Improvement: Base Capture Mechanic

[Wolfhound]

For tl;dr, skip to the end.

Intro

From the videos I've seen so far from E3 and Higbys live stream, the current base capture mechanic seems really unnatural and more like something out of Battlefield where the round ends when the base is captured. This doesn't seem very complementary to Planetside's style so I thought I'd weigh in with a slight change that might improve mechanic.

Problem

One of the biggest disadvantages of the current system in my opinion was that should a base assault be started and a single capture point taken, this starts the timer. If the point is then resecured and the invaders pushed back, the defenders accrue tickets even though there is no fighting. This means that they have a considerable advantage, if the attackers try to mount another assault the defenders already have a stockpile of tickets.

Solution 1

I was playing around in my head with different systems, like having a fixed amount of tickets that get 'stolen' when one team has more capture points than another. For example, if the attackers have 4 points and the defenders have 2, then the attackers steal 2 tickets from the defenders until the defenders have none. But this means to start an assault the attackers need to take more than half of the points, which could lead to bases being very easy to defend.

Solution 1 Improved

An improvement to the fixed tickets system could be that you can only accrue a share of tickets equal to the share of capture points under your control. For example, if the base has 3 capture points and the attackers had one point, they could slowly accrue up to one third of the tickets. To gain more they would need to capture another point. This presents another problem however, the capture condition. If the capture condition is one team holding all the tickets, it means that one team would have to capture all of the control points of a base and hold them until they control the base. This could lead to base assaults lasting too long if the defenders are determined. If the capture condition is holding half of the tickets, we could see bases change colour every other minute.

tl;dr

So in the end I thought to myself, keep it simple stupid. The current problem of a defender gaining an advantage if a small skirmish captures a point and then loses it could be resolved by the simple condition that if the defenders take all of the capture points of the base, they defend it and the ticket slate gets wiped. This makes defending simpler, but also gives an advantage to the attackers because the defenders won't gain a huge advantage if a control point is captured briefly and then lost.

[Wolfhound]

Originally Posted by wumbledorf

there is too much battlefield 3 in this game. There needs to be control consoles again.

I disagree, considering that there could be upwards of 5 times the number of people trying to take one base, having one command console would be a nightmare.

I like the idea of fighting over different points and having to fight your way from one to the next as a unit. But I don't like the current mechanic that there's a timer that once started has to run out to the end. This seems unsuited to the planetside philosophy.

[Sikee Atric]

I'm guessing that command control points and the totals they accrue would be better than just consoles and timers. In war, victories and defeats could be made over a few feet advantages and disadvantages.

Maybe it would be better if, say a base was split into 8 'sections' with each on a short capture timer (5 minutes for example). An attacker or defender would hold the base if 5 or more were taken overall (With the 3 sections in opposition control unusable.) If both sides hold 4 each, then the base is considered 'neutral' and neither hold overall control, neither side can benefit from the bases' resources.

This system seems more viable, plus fighting over base sections can be as brutal as passage combat should be. Swamping a base with a full attack will overwhelm it as quickly as a PS1 assault, but smaller 'commando style' attacks could also be planned to steamroller any opposition with a well timed raid.

This then opens a nice little option, the diversionary attack.... One base may be considered key and the attackers just want to isolate it from the command lines. Another base could be captured to 4 points but not fully captured (Or intending to capture, just harrass.) and the key base becomes cut off and separated.

Also, this system is balanced for 3 way fights as well. If neither side held 5 sections overall, then the base would be considered neutral until there is an overall victor.

[Wolfhound]

I like the idea of having a timer to capture a point. Attacking a point then having to defend it for even a minute or two would be quite cool.

But I don't like the idea of bases going neutral. In PS 1 if base went neutral that would normally be the end of the defence, the defenders spawning in the base wouldn't normally have a nearby spawn point as it would have been cleared out by the enemy's armour or captured on the way to the assault.

I think that if you capture a base, it should remain yours until someone takes it back, it shouldn't go neutral at the halfway point.

[Sikee Atric]

All the defenders need is a mobile spawn point available, just like the attackers. It would make sense actually as the defenders have every right to launch vehicle raids from their lines, just like the attackers do.

Plus, every defensive commander would withdraw to a safer location if an attacking raid took 4 command points. It would keep them alive and leading the defenses longer. A mobile command point would be the best option as a vehicle is available to leave if the fight is lost.

MAJOR EDIT :

You know what Wolf, you're right.... No base should be neutral. I've been away and thought about it and there is an answer. In a 4 section to 4 section standoff, the owner of the base is the faction holding the generators. Since any sensible commander would immediately cut the power to any section under occupied control. It wouldn't matter if the generators were powering or sabotaged since a friendly Engineer could repair them. The same would stand for a 3 faction fight as well. The faction holding the generators would control the base. This makes the generators key to the fight and makes it so important to defend them.