Normaly I'd place this in the off-topic section but since it's gone... Although I am not a game designer myself I always wanted to create my own game. Hell, who didn't? Everybody has those briliant(or at least we think so) ideas for making a completely new, breathtaking game, that will be remembered for decades. So now, let's jump into the boots of a designer just for fun. No faction or balance bias, just basic game mechanics. Feel free to share your ideas below, remember - it's just for fun. If I may propose a starting topic... the redeployside, as they call it, is considered by many players the greatest issue of the game. So how do we fix that? I don't entirely agree with some other suggestions to simply remove all the spawnpoints except for your current hex and the warpgate. You have to understand that there are players who just want to shoot stuff or grind certs/directives and they would be very unhappy with this change. The game mechanics have to cater to both the "random" freelance players and squad members, allowing to get to a gunfight quickly while also providing some strategic options for those who expect something more than just simple Capture The Point shooter. It should also discourage zerging and encourage big battles. Now, start brainstorming!
So my personal opinion on this subject: 1. You can always spawn at the warpgate or in your current hex. -This is obvious 2. You can spawn at allied facilities if they are under attack and the enemy has more than 60% pop there or if they neighbour such a facility. -This is meant to allow the lone wolfs to get into a fight quickly while also discouraging zerg tactics and make big battles more likely. Normaly to get to a base both as the attacker or a defender you have to spend nanites on transportation vehicles, but as soon as the attacker starts zerging the defender all players of the defending faction will be able to spawn there for free and instantly, bypassing the enemy blockade, until the odds are pretty even again. The limitation of the spawn options (warpgate, current hex, zerged base or a neighbouring one) will encourage more people to spawn there. The spawnroom fulfills the role of a game lobby, where you wait for your team to gather up before a match. 3 You can spawn at enemy facilities (in a deployed sundy ofc) if your faction has 12 or less soldiers there. - This is meant to allow "random" players to create a battle on their own when no coordinated squads are online to do the job. 4. Squad spawn options (in the sunderer/galaxy/by the beacon) only work if you're in the same base/close enough. The beacon gets a solid cooldown reduction. -This is meant to prevent the squads from bypassing the rule #2 using squad deploy options 5. Valkyries now cost 200 nanites and officialy serve the purpose of a "flying taxi" for solo players and small squads. -This is meant to make the valkyries more useful and give them a wider niche 6. Galaxies now cost 500 nanites, get a slight health buff and officialy serve the purpose of a combat transportation aircraft. -This is meant to give the valkyries a wider niche 7. Instant action is now avaiable every 20 minutes but allows you to choose the exact location you want to drop. -This is just in case if something backfired
I'm of the opinion they should embrace the casual/quick element at this point. Seems like chances of it becoming a serious strategy game aren't very good. Which is fine, it's pretty hard to get a lot of players to even play the game with the objective of taking/defending territory, and PS2 has several stats that discourage it such as KD amd accuracy which many players are more focused on padding. Plus, cert gains put a lot of emphasis on finding a good "farm". Rather than worry about grand strategy, I think they should just get the basics of combat right. Better feeling gunplay, better base designs, and generally better small scale balance. They've done a lot of tweaking to the large scale stuff, lattice and resource revamps and so on, with nothing to show for it yet really.
Redeploy should be taken away as a individual player ability and given to squad/platoon leaders as "squad deploy". This ability would have a ~10 minute cool down and when used will drop pod all members on a specific location regardless of current hex populations. A warning will be given to said hex, either through a text message on the screen or more ideally through audible air raid sirens to alleviate much of the 'surprise buttsex' issue with the current iteration of the ability. This will allow groups of players to quickly strike or reinforce a facility en masse, regardless of distance (and in a more immersive manner) while reviving the use of actual transport vehicles to.. well, transport.
I like most of Alan's suggestions. I would, though, like to see redeploy changed to "instant transport". Hit your IT button and you are instantly transported into the closest friendly vehicle's open seat. This would be weighted by squad vehicles, platoon vehicles, then finally public vehicles. Secondly it would be weighted by distance. It would next be weighted by seats type - weapon first, passenger second. Finally it would be weighted by vehicle type - tanks first, ATVs last and the rest in some order in-between. Locked vehicles would stay out of this system. This would allow vehicles to take off immediately and still get gunners/passengers. Less foot zerging. More fully gunned vehicles.
Pretty simple really: Update the population graphs in real time Restrict all forms of redeploying to <50% pop. "Redeploying" means spawning into the base from a different base regardless of how it's done (reinforcements, spawn on squad leader, beacons). Doesn't affect respawning once you're there. If you use a squad redeploy option to a base where your side has >50% pop it drops you at the closest non-contested friendly base instead. Those changes would be enough to fix the problems without removing redeploy as an option for people. Solo players would still be able to redeploy into reinforcements needed fights until it reaches an even 50/50 split. Platoons could redeploy a single squad into a 12v24, but no more than that. Anyone could still zerg a base if they use Galaxies to fly there.
Redeploy cost resource, and the more you use it the higher the cost. Depending on the cost, however, the distance you can redeploy would be altered. Alternatively, you see the timer on the bases, and depending where you are the timer is longer or shorter. Might even want to put on its own resource, which subscriber or not you cannot pay to redeploy faster than everyone else. If you lose lattice connection to the base, you may not longer deploy there. Woud bring back some kind of meta, however flimsy, as it no longer become viable to just zerg down a lane with 96+. Eventually you will no longer be able to spawn anywhere because you decided all you wanted to do was overpop bases. Might even create something like a frontline, as we'd see more large battles instead of a single 96+vs96+ farmfest. I made these suggestions based on being realistic. It be nice to dream but I rather work with what we have.
You may only choose respawns within your hex, or within 1 hex on a lattice line if you have no spawns within the current hex. You may also always choose the friendly warpgate. There done. Factions will still be able to mass redeploy mind you, but it will be harder, and require more co-ordination (As Galaxies will be very important to keep alive to maximize maneuverability)
Redeploy needs to be put on a 10-15 min CD timer to force a more tactical use Galaxies and Spawnbeacons.
1) You may redeploy to Warp Gate anytime 2) You may redeploy to any base along a Lettuce Line IF you are at the Warp Gate 3) You may redeploy to ANY deployed Sunderer on the continent 4) You MAY NOT redeploy to any friendly base that is cut off from Lettuce line UNLESS you are in that hex area 5) You MAY NOT redeploy to a base that is past 50% capped unless you are in that hex area
I always wanted to be a policeman, but didn't have the guts to do it in real life. I think I'll dictate the way people play video games.
Fix is simple. Redeploying allows you to spawn at: Warpgates Last hex you spawned at recently Squad Galaxy/Valk/Sundie Squad beacon
Very simple. Get rid of reinforcements needed option. Then have way points set by Gal pilots show above the Gal to friendlies. You would be surprised how many people would cater to the casual player, acting as buses if they set up the incentives correctly. Some bases might need to be redesigned to allow for easier Gal pick up as well.
Pretty much this. I would also buff spawn beacons making andthem last more, be more resistant and maybe carry more. Redesigning Instant Action would also help.
My thoughts? Personally I think that redeployside is a valid tactic, the issue is more the lack of available counters to it. What about redeploying on your squad leader that's over 1 hex away costs say 50 resources. This would remove resources each time you redeploy on your squad leader from a long distance (outside of normal spawn range) and even if you were at 0 resources it would work (removes 50 resources each time, if you have them or not). My thinking is that doing this would help remove the ability to say chain pull maxes, or spam consumables right after a redeploy, so that If the defenders/ attackers can hold off the initial wave, then it is harder and harder to have a sustained mass push. I feel if we can find a way to make it so that the Redeploy tactic is kind of a glass cannon ( it better work the first time or it will become very hard), then it could help reduce the Power of the Tactic as the end all tactic, without removing it as a viable one.
Only allow to spawn at major facilities and warpgate. Remove deploy to gal/valk. Keep sundy spawn rules as they are now.
Deploying to Valks & Galaxies are fine. If anything Valks need Squad logistics built in. Atleast they are player focused rather then a system that takes the player out of the game.
Got to say, this thread got popular pretty quickly. I was away for a day and now I see so many replies... I'm happy that we can get past the usual endless balance discussion and focus on something core for the game. I appreciate every opinion as no opinion is wrong, it simply depends on your expectations from the game. Do you like redeployside, do you hate it or maybe you don't mind? I've read through all these posts and I've got to say there are some very interresting ideas here. Keep it up!
