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That said, it has its flaws, which I'm sure the developers are aware of, especially after this event. While they reset the borders, and check the numbers, I wanted to throw in my two cents on things I think would make CW more fun, more balanced, more successful, and more flavorful (for those who want to roleplay or have "single player" missions, for example).
Some of these will be possible with relatively small changes, others will take a lot of work:
1.) Rewards/XP: This has been said by others, but the Rewards and XP system need to be more specific. Right now, you have Speed Tweak, Torso Twist, acceleration skills, modules that can flop between mechs. Nothing is unique other than quirks (I'll get there). Skill trees should be Class-specific, there should be "or" choices, make the quirks mech-specific skills the player can unlock instead.
- Class/Role-Specific Skills: Lights, for example, should have access to speed and mobility skill trees. Assaults should have access to weapon heat and cool-down skill trees. Mediums should be a blend, but more focused on mobility. Heavies should be a blend, but more focused on firepower.
Chassis-specific Trees: Rather than Quirks, create a system of mech-specific skills. Rather than a system of "UNLOCK ALL THE SKILLZ!," have the trees be choices: "You have a 9S - you can unlock the ERPPC Velocity chain OR the ERPPC Heat chain." You now have to make a choice of what this mech will be, what you want it to do. Who knows? Maybe you can unlock the other tree for double (or x10) the XP. A Raven could have a longer range TAG or one with a fainter TAG beam (rather than the "shoot me!" one that exists now), or it could have the missile refire tree. Make players have control over what their mech is.
Side note on ECM: ECM covers only the mech with the ECM, but this can be expanded through the skill tree. You can cover one additional mech per level (or expand the bubble), with it favoring lighter mechs first, or randomly if the tonnage is the same.
Clan XP: You can't force people to roleplay and you shouldn't. In the past, Clans were balanced by two things: numbers and fighting style. Apparently 10v12 isn't going to happen, so I won't suggest it here, but roleplaying can be encouraged through XP. NO XP and C-bills for Assists would be a good start. Low XP and C-bills for non-solo kills. To balance this, MASSIVE XP and C-bills for Solo Kills. Clans shouldn't have artillery...come on.
Longevity Rewards: Let's face it - people play mercs for two reasons: 1) they don't know or care about the lore and just want to play the game, 2) they want the freedom that being a merc provides. In BT lore, it was a BIG DEAL when merc units jumped from one power to the next. Ones who did it frequently were blacklisted and maybe used, but were seen as little more than pirates for hire. Units should be free to do this, but the rewards should be tiny. If you want to jump faction to faction, you should be able to with zero cooldown period. Merc units initially will get paltry rewards: the faction doesn't know how long they'll stick around. For every [insert length of time here - week?] the merc unit stay with that faction, the rewards ramp up by, say, 10%. There's some incentive to stay put and there's an actual cost for leaving.
Faction-Specific Rewards: Join with Steiner? You get more money. Join with Kurita? You get weapon upgrades. Join with...you get the idea. Right now, there is zero difference between dropping with different factions. I assume that's because of the "beta" tag. Flavorful rewards for the role-players or at least to get twitch players to lean that way.
Implement Conquest Mode: It looks like PGI looked at their three gamemodes (Assault, Conquest, Skirmish) and decided that Assault and Skirmish (Invasion and Counter-Attack, respectively) were the best routes to go. In my opinion, this was a mistake: Conquest is a lot more like what CW should be like, but with a twist.
"Destroy the big gun" is a great boss level. This would be a good "once every ten matches" game mode, but it's not very strategic-minded. It has more team-play involved because of the number of mechs, waves, and so on, but it's still more about big alphas, causing the most damage, focused purely on combat and not roles, and so on. It's deathmatch where you can blow up a couple buildings. You guys should have gone with Conquest instead. Here's Emerald Taiga reimagined around this new gamemode:
The green circles are the dropzones - not much change there. Each side starts with one node already captured. The change from Conquest happens in two ways: 1) you must capture the nodes in sequence, and 2) the nodes become new dropzones.
How this would work is that teams would move out, having to fully conquer a node before it flipped (so no "sliver counts as capped" that exists in Conquest: all or nothing). Once a node is conquered, it becomes available as a new dropzone. A player respawning can choose which captured node or spawnpoint to spawn in - no more spawn-camping.
Now you can reinforce the front, or withdraw and regroup to an earlier-captured node. Roles matter: Lights with capture accelerators will be able to push the front quickly, but if the other team goes Assaults, those Lights will be wiped out. Scouting will matter. Mediums to bridge the gap will matter. Heavies to hold and defend will matter. Teams might actually have to split their forces.
The attacker wins if they control more than 50% of the nodes, the defender wins if they don't. Conquering nodes should take a long time unless a LOT of mechs are on them. This should be take-and-hold: one Light focusing on caps shouldn't be able to do it.
- Toss the Ceasefire: I know why PGI implemented the ceasefire, but I'd say it's time has passed. Have planet conquest based on an overall percentage games won by the attackers. When you have a limited number of zones, the only matches that matter are the last ones before the attack window closes. Prebuilt teams, unless they're grinding XP or practicing, don't even bother dropping outside of an hour or two before the ceasefire because there's no point.
Worse, players who either aren't grouped up, or can't play during that critical time, feel like their contribution is totally worthless and pointless. And they're right: it is. A ceasefire mechanic is fine, but count ALL the matches played for that planet as opposed to just the last few.
- Planet Selection: Allow factions to choose which planets to attack. This can open up broader fronts, take away the weird attack algorithm that creates bizarre pockets and wormholes and sends Clans off on goose-chases across the Great Wherever, rather than towards Terra (which is the whole point).
I know PGI's eventual plan is to make the planets mean something, to have conquering a sector matter because it'll give perks. This is a great idea. Let the players decide where their houses should attack. Larger factions could be at a disadvantage because they might have to spread that population across more planets. Smaller population factions can focus their attacks where they'd be most effective. Factions can engage in sneakiness and strategy, pushing towards planets that give better perks (ie Hesperus II, for example) or Solaris VII, or drawing the enemy to one place and then hit them in another.
4.) Other Stuff: AI, Destructible Terrain, Melee, Solaris, Single player/team play/roleplay: This is a catchall section of cool things I think are on the drawing board, but maybe not?
- AI: Cryengine comes with AI built-in. Crysis had some great AI. Tank models, especially at the scales we're talking about, don't have to be high-poly affairs. Turrets are...sorry, this isn't very constructive...stupid. Turrets just don't feel "fluffy." They don't fit. Tanks? Do. Infantry? Do.
Killing turrets is boring. Let me stomp after an Ontos (8MLs!!) and kill it? AWESOME. Pop around a corner and see an (AC40) Demolisher? Oh crap!! I see a turret that exclusively targets my legs, doesn't move, doesn't "think?" Yawn. Tanks could move around a base and might not be where you'd expect them to be - they aren't stationary and predictable like a turret.
Finally, Ghost Drops? SOLVED. You still have to fight, you're just fighting lesser vehicles than mechs. The planet didn't say "Well, geez - let's just not fight for this territory," they said "We don't have enough mechs - let's put some tanks out there and hope they don't attack with mechs..."
It's more flavorful. It's more fun. What's more is that it would put just how terrifying mechs are into perspective. "Nice 80 ton tank." *splat*
- Infantry: I'm an IS loyalist, and Steiner loyalist specifically, but I'd LOVE to see Elementals in this game. They NEED to be in this game. Not in huge numbers, not as player-controlled entities, but defending a base? [EDIT: as a Clan-themed "artillery strike"?] Do it.
Even IS infantry could be a lot of fun. More than shooting mechs, could you imagine stomping through a line of dug-in infantry and splatting them JUST BY WALKING?? How cool would that be?
This doesn't need to be overdone, and they really shouldn't be effective (the man-pack PPC is the most powerful weapon IS Infantry have; they do 2-3 points of damage, if memory serves). This grounds the player in this universe. It makes it feel like a real place. It makes this universe seem lived in, a place people are fighting over: not an arena.
- Destructible Terrain: Pretty sure this is on PGI's list, but is a low priority. I don't need to be able to blow apart buildings (although that would be amazing - imagine just rumbling through a building to get to the enemy hiding behind it), but able to knock a path through trees? Make those Flamers light stuff on fire [I'm getting there]? Awesome.
- Flamers: Please make these things useful. Be able to light the ground or trees on fire. Make them generate less heat for the user than the target. Have the ability to create smoke screens that disrupt thermo and night vision. Do something - I love flamers, but there's little reason to take them outside a troll build.
- Melee: I'm going to say something unpopular here - implement melee, but only give it to the IS (with the exception of a very few, specific Clan mechs designed for it). This goes to balance and I really feel for you, PGI: so many different developers, including FASA itself, have tried to balance the Clans to IS and failed. It's a losing game. I'm sorry.
That said, one possible way to do it is to have IS weapons do more damage, but only at closer range with a steep drop-off. Have Clan weapons do less damage, but it would be consistent out to a much longer range. The goal for the Clans should be to keep the IS at range, the goal for the IS should be to get to brawling range as soon as possible. Melee would be the last tool in the IS toolbox. It doesn't need to be complicated: just a punch and/or kick button (which Cryengine already has built-in).
- Solaris - The Game World: Pretty sure this is on the drawing board, so I won't say much here, but one-on-one, grudge matches, "best pilot in the IS," specific rewards, tags, challenges, events, experimental tech, etc. Solaris could be a lot of fun, but it could also let PGI test and balance things on a micro scale.
- Single Player/Player vs Environment/Missions: Again, pretty sure this is on the drawing board, and isn't a real high priority, but having an invasion or defense tree unlock for single (or small groups) could be fun. "Destroy the airbase" would take out airstrikes for the opposing team. "Destroy the gun" would take out artillery strikes. Or even just "kill the convoy" to build up XP for a single player? There's lots of choices here, but of course it will require AI to implemented first.
- Ejecting: (just remembered this one) Please have the eject sequence. I mean, actually blow up into the sky on your mech chair and float to the ground on a parachute, your feet dangling as you float down over the combat zone. Let other players shoot at that chair. If it's a Hatchetman (please, please, please), let the whole head blow off and fly away. Immersion, PGI - it's all about immersion.
Edited by Dawnstealer, 29 April 2015 - 06:41 AM.
