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[color=#00FFFF]Counter Attacks - We are currently putting the final touches on a design to change counter attacks to more of an aggressive “clearing the enemy out of your territory” mode. A Sort of Skirmish / Assault feeling, my hope is we can introduce this on Feb 3rd but not confirmed.[/color]
I really think its extremely bad idea. So attacker (as per: side that tries to take the planet) have to work their way through fortified positions, in order to kill the gun, but when it comes to counterattack, defender somehow avoids those and goes for mop-up only?
Unless design will be VERY good, it will mean its going to be hard to take the planet. Not because its hard to win Invasion, but because it will be easier, and probably faster to win counter, so single defender crack unit may have a chance of fighting several battles, while attacker crack units, will get bogged down in First World War-type of assault.
As I said couple days ago on Skye Rangers forum: I have couple ideas creeping in the back of my head.
One of those is Planetary Raid.
- No respawns,
- Asymetric objective
- Asymetric force strength
- Several ways to achieve win
- Several types of Raid
- Standard maps (those large ones, Mordor, Tourmaline, Alpine, maybe Caustic)
- Grades of victory,
On the objective:
What comes to mind, when I think of Raid, is: secure/destroy, assasination, search-and-destroy.
1. secure/destroy,
Similar to conquest.
- 2 objectives, that can be captured OR destroyed, those are representing crucial supplies,
- Attacker objectives:
Primary: Secure at least one cap point, earn fixed amount of cappoints (250-300, conquest speed)
OR Destroy both cap points (destroy enemy supplies),
Secondary: Destroy all enemy mechs,
Secondary: Extract (like in: go out of bounds in specified location)
- Defender objectives:
Primary: Keep enemy from taking cappoints,
OR Destroy cap points (deny enemy our supplies)
Secondary: Destroy all enemy mechs
Secondary: Extract
- Twist: Supply Dumps are spawned at randomized locations.
- Twist 2: And are not visible on battlegrid for attacker, until scouted,
- For each objective secured team gets points (for example: 5 for a kill, 50 for destroying the supplies, 100 for holding each supply dump at the end of the battle, 5 for each extracted mech, thats FOR EXAMPLE). Points should be set in such way, that if one side is loosing in body, ekhm, wreck count, viable option would be to destroy supply dumps, and get the hell out of Dodge, to NOT loose to heavily.
- By the usage of earned VP, system would calculate grade of victory, like in Draw, Minor, Major, Devastating and Total (On those in a while).
2. Assasination:
- Attacker objective:
Primary: ID, find, and destroy enemy commander,
Secondary: Destroy all enemy mechs,
Secondary: Extract,
- Defender objective:
Primary: Keep commander alive,
Secondary: Extract commander,
Secondary: Destroy all enemy mechs,
Secondary: Extract (possible only if CO extracted, or got killed, otherwise its desertion and causes loose of VP)
-Twist: Defender Command Lance is spawned far away from remaining two (those can be spawned at Extraction point),
-Twist 2: Command Lance is spawned at randomized location,
- Twist 3: Bravo and Charlie lance can be spawned only after Command made contact with enemy,
- Once Commander is extracted, Defenders dont earn any more Victory Points (prevents from putting commander in locust, and doing hero run to EP), while attackers earn them for killing and extraction.
- Idea is to force defender team to fight it out with attackers, to achieve as big victory as possible.
- As in secure/destroy, grades of victory should come into play.
3. Search and Destroy
- Also similar to skirmish.
- Attacker objectives:
Primary: Destroy all enemy mechs,
Secondary: Extract
- Defender objectives:
Primary: Extract
Secondary: Destroy all enemy mechs
- This game mode represents ambush of sorts.
- Attacker and defender are spawned not that far from each other.
- Defender team should get VP in such way, that it will encourage extracting, over fighting it out (so 10 for extraction, 5 for kill), Attacker other way around (5 for extraction, 10 for kill). Idea is to create game mode, that represents company trying to get to designated objective, and attacker force, that want to harras them, and not let that happen.
- Twist: Defender HAVE already VP (number of mechs x5), they loose points for loosing mechs,
- And also grades of victory should be inserted.
On Force balance:
I would go as far as saying: NOT Necessary. Really.
Lets say: just command lance in assasination submode, while attacker have 2 lances, thats as far as I would go: +/-1 one lance, so if defender have 1 lance, attacker can have anything from 1 mech to 2 lances.
Why?
Because it will make finding CW game easier. Instead of waiting (sometimes for half an hour), for full twelve men to get in, let people decide; if they want to stay on "Garrison duty", or get into Raid mode right away, thats especially true, for people playing outside of prime times.
Another upside of Raid is that, me, and Im sure many others, are dedicated light pilots. And I despise playing light mech in CW, as its either being support brawler, support sniper or support ecm. Or despicable zerg rush. In Raid, light mechs can really shine, doing what they can do best: achieve objectives, that cannot be achieved by full companies of assault mechs (try to catch centurion-command mech in Dire or Atlas).
One more thing I would like to point out is fact, that sometimes there is problem to get into a group. Sure, there is spot, but guys just dropped/are in lobby. Instead of doing one or two pug matches, the-late-guy, can take couple others like him, form raiding lance, and do some good for the Archon. Or Commonwealth. Or Coordinator. Hell, even for... Whacha You call boss of Mariks?
Oh, one more thing on upsides: Zerg rush. Unless Your unit is heavy enough in first drop, You can only run Raid.
Thats two more things: Ghost drops: unless You have oppostion, You can only Raid. And of course You cannot do any killing without oppostion (so only capturing supplies. VP there should be balanced in such way, so only taking supplies, will result in Minor Victory, at best)
Ah, and on those not-12-per-side-battles: of course impact on CW should be balanced in such way, that couple 1 vs 1 Raids, wont change whole thing about CW.
I guess Ive found another "one more thing": based what I saw on IS map, and what I saw on forums, regarding especially Liaos being hammerd by Davions: Imagine that: Liao 12 men fights it out on a planet, while another 3 lances are deployed as raiding force, thanks to them... yeah, now lets explain Raid effect on CW.
For now it seems like 3 nice Pug-que gamemodes, (really nice gamemodes I might add).
Let make it like that: Attacker have limited number of attack slots, thats by default set to just below half of the planet, and one more for only Raid (You can Raid on Attack slot, You cannot Attack on Raid slot). Attack slots represent supply difficulties, Defenders aerospace cover, support from civilians and such. Each succesfull attacker raid unlocks one attack slot, or fraction of it. While if defender raids succesfully, it closes one window. I would suggest doing it as follows:
Draw: no change,
Minor: 0.5 of attack slot (so You cannot launch invasion there)
Major: 1 attack slot
Devastating: 1.5 of attack slot (yeah, those guerrilas really makes it difficult).
So those 24 Cappelans from example above can hold against whole Davion Warmachine, only if one Crack unit fights it out on first Invasion slot, and those 3 lances keep raiding enemy, so Davions cannot bring more force to bear on poor Cappelans, balancing a at least a bit Population difference between factions.
Ahh, and to prevent defence of a planet by NOT setting garrison there (so attackers will get only ghost drops in raid, that will not let them earn territory), after 4 Raid slots get unlocked, each subsequent opens both Attack slot, and gives territory.
PS:
Yes. I am Skye Ranger, I fight for Steiner, and yes, I like light mechs. It doesnt mean, I wouldnt lead 4xAssaults raiding lance into Marik territory
