5 replies to this topic

[Pahrias]

So, I've been thinking about the newer game modes quite a lot recently, and i think I've come up with a couple of ways to make make them a bit more fun. Let me know what you guys think.

BTW: This is mostly with FP in mind (except escort). although QP might be better with these changes too.


ESCORT: ok for this mode, i thought it would make more sense to do a convoy, spawned in waves.
I was thinking that 4 waves of 4 large mech transport trucks (like the one at the top of alpine peaks?) and the teams that saves/destroys the most wins. random routes through the map, if they meet heavy resistance they choose another route. or maybe commander controlled.

I feel that this would provide a better ebb and flow to the battle. The tide would be shifting constantly. And it would be maybe suitable for FP at this point.

DOMINATION: For this mode, i find the biggest problem is the static fighting. I think there should be 3-5 towers on the map. The first one is randomly activated, and then randomly chosen every 15 seconds and the team that spends the most time uncontested in the circles wins. Also smaller circles.

This would force teams to move around the map and fight over these points, rather than group here and hold.

INCURSION: I've had a couple of ideas here so ill put them both here.

1: to counter early light rushes, super charge the turrets for the first 5 mins or so? not so much that they could stop an assault push, but enough that for the first 5 mins your base was safe from any light rush or any small group. not really keen on this solution as its more of a temp fix you know?

2:Instead of having 2 bases, have one neutral base some where on the map. the first team there, becomes the defender. then the other team has to push them out. make it so that all the base buildings are cappable, the first team to cap the most buildings gains control, then its towers are active. I prefer this idea, as it means lights are still viable early on, but not as base killers. might need some tweaking, but i think it would be more fun overall.

What do you gents think?
Any other idea that may improve game play for the above modes?
How would you change (other than remove) these modes?

[Lord0fHats]

I think every game mode that isn't Skirmish should just be removed, cause lets all just be honest and admit that Skirmish is all anyone ever really plays. No one goes into a giant robot shooter to not shoot giant robots. Half the mechs in the game are simply too slow for dynamic objective team play and the maps just aren't well designed for it anyway.

I'd like to see Quick Play eventually converted in Solaris; solo free for all and 8v8 teams, no drop deck. Faction warfare would be 12v12 Invasion with drop decks and there I see room for improvement. Switch from the current system, completely abandon the orbital gun objective, and instead adopt a new mirror mode with each team spawning a destroyable objective somewhere on the map. Most objectives wins. Might actually force teams to split into attack/defense.

[Thorqemada]

Imho every gamemode should be conquest bcs thats the only game mode that gives the most of the good matches.

[Aggravated Assault Mech]

The problem with random routes in escort and the circle moving in domination is that RNG swings the match in the favor of the winning team too heavily. If a game is close in Domination, then you are just deciding the match through RNG. If it's not close, then the team that's ahead has no problem simply retaking the new circle- while a team that's barely hanging on will just lose if the circle moves away from them.

Same thing happens in Escort. You might be fighting the enemy and trading evenly- both sides down 5-6 mechs, and then your VIP decides to just walk out into no mans land to die. It isn't a fun situation for anyone. In fact, this is part of the problem with escort- you basically have to play it as TDM because literally escorting the VIP will get it killed.

Changes for incursion would be nice. The game mode is much more suited to faction play but there is the risk of base rushing. I'd prefer to see a gated advance- so for instance you have 2 HQ trucks immediately attackable , and the third behind a taller indestructible wall (or inside a bunker) with a gate that opens 2-3 minutes after the first two are destroyed.

[Requiemking]

Lord0fHats, on 06 August 2017 - 10:55 PM, said:

I think every game mode that isn't Skirmish should just be removed, cause lets all just be honest and admit that Skirmish is all anyone ever really plays. No one goes into a giant robot shooter to not shoot giant robots. Half the mechs in the game are simply too slow for dynamic objective team play and the maps just aren't well designed for it anyway.

The only reason people play nothing but Skirmish is because thats the only playstyle worth anything to the score system. Change the rewards system to make the objectives(and winning) the things that matter, and that will change immediately. also, for every combat suitable mech in game, there are approximately 2.5 that aren't, whether it's because of a bad hardpoint spread, not enough hardpoints, or a bunch of useless hardlocked equipment.

[ocular tb]

Wall of text below!

This just started out as a quick response to a comment here and ended up as a long write up. Here are my thoughts and suggestions on the modes that aren't skirmish. The biggest changes are with Domination and Escort since I think those two are in the most need of changes. I wrote this from the perspective of a solo QP player, but I believe the changes will work in a more organized team setting just the same.

DOMINATION
I think if Domination had another circle placed further away on the map it would be more interesting. That way it could split up the teams somewhat. If it ends up being completely ignored by both teams then it's just like normal Domination. But if a fast mover managed to get there and got the timer to start counting down, that could force the enemy to respond. If you control both circles the counter goes twice as fast, if you control one it counts normally, and if each team controls one, then they both count down normally. The downside could be if one team splits and the other doesn't. I guess the team that didn't split could push and overrun the other team but I'm not sure if it would happen all that often. Not sure if it would happen anymore than it currently does in any other game mode where one team is down a few mechs. Plus they probably wouldn't know the extent to which the team is split since the counter doesn't speed up with more mechs in the circle like it does in assault or conquest.

Another simple change would just be the circle location. Currently the Domination point tends to be in a central location. Even just changing the location of it from match to match could make it better. And if there were two circles, they could both be in obscure locations, or have one centrally located and the other off on some far away part of the map. And for those that want scouting to be more meaningful, you could make it so it doesn't show up on the map or have the "P" on the HUD compass. Make scouts go out and find it. And if they do find the circles and the Alpha and Beta mobile field bases (MFB) they could then be displayed on the map and compass of their team with a scoring and monetary bonus for doing so. That wouldn't be too much of a problem on a map like Canyon, but on a larger map like Alpine or Polar it could really add more need for good scouting. As it is now though, it just confines the fight to one location and it essentially plays like Skirmish but in a smaller part of the map. I think any of the above would be easy to do and would help make it less stagnant. Adding all of the above would be best I think.

TL/DR: Have two domination circles that change locations from match to match and don't show up on the map or HUD compass until they are found by a friendly mech. Scouts from both teams would have to go out and look for them and both would have to be fought over. Would help breakup the deathball and adds a little more complexity to a pretty stagnant and redundant game mode.


ASSAULT
I think overall Assault is fine. Not really much you could add to it that I think would make it better. I think having the modes be a sequence of increasing levels of complexity would be a neat idea. Skirmish is just team death match with no other way to win. Next up would be Assault where the base cap can come into play, but is otherwise very similar to Skirmish. Then could be Conquest where the resource collectors and the counter needs to be taken into consideration. Then Incursion or Escort etc etc... I don't think every mode needs to be overly complex since some people like to just play for the fun of shooting others. Having varying levels of complexity in the game modes is a good thing.


ESCORT
I think the idea of a slow, defenseless Atlas is pretty clumsy. Multiple convoys of vehicles that have basic defensive/offensive capability (like laser turrets) would make more sense. Maybe the enemy is transporting some secret technology (or a Quadruped mech) and to avoid it being captured or destroyed they have multiple decoy convoys going in different directions to confuse the would-be captors. The escorting team could possibly know which convoy has to survive or for the sake of making the game more interesting maybe make it so they don't know either- like how you don't always know which way the VIP is going.

Off the top of my head, I'm thinking maybe three convoys with five or so vehicles in each. One of those vehicles would be the payload and the other four would be for defense. Make them tanks or something that have some durability and some decent offensive ability. The ability to veer off course and engage enemy units would be nice but not critical. Make the actual payload durable too, like the current VIP and make it so that it can be disabled but not destroyed if so desired. As an added bonus you could add salvage to the mode for the captors/attackers. If you disable the payload you get more money for capturing and returning it intact. Or if you can't do that you can still complete the objective and win by destroying the payload but at a reduced payout.

Having multiple decoy convoys would require more map space but if they were to implement this idea it would give them a reason to make maps that are bigger than what we're used to. This would be fine for Polar and Alpine. Tourmaline and Grim Plexus might be big enough. River City could be interesting if the convoy goes through the streets. Forest Colony too I think would benefit from this mode since the underused sections of the map would probably see more use.

Things to consider- would the game end if the real payload was the first to be destroyed? How would you know that was in fact the payload that had to be stopped? Should the others need to be destroyed or disabled to make sure? What if you want to salvage it so you disable them all. Does the match end then, or do you now have to fight off the escorting team until time runs out? I guess you could even make it so that if all attackers are killed but the payload is disabled and unable to make it to the extraction zone in time it could be a draw since neither team met the objective. Or you could give any escorting mech the ability to drag the payload the rest of the way in a last mech standing situation so that they aren't in a lose or draw only situation. I know, the dropship could just go pick it up but it's just an idea since the current Escort mode doesn't give a draw/tie result and this could.

Lots of things they could do with this if they used their imagination.

TL/DR: Multiple decoy convoys and one with the actual payload. Convoy consists of armored vehicles with some offensive capability. Mode is won with the capture or destruction of the payload. Add huge incentive to try and salvage it since it would be harder to achieve and conceivably more beneficial to your faction. No silly Atlas.


CONQUEST
Fine how it is in my opinion. As it is, it can be fun and a lot of matches in my experience produce good fights and the resource counter is nice in that it can't be completely ignored. Many matches come down to the last few remaining mechs and who can destroy the others and regain the caps first. Typically pays good too. Good game mode and don't see any reason to change it.


INCURSION
Not sure what to do here to be honest. I ran out of ideas on Domination and Escort lol. I think Khobai had an interesting idea and that was make it so that only the dropships can damage the bases. That would make getting the power cells more important and worth fighting for. Right now the only one that seems useful is radar and that's because it gives you something you can see and actually use. It's always the first thing to get. I'm not sure what jamming does to be honest (that's how useful it is, right?). I almost never see air defense get used so it isn't very useful either.

I'll just leave it at that for now since I don't really have anything else to add to Incursion.

Edited by ocular tb, 07 August 2017 - 03:24 AM.