Credit sinkhole - what about purchasable upgrades?

[Boomer]

I remembered that people discussed about a credit sinkhole feature.

 

We already have veterancy now, what about adding purchasable upgrades next?

 

This would even more useful in marathon games, and people need to carefully plan their strategy since the upgrades would be very expensive.

 

Upgrades works the same as veterancy - vehicles only become upgraded if the current driver purchased the upgrade.

 

For GDI:

AP Ammo - 2000 credits. Shiny bullets. Increases damage for Humvee, APC, Wolverine, and maybe officer. Bullets become effective vs heavy armor and buildings, and travel faster if they are not hitscan before upgrade.

Railgun - 4000 credits. Warheads leave trails. Increases damage for Medium Tank, Titan, and Mammoth Tank. Main cannon becomes hitscan.

 

For Nod:

Tiberium Core Missiles - 2500 credits. Slightly improves visual effects. Increases damage for Rocket Soldier, Recon Bike, and Stealth Tank.

Purifying Flame - 3000 credits. Blue flame. Slightly increases damage for Flame Trooper. Since they are in fact expensive in RTS version but totally free in Renegade, we must not upgrade them too much. Increases damage for Flame Tank.

 

Also, we can enable Tiberium Core Missiles for Apache if we enable AP Ammo for Orca at the same time.

[boxes]

Not against this idea. There is still that one awkward empty spot on the purchase terminal, and I've always wanted some kind of upgrade system to fill the now removed sidearms. However I'm thinking they should be mostly cosmetic and be very light on the performance improvements.

[Detritus]

33 minutes ago, CampinJeff said:

Not against this idea. There is still that one awkward empty spot on the purchase terminal, and I've always wanted some kind of upgrade system to fill the now removed sidearms. However I'm thinking they should be mostly cosmetic and be very light on the performance improvements.

Something along the lines of... hats? Or perhaps new clothing types?

[Guest Gliven]

Use your veterancy points to unlock new skins, like those fancy tiberian sun skins you devs have access to.

 

I also think buying extra clips for your weapons would be cool, spend an extra 200-500 creds to give yourself a higher ammo count. you would have to purchase it every time you die/buy a new character.

 

Giving anything like extra health or speed or more firepower makes it harder to balance. it also makes its a semi mandatory purchase.

[Boomer]

24 minutes ago, Gliven said:

it also makes its a semi mandatory purchase.

That makes people think more about their strategy.

 

For example, if GDI players want to get Railgun upgrade as quickly as possible, they will have to mass 4000 credits - which is definitely a lot, and definitely changes the way people play, and definitely changes the outcome of battles.

 

Also, it is not uncommon to see Nod players sell their Construction Yard very early to rush upgrade Tiberium Core Missiles and get a few Recon Bikes to hunt down all enemy Harvesters, forcing their opponents to surrender. (Does not apply to Renegade since Harvester is free like Dune.)

Edited September 6, 2016 by Boomer

[Wrench]

5 hours ago, Gliven said:

Use your veterancy points to unlock new skins, like those fancy tiberian sun skins you devs have access to.

 would be surely awesome if we could get some nice skins!

[Madkill40]

Experimental Tech Upgrades:

GDI - Jumpjet (nightmare for mappers), Field Medic & Discthrower [If not Jumpjet then GhoststalkerOn second thought, just have the Jumpjet] 

Nod - Cyborg (nightmare for mammys), Mutant Hijacker & Cyborg-Commando

Not entirely sure which team would prevail but when I followed the Reborn mod the models used in Reborn are toned down from high-poly models, they might share?

It'd be nice, would probably be better as a mutator instead of permanently in the gamemode.

Edited September 11, 2016 by Madkill40

[TheWankBank]

Very interesting ideas, I like you taking Kanes Wrath approach to upgrades, I really like the game and I really like this idea, could make the game 10 times more chaotic and intense.

[Henk]

On 12-9-2016 at 1:42 AM, Madkill40 said:

GDI - Jumpjet (nightmare for mappers)

Haha  Jumping further instead of higher could work and could be fun. But that's not jumpjet infantry.

I like Railgun upgrades for mammoths & meds linke in C&C 3, and Nod should also have something similar, don't know what.

[Madkill40]

Tiberium infused missiles for Nod.

Blue tiberium.

Tiberium infused soldiers.

[Henk]

@Madkill40 Good ideas. I think tiberium splashes added to Stealth Tank missile impacts would look awesome.

Wondering how to balance it out for both factions; so imagine GDI team donates a collective 10.000(?) credits to get the Railgun technology on their Medium Tanks & Mammoth Tanks (So again, similar to C&C 3).

What would Nod get for that same donated amount? And on which tanks/units? Flame Tanks & Stealth Tanks? Or also Light Tanks? Or maybe just on infantry? Balancing these asymmetrical factions is hard  Where would you rank the Light Tank? Mid- or High tier?

Edited September 15, 2016 by Henk

[Madkill40]

Tiberium infused missiles for Nod. (Any unit with missiles)

So killing infatry reps would work well.

When it's a collective team upgrade it can work as a vote, 1 vote = 2000 credits, 5 votes required to pay for upgrade.

Alternatively, each vote for the upgrade cheapens the individual payout for every player wanting to upgrade the team.

1 vote = 10k, 2 votes = 5k each, 3 votes = 4k for first vote, 3k for next two votes.

The cost could also work for players on team, 10k seems quite cheap.

 

 

 

[RvE]

I like the idea of purchasable upgrade on both factions giving advantages to both factions. Though it can be a purchase this and everyone will be upgraded or get a tech center in middle of nowhere and all vehicles the faction owns will be upgraded, or individual upgrades, I would go for individual upgrade because for example if all team gets a rail gun upgrade on all their tanks then GDI can easily outpace the enemy much more efficiently, while the enemy whom haven't upgraded themselves are easily pushed, but in a individual scale all vehicle that have credits can purchase this means any rush conducted will either be heavily committed or just plainly all guys rush regardless of upgrades. Also all upgrades will be lost after death. Also rather than buy directly in the ct, you can buy a sort of repair gun AKA upgrade gun and you will shoot the vehicle you buy to get the upgrade, this way you can upgrade your teams vehicle if you have spare money, helpful when going to rush or preparing for a rush. In case of infantry I think they can directly buy it themselves or use the upgrade gun again and right-click will use the upgrade gun to yourself while left click will upgrade the guy you are pointing to. Also the upgrade gun have like 25 value this way you don't accidentally upgrade the wrong guy.

Speaking of upgrades this is my ideas all of this is individual base means everyone needs to buy it for themselves or for the team in a one by one basis.

GDI Vehicles
Railgun Upgrade(1000): This module will give Medium tanks, Titan and Mammoth Tank a 25 percent damage boost.
Adaptive Armor (1000): This module will or decrease the damage received by 25 percent All vehicles.
Armour Piercing Ammo (1000): This increase the rate of fire by 1/4 output of APC, Humvee, chinook and Orca gun output.

Mortar(800): Give Humvee and APC a indirect fire with a damage equivalent of 2 missiles from a MRLS. Reload would be like mammy reload rate.

Auto Loader(1000): Increase rate of fire of Medium Tank, Titan, and Mammoth Tank by 1.5/4.

Tungsten Shells(800): Increase damage of APC, Humvee, Chinook and Orca by 25 percent.
Missile storm(800): Increase rate of fire of MRLS and Hover MRLS and Orca.

 

GDI Infantry

Composite Armor(700): Decrease Damage taken by 25 percent.

Tiberium field Suits(500): Decrease Damage taken by 5 Percent. Can walk to Tiberium without taking damage.

Tiberium Composite Suit(1200): Decrease damage by 25 percent and can walk to Tiberium without taking damage.
Scanner Pack(800): Increase stealth detection by 10 percent.

Power Pack(800): Increase Hitpoints by 10 percent.

Nod Vehicles
Purifying Flame (1000): Increase damage output of Flame Tank by 15 percent.
Flame Bomb (800): Gives All Nod vehicles a flamy detonation upon destruction, damage every enemy in a 10 m radius by 60 hp or something more or like a half magazine of chem trooper minus the bypass of armor.
Dozer Blades (800): Increase the armor of Nod Light tank by 40 percent. OR Dozer Blades (1000): Increase the armor of Flame Tank, Stealth Tank and Light Tank by 20 Percent.
Tiberium Core MIssiles (1000): Increase the rate of fire and aoe by 1/4 on Stealth Tank Recon Bike, and Apaches.
Supercharged Particle Beams(1000): Increase the rate of fire by 1/4 of Light Tank, Buggy, APC, TS Buggy and Ticktank.
Spitfire Laser Capacitors(1000): Increase the damage of Light tank by 25 percent.

 

Nod Infantry

Tiberium Infusion(600): Can walk to tiberium without taking damage increase Hitpoints by 10 percent.

Confessor Upgrade(800): Increase rate of fire by 5 percent.

Black Disciple(1200): Increase rate of fire by 12 percent.

Charged Particle Beams(1000): Increase damage by 1/4.

 

Others:
MG Turret (200): For Medium Tank and Light Tank, this provide them a Machine Gun port to shoot enemy infantry.

True Spy(2000): Spy name will show up as a friendly or same color of the enemy team.

 

Tech Building
Training Center: Give 1 vp to the faction who captured it per 5 sec.

MCV: Grants the faction whom captured it the ability to repair the base, give 10 hp to damaged buildings or dead buidlings per 5 minutes.

[Detritus]

5 hours ago, RvE said:

Tech Building
Training Center: Give 1 vp to the faction who captured it per 5 sec.

The Training Center would get everyone to rank Veteran in 8 minutes, rank Elite in 25 minutes, and rank Heroic in 54 minutes. This along with the regular VP gain via fighting, it would not take very long to reach heroic. Now, I understand that the Training Center is going to be flipping sides often, but that would still give the team that owns it a serious advantage. Perhaps 1 VP per 10 seconds would balance it out better...

[Madkill40]

Individual upgrades are lost upon death so you have to re-purchase them, thus is the way of a credit sinkhole.

This means players won't charge in all the time with their upgraded vehicles thinking there is no consequence.

The more upgrades (if a player is allowed more than one at a time) adds +3vp to the player that kills you or your vehicle, so if a team is being all capitalist then the other team can capitalize on higher VP. For balance. 

That's if the team suffering from funds can kill stuff efficiently.