Why not limit the number of units that can warp in from a prism? Let a prism warp in 5 units (arbitrary placeholder value) at which point the field changes colors. Maybe a full red or orange to indicate depleted power. You can continue to warp in units but only at the rate of a weak pylon. Fast warp will be cool down based.
This would free up the “power” budget for gateway unit tweaks. Color change for power is designed to be a clear indicator to players of power status. I would also suggest extending the color change to the prism itself.
If you want stronger drops, you must commit more to building additional prisms. This would have the same give and take interaction as a Terran room drop vs single drop.
Lastly, reduce cost to previous value as compensation.
Note: I main Protoss and very much want a nerf to warp power. It would act as a salve for both heathy pvp stability and more breathing room to rework pvz
I kind of like this suggestion, so then you can finaly buff Gateway units to be decent.
This could work by giving 5 conduits to the Warp Prism that have individual 10 secconds cooldown and an upgrade in the Robotics Facility to give 5 more.
I like the additional power lock behind an upgrade wall. It would increase its use as a late game tool when Protoss armies are more immobile.
I would also add that maybe the dramatic power color change should be extended to all weak power fields. This gives a better visual indicator for audiences.
I hate gimmick solutions like this. If warp prism fast warp ins are a problem, take them away. Only let pylons have a fast warp speed. If the problem is units warping in at all, then change the way the warp prism manages it entirely in some manner.
To borrow from a D&D saying, trying to balance a strong mechanic by making it annoying to use is bad design.
I fail to see how this is a gimmick solution. It’s relatively straightforward with a simple rule (power limit) and a clear visual indication (charged vs uncharged state). Red field = low power. Low power = slow warp ins. This is not a large logical leap to make. In fact, Boolean logic is about as straightforward as it gets.
Gimmicks are best characterized by niche mechanics that behave differently depending on a given set of conditions and are generally speaking unintuitive. I would stress that the change should remain simple though. Maybe an energy bar with discrete bars that decrease per warp in. You could even make them gradually change color (blue-orange-red) if you want to be cute.
In response to the other suggestion, I thought about the tiny warp field tweak. I think that actually ends up being gimmicky because there are many situations the prism isn’t fully over flat terrain. It is also open to abuse by unit cramming based on collision size. This would promote unit warp optimization based on unit variety, which I don’t think is healthy.
The gimmick, in this case, is that the warp prism switches between power levels. Being “simple” isn’t really the case, because its still the most complicated warp in rule that would exist. How long of a recharge does it have? Does it recharge per unit or does the entire amount refresh? What happens if power fields overlap? What indicators do the enemy have to know what the relative power level of a prism is? Can the player even tell at a glance? I don’t even like the idea of the super pylon as a solution to warp gates, and that’s totally binary without any of the extra questions.
Humans are keyed in to color cues. You can thank our frugivorous ancestors for that. A clear color changed should be enough for people to intuitively grasp the concept, especially given the U.I. Practices standardized across most electronics (battery indicator for instance).
I don’t see why the opponent would have any issue distinguishing between states. They can see the color of the warp prism just as well as the controlling player. There are many ways to implement a clear recharge indication, you could have a bar that slowly fills up to indicate recharged state. You could simply tie it to the warp prisms color or even add a charged sound effect when complete.
Like I suggested, it would be Boolean. It’s either all charged or not changed. No need to complicate per unit. Your critique in the overlapping fields is alittle odd as that would go against the current behavior of all other power fields. I would update low power pylons to reflect this same color. It’s only confusing as is, given the similar color of both types of power.