[Earnable specialization (last one game, unlock pro/con upgrades)]

On 1/31/2020 at 9:56 AM, Highlink said:

I think this is a really neat idea that could be great with further refinement.I think HIHIHI's post above mine hits on a lot of really good points. Some opinions of my own:

1. I much prefer the idea of the perks being permanent(for the round) rather than tied to a single life. If tied to a single life it would both punish newer players and encourage farming kills over playing the objective. Spending 1000 on a inf and immediately dieing already feels pretty bad, imagine if you finally get that perk you've wanted for 5 minutes and immediately get sniped. My idea for how to handle this would be credits spent on a purchase give you points towards unlocking a perk for that class/vehicle/(even items?), points are also earned as you play as that class/vehicle. When enough points are accrued you can spend the to get a perk improving an aspect of that class/vehicle for the rest of the round. 

2. The pro-con idea is really appealing but it works against the overall concept in this case. If perks are expensive and hard to earn it may not feel worthwhile to get them if they come with a trade off. Pro-cons would work well if it was like a load-out you picked at the start of the match but that strays away from the core design of Ren-X.

3. I would avoid perks that directly effect dps or max HP as they will be particular hard to balance likely either feeling worthless or a must pick option invalidating the other choices. This also begins to intrude on the purpose of VP which you laid out as something to be avoided.

All that said the core concepts laid out here sound pretty cool and I'd love to playtest any implementation of this idea someone throws together.

 

1. I really like your idea of credits spent on chars/vechs etc giving you points towards the perks. Wouldn't want it to be the _only_ way, - that's cool though.
2. The cons don't have to be huge - just enough to make the pro not overpowered.
3. 100% agree @ dps / HP being dangerous to buff - ideally the perks should be centered around encouraging certain tactics / strategies.

 

@HIHIHI Good point about the necessity for it to be user-friendly - that'd be key.

Thanks for the feedback y'all.

[Earnable specialization (last one game, unlock pro/con upgrades)]

That's interesting making it permanent like you're suggesting; honestly I like the sound of that.

Re: balance you're right - and some of these perks might have to be disabled or toned down for certain vehicles/characters. (maybe little icons on/near the perk that shows which are banned)

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@Madkill, I think some of those more general ideas could work well with this.

For specializing characters/vehicles, imo a lot of times it will make the people who already hate them, have less fun. If we can kill two birds with one stone, I'm all for it. Just trying to keep the primary focus on roles like defense/support etc

[You know you played too much C&C Renegade when...]

When you're sad every time you remember you can't spam commands anymore
 

Take the Point!Take the Point!Tatatatatatatatatake the point!

RIP

[Earnable specialization (last one game, unlock pro/con upgrades)]

You could also say "let people swap specializations whenever"

...that is a valid argument. 

 

If it was done that way, perhaps your specialization gets XP as you use it, and you can choose (based on your experience) how far the pros/cons go (always increasing equally)

[Earnable specialization (last one game, unlock pro/con upgrades)]

(100% inspired by Madkill's Gameplay and Ritual thread)

 

Specialization.

What is the goal?

The idea is to encourage players to explore the game, and specialize in a particular role during a single game.

• This makes you more reliable and therefore a better teammate (esp if you're newer or not inclined to work with others)

Example specializations:

• Mining / Defending
• Support(ing vehicles/infantry)
• Tanker
• Aircraft

What is NOT the goal?

• Make your character/vehicle crazy good (it's about stealthily making people better teammates without them knowing)
• Purchasable weapons
• Purchasable vehicles
• Replacing VP system (should be complementary to VP, because we're rewarding specialization NOT experience)

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What is the reward?

An unlock. Specialization with your actions lets you purchase upgrades with a pro and con.

 

How long does the specialization last?

One life (or if it's a vehicle specialization, the life of your vehicle)

 

What are these specializations?

They are upgrades which have both a pro, and a con.

For example:

• Miner / Defense
  • Speed upgrade in base
    • Con: you have slightly less health
  • Faster repair speed
    • Con: you get no prox
  • Better armor against C4
    • Con: you are slightly slower
• Tanker
  • Faster turret turning
    • Con: slower vehicle turn
  • Faster vehicle base turning
    • Con: slower turret turn
  • Faster projectile velocity
    • Con: less damage
  • More damage
    • Con: slower projectiles
• Aircraft
  • Anti-infantry specialization
    • Pro: Vastly improved armor against railguns, snipers
    • Con: You get no missiles
  • Faster vertical / side-to-side movement
    • Con: slower max speed
  • Longer missile range
    • Con: Lower damage

FAQ

Q: Can I have more than one specialization at a time?

A: No, but you can swap them.

• If you swap, you lose 50% of your experience in the old specialization

Q: Is every specialization available for every vehicle/char?

A: ...Maybe? Balancing might be interesting.

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Thoughts?

 

[Gameplay and Ritual]

Some ideas...

Support

• If you've repaired a vehicle and they then kill the vehicle who damaged them, you should get some VPs for it (you helped them win their "duel")
  • This counts for each vehicle you've repaired - so if you keep 2 alive and they've both been hitting that enemy, you get bonus points: points for each ally, but also a multiplier for having the skill to switch back and forth but keep them alive
• Bonus VP for saving allies from death (repairing from low health while being engaged w/enemies)

Mining

• Bonus VP any time your mines kill someone entering the building who had enough damage to kill the building

 

One thing I can't figure out is, how do you reward  good mine placement?

• The difference between a good miner and bad miner can be REALLY important - but just placing out of sight isn't enough
  • Think the HON on walls flying. Someone who hides prox well / changes up location when they die is invaluable. If they just place in the same spot every time though - eventually that will cause the building to die.
• Maybe they just get rewarded by the bonus XP for killing people entering buildings (see above), and that's the measure of a good miner.

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[Toxicity = bad for server population]

Thinking more, some ideas come to mind re: improving it:

• It seems like there might be too many ways to get places
• Offhand, I don't think there's a way to get into any building without destroying turrets. That lowers the excitement factor because it's a grind to get an advantage
• For someone new to the map, it's really not clear which part is infantry-only - at first glance the whole middle looks like it'd be open to them. That's a little frustrating

On the other hand, being able to use Titans as GDI is really fun, and where vehicles can go, the terrain provides some good variation for vehicles like light tanks to play with. Doesn't feel unbalanced for one side or another, either.

[Toxicity = bad for server population]

Have had this happen multiple times this week.

Good games going, 8-14 people on the server, for 5-8 games in a row. Server rotates to toxicity and empties.

Yes you can vote, but server owners - maybe consider removing a map that, as far as I can tell, people don't like to play on?

I'm sure the map could be more liked with a rework, but as-is, it seems to cause more problems than good.

edit - could also be because we were playing on relatively low server population at the time...but when 6-8 people leave at once (with 4 still remaining) that's an issue