29 replies to this topic

[Stinger]

Should these things appear in MWO?

For those who don't know the lore, the Star League long ago created thousands of weapon's caches on hundreds of worlds. These caches stored mechs/weapons/etc in case of need for whatever may happen. The locations of most of these caches were lost over the next few hundred years and the advanced technology withing them became great prizes for who ever found them, and everyone wanted to find them.

Personally, I would love to see these things. Like TeamFortress item drops but to a whole 'nother level. I can imagine that when starting a match, there is some kind of message explaining that the defenders have discovered a Castle Brian and that the winners of the match each get Star League Era Mechs/Weapons/Modules/etc. An item drop that you have to fight for.

That is just my idea, anyone else like the idea of these things?

[nubnub]

Mmmmm... I love things like this ever since the creates in Command and Conquer and Red Alert!

[Ravn]

It would make scouts even more valuable! I am all for this...

Edit: If this meant you had to scout to find it in the first place.

Edited by Ravn, 14 February 2012 - 08:46 PM.

[DarkReaver]

Hmm Lostech caches for Star League weapons...should we bring our shovels and treasure maps?

[Sug]

Either that or can we shoot blocks of bricks and get a mushroom that makes our mech grow? Or shoot fireballs.

[Ravn]

Yes and yes. You may also find a mech dinosaur who will become your best friend that you can ride.

[SMDMadCow]

No, I don't need my scout constantly checking their radar looking for lostech nodes and ditching the battle for a few seconds because they "found something over there".

[Xenois Shalashaska]

ehh. i would be happy if you can steal peoples weapons from mech hangars if we are designated spots

[Kaemon]

I'd like to be able to destroy the items before they fall into enemy hands as well (as a last ditch effort) because that would play into the assault/defend role, and gives another tactical option to keep from 'losing' matches.

Hmmm...what if Conquest mode was conquering planets and PUGs were for salvage/lostech/items on said worlds?

[Mason Grimm]

I can see many problems with this...

Chief of which are...

• How are they implemented? A random "cache map" inserts into the rotation with a cache in it? how many times per day?
  
• How are the caches collected since this isn't a MMORPG where you step on a power-up to receive the items? how are they divided?
  
• How do you balance this out so that everyone gets a change at it? Is it random? Is it situational dependent?
  
• What would be considered "fair" to have within said cache and how do you balance that for other players?

I'd be surprised to see something like this actually implemented in the near future. Maybe downt he road if they decide to build upon the MWO platform and turn it in to more of a persistant MMO (persistant worlds etc)

[Sug]

I'd be on board if they changed the plural form to 'Brian Castles'

We don't say Caches Brian.... Brian did other stuff you know.

[Kaemon]

Mason Grimm, on 15 February 2012 - 07:18 AM, said:

I can see many problems with this...

Chief of which are...

• How are they implemented? A random "cache map" inserts into the rotation with a cache in it? how many times per day?
  
• How are the caches collected since this isn't a MMORPG where you step on a power-up to receive the items? how are they divided?
  
• How do you balance this out so that everyone gets a change at it? Is it random? Is it situational dependent?
  
• What would be considered "fair" to have within said cache and how do you balance that for other players?

I'd be surprised to see something like this actually implemented in the near future. Maybe downt he road if they decide to build upon the MWO platform and turn it in to more of a persistant MMO (persistant worlds etc)

I'll take a stab at this one, although I have questions as well...

- Random 'loot drop' on map, items must be located by side to collect, not collected until end of round (winner of round collects cache). Now if we could get multiple objective battles, securing the cache might be a prerequisite in winning (i.e. in Conquest mode).

- Caches are collected via end round auto distribution (bleah, I don't like that) or by salvage operation in round (Conquest mode, multi-objective).
- loot is hidden until found, it is random, and also situational dependant (so a tactic could be if you're about to lose your LZ, you allow the enemy to see the 'castle' in an effort to distract some of their players, or you could setup some wicked traps for them if you could somehow allow the tech to show up on their scopes).
- hmmmm...fairness in an online game... I'd say probably C-bills and modules, with a weap or mech chassis or maybe we do a 'blueprint' style thing where it allows you to 'unlock' minor customizations to your mech (paint, weap mountpoint, etc...)

Not in love with any of these (except the multi-scenario objectives), but I'm sure someone else can come up with some scenarios.

Edited by Kaemon, 15 February 2012 - 07:35 AM.

[fallonsky]

i guess so but they will have to be really rair or they will be too commom

[Sug]

I don't think there's a great way to implement Castles, at least player controlled. They're way too powerful and they'd always be there once discovered. They would have to be super rare to be consistent with lore. Which would make finding one similar to unlocking a "Jedi" in the SW Galaxies original implementation.

They could probably get away with somehow implementing Caches.

Maybe they could be used by the devs to attract players to (or distract them from) an area of the map where story elements are developing.

Like have the planet with a discovered Brian Cache give a temporary buff to XP or something if you hold that planet. Players would flock to those worlds and the surrounding ones.

Then when the cache is "used up" the buff fades. Maybe someone will discover another cache somewhere else....

[Kenyon Burguess]

if there was a story mode, then helping a great house secure something like that would be fun. you wouldnt get anything out of the process that would tip the balance of the game. merc units finding a tech cache would turn them into a power house the other players wouldnt be able to deal with.

[Kaemon]

Sug, on 15 February 2012 - 07:53 AM, said:

I don't think there's a great way to implement Castles, at least player controlled. They're way too powerful and they'd always be there once discovered. They would have to be super rare to be consistent with lore. Which would make finding one similar to unlocking a "Jedi" in the SW Galaxies original implementation.

They could probably get away with somehow implementing Caches.

Maybe they could be used by the devs to attract players to (or distract them from) an area of the map where story elements are developing.

Like have the planet with a discovered Brian Cache give a temporary buff to XP or something if you hold that planet. Players would flock to those worlds and the surrounding ones.

Then when the cache is "used up" the buff fades. Maybe someone will discover another cache somewhere else....

No they'd be round specific and random drops.

So the problem with these is that they need to be rare enough for people to want to fight over, but not rare enough to give absurd power or tech to one side.

I like the buff idea, maybe it lasts for a specific period of time (round, hours, days?) and that could be a huge deal in Conquest Mode (although if my mech starts glowing and becomes invincible ala Super Mario that's not going to cut it).

It also can't mean Auto Win for the round either, maybe in an objective point map round it could allow repair or weapons upgrade for any mech that is close enough (with a cool down timer so the enemy can hit you while you're rearming)?

Edited by Kaemon, 15 February 2012 - 08:17 AM.

[MilitantMonk]

Floating dollar signs that give you more cash to spend after the mission....ugh no thanks.

Besides the vast majority of Castles Brian are empty. Most were cleaned out by the Star League when they were prepping for Exodus or by the Houses. After a few hundred years and quiet a while in a scavenger economy I can see the allure of these but the reality is far less hopeful. Finding one of these with anything useful in it is like winning the lottery. It shouldn't be in every game or on every map.

Now if there was a level designed as a Castle Brian I'm all for that. Giant underground mech bunker with murder holes, mazes, and choke points sounds like fun.

[Tannhauser Gate]

To the OP:

Assuming for a moment that the devs create chapters in the game where verious events help drive the time line. In this case, a castle brian is discovered on a contested world and the factions battle for planetary control over x number of planned battles.

The benefit would be that the time line unfolds rather than remains stagnant, the players are involved in the world, and the pay off would be of course the fun of playing, glory of winning, and the Castle Brian could render extraordinary salvage. The winners get to split some free mechs with some rare technology (but still balanced in terms of game play that cannot be sold, reversed engineered, or otherwise shared)

Yeah, as a plot device for the devs and as a way to get exceptional and rare salvage, yes.

[Opus]

If I remember the damned things right, because we rolled up on one once in TT. they are active, and will defend themselves if your pass codes don't match...AM I remembering them right?

You could create a whole planet battle of a company of mechs fighting one fo these things, and the devs could play the castles, and if we beat them, we get easter eggs....okokok perhaps as mentioned, blue prints, or such for future meta game dynamics

OH BTW on TT scenario, we got our ***'s handed to us too, never did get close to the damned castle

edit: I just re-read the description, I am thinking the they played it wrong, or we were fighting a manned Castle, I dont remember except we got our butts kicked, only 2 mechs survived the encounter

Edited by Opus, 15 February 2012 - 09:51 AM.

[metalwolf2900]

i think this is a good idea, and one i think to maybe implement after go live, it would add a lil more depth to the game and they would have to be ultra ultra rare to find and just as hard just to get into. and i agree with ravn, it would really be something unique for say, only scout mechs could find and mark the spot.