RFC 0002 - Factory XP

active-rfcs/0002-factoryxp.md

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+- Start Date: 2022-07-29
+- Reference Issues: None
+- Implementation PR: 
+
+# Summary
+
+Factories to gain experience as units they created gain experience. This experience is then gifted to new units created by the factory. The result will be an established and long-lasting factory which has been doing damage will produce stronger units.
+
+# Motivation
+
+This is to encourage:
+- Helping to dent the initial advantage of a T2 rush, the T1 player's T1 units won't be as weak as they would have been (though it is worth noting it can also provide an advantage to getting T2 first)
+- Forward factories now become targets of value, adding an additional value to taking ground in larger team games
+- Helps move value away from pure eco and help dampen the advantage conferred by exponential eco
+- Promotes conflict and aggression, even if you don't take ground you will start producing better units
+
+# Detailed design
+
+- Factories start (as now) with 0 XP
+- On death, a unit sends the XP value back to the factory where it is multiplied by a coefficient (e.g. 0.01) and added to the Factory XP
+- Units produced from the factory have their initial XP set based on the Factory XP
+- Units track the amount of XP gained since creation to prevent a feedback loop and exploits
+- Resurrected units do not recall their factory, thus if XP is ever preserved on resurrected units it would not break this though a resurrected factory would retain it's XP inline with that change were it made
+
+# Drawbacks
+
+- Possible slowdowns on mass death (e.g. nukes)
+- It would not be immediately obvious this happens and while not a hidden mechanic it would need a guide page added to the site and be added to tutorials
+- It may mean in a team game when a good player is matched against a poorer player they may gain a snowball advantage or be able to exploit the situation to better increase their factory experience
+- It will discourage factory switching and in smaller games may well reduce unit diversity
+
+# Alternatives
+
+- There is no inherent disadvantage in not implementing this, the game works as is
+- All other suggestions to curb exponential economic growth hit the economy with a nerf, this would give a buff to the unit production system and may well be better received and less controversial
+