn't there be a benefit? And don't forget: If you later want to expand in that direction you have to produce explosives to blast holes into the cliffs.

[Engimage]

it could be a cheap tactic people would use

I can't call nuking to get 20 tile wall "a cheap tactic"

[mrvn]

All I can come up with is that they already have logic to prevent trapping a player by preventing overly long stretches of cliffs. So, the crater could have multiple gaps to mitigate cheap tactics.

That too. Nobody said a crater must not have any ramps into and out of it. Even if it is just a single crater from a single nuke. Doesn't have to go all 360° either. The height/cliff map could be used to create only part of a crater. I bet the graphics department would love seeing numerous and varied crater configuration appear as you battle the aliens.

Note: Nukes aren't cheap nor early in the game so it's hardly a tactic you would find feasable in normal games.

[Jon8RFC]

Haha I think there was some confusion. My definition-usage of the word "cheap" was intended as "a despicable tactic" not "a low-resource consumption tactic." I would compare it to putting a big water perimeter around the base and using landfill/waterfill to enter and exit as necessary. That's a cheap (despicable) tactic.

[Mango]

Just make the crater with some holes so players can't make walls from cliffs.

Imagine that if you nuke a place with some already generated cliffs you destroy some of them and some new appear.
Areas where you make a lot of explosions won't be nice because of those cliffs.

But if you can generate cliffs, what will stop the player from building an invincible cliff wall?

That would also negate this cheap wall tactic.