Look, I'm from the I can't stand capping school, PRESENTLY.......
As a guy who started MY organized teamplay in shooter type games with Quakeworld/MegaTeamFortress, I'm seeing a few things here that are causing this angst. As I just woke up, apologies in advance if this move around a bit ......
I must say, that I have ALWAYS been about teamwork, and off the wall, non-standard strategies for static maps like say, 2fort5, which anyone from most any FPS has played on. I would love to do the same here, but the current design, I simply do not like.
So, I thought about HOW capping can be made viable for most of the unwashed masses.....as now, the capping only pays out 25k....so, how about making the cap award considerably higher. Just a number from my butt? Say it's now 50k, or even 75k. And a few more XP's for capping also.......
Capping would then be viable, and expected, and respected. Teams would not blob up the 3 line in River City, run up the hill to Upper, engage enemy blob = total chaos anymore. Not EXPECTING 1-2 mechs to instantly apply pressure to their base.
Role Warfare would make a re-emergence. Mediums got kick, and more maneuverability in those tight places near those RC bases.........Lance roles would be more important.
Just make capping more lucrative.
But.....
We'll still have PLENTY of Blob people out there. Ones who don't use Teamspeak/comms, or read the website, or the forums. Solo players who log on an hour a night, then go watch Grey's .........
Unfortunately, the introduction to this game, for NON-MW fans, is very bloody. Tons of text scattered literally everywhere. Youtube video's are the main instructional tutorial, with some forum/buried/hidden strategy guides, and a Training Grounds where we can't pick a map to learn/study/optimize heat on ..... can take 10 or more tries to hit Caustic..........
Solution: make a CoD style introduction 'level'. Game starts. Hit 'W' to run, 'C' to squat, pick up the pistol, shoot the target, Run, pick up the rifle. Throw grenade at instructor. Run that way, shoot the other way. Instructor discusses heat vs. environment briefly, as well as using cover, switching targets, all the basic important stuff.
It would have to be a bit longer than the CoD style, but not much. End it with a referral to the Strategy forums. Now, it's on the player. Player can also go back and re-do this training 'level' at any time. And can also pick ANY map for Training Grounds.
So, add value to capping, and EVERYONE gets flagged for the training 'level' once it goes live, like a Force To Read forum option by an admin. The 'l33t' players can escape out, but WHY..........???
This, in my eyes, fixes alot of things. Poptarts won't have a blob to shoot into. As more mechs will be incoming to those rear, sniping areas, it won't be as viable to hang behind one hill popping up and down all match. Poptarts will have to be on their toes.
In fact, the whole ranged and brawl game changes, just by making capping more valuable.
Until then, mech piloting in ALL circumstances is more important for me than capping, and that is the sole reason I dislike capping. I'd much rather mix it up, then just barely make it to my set up area and a base is getting stomped already, by either team, and a minute later, I'm in the mechlab.
I prefer, PRESENTLY, the higher C-Bills and XP payout, the experience pertaining to the piloting/combat tactics I used, and where I can improve, over never seeing an enemy, and ending with 0 damage.
If capping paid out better rewards, we'd all fight more, and cap when possible, and we all sing :
Kumbaya
Edited by Ensaine, 18 May 2013 - 04:46 AM.