Gameplay: Vanu Mechanized Assault Exo-Suit (MAX) Ideas.

[RedKnights]

Let's be really clear for a moment. This is the coolest thing in any of the screenshot/concept art that has been given to us.

I love it. I adore it. I don't know who was responsible, T-RAY or someone else but I will love them forever if the rendering is half as amazingly awesome as this picture.

It even makes up for this nonsense:

And don't get me started on what we mostly hope isn't the magrider on the teaser trailer.

No none of these things have been kind to us in the mind of many, but this MAX... we were ecstatic on mumble when word got out.

It looks great it feels threatening, it's actually alien and super sexy.

But aside from that, what i'm here about is to express the thought many of us had when we first gazed upon it's glory.

• Linear Thrusters - It looks like it should be rushing forward and gaining ground in a scary way, this would be awesome, and not too far from current PS mechanics, it'd just be more maneuverable and lighter, like current.
• Blinking Capability - I can kind of visualize the... (Gun?) On the max as something that does this because it looks like a gate from Mass Effect, perhaps this could be a cool-down that might make it pop around a corner unexpectedly
• Give this a Laser Sword - Just Because.

This would make playing a MAX pretty fun, varied, and provide a lot of skill points to cover.

Yes, I Basically want this to be a miniture Gundam, but isn't it already? Vanu have always been about speed, and elegance of design. While the other two sides have juggernauts of a MAX unit, the Vanu have a kind of glass cannon whose purpose is to bust through infantry lines, and cause chaos and evade projectiles with it's abilities.

"Why, Red, does this not seem overpowered?"

Again, glass cannon argument, can it take as many hits? No. Does it hit as hard as the others? Maybe not as hard. Does it make your enemies flip shit when it Blinks around a corner with a sword? A bit.

Please no: "My goodness the mechanics of this would be quite hard" arguements. This is a wishlist, the dev team are big boys they can handle it

Thoughts? Additions? "RedKnights this seems OP" comments?

Also, What do you want for your Empire's MAX? (NC & TR)

[Sentrosi]

Keep ALL MAX units on the ground.

[RedKnights]

Originally Posted by Sentrosi

Keep ALL MAX units on the ground.

Well for the record I never said "vertical thrusters" but how can you not like the vertical thrusters of the current VANU maxes? Makes them quite fun.

As the portal team said "We made this so you would look up more"

[Huma]

I like your concept though I could do without the blink ability. MAXs are intended to be slow and hard to maneuver. But the ability to have quick bursts of speed forward sounds pretty good to me. Would make them more squirrely and more intimidating.

[Talek Krell]

No swords.

The blinking is probably going a bit too far. Would definately be an interesting mechanic though.

All for some additional maneuverability on the jumpjets this time. I'm waiting impatiently to get more info on how the jetpacks are going to work, but I'm hoping that they're something you can use to cover ground in short bursts as well as get over obstacles.

[exLupo]

I'm not feeling the glass cannon. I'd rather keep MAX suits as hardened units.

[Brusi]

I like the idea of empire specific forms (animations) of autorun for MAX units instead of all having the same goofy "press q" auto-legs...

Vanu MAX units could have the anime-mech style skating thing perhaps? Thats not what you are talking about when you say linear boost, is it? You mean as a special ability to replace jump-jets?

[Talek Krell]

I think he's referring to applying the jumpjets in a way that allows them to produce more forward momentum. That would be as opposed to the current system, where they only produce upward thrust and if the max wants to move horizontally he just has to walk.


Edit: Possibly a little like this.
Probably less crazy awesome though.

[exLupo]

Thanks, Talek. I wasn't expecting to pitch a gameboner at 2:30am but that clip did it.

"To produce more forward momentum via jumpets." That's how I read it. Your bog standard Dash mechanic.

[RedKnights]

Originally Posted by Brusi

I like the idea of empire specific forms (animations) of autorun for MAX units instead of all having the same goofy "press q" auto-legs...

Vanu MAX units could have the anime-mech style skating thing perhaps? Thats not what you are talking about when you say linear boost, is it? You mean as a special ability to replace jump-jets?

That is essentially what I am getting at. More control over how your thrusters on a Vanu max make you move, whether you want to go up, side to side, or forward.

I just think it would be silly to have something as spaceship-looking having slow lumbering performance like the TR's Juggernaut suit and the NC forklift-cobbled tank of an exo-suit.

And not the short kinda lame boosts on the current Vanu, really short sweet boosts, similar to the video provided about SPESS MEHREENES above, boosts that look menacing, like the MAX armor does.

Yes, in reality blinking might be too far, but you have to admit it has a certain value of awesome, and details like that (for each empire) can really define the game as unique not just in scale, but in material gameplay. Perhaps there could be a steep warm-up period and maybe some kind of penalty in armor for using the ability, that sort of thing.

Besides, the devs have said they want each side to have very different fighting strategies, this would just be one more way to really change the style of one empire at least, and far and away the most "unique" or "unconventional".

For instance I can visualize the TR max being able to "shoulder" things out of the way with a charge, dealing damage or "relocating" a vehicle.

And the NC one..... can have a shotgun! o.o

[InternetZombie]

I love it, all of it.

I'd actually like to see all MAX units have some sort of melee weapon, VS should get some kind of laser sword, NC should get something like an impact hammer, and the TR.....well idk what they should get but I'd love to see laser swords and impact hammers on VS and NC MAX units respectively.

*idea* Give the TR max's chainsaw swords.

[Malorn]

I'm OK with Vanu maxes having a dash mechanic, even having that + jumpjets though I want to see some tradeoffs for that huge mobility boost.

The reason I'm OK with it is that TR and NC both have "breacher" MAX units. A horizontal dash gives the VS a different kind of breacher.

NC - regenerative shield to absorb damage, making them tank more as they breach
TR - overdrive to overwhelm the defenders by dishing out more firepower and sort of suppress the defenders
VS - dash mechanic to get in faster so as not to stay vulnerable at a chokepoint as much.

I think that sort of breach mechanic is good. VS sort of lacked one in PS, even though they could come in from places maxes didn't normally come due to the jumpjets (like jumping up onto a wall) when it came to actually breaching I think NC and TR had a bigger advantage there.

However, I do think dashing needs some tradeoffs, like during the dash and for 1-3 seconds after the dash you cannot use weapons. NC have tradeoff for the shield - can't shoot while the shield is up. I believe the TR overdrive mechanic had a side-effect too, didn't it?

Tradeoffs and choices make the game work, so this sort of stuff should be no different.

[Talek Krell]

I don't think their overdrive did, but lockdown was their primary trick and that had not being able to turn as its tradeoff. I suppose I could see dropping the armor on the VS max a bit in exchange for higher mobility. They'll probably need to be able to push things out of their way when using the jumpjets, or at least cause some impact damage to their target. Otherwise people will just crowd the door whenever they try to breach.

[Krowe]

TR are fairly tough, NC are 'ard men, and VS are pansies. I honestly don't see whats wrong with the pic.

[CutterJohn]

I could definitely see a dash.

And a tribes like skiing/hovering for the autorun(if it even exists) would be a pretty cool differentiation.

TR, with their overdrive.. Speedy gonzalez legs.

NC, with their bubble shield.. well... ZORB!