The Construction system seems to be waning. While extra stuff is added in quick succession, most of these bases don't serve enough of a purpose to invest the time and effort needed to build one only to have someone else build a closer hive/have the battle move away from your base before you finish. I would like to propose two solutions for this. 1: For some small bases, remove most of the buildings but keep the points, then allow the construction system to build right on top of it. This incorporates the construction system in the normal gameplay and allows the developers to have more control over the environment the base is situated in (for instance, no air-shields in ditches for impervious super-defenses). To make assaulting these bases more attractive, holding the points for long enough will convert the remaining enemy structures to your faction. 2: Allow the construction system to build closer to many bases. currently most constructed bases won't have a lot of effect on the fights since they can't be build close enough. By reducing that exclusion radius players can build closer to the enemy base for both defense and offense. This can actually become a secondary objective for players to achieve. Exclusion generators at the edges of the base can prevent enemies from building nearby the base. Destruction of these exclusion generators will allow the enemy to build things closer. Taking it a step further, siege equipment could be used to weaken the defenders. This does require the defenders to have some pretty solid advantages to offset this. for example aerial defense shields (which unlike it's constructed counterpart stops outgoing fire as well) or vehicle defenses that prevent good Sunderer placement/protect against vehicle attacks or infantry defenses that prevent infantry access.
Allowing of construction on top of regular basis will require new types of construction modules. Cause current models don't fit very well with existing base design. And current construction could easily ruin the base capture dynamics basically, developers would need to redesign construction mechanic so it works well with building on top of main bases. This is a good direction for the game, as it has potential to improve depth of regular gameplay. Current construction mechanics are too detached from regular gameplay
Construction has been nerfed so badly there is absolutely no point in investing real cash or certs into it anymore. I know I won't be. Screw victory points. Just capture territory and forget building bases. Ai modules are worthless, tanks can drive through the skyshield and any class with a med kit can walk or drop right through it taking virtually no damage. RadarX debuted an ion canon recently and I would be willing to bet it doesn't do anything but blow kisses to the enemy. DBG is coming out with new construction crap in a month or two and they can freaking keep it all !!!
Well, I'm not so sure...............I've had a couple of really good fights around well made and well placed bases recently. I think people are starting to appreciate the tactical deployment of bases a bit more. If anything, a well made base is an absoilute ball ache to try and attack but defending one or operating from it as a spawn point can be excellent fun. I see on PTS that they may be releasing pillboxes, my engies can't wait to have somewhere they can deploy their mana turrets without getting blown away by the first passing tank ( I hope that is what they are for).
No. If someone makes a base with starting efficiency higher than your maximum one go cry me a river. I don't care how much time you've spent on some useless base that gets 40% somewhere near the warpgate. If I make a 89% or 100%, I want that core. And I usually do that...
Did you read all of the OP? He didn't mention anything about preventing hives from moving to the most efficient place possible.
Being able to build closer to bases would be nice. Sunderer deploy radius seems reasonable. The concept of "exclusion generators" to counter-balance this sounds good. I've personally tested construction a bit solo a few weeks ago (I got everything unlocked). It feels like a gimmick, and unrewarding. You spend time setting up a base that might never see any action while you're around. It's 90% a Tiberium Harvester Simulator. I actually got concerned about my implant energy ticking away because the experience gain is so poor I've actually felt like I was losing things while doing it (and I was). Removing deploy restrictions would allow for more sandbox creativity, but it won't solve the other problems, such as a lack of incentive overal. To make construction more interesting, active HIVE's should do two things: - Award the owner (and owning squad) with experience gain ticks, the quantity depending on the HIVE efficiency percentage (closer to enemy warpgate = more experience per tick). - Award all local base defenders experience gain ticks with, the quantity depending on the proximity to the enemy warpgate. Add bonus experience gain if said base also has an active HIVE. That should at least make it worthwhile to defend bases during times of no action, but only have it be worthwhile enough if the base is close to the enemy warpgate. For attackers, more experience gain for destroying buildings, and better experience sharing. Currently if a building takes 100 AP rounds to blow up, only the user dealing the last hit gets any experience of note, despite other people having wasted a similar amount or more ammunition. Additionally, the HIVE insta-killing all nearby attackers got old really fast and for a lot of people the effort that has to be put into taking out a HIVE isn't rewarding enough already, especially not if a death score is added on top of it. Last and not least, construction currently is entirely a squad based deal. A solo player cannot build a meaningful outpost as it takes too long and also suffers too much from construction deploy limitations. To that end, I suggest that the construction limits are changed from an individual cap, to a silo-based cap. Meaning that while currently one person can only spawn one anti tank turret, by going for a silo based cap, that limit could get raised to 5 turrets in total to be placed near that silo, suddenly making construction more viable for solo players and 2-man teams. These might seem like dramatic changes, but they are needed, as construction has fallen back to being an afterthought now that the newness hype is gone. People have gone back to the old regular ways of murdering each other, ways which take less effort for more reward.
Maybe just develop this mechanic instead... Just my wild guess, would require lot of work, but seems interesting IMO. Make some/all non-player made structures destroyable (I mean base buildings, walls, etc), once destroyed model is replaced with ruined version of structure that provide less protection and have more openings. But like player made structures, it can be repaired with cortium taken from hardmounted silo in every base that exists purely to sustain other constructions. I hope you get the idea, that way ANT's got more work, zergrollers more stuff to blow (I know, it means buff to being zerged, but if enemy cap base, they got destroyed base)and engis more stuff to repair... Someone could develop this idea more
I'm a against tearing down fixed-bases. There are some areas that opened up nicely for bases on Indar, but often these sites are not even used for base building. Smaller no-deploy zones :: I can go with this. Being able to construct at least turrets within firing range of bases should be possible. So may be even two different levels of no-deploy zones. One for Silo distance, and one for non-powered construction base items that allows closer placement to bases to allow turrets and walls to be placed within firing distance of a fixed base while requiring more support to keep the construction base items functional.
Add barricades to the game!! For small amount of cortium it place a small wall that can be placed only in doorways to close them. Can be destroyed by a C4 or 4 rockets. This will help small teams to hold buildings.
Raap, I wanted to offer this idea too. HIVEs are need a guard. Coz attacks come quickly, and there must be a few players on the base to hold enemies until "reinforcements module" starts help. (Actually, i think, reinforcements module is useless, my practice shows it.) Also we need to make somehow the enemies attack HIVEs immediately, to prevent HIVE guard boring waiting (and sleeping). So that everyone knows that if HIVE icon become shown on the map, then there will be action. Some progressive properties of HIVE, that will make enemy attack HIVE immediately, but not waiting, coz if they will not attack now, later it will be harder, and after more time more harder to attack.
