c0mad0r, on November 14 2012 - 03:13 PM, said:
DarkPulse, on November 14 2012 - 02:20 PM, said:
Therefore, players who are more full will usually go back towards base to dump it off. I know I hang back once I got a pretty full tank.
The easy solutions to this problem that I can think of off the top of my head would probably either be some kind of overflow storage (which brings issues of its own... though maybe it could be used to heal the battleship_) or if everyone's EU goes immediately zero on their tanks when their battleships launch.
IMO, the "easy" solution is to make all EU nulled out, lost, when a Battleship is launched. This forces everyone to start the foraging process over again and in a sense, balances everything again.
All that EU you worked to gather should not be lost, imo. People will get paranoid about whether they are going to get struck by zeus in the form of a 'battleship launch instant deplete'. This doesn't feel right. Also if it's an enemy ship launched you would have no control of when this happens (even your teammates launching your ship, fuzzy bunny you over in the process LOL).
I may be opening Pandora's box with this suggestion, but what about having a keybind to drop EU wherever you're currently standing_
Let's think about this one. If you've just finished collecting at a node, or let's say you've been merking people left and right and have over half-a-tank, your EU collection should be recognized and you should be able to help your team with a potential turn-in. But here is dilemma-if the enemy ship is launched, do you run half a map's length to your base to drop off, then waste time precious time depositing it so you don't lose it_ Or do you go directly on the AA anyway, and possibly die with it on you and risk handing it over to the enemy, thus hurting your team even more_ Or do you just shoot from a distance, be less effective to help your team, and not stand in the AA control when bodies are needed there to overturn control_
With the current system, the answer isn't simple. With a keybind for dropping EU, you can compromise. If you're already close to your base when the ship launches, just drop it directly in your base and proceed to AA. If you're already by the AA and help is needed right away, take a slightly less risky approach with the EU you own and drop it out of LoS behind one of the buildings (less chance that the enemy will take it-and you can communicate to your ally where it is or come back for it if it doesn't despawn when you revive).
I guarantee you, more teammates will come into the AA circle and be there when you need them with this system. It promotes actual team battles instead of "Oh half of our team only showed up so nothing we can do."
"But Culex, what else does this entail_ What about abuse_"
The dropping off of EU should not be an instantaneous drop. It should pour out close to a rate at which you deposit it at the airlift or gain it at fully charged E node. Otherwise in a very close quarters battle, players would fuzzy bunny it out instantly before rushing kamikaze-style into the enemy. If they had to wait for it to be 'poured' out, they are spending precious seconds where 1) They become vulnerable and can't move and 2) they are not fighting the enemy with their team.
"What other aspects of gameplay will this affect_"
Well for one, you may see new strategies arrive, such as passing energy off to teammates (again remember the EU drop is not instant, and also that each mech has their own capacity limits). If a heavy C-mech isn't feeling selfish, he may drop (and pass) his 150 EU to his fast A-mech teammate, so that he can continue to support his team at the control/choke point while his A-mech buddy delivers it.
If for example you only needed 75 EU to launch the ship, you have 20 EU and the ally mech close to you has 60 EU, well guess what_ you can give him your 20 and now only one person has to go and deposit to launch the ship! You can now proceed to the AA to get a headstart on defending it.
Also, you may also start to see more mechs (particularly A-mechs) behind enemy lines scouting for intentionally-dropped EU piles, going to claim their jackpots. If AA is already under strong control, a good easter egg hunt never hurt anyone, right_
Edit(s): Few things I want to add from the feedback/also summarize so far.
- Intentionally dropped EU piles may have to have a longer life sitting on the ground before they dissipate to accommodate the length of a complete ship travel and then some so this would work. Increase the lifetime length of all piles or just ones dropped intentionally.
- There needs to be a minimum amount of EU (such as 20 EU) necessary before you can drop it. This is to prevent people from trolling and littering the ground too much with green piles (as suggested by c0mad0r).
- Perhaps tie in an XP bonus to someone's dropped EU being turned in by a teammate (if the game can detect EU ownership in the first place and give credit appropriately). This bonus would be given to the player that 'passed the EU' or for their effort in getting it in the first place. OR Rework how XP is calculated for EU so that it is: lessened slightly for depositing, given for picking up EU (maybe 1/2 to 1/3 the deposit value), and provide more of an XP bonus for winning a siege match. This bullet point isn't completely necessary but may encourage more teamplay and less worry about stealing between each other.
- Implement a map signal (kind of like how focus point works, but smaller and depicted by a green marker) that you can use to flag down where you dropped EU piles. This way if you die, it'll be easier for your team to find your pile and turn it in for you, or just for you to remember where you put it.
- Dropping EU could require a held-in key push, the same way that the C bind for repair works. This way it places commitment on your part and you can't move/fight back while dropping.
- Dropping EU would 'pour out' at a rate similar to getting EU from a fully charge node or depositing in the airlift.
Edited by Culex, November 18 2012 - 07:43 PM.