The idea is to force "expeditions" to gather ore, that have to be defended and have to pass through areas that cannot be inside the walls. (I know about Warptorio, and it isn't quite the feel I'm after) I want these expeditions to be major undertakings, and hard to automate/benefit greatly from the Engineer being on them.
Here's what I tried doing:
- An area for base-building, expanded by research.
- An area for ore, can only build miners, defences, and the absolute neccessities there. This area gets further and further away as the other areas get expanded.
- These are connected by a road that you can only build rails and power on.
- The entrence to the road from the other areas, and the entire road are under constant attack from biters. Rails and power are immune (or not, if AAI Automation is installed)