New Support Roles

[DviddLeff]

https://sites.google.com/site/planetsideupgradeproject/phase-2/support-overhaul

Through the above link you can see my overhaul of the support system, the fundamental changes being the addition of command as a support role, support vehicles and other new support tools.

However I wonder if there are any totally new support roles that could be useful in PS2, or ideas for role expansion that I have not thought of?

[Bags]

Cheerleaders! I really like the view the game through your squadmate's POV though, would be interesting. both fun an functional!

[Tikuto]

Medic. ABILITIES: Repair, health and stims(biological buffs).
Engineer. ABILITIES: Repairs (unlimited) and two categories of deployables.
Technician. ABILITIES: Repairs (limited), electronics(hack) and mechatronics(machine buffs).

"Repair" - infantry only.
"Repairs (unlimited)" - can repair anything.
"Repairs (limited)" - infantry and consoles.

About the Medic... I'd rather the Medic be a more swift role compared to any other support role, and use a 'Rejuvinator' nanite injector for this conceptual example. They sustain battle and they're in battle - swift actions allow for more time shooting. The Medic can repeatedly 'stab' active players (alive) with a heal-over-time(Health and Armor), throw a nanite injector to inactive players (incapacitated) for them to decidedly use or attempt to revive a fallen player (unconcious - currently respawning).
The Rejuvinator would be the name of the tool and ammunition. The ammunition is a needle-like item compacted in the tool or singular on its own. The tool is for medic to heal active players and revive unconcious/dead players, and the singular 'injector' is to give incapacited players to revive themselves.

When a player comes with an Advanced Mobile Station it is deployabled but not fully functioning similar to the Aegis Generator. With the constant flow of rebirthing players, there's is a high chance that Medics, Engineers and Technicians will respawn. From there, they can buff the AMS with their associated abilities like a Technician improving the AMS for defensive electronic warfare (or the HAMS suggested in the link).

Key: Support player's attention must not be kept away from battle. Keep them in battle - keep the raving joy level up.
Key: Three branching roles. All able to repair infantry yet each title branch into two sub-roles. Their collective abilities earned through progression (with Certification Points) and not too complicated (clearly defined and not overwhelmed).

[Morrik]

I like the direction of the article, but one simple suggestion: support role should be a main focus rather than something that's gained to spend some leftover certification points. Planetside got to the point where giving one person everything could be obtainable with BR40 and that essentially neglected any kind of role within the game if a person could use everything.

Personally I find myself playing for hours on end just supporting 100% (i.e. using Loadstars to support the front-line vehicles, constantly getting AMS's out to the battlefield, repairing vehicles, etc...) but I do not find it rewarding enough. Sure, back in the day there were no such thing as assists and support experience, but I still utilized that role greatly.

Instead of having most or sometimes even all players having Engineering and Medical, make those specific roles a main focus and require almost 100% of their certifications or the next Planetside Next "currency."

I think the Command AMS is a great idea too. I can totally see myself using something like that.

[Robert089]

I'm all for more specialised support roles. Give the medic and other support roles more tools to do various jobs.

One thing I think support roles could use are visual differences, such as someone who has ADV medic having some visual flair such as white markings on their helmet / armour that allows friendly players to know they can be revived and enemies will know who to take down first.

I like the idea of medics getting a health beacon they can place which will heal friendly players within a certain range, albeit over a long period of time. Thus making it only useful for minor injuries, whereas the medical applicator can heal more seriously injured players quickly.

[Morrik]

I'm all for more specialised support roles. Give the medic and other support roles more tools to do various jobs.

One thing I think support roles could use are visual differences, such as someone who has ADV medic having some visual flair such as white markings on their helmet / armour that allows friendly players to know they can be revived and enemies will know who to take down first.

I like the idea of medics getting a health beacon they can place which will heal friendly players within a certain range, albeit over a long period of time. Thus making it only useful for minor injuries, whereas the medical applicator can heal more seriously injured players quickly.

That's a very good point. In fact, I support this fully. It would allow your team to recognize your abilities instead of you having to spam, "ADVANCED MEDIC DON'T TAP AHHHHHHHH! YOU TAPPED!" Additionally, it would allow the enemy empires to single target you in order to defeat friendly advancing or defending troops/armor. While that may seem unfair, it allows your empire to defend their support with greater voracity.

[Tikuto]

Visual flair definately. Snipers would love that. It'd be like space invaders for them.


Instead of a 'medical AoE beacon' consider how Brink plays a medic role. As I've suggested in relation to how Medics work in Brink, the medic 'dispenses' injectors to incapacitated players. A quick easy throw to nearby individual players from which they can decidedly use.
Through realization, though, the amount of damage pouring into the battlefield is immense! There's always a great overall imbalance for Medics to tackle the enemy's damage output. Solution: Everyone ought to be able to self medicate (except MAXS?) whereas the Medic ought to provide 'professional' applications.

[Timantium]

I'm not for stims or buffs unless they are ultra temporary (like 5 seconds). Eventually, everyone would only be able to compete if they had the buffs. It reminds me of SWG where the buffs were so good that fighting stuff was boring because it was like you couldn't die and as a result they tuned the monsters up so much that you couldn't possibly kill anything without the buffs. The scale stayed the same, just shifted up on both sides by the buff.

It would really throw off the "balance" in the game. No handicaps. Why not just make everyone black ops.

[Tikuto]

^ True...

[Raymac]

I like Bags' idea of having cheerleaders. They just need to have breast physics like in Dead or Alive. Yeah, I'd buy that for a dollar.

[DviddLeff]

You know a games going to be good when the main selling point are the physics. :doh:

[Bags]

You know a games going to be good when the main selling point are the physics. :doh:

Motorstorm's main selling point was its physics... it's a pretty good racing game.

[Robert089]

Instead of a 'medical AoE beacon' consider how Brink plays a medic role. As I've suggested in relation to how Medics work in Brink, the medic 'dispenses' injectors to incapacitated players. A quick easy throw to nearby individual players from which they can decidedly use.
Through realization, though, the amount of damage pouring into the battlefield is immense! There's always a great overall imbalance for Medics to tackle the enemy's damage output. Solution: Everyone ought to be able to self medicate (except MAXS?) whereas the Medic ought to provide 'professional' applications.

Everyone can already self medicate through the use of med kits, that's why I think a passive healing field that the injured don't have to actively use is a better idea. Would the injectors that medics hand out fill the players inventory? That would get on a lot of peoples nerves having medics handing out injectors to everyone they see, filling their inventories.

At least we agree on the visual flair.

[Tikuto]

Oh yea I forget about Medical Kits. :doh:
Probably because of how wholey lame they were.

[CutterJohn]

I think an 'intel' role could be a good one.. A radar tool that supplies the rest of the squad with dots on a minimap.

But, discounting the possibility of buffs, I can't really think of much else. It isn't a game like tribes or TF2 where the squad has a variety of roles to fill much like a football team. Everyone can carry too much equipment and be too.. multipurpose, and the differences between the armors is minimal. Theres no roles like flag runner, flag chaser, base defense, etc, to be readily found.

Advanced medic, and? most can heal and repair. Most have AV to deal with MAXs. Many have HA to deal with grunts, etc.

[Robert089]

That's true cutter, that's why I want to see more certs required to specialise in a role, so anyone could have basic med, basic engi, basic hacking. But then there are extra levels like ADV medic to revive, maybe another cert point after that to gain the medical beacon, perhaps another cert after that which grants the use of a faster medical applicator?

This way you can just be an all purpose soldier with a variety of certs, but you will only get access to basic tools. Much like hacking and engineer certs are right now, you get engi for 3, combat engi for another 2, then fortification etc for more.

[Tremadog]

However the medical tools would work, I would hope they are more responsive. Chasing after a half dead guy and being unable to heal them because they won't stop is annoying. The Team Fortress medic has a wierd healing beam that can target moving players easily, and Planetside already has vague, handwavey nanotechnology, so how about more responsive support tools?

As for new support roles, I'm interested, but I don't have any strong ideas myself yet.

[Tikuto]

If I start seeing Global Agenda-like and TF2-like healing, I'd be disgruntled. It'd be like EverQuest accidently immigrated into PlanetSide.

[Jonny]

What about something like the area of effect medic pack in Alien Swarm? Or does planetside have something like that already?

I dont think having a medic beam would be too similar to TF2 etc as its not a revolutionary concept, but I find the medic role gets really boring really fast just medi-beaming everyone in that game.

[CutterJohn]

Yes... Yes it does. Especially since it becomes required for some people to do so if you wish to compete. After action healing only please. I'd be down with a small heal beacon though. Hell, just steal the motion sensor model and put a blue glow on it. And keep the hitpoints the same, so its not of much use to people actively fighting.

Engineers could have a small repair beacon.

These would be good, as if it were easier for people with medic and engineer to pass repairs out, fewer people would feel obligated to cert them. You can even make them run out of juice, and allow others to put more in.

Imagine being able to drag a friendly corpse to a heal beacon, which keeps them resurectable until an advanced medic can get to them. :D

[Robert089]

What about something like the area of effect medic pack in Alien Swarm? Or does planetside have something like that already?

No it doesn't and this is pretty much exactly what I had in mind, a medic could place one of these beacons on the wall / floor and it would emit a small healing field with a limit, say 1000 health points before it decons.

After action healing only please. I'd be down with a small heal beacon though. Hell, just steal the motion sensor model and put a blue glow on it. And keep the hitpoints the same, so its not of much use to people actively fighting.

Engineers could have a small repair beacon.

These would be good, as if it were easier for people with medic and engineer to pass repairs out, fewer people would feel obligated to cert them. You can even make them run out of juice, and allow others to put more in.

Yeah this is what I had in mind, a slow heal so it wouldn't give people actively taking fire an edge but say in a stairwell fight, a medic could place a becon on the floor that is safe and rather than every individual pulling out their medical applicators and engi tools around the corner to heal they could head into the healing fields.

[CutterJohn]

I would actually prefer a faster heal, as imo the goal is to get people comfortable with the idea that med/eng are not absolutely essential certs. The heal aura gizmo should be equivalent to self repair/heal to facilitate this, especially since you'd have to travel to it, and may not always have access to one.

The structure can be made terribly weak, and not heal if you are getting hit, shooting, or moving, to prevent its active use in a fight.