Resources And Vehicle Timers for Upgrade Balance

[Sirisian]

I was going to make a thread like this a while back, but I wanted to wait until we had more information about resources and timers. It seems like that information isn't going to be clear for a while so I'd like the community's criticism on the following resource and timer model. Some of the ideas are taken from others opinions in previous threads, but I'm attempting to merge the better concepts into one system. I've broken this down into prerequisites for the system, then some assumptions that people would need to agree with, and finally the implementation and use cases. I've ignored specific numbers for modifiers so that people don't fixate on estimated numbers, and instead focus on the core idea.

Prerequisites:
The first prerequisite for this system is that resources cannot be purchased using station cash and can only be aquired via the game. With this there is an assumed resource cap. So everyone has some resource cap to force them to use resources. Basically there is no reason to horde resources and players should never feel that they need to.

The second prerequisite is similar to the first. All vehicle timers are independent of a player's account status and it's not possible to use station cash to decrease the timer cooldown.

Assumption:
Upgrades aren't evil. Weapons and vehicles that are the same type do not have to be identically balanced. (The reason for this is explained below). Allowing someone to upgrade a gun with more damage or lower accuracy with no penalty does not inherently hurt the game. Upgrading a vehicle with more armor or more fire power or special modules does not have to harm another person's gameplay experience if the other players are given the same choice. (Sidegrades still exist as explained below).

Implementation:
I'll start with the timer system since it's easier to understand. Timers for vehicles would begin when a vehicle is destroyed. That is if you drive a tank and stay alive for 20 minutes or die after 2 minutes of spawning you would have the same cooldown timer delay applied the instant the vehicle is destroyed. This forces players out of a vehicle after a time decreasing the vehicle congestion if it becomes an issue. If it doesn't become an issue then this concept would not be needed. The difference is merely when the timer begins in order to evenly delay good and bad players for losing a faction's vehicle.

Resources would be used to acquire almost everything in the game. Weapons and their upgrades, vehicles and their upgrades, extra med kits/med tool ammo, ammo dispensers, deployables, etc. This could also include shield modifiers and implants at spawn time. The resource costs for a lot of things would be low increasing with their usefulness or to promote rarity.

For soldiers, as an example, special grenades might be 20 Auraxium while a cheap stock grenade might be 10. Same goes for weapon attachments. A grenade attachment for short range shots might be 5, but the more powerful variant might be 10 that's able to launch far distances. Players could configure loadouts and the amount of resources would be displayed next to them. Stock pistols and rifles would be free from the factions so there isn't really a situation where a player is defenseless. For more examples players could use resources to buy special AV ammo that's harder hitting for their AV weapons or request more rare utility items like the controversial healing grenades or revival grenades for medics. For engineers specifically it might allow them to upgrade their deployables past the stock variants with stronger mines or a better repair utility. Sidegrades for weapons would still exist. Basically things that are positive would cost more resources than an item that did both positive and negative things.

For drivers, this would mean a stock vehicle actually costing resources like 200 Auraxium then each upgrade and module costing more on top of that. For instance, a top mounted AI gun might be 20 Auraxium, and added armor plates might be 10 to 100 Auraxium more with an upgraded main cannon costing 20 more. Then you'd have modules or abilities, like smoke grenades or a momentary shield costing more on top of that. Some of these choices might be mutually exclusive for balance reasons.

For pilots they'd see a similar system for creating their loadout with extra flares, upgraded rockets or main cannons. This could also allow for say an ejection seat being say 10 Auraxium extra. Basically it would be like buying insurance that some pilots might not care about, but a player purposely buying a stock aircraft for a quick transport might want as a loadout.

Basically what this would allow is for players to have meaningful game changing upgrades for soldiers, vehicles, and aircraft and deep customization within classes to promote hundreds of choices. The difference between seeing one engineer launch a rocket launcher and damage a tank versus watching them EMP a tank destroying its shield with special ammo.

What would this mean for a player though? Would they be able spawn and pull out their favorite loadout they just min-maxed for 450 Auraxium? That might be possible. Though for one player it might mean min-maxing their shotgun as they defend a doorway and for another it might mean min-maxing their sniper rifle. A dedicated cloaker might min-max their cloak and pistol. However, would they be able to get 450 Auraxium every spawn? Ideally the system would deliberately keep that from happening. A less than dedicated tank player might for instance pull two decently armored tanks while fighting so they still have resources when they push into the courtyard as a soldier.

This also nicely allows players to work together in vehicles without worrying about if pulling two vehicles would better. Suddenly it's a concern of cost. So a player pulling a tank for 250 Auraxium with an upgraded weapon system for the gunner and extra armor would make sense since pulling two stock tanks would be 400 resources.

Another random comment before I go on: weapons and vehicles can be deconstructed for the resources back (minus any damage or missing ammo). This means if a player drives their awesome tank to a base and suddenly needs a liberator to get to another base they don't lose their resources.

Vehicle Terminal Negotiation System:
But wait, wouldn't this mean the driver would be stuck with the bill for a vehicle that a gunner would possibly benefit from? There is a very elegant solution. When a player goes up to a terminal to pull a vehicle they can build a custom loadout or choose from a loadout they've configured previously. Now at that point there are two buttons. One to purchase by oneself and another to enter how much the player is willing to chip in for such a vehicle with radio buttons for who is allowed to see the offer (outfit, squad, or public). If the player selects to purchase the vehicle by themselves it is spawned immediately and the player is placed in the driver's seat. If they choose the second option they are placed in a queue. If they set it as a public offer then anyone can select the vehicle from the queue and view the upgrades and choose to pay the difference. At that point the driver would get a message to accept the offer and the vehicle would spawn. The driver could not choose to kick that player or deny them access to the gunner position vehicle at that point. (Same for if they get out and another player gets in. They can force the player out since they are part owner). As mentioned the driver could also choose to squad or outfit lock the offer so that only a squad or outfit mate would see it in the terminal queue. Useful if you are pulling tanks with the same gunner and want to share the costs of expensive upgrades.

What this is:
A system for players in the game to customize in a fair way the loadouts and options of their player and vehicles without breaking the concept of a free to play game model.

What this isn't:
A way for using station cash to buy power.

Conclusion:
I've left off some examples since I didn't want this to be too long or corner it in, but the basic idea is there. I feel this will promote a much better gameplay experience for players in the long run and give the developers more room to work with to promote teamwork and balance. Any criticisms about this system or concerns? Any other ideas?