Planetside Idea Lab

[EarlyDawn]

Originally Posted by Hayoo

Now what I can see happening is the ability to display your designated role, such as Engineering, Communications, or Medic (rather than just having an icon pop up when you're using something). By choosing a designation, any armor, vehicle, or backpack would display an engineering, comm, or red cross icon on it like an outfit decal (maybe only visible to your empire). I know that's not the special-ability pack you were looking for, but I don't know if the support units warrant a whole functioning backpack for things. I'll have to think on that some more.

Alright, I see your point on the backpacks.. maybe a step too far at this point. But this idea is defenitely a good one, prehaps you could throw it in for review when you do those mentioned asthetic optional items for the Standard armor, which by the way, I really like. Would turn it into more of a last ditch / social armor.

[FatalLight]

Originally Posted by Hayoo

Thanks

Could you be more specific though about tech level points?

Because then the most powerfull empire would have these awesom ass vecs with uber handling and mor gunners=more firepower=unbalance.

[Hayoo]

Originally Posted by 7ruth

When you commanded a player/AI you could give them a precise location just as long as you could see it. SO you can tell them what to target, with say a tank or a A-10 WartHog. You could split your squad into fireteams, if you really want to micromanage(weapons loadout more so). Command them to land, eject, take cover, go into formation, ect.

It was that and the player addons that kept me playing for a few years. I also liked how you could make your own missions, I figured out how to stack objects and started making forts =P It was pretty damn fun...

Interesting. Now when a player orders an 'eject' or 'take cover' is that feature for AI troops only or is it like a voice macro to your fellow players? Also, was it max 64 on one team or 32 vs 32?

What do you think an Operation Flashpoint Online would look like?

[Hayoo]

Originally Posted by EarlyDawn

Alright, I see your point on the backpacks.. maybe a step too far at this point. But this idea is defenitely a good one, prehaps you could throw it in for review when you do those mentioned asthetic optional items for the Standard armor, which by the way, I really like. Would turn it into more of a last ditch / social armor.

Yeah, I can hold onto that thought for a while and keep working on it.

[EarlyDawn]

I actually meant the idea of the custom support insignia on the armor, not my backpack deal, just to clarify.

[Hayoo]

Originally Posted by FatalLight

Because then the most powerfull empire would have these awesom ass vecs with uber handling and mor gunners=more firepower=unbalance.

Huh? Awesome ass vehicles? I'm curious where this idea keeps coming from. Where did you read that a higher tech levels means an empire is more powerful than the others?

[Hayoo]

Originally Posted by EarlyDawn

I actually meant the idea of the custom support insignia on the armor, not my backpack deal, just to clarify.

Oh Well, I'll still keep the backpack thing in mind.

[DMX7]

i think outfit barracks is an awesome idea,hope it'll go through some day

[FatalLight]

http://boards.station.sony.com/ubb/p...ML/007604.html
says so here that it will give the vecs enhancements such as better handling and more gunnners.

[Hayoo]

Originally Posted by FatalLight

http://boards.station.sony.com/ubb/p...ML/007604.html
says so here that it will give the vecs enhancements such as better handling and more gunnners.

But it doesn't say the Empire becomes all powerful. What you read was the summary teaser to show the rewards. Did you read further into the thread to discover the penalties? I answered your very concerns many many times over.

Originally Posted by Hayoo

It's like your own cert points from BR, where you alone decide where it is spent. You might choose to enhance your Command abilities with the 3-point Air Commander cert. While I may use my new cert point to get that 2-point Two-seater Reaver upgrade. Yet another person might not spend their points at all, waiting for the Empire to raise another level so he can get something worth 4 tech cert points.

Things are balanced in that not everyone will choose the same certs and each tech cert can counter another in a Ro-Pa-Sc manner. Just like not everyone chooses Reaver or Magrider or Medical or MAX or Skyguard. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. People will make their choice based on what they like, what they feel is popular, or what they feel is needed.

Originally Posted by Hayoo

Just remember that Empire Certs are mainly to 'slightly or uniquely enhance' existing weapons or provide more options for a current cert. It's not meant to be an entirely new cert system for completely new weapons. Think of it as the new tech invented during WWII to enhance current systems (adding proximity fuses to current artillery or adding fuel tanks to aircraft to make longer-range fighters or making a standard tank amphibious).

Originally Posted by Hayoo

Each Empire Tech Cert only enhances existing certs {aside from new command abilities}, slight buffing them if you will, but fundamental things wouldn't change much, such as armor/speed ratio, reload time, etc. Vehicles acting as CUDs or different types of tank rounds available would be some examples of upgrades.

If (a very big IF) an armor or accuracy enhancement were available to upgrade a vehicle, a balancing restriction would have to be placed on another part of the vehicle such as in ground speed or reload time.

Originally Posted by Hayoo

Yeah, but not in the way your following question suggests. An upgrade to a vehicle could be a side-storage feature to carry more supplies, the increasingly popular bandolier idea, a crew increase for single vehicles, or ability to switch different types of ammo on something that didn't have that before (Vanguard, Prowler, etc). But no, you would not get something that made anything "more powerful" in the TTK sense. Empire certs aren't really made to be kill-buffs. When I first thought of the Empire Certs it was geared really more toward accessorizing vehicles and command abilities than toward infantry weapons.

...The Empire Certs DO come with penalties to the standerd certs they are enhancing. e.g. the side-storage feature would slow down the vehicle. So you have to figure in the trade-offs. If I WERE to put an empire cert toward Heavy Assault, it would come with a massive penalty to balance it out.

Originally Posted by Hayoo

Thanks, Kazzmann5000. But actually, empire certs are basically no more empowering than plain regular certs.
Just because some BR15 player gets the Heavy Assault cert doesn't mean he will always own the battlefield. Why? Because a new player at BR6 could pick up the same cert and show some talent with it and blow the other guy's nose off. Or mister new guy could pick up a Reaver cert and catch Mr BR15 out in the open and blow him away.

The Empire Certs idea is not an uberness-award. Everyone gets empire cert points simply by going out and doing what we always do, only this time it allows you to get some special toys for your standard certs (to give a loose example: Empire-specifc weaponry for a common pool vehicle). If you don't have the pre-requisite cert, you can't get the Empire one. It will all balance itself out. There should and will be a constant back and forth flow of gains and losses.

Remember, losing territory doesn't mean you automatically lose cert points and be defeated in all following battles. You have a reasonable grace period because of your 'national reserve' so to speak of resource points to keep you at your current Tech Level. AND you will (if this idea were implemented-but not likely) be able to 'save' the upgraded vehicles in garages for such hard times.

But seriously, just because I have an Empire Cert-enhanced Reaver (like upgrading it to a 2-seater) absolutely does not mean I will defeat your un-enhanced Reaver. It's not meant to be the kind of enhancement you think like extra health, extra ammo, or higher damage. Any enhancement will have it's penalties. Every buff will have a nerf somewhere else, but it's the choice you make to play the way you want.

To address your main concern, empire switching will always occur with the weak, ego-minded players who want to always be on the winning side. We can't stop that even today, but we shouldn't cater to a small groups' weakness by denying everyone else who loyally stays with their server's faction some form of meaningful progress of this never-ending war.

Originally Posted by Hayoo

quote:
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For every extra upgrade, slow the vehicle down.
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Yes, that would be in line with what I had in mind too. Also, I would suggest less ammo in the trunk and perhaps slowing the turret-swivel rate to simulate the added weight and complexity. Such a Lightning-variant would be ideal for those players who wish to play this light tank like you would a medium one but with heavy restrictions on movement, rate of fire, and survivability.

As one other person put it, these could be labeled in-game as Lightning Mk IIs, so everyone is familiar with its capabilities once they get up close enough.

Another idea I mentioned earlier is cargo-netting on the side of vehicles to provide more room for ammo and supplies, but it slows the vehicle down enough to be noticable.

Originally Posted by Hayoo

By 'experience' I assume you mean the amount of Resource Points collected (for holding an Urban Area and it's production center)? I have no problem with a scale if it is needed to keep the underdogs in the competition.
But I wonder why you would think the VS (or anyone) would be left in the dust? I assume you are suggesting that the VS is underpowered and therefore can't win territory? There are many VS who would dispute that, as the VS Empire has captured bases and locked continents many times over. And that's all you need to do, is keep fighting, taking back territory for as long as you can. Lost a continent? No problem, just build up a force and take it back. Your national reservoir holds enough resource points to keep you at your current Tech Level for a while.

This system is not a rich-get-richer one. Your entire empire will have to work very hard together to increase your Empire Level to a higher level and keep it there. This is not like the CR system where one person will forever have Orbital Strike and another doesn't.

1) Holding onto territory gains you resource points per cycle

2) Resource points go into a national reservoir that feeds into the Empire Tech Levels.

3) Rising in Levels unlocks modifications to vehicles and equipment.

4) The modifications Buff one part of your vehicles but heavily Nerfs another. Such as gaining Firepower or Accuracy but you lose ROF, Ground Speed, or even Inventory space. It's sort of the price you pay for specializing your equipment to the way you want to play.

5) A modified vehicle does not outclass a non-modified one anymore than a BR13 outclasses a BR9.

And remember, I believe I stated earlier that the most resource points are generated by the Urban Areas closest to your Sanctuary Warp Gate (or Broadcast gate once that feature goes in), so the enemy can hold half a continent and you holding the other would still produce equal amounts of resource points. See?

Ah, I see what you mean now. Population problems makes sense. As such I can say with confidence that I have no problem with a point scaling of resource points based on population and I don't see any problem integrating such a thing into the Tech Levels concept.

Originally Posted by Hayoo

"Empire levels" was one suggested solution where you didn't lose out if your empire was a lower level, as the bonuses had sharp penalties to balance things out. I've been fighting against the false perception of the Rich getting Richer thing for quite some time because of the assumption that Levels give bonuses only and turns an Empire into an Uber Empire. This has never been the case with any part of the concept.

And remember that this idea was released on September 18, 2003. The concept has been in the process of refinement ever since then. But the basic premise is there. If you still have concerns, that's perfectly fine. I'll do my best to clearly illustrate the idea when I release it on the site.

[7ruth]

Interesting. Now when a player orders an 'eject' or 'take cover' is that feature for AI troops only or is it like a voice macro to your fellow players? Also, was it max 64 on one team or 32 vs 32?

It is just a macro for players, but for AI they do it when commanded. Max 64 players for a 10 mile by 10 mile map, But you could go any direction forever though it would just be water(Good for dog fights).
The maps had lots of shrubs to hid behind, tanks would run them over and they would stay down=). You can destroy buildings, though they would just become deformed really. Vehicles could be disabled in various ways, say taking out a tank tread/car tire, or destroying the rotars on a helicopter. Legs could be broke on soldiers too, forcing them to crawl.
I remember this one addition from a player was a star wars speeder bike, kinda fun to play with, but hard not to crash and die...

[EarlyDawn]

Hey Hayoo, if you can fit it into your queue, it would be cool to eventually see what kind of night combat stuff you'd implement. Flashlights, Nightvision, ect. I know the engine can't handle it, but it would still be cool to see.

[Cryptica]

Wow...ideas...wow...so many good ones...I think my brain is overloading. Hayoo, do you work for SOE yet? I know you didn't a couple months ago, but do you now? Cause your ideas fckin' pwn.

[SecondRaven]

Thinks cryptica should die for chaning his sig

[FatalLight]

Yea SOE should hire you, this game would be sooo much better with your ideas, don't know if you have ne programing experience but you could be the guy who thinks