Highlander Mode for Advanced Characters

[Trev-MUN]

This is going to tork off the Renegade vets, I bet, but I think there should be an option for servers that only allows one person to play each advanced class at a time. Simply put: "There Can Be Only One."

This is something I've actually felt should have been a feature since the original Renegade. I didn't play it online, but having messed around in Skirmish it always bothered me how there could be multiple Havocs, Sakuras, Sydneys, Mobiuses, Raveshaws, Mendozas and Dead-6 members when story-wise they are individuals, not classes.

This would also make gameplay a little more like Tiberian Dawn, making players more reliant on base classes and vehicles. And if a server has the option set, there should be a notice at the purchase terminal screen. Something like "Highlander Mode active: Only one of each advanced character may be present at any time."

To prevent griefers from abusing a Highlander option (by squatting on the character and doing nothing/obstructing their team), there could be a few added mechanics:

1. Include the option for a team that allows them to vote to "demote" a player out of an advanced class. If it passes, the player will be reset to Rifleman back at the Hand of Nod/Barracks and unable to select any advanced classes for a set period of time. This vote option would only be available if Highlander mode is set.

(I think the voting system could use a little reworking, but that's for another topic)

2. When a player dies, add a cooldown that restricts them from playing the same class for a given time limit. Maybe make it a server option that can be set, perhaps one that is also adaptive to the amount of players in-game (shorter for small servers, longer for bigger ones), and have the time limit visible at the purchase terminal with the character they had just played greyed out.

3. "New Uniform" crates won't count toward the limit.

EDIT: And a fourth idea ...

4. Something akin to the Frustration Meter that Tanks have in Left 4 Dead 2's Versus Mode, have an "idle out" timer mechanic that counts down from the last time the player did anything that earned them points. If the timer reaches zero, they are reset to Riflemen and teleported back to the Hand of Nod/Barracks. On a fairly short but significant timer, this would prevent griefers from squatting on advanced characters and also free up the characters if someone goes away from their keyboard for a significant period of time.

Maybe also make it so that the timer for individual players is shorter if they had been demoted to Riflemen by vote previously, or have already been idled out once before. This shortening would be cumulative. I think that would help keep a proven griefer from trying to earn just enough points to keep the character without really doing anything to help their team.

Edited March 10, 2014 by Guest

[cirex]

They have their own unique name and looks so you will recognize them from a distance. You differently don´t want to run into a mobius or medusa when you are under-powered for an infantry fight. I saw games with these ''There can only be one'' rule built in. Somehow it will always be the troll that gets the unique characters. So no thank you, I prefer to vote this one down.

[Trev-MUN]

Somehow it will always be the troll that gets the unique characters. So no thank you, I prefer to vote this one down.

Did you read and consider my ideas for stopping griefers before you came to that decision? Just curious.

[super_gsx]

If that is the case for a MODE, then you'd have to buff up these characters BIG TIME.

[Trev-MUN]

If that is the case for a MODE, then you'd have to buff up these characters BIG TIME.

The base classes, or the advanced characters?

I think both would be just fine as they are in a Highlander mode, actually. Right now, one person who's really good at playing one of the advanced characters can carry their team.

[cbdeakin1]

I think this idea could be an interesting game mode - But I think it would work much better if there many more characters available to choose from. At present, having only a single powerful anti vehicle character per team would it too easy for vehicles to dominate the map.

[SFJake]

Straigth-up highlander mode wouldn't be too interesting to me but, having limits on some characters could add to the game. Oh how much I'd pay to cap how many Ramjets and Snipers there are in a map.

[Unit]

this is good until you remember that all the nod characters besides the 1000 ones, have no names or faces, so while there can only be one Dead 6 gunner, there could be millions of laser chain gun weildling nod guys running around. while there only 1 dead 6 sniper called deadeye, there are trillions of black hand snipers camping and hugging around, etc.

the list goes on.

also renegade players on the whole are complete morons, and should not be allowed to decide what character you are or should be, and definately shouldnt be allowed to then enforce that. just the same as the entire voting systems should be completely removed for the very same reason.

[Trev-MUN]

While that is technically true, Unit, the Black Hand aren't Nod's rank and file, either. So units like the Stealth Black Hand, Black Hand Sniper, and Laser Chaingunner being limited to one at a time is still plausible. Especially since we're talking about soldiers using technology which, in Renegade's campaign, is supposed to be bleeding-edge.

The voting idea was just one of three (four) ideas I had to stop griefers from hogging characters and ruining things for everyone else. As things currently stand in Renegade X, the voting system rarely ever accomplishes anything. I've never seen it successfully used to remove someone believed to be hacking or aimbotting.