70 replies to this topic

[Spider00x]

So during the pre-round table, my main bullet/ talking point I wanted to make was I wanted to see PGI perhaps integrate faction related quirks/ bonuses to aligned LOYALIST factions for both clan and innersphere. I think these would give meaning to be a loyalist and be in line with some of the flavor of those specific houses. What those quirks might be or what they might look like is something I want to turn over to the community to discuss. AGAIN this is a loyalist focused bonus.

If you need an example say Steiner's get 10 or 5 tons extra on a drop deck, or Liao has more efficient medium lasers etc... whatever.

Beyond the simple fixes to the game mode that we all agreed on early on I want this to be MY contribution to the game mode and the community. Let me hear your thoughts and ideas and Ill make sure to try to run them up the flag pole Friday.

Edited by Spider00x, 26 January 2017 - 09:52 AM.

[Stahlherz]

I'd rather up the contract and ladder rewards to more faction specific stuff.

Like introducing Rank 20-30 with faction warhorns etc.

[FallingAce]

How about start by removing the loyalist penalties.

Loyalist held hostage day 282

[Monkey Lover]

Sounds better than nothing but there see some factions getting something really good and others getting 10% flamer range

They would have to change it up often maybe monthly for me to support it.

[exiledangel]

this Is were lore can actually come in handy for exemple

Federated sun was very heavy in the autocannon department so quirks could be bases on the factories that are on certain planets.

[Jon McFuzzy]

Faction quirk/bonus is a Good idea and needs to be strongly considered in the future. But imo there are bigger issues which need to be prioritized:

1. Give players - INCLUDING Loyalist - sense of excitement to play FP (other than stomping other robots - which can be fulfilled by QP). Add DEPTH. Stories. Drama. Politics and twist. Reasons that make people willing to queue and group up enthusiastically. Look at the The Witcher series - essentially it is monster slashing over and over again - but what makes it Best Game of The Year? If PGI can answer this question, they'll know what to do for FP.

3. Make FP a place for everybody that people can enjoy - either winning or losing. Sorry - I do not subscribe to the idea that only (highly) skilled players should play FP. Yes it can be like egg-and-chicken argument between MM and population, but you have to start somewhere. Infantry is the biggest component in real wars - not special forces. Everybody should be able to contribute to a common goal - Win and pride for the faction. A bump for skill is certainly important - so as part of this idea, PGI needs to improve Training and Academy as well.

4. Improve in-game and in-client communication and collaboration. Make it a lot easier for people to group up, communicate and coordinate before launching. Not everybody is using TS (even though it is ideal).

5. FIX the (annoying) BUGs please.

Edited by Jon McFuzzy, 26 January 2017 - 04:33 PM.

[Vincent Quatermain]

Reposting from the Announcement thread on the FP Roundtable:

Quote

Version One:
Create a special Skill Tree that you can only earn points for in Faction Play. The tree is the same for everyone, as are the number of skill points awarded per FP match (varying by wins and match score). However for Loyalists, certain branches of the tree will be cheaper for a particular faction. Thus, there is no imbalance in the long run, it's just easier to build up in a certain direction in the short run.

Version Two:
As above, except certain portions of the Faction Play Skill Tree are only available to faction Loyalists. Any points spent on faction exclusive skills are lost if you leave the faction. This has more flavor, but could create balance concerns.

Here are some ideas for Faction Play related bonuses:

Satellite Uplink -- For each player with this skill on your side, increase the duration of Satellite Sweep by 1 second
Jamming Repeater -- For each player with this skill on your side, increase the duration of ECM Sweep by 1 second
Capture Acceleration -- 'nuff said
Dropship Firepower -- Increase damage of dropship lasers on the dropship your mech arrives in
Anti-Emplacement Weapons -- Increased damage versus gates, turrets, gens, the radio trucks in domination, etc.

General bonuses:
Good Maintenance -- Reduced chance that enemy fire will cause a critical hit (possibly broken up by locations or equipment types)
Rapid Air Support -- shorter delay on air strike arrival
Dedicated Artillery -- shorter delay on arty strike arrival
UAV Durability -- Increased hit points on your UAV

Faction Bonuses (either cheaper for that faction, or only available for that faction):

Steiner -- Structure bonus
FRR -- Heat dissipation bonus
Kurita -- PPC velocity and laser duration bonus
Davion -- Ballistic velocity and MG ROF bonus
Liao -- Heat capacity bonus
Marik -- Missile reload bonus

Jade Falcon -- Reduced cycle times for SRM, small energy, flamer and LBX
Wolf -- Armor bonus
Smoke Jaguar -- Projectile velocity bonus (all types)
Ghost Bear -- Laser duration & cycle times reduced

[Fake News]

steiner = if over 100 tons they gain ecm and bap
frr = if in a group full if FRR members gain a vip npc named "the jarl" that randomly shoots medium lasers.
davion = bonus yaw to torso twist and an audible reminder to twist when under fire.
kurita = in cockpit waifu pillow and pokemon dekales.
liao = diet kurita banner and instant kills when running a yen lo wang because lore.
marik = neon pink hud and purple strobes with a disco ball

jade falcon = if evil is in group all mech warriors tur super Saiyan.
smoke jag = barry white background music
ghost bear = 101 bear puns randomly type in all chat.
wolf = 3 wolf moon decal

[Marius Romanis]

Steiner -- Structure bonus
FRR -- Heat dissipation bonus
Kurita -- PPC velocity and laser duration bonus
Davion -- Ballistic velocity and MG ROF bonus
Liao -- Heat capacity bonus
Marik -- Missile reload bonus

Jade Falcon -- Reduced cycle times for SRM, small energy, flamer and LBX
Wolf -- Armor bonus
Smoke Jaguar -- Projectile velocity bonus (all types)
Ghost Bear -- Laser duration & cycle times reduced

too hard to balance, one will always be op and others will always be not worth caring about.

[Novakaine]

One of the better idea's I've read in years.
Kudos.

[Jarl Dane]

CadoAzazel, on 26 January 2017 - 08:01 PM, said:

Steiner -- Structure bonus
FRR -- Heat dissipation bonus
Kurita -- PPC velocity and laser duration bonus
Davion -- Ballistic velocity and MG ROF bonus
Liao -- Heat capacity bonus
Marik -- Missile reload bonus

Jade Falcon -- Reduced cycle times for SRM, small energy, flamer and LBX
Wolf -- Armor bonus
Smoke Jaguar -- Projectile velocity bonus (all types)
Ghost Bear -- Laser duration & cycle times reduced

too hard to balance, one will always be op and others will always be not worth caring about.

Yeah, lots of people applaud the idea.. but I think people need to try and figure it out. How do we do this in a way that doesn't throw ANOTHER wrench into PGI's efforts to balance this game?

[Wraith 1]

CadoAzazel, on 26 January 2017 - 08:01 PM, said:

Jade Falcon -- Reduced cycle times for flamer.

The old meta is dead, long live the new meta.

[SuperFunkTron]

Edit: a later post was added to adapt to a request for less weapons based quirks.


****The goal of Faction Quirks: To diversify the factions belonging to each side of the conflict in order to provide an initial orientation toward mech roles and play styles. In the current two bucket system, mixing and matching of different quirks will provide different benefits coming with certain costs, while allowing players to choose a faction that more closely corresponds with the role that they would like to fulfill.

Approach:
A similar set of quirks should be provided for both the IS and Clan as sides so there is a global balance of the two sides. Further, the positive quirks need to come with some sort of draw back in order for the over all effect to be neutral while providing an experience unique to that faction. While the quirk sets should remain unique to a faction, they should not create an overly powerful or easily exploitable faction. The mixing of factions in drops should work to the over all benefit of the group as each faction's quirks should provide something positive to the group while coming with an associated weakness.

Factions:
Innersphere
Davion Positive(+): Increased ballistic speed or more ammo per ton. Negative(-):laser/missile systems take longer to cool down
Steiner +: Increased armor. -:small reduction in speed.
Liao +:Improved ECM, BAP, TAG, NARC. -
Marik +: LRM improvements (range/cooldown), improved s-srms. -
Kurita +: slight speed boost, PPC effects last longer. -

Clans
Clan Wolf: +:slight speed/mobility boost. -increase to laser duration
Jade Falcon: +:more effective jump jets
Smoke Jaguar: + Armor buff. -speed/movement reduction
Ghost Bear: +

****I will finish this in the morning, but suggestions would be greatly appreciated here

Edited by SuperFunkTron, 27 January 2017 - 02:52 PM.

[Tesunie]

FallingAce, on 26 January 2017 - 10:50 AM, said:

How about start by removing the loyalist penalties.

Loyalist held hostage day 282

Question. Have you tried to break the contract? Or are you trying to wait for a "permanent" Loyalist contract to expire?

You should be able to pay out and take a seven day penalty (I believe) for breaking the loyalist contract. Once broken and your probation time is over, you can then choose a different faction (or just go merc and bounce between factions in 7 day contracts).



As far as the OP is concerned... I'm going to have to say no. I like the concept, but I do not believe it would provide balance nor actual flavor in the game. If anything, if that faction has "the right quirks", you'd just find more players flocking to the "faction of the month" that follows the current meta.

So, I do not believe the suggestion would be helpful in the end...

[Carl Vickers]

I suggest you speak to the other loyalists before you start giving them negative quirks, some may not like it.

[Kin3ticX]

Trying to make the factions have quirks that are lore accurate can be tough

Some are obvious like steiner is fat, kurita fast, davion dakka, but then you might have to give lame ones to others to make it lore accurate.

People will pile into a select few factions over the slightest advantage and completely ignore other lore accurate quirks that are not desirable.

[Jarl Dane]

So... maybe we should step away from weapon systems and stuff...

First off you have weight; tonnage. PGI already uses drop weight to try and balance things, so giving all loyalists +10 tons would be a 'perk' that isn't too crazy.

That isn't really unique though. So what are things we can do?

CW stuff:
Faster Respawns - your dropship only takes 15 seconds to arrive.

Better Turrets - Your turrets are 2x as healthy (only really matters on Invasion tho =(

Scouting bonuses: You're sensor sweep lasts 2x as long, your ECM lasts 2x as long

Other more passive stuff:

Consumables:
Your UAV has a longer range
Your UAV has more health

Your arty/air strike cool down is shorter, or you can drop two at once...
Your coolshoots are cooler, or you can take two of the better kind of coolshoot.

Maybe you have a third consumable slot? (probably too OP?)


Things that act like modules already in game...

You hold locks slightly longer,
you have slightly further radar,
You can hill-climb easier

Other stuff:

Slightly larger ECM bubble
...?


You guys see where I am going with this though, right? Rather then trying to balance things like heat and weapons.. smaller more passive bonuses...

Edited by Mech The Dane, 27 January 2017 - 12:38 AM.

[naterist]

how bout instead of a gameplay changer like quirks, we look at it in a different light, but in the same spirit. give lore based faction specific mechs a 10% cbill bonus when used in fw (in qp too is a possibility as well, but i dont think its the best way to go, limited to fw is better i think).

to compensate for the fact that certain mechs are better, your going to want to have multiple combos of mechs. so say steiner gets a cbill bonus on a battlemaster, well steiner doesnt have exclusivity to battlemasters because davion gets a bonus for them too. but unlike steiner, davion has a jagermech, and steiner doesnt. know who else has a jagermech? frr. so really make it combinations of mechs so everything is a different slice of the pie with a decent bit of crossover, so theres incentives for taking your factions mech, without giving anyone a monopoly on a specific chassis, and no real punishment for not being in your factions mech.

this system also doesnt punish or buff in game, which i see causing a crud-ton of complaints. it also gives a bit of light roleplaying, and the cbill bonus shouldnt be labeled as a c-bill bonus, it should be some fancy word for "money saved since your faction gets repair parts at a discount and tarriff free." but dont add a punishment, just imply it to the player that all along theyre earnings are what theyve been getting after paying for repairs. no need to hypothecize on negatives that will hurt people who want to bring a zeus as a laio for example. im not trying to imply that type of system, but if they want to bring a zeus as a steiner, then they get a bonus for it cbill wise.

edit:also, i like the idea that after lvl 50 you get 5c, id say every 100,000 loyalty points, give people at lvl 20 50 mc would be fair, and that just repeats indefinetly. gives loyal;ists access to a baddass reward, that realistically just opens 2 lootcrates unless they save up real good.

Edited by naterist, 27 January 2017 - 01:43 AM.

[50 50]

I would steer clear of quirks that do anything to weapons, armour, mech performance, heat sinks etc.
I would also suggest not even using the term 'quirks' as it immediately suggests a bonus to our precious mechs.

If you really want to give the different Factions some character and depth then we should look at items that give a bonus outside of and before the actual combat.

The increase in drop deck tonnage is one idea.
But don't forget the minimum tonnage, that is another value that could be adjusted.

However if you want a lasting system: make the loyalty points a usable currency!
An increase in ranks and a change of the rewards is not a good enough solution as a month down the track, it's back at the same problem. What do I do now I'm level 40!!
BUT, if you can spend your loyalty points (without losing rank) on different benefits such as a temporary increase in drop deck tonnage you create a very good reason to remain loyal and earn those points again. I underlined temporary increase there as if they are permanent benefits, why would you keep earning the points again?
That is not to say that there shouldn't be some permanent benefits, no, have a mix of options. If it's a table that can be added to, then down the track they can add more items for us to spend those points on. Some may require c-bills, some may require MC in addition to the points. However it needs to be setup.

There are a couple of features that have been asked for many times by the community that would work very nicely with the ability to spend loyalty points. Happy to chat about those as well as I do not believe they are very difficult to implement at all.
(Kind of pointing that one at you Mech The Dane)

[50 50]

Actually, going to make a quick comment about the 'Intel' bonuses you mentioned as ideas there Mech The Dane.
I like that approach and where you are going with it, but feel it should be something we access using the intel points from scouting.
It's a bit of a side track into the split of scouting and invasion modes as I feel the scouting should be directly part of the invasion itself and not a separate mode.
But if we consider the little bonuses we get from scouting, tagging opponents, spotting etc and add to that a change in how the intel beacons are handled, we already have a system that is giving us Intel points that we could use to activate abilities that benefit ourselves, our lance and our team. ie. Turn the Intel Points into another currency that we earn and spend during the battles. It encourages the scouting role and creates new options for us.