Defence Force Domes revisited

[Gogita]

This is not my idea but it actually from the official Planetside site where it was under the category of "in concept". I think it sounds quite interesting.

Defensive Force Domes

Before describing this feature, there are a few things to remember. Firstly...this is an "In Concept" forum. That means that we have NOT decided to implement this feature yet. This thread is for discussion of this feature as a possibility, not as a certainty.

Also, despite the commonality of the "force dome" conceit, this idea has nothing to do with Capitol Buildings (currently).

That being said, let's discuss the idea of creating a mechanism by which the defenders can actually WIN once in a while.

In a nutshell: Put a force dome around EVERY facility. Have ANTs be able to drain the power out of the force dome (at range), and then the dome drops for 30 minutes. Battle rages normally during that 30 minutes, but defenders can actually try to resist the "zerg" long enough for the dome to reinstate itself. The time it takes to re-drain the dome for another try allows the defenders clean up, re-ammo, and repair in preparation for another attack. (See "Examples" below, for more clarity on the 30-minute timer.)

In other words, it lets the Defenders accomplish something by resisting the zerg for that time period, and gives them a breather against constant offensive assault. (This hopefully encourages "Alamo-style" stands.) Successful defenses of facilities can be accumulated as statistics this way also ("number of successful base defenses").

Now the details:
Every facility gets a force dome constructed around it. The force dome should encapsulate the entire compound, walls and all, but not the nearby tower.

The Force Dome prevents any non-friendly unit from entering OR exiting the dome area.

The Force Dome can only be brought down by bringing ANTs near the perimeter (a decent range away... 40m or so). This deploys them, and enables them to suck the power out of the Force Dome. Additional ANTs increase the rate at which the dome comes down, but the returns diminish beyond a few ANTs. Dome drain time should be around 5-7 minutes initially.

The concept is that the attackers have to drain the dome, while the defenders are warned that they're coming and can try to stop them at that new perimeter by destroying the ANTs.

Once the Dome falls, this triggers a 30-minute timer. Hacks and resecures have no bearing on that timer. However, at the end of the 30-minute period, the Dome has reenergized and comes back up. (Interface details for informing the players on the state of the timer have not been ironed out yet.)

The Dome itself does nothing except block the enemy's entry and exit. Therefore, the defenders still have to root out the attackers after the Dome goes back up. This enables them to have a chance to stop the zerg, root out the pests inside the dome, and retool the base for the impending attack once the dome is drained down again. Status of the force dome for the facility be shown on the overhead map.

When a facility is captured, the Force Dome goes up automatically. The former defenders are now trapped within the bubble...but can still Recall out, or respawn out after dying... or even try to storm the control console.

NOTE: Experience generally takes care of itself for defensive stands. There is still a 25% bonus for defending a friendly SOI. The chance to actually HOLD a base should increase the number of defenders available, hopefully counteracting the potential for attackers to "zerg" successfully. More defenders = more experience, which is further boosted by the "defensive multiplier". Additional experience bonuses shouldn't be needed, but we'll be watching player actions carefully during testing.

Examples:

Attackers hack at 22 minutes into the 30-minute timer. Eight minutes into the hack, the Dome goes back up, cutting the attackers off from resupply or respawn (unless they have an AMS in the courtyard). Now the attackers are in an "Alamo" sort of engagement and the Defenders are trying to "mop them up" before the attacking zerg outside can bring the Dome down again.
Attackers have hacked at 3 minutes into the 30-minute timer. The defenders resecured at 12 minutes. The attackers re-hacked at 20 minutes, but things are looking grim for the defenders. They would normally bail and leave because of the nasty odds...however, they know they only need to hold out for 10 minutes more now...so they stay and to the "Alamo" stand instead.
Benefits:

Phantom hackers (and gen destroyers) pretty much cease to exist. They can still bring an ANT...but the amount of warning given to defenders is much greater and they can respond much more easily.
Defenders can WIN! If they hold out until the dome comes back up, they can fix facilities, repair turrets, even request reinforcements (either by having friendlies reconstruct into the base, or by utilizing other Command mechanisms we're discussing internally now), so that more folks show up before the next wave of attackers arrives.
This also announces a "start" to the real attack...and defenders can "brace for incoming" a lot more...which is fun.
It also provides a new reason to use ANTs...which is not strictly needed, but is fun anyway. (And yes...we're going to be reworking the ANT somewhat to make it more interesting anyway. But this would enhance it's use.)