10 replies to this topic

[Setzz]

I'm sure this is nothing new and likely to have been suggested, but can we have an escort mission?

One random player on the defensive team will get a VIP tag, and can only be transferred to another person if the other person volunteers in the ready screen.

The mech carrying the VIP tag can only be identified when an offensive team member is within a certain (short) range.

The defending team will need to go through a series of non-sequential waypoints, these maybe randomly generated across the map, and only revealed to the defending team.

The game ends when:

• VIP completes all waypoints.
  
• VIP mech is destroyed.
  
• All offensive team mechs are destroyed.

A mechanic that can be applied is another person can volunteer to be a decoy and get a secondary VIP tag. This would ID as the actual VIP to the offensive team, but game does not end when the decoy is destroyed.

This will encourage recon and communication from both teams, particularly on the offensive team to scour the map to seek and destroy the defensive team. Also this hopefully will teach the defensive team the importance of sticking together as a group, not scatter around with everyone doing their own thing.

Happy to get your feedback guys, thanks!

[Henry Morgan]

In theory it could be fun, but then reality will kick in and make it not so fun.

The match ending with the VIP being destroyed = a single player can throw a match. We already see people dropping because its a map they don't like. "I got the VIP badge and hate this map." and they charge into the red arrow blob. Done.

Unless the waypoints are pre-set and tested for balance, randomly making them appear on the map can have one team having a distinct advantage over the other. Which becomes not fun.

Or, the person with the VIP tag is AFK and just sits at the base the whole match.

[Randalf Yorgen]

Adding to what Henry has said we would need a whole new set of maps as well. his wouldn't work to well on Forest Colony or Caustic. Forest is to close and caustic is too open to the high ground in the middle.

[Setzz]

@Henry - ya I'm in denial of the whole "people can be jerks" factor.

@Randalf - agreed that some maps would work better than others but there will always be imbalances here n there. Would be happy with more maps though!

[Oppresor]

Hi Setzz
I really like your vision of the Escort Mission; because you have gone for a VIP Mech it is very easy for PGI to implement and is therefore more likely to happen. Your idea of using non-sequential waypoints would mean that the Spiders and Locusts would have to work overtime in the Recon role checking for enemy and feeding back to the convoy; as a supporter of Recon I am 100% behind this.

Personally I would still like to see an actual tracked convoy that would carry the VIP or cargo; I know there is talk about vehicles at some point in the future for MWO.

One possible variation on Escort could be Locate & Retrieve. It would work like this:

scenario

During the last reinforcement drop our Dropship had to change course to avoid an ion storm. Flying low under an uncharted section of Tourmaline the navigator / ECM officer noticed something strange in the sand, some sort of obelisk that glinted in the starlight. There had been rumours about ancient artefacts left on this world by a civilisation that had left for the stars millions of years ago. The rumour is that they possess electromagnetic shielding properties that have prevented them from being damaged; R&D are very interested in this and have authorised a Locate & Retrieve mission to recover one; the snag is it's in an area where enemy activity has been seen.

Mission Objectives

• Escort archaeological Science team into search area. 10 GXP if convoy survives this phase (Light damage is OK)
  
• Artefact is to be located by a designated Recon unit (Light - 2 can be designated at start of mission) 10 GXP
  
• Recon Light takes point and escorts team to located Artefact. 100 C-Bills for Recon unit only.
  
• Archaeological Science team analyse artefact and recover (If we get a Recovery Module) Lance defend 20 GXP
  
• Team with data or artefact are escorted back to Base / Dropship. If archaeological Science team survive with no losses 500 C-Bills + 10 GXP for each defender that has engaged at least one enemy unit.
  
• If team take 50% losses but make it back to the Base / Dropship Then 100 C-Bills +5 GXP fro each defender.
  
• If team are destroyed but Recon Light survives and defenders provide cover for him or her to return to Base / Dropship Then all remaining units get 50 C-Bills each.

[Marmon Rzohr]

This is an interesting idea. But it might be frustrating.

It seems quite easy to destory one mech and win the game. Especially if they have to move over open ground
:/

Edited by Marmon Rzohr, 30 November 2013 - 02:26 AM.

[Fooooo]

Henry points out the main flaws for pub play.

In organized games however..... (12v12, comps etc etc) these problems would basically not be there at all, as such the mode would work pretty well there I think......

Its something PGI should at least consider imo......not for pubs tho. (random public matches......or pug matches as is the term coined here for some weird reason....)

Edited by Fooooo, 30 November 2013 - 03:55 AM.

[Arbiter51x]

I like the idea of an escort mission!

Here are a few things they could do to eliminate the human VIP problem.

1) Your not escorting a player in a Mech (that doesn't make much sense anyway). Instead you escort a convoy of vehciles controlled by the computer (ok this may require pre determined tracks, but you could engineer multiple pathways with random way points). This convo could be comprised of 6-10 vehicles in a long chain, or formation movement.

2) This solves a second issue, you have multiple targets, not just one guy going to get alpha'd in the first 30 seconds of the match. Defending team will have to spread out along the flanks of the convoy over a larger area, and the attacking team will have to coordinate their targets to take the vehicles out one at a time before they reach the end of the map. It will force them to attack in waves as well.

This lends its self well to mercenary type missions. ie. Escort VIP from city to city through hostile teritory, and the reverse, attack the VIP.

Your reward is based on how many of the vehicles you take out, with a bonus for taking out all of them. And conversly, how many make it to the objective.

The game ends when all vehicles are destroyed (not neccessarily when all enemy mechs are dead), or when all attacking mechs are down. Force the opposing team to complete the objective only, which is destroy the VIP package. Give each vehicles lots of armour so its actually a challenge to take them out. It also means the attacking team must take into account time managent, alloting time and ammo to complete the objective, not just another death match.

Looking forward for this style mission.

[kingalbertII]

this mode could be allowed for only a few maps

if they would ever introduce a king of the hill mode it would also only be possible on some maps (like therma or causatic)

Edited by kingalbertII, 01 December 2013 - 03:52 AM.

[Harmatia]

Just copy/paste Team Fortress 2 into MWO. Capture the flag (or something appropriately named) would be funny.

[Setzz]

Hi all, just came back from a break n checked this post. Thanks for all the replies!

I deliberately chose a human VIP in lieu of AI, both have their advantages and disadvantages, some more apparent than others, but this gives PGI / IGP less work (AI design / behavioural programming etc).

Capture the Flag, hell yes!!! I'd go for that!