81 replies to this topic

[Prezimonto]

Changing the way the game handles capture points, into a MEANINGFUL reward, can only make the game more tactical. It can only make you have to make more choices than move in a pack and kill all the things.

Everything in the mechwarrior world is about strategic, tactical, or political advantage(outside of solaris). Mechs are painfully expensive machines to commit to an objective. This is has been the primary focus of every mechwarrrior title... objectives: goals of strategic, tactical, or political importance on wide scale. Mechs and killing them comes second in nearly every way. If you make the objective the focus of the game, tactical choices (taking different routes, defending the base or your dropship) become key.

Right now NONE of that has a significant reward compared to killing the enemy.
I can think of a game mode I'd call "Raid": It's similar to Assault in many ways.
Team A:
Objective A: Destroy the refinery. Scaling rewards with damage done(DPS better than alpha, favors light/medium mechs)
Objective B: Defend the dropship: (favors heavy/assault mechs)
Objective C: Make it to extraction point(dropship) in 15 minutes or less. Scaling rewards with number of mechs alive.(mobility favors light/medium mechs)
Objective D: Kill enemy mechs Only activates if you lose objective B.

Team two has the following objectives, which only open up over time, or as certain objectives are achieved.
Objective A: defend the refinery (favors heavy/assault mechs) until reinforcements arrive (15 minutes)
Objective B: destroy the enemy dropship/extraction point (favors fast/strikers/dps builds)
Objective C: Survive: Scaling rewards with number of mechs alive.
Objective D: kill all enemy mechs: Only activates after achieving objective B.

This kind of a game mode would need ony the added functionality of tracking damage done to a static object to really achieve the basic goals. Everything else is theoretically already part of the game modes in some way shape or form.

Edited by Prezimonto, 08 May 2013 - 05:07 PM.

[Nicholas Carlyle]

I would love objectives and maps with dynamic drop points/base spawns.

I love LOVE shooting other mechs.

But I want a reason to do so besides just for the sake of that love.

[stjobe]

I whole-heartedly support this suggestion. It would make life as a light pilot a bit more meaningful (and incidentally, it'd make everyone else's a bit more meaningful as well).

Well done, Prezimonto!

[Prezimonto]

Of course they release UI 2.0 info the day I put a couple of suggestions up....other thoughts?

[Neolisk]

Yes, anything that's more fun than those trench wars we have now.

[Acid Phase]

Voted yes to this simply because it also supports a topic I've done weeks ago....only that it went down because of the clutter. http://mwomercs.com/...me-mode-please/

Vote there if you'd like as well.

[Prezimonto]

So this is just one example of an objective style map.

Would other people care to put more scenario's together? Let's get a collection going and see how many different general types we can come up with.
We've got
Assault (team death match with alternate flag caps)
Conquest (territory capture vs. points ticker)
I've suggested:
Raid (objectives requiring one team on offense and one on defense, but both teams essentially have offensive and defensive goals, and kill each-other is a minimal factor until certain goals are met).
...What else?

[Acid Phase]

You're right. We have to somehow jot down scenarios here of the different type of missions of past MechWarrior series. Let's suggest how it can be implemented here in MWO.

As an example. I want to use a mission in MW2 code named "Temper Edge", where a NPC repair truck is being escorted by the player to a damaged Tarantula that is going to be repaired. In the meantime, you have enemy mechs headed your way from multiple areas who's mission is to destroy both the repair truck and the Tarantula. Your mission is to defend the Tarantula and escort it to extraction point for a mission successful. Here's a video where someone is playing this same exact mission. Enjoy.



Now let's come up with ideas to do this type of scenario, with 8v8 or 12v12, taking under consideration that we have 2 to 4 lances per team.

Edited by Acid Phase, 09 May 2013 - 08:20 PM.

[Keifomofutu]

That's funny I could have sworn a lot of battletech consisted of putting groups of mechs on each side of a line and trying to murder each other.

[Prezimonto]

Okay, another mission type from me:

"Intelligence Gathering"
Team A
Objective 1: deactivate a sensor node (4 different equidistant nodes to choose from(cap points as you hack the systems quietly or just destroy the towers, may deactivate more than one, Active sensors reveal mechs for indirect targeting)
Objective 2: observe designated site for a total of 1 minute with a single mech(multiple mechs are not additive)
Objective 3: defend dropship
Objective 4: extract

Team B
Objective 1: defend the perimeter (keep all 4 sensor nodes active)
Objective 2: deny the enemy sensor data (keep any mech from accumulating 1 minute of sensor time on the site.
Objective 3: destroy any mech containing data before they extract
Objective 4: destroy dropship

[Lokust Davion]

i doubt pgi can create this sort of objective based gameplay. i would be very surprised if they do. i mean... think about it.. they cant even make a proper air strike.

[Prezimonto]

Boot!

[Discojaddi]

Apologizing in advance for this necrobump, but these are some great ideas. I for one would like to see something that involves picking up and carrying something, actually using that "hand actuator" that so many mechs are fond of having even though it only eats up space. I know on my centurions/awesome I don't even bother putting armor on that left arm, it starts the game limp and useless anyway.

[Bhael Fire]

I've been literally SCREAMING about the lack of meaningful objective-based content in this game. Ok that's an exaggeration.


Honestly, though, I'm not sure where to waggle the finger at; PGI's programmers or their designers. One thing's for sure, their artists know which way is up; The environments and mechs look awesome.

[Prezimonto]

I enjoy thread necromancy!

[Shismar]

The topic is just a couple weeks old. Barely smells yet.

I like the ideas and am all for more tactical game goals. I do have to say though that asymmetric game objectives are very difficult to balance. Some games have used a rematch system to repeat a map with switched sides. This might work but would probably require a special game mode where players know they need to bring some extra time for the rematch.

Or one just assumes that sides on matches even out over time. That could work too. Whichever, great suggestions!

[Prezimonto]

If you look at the goals I lay out, at least in the intro topic, they are very similar mirrors of each other in most cases. They just add some flavor and reasons to completing each section other than... must kill all the mechs.

One thing I don't this game does very well is rewards players survival. I don't think there should be a penalty for it, but I think a main objective for both teams, split among all the players evenly, should be total mechs surviving. These things are supposed to be severely expensive to field... why wouldn't we want a reason to survive?

[GRiPSViGiL]

I love me some objectives. there are some great ideas here.

There definitely should be better rewards for completing objectives. Maybe a multiplier can be used to add to the CB and XP rewards? Either way they should make objectives worth more so defending and taking them matter.

[Randalf Yorgen]

the problem with objectives in this game is that you're not going up against stupid AI enemies. If you do an escort mission the enemy PLAYERS will blow through you and pinpoint the target for destruction, boom it's dead and they win. Factory same thing, if you want LRM boats to have a favorite mode this would be it, send 2 med/lights and 3 heavy assults into the target and have 4 LRM boats with 3 protectors standig off to hammer the facility. Dropships, would never be powered down in a danger zone so killing APUs isn't an option. and escape mode, the enemy would beeline it to the escape point and start heading back towards you and hammerthump you. If it was AI driven enemy I would say sure, have at it but unfortunately for your idea it is not. Good thoughts though and good suggestions but IMO they just won't work. I've made my own suggestions in other threads but it's all good.

[DI3T3R]

How about a moving target?

- Team Blue and Team Red spawn on opposing sides of the map.
- A red dropship spawns above Team Blue and moves towards the red spawn-point.
- Team Blue must chase the dropship and deliver as much damage as possible (is indestructible) before it reaches the red spawn-point.

Win Conditions:
Team Blue: Deliver 1000 damageto dropship before it reaches the finish-line.

Team Red: Prevent dropship from reaching 1000 damage.
..................Destroy all enemy Mechs.

Edited by DI3T3R, 30 July 2013 - 04:02 AM.