Jacking and Looting Revisited

[BadAsh]

I�d like to see the following fundamental changes made to how jacking vehicles and looting equipment packs works in the game. These changes, if implemented, would allow greater versatility to players, add more variety to game play, and make looting/jacking more feasible/useful in the game.

What I purpose is the following overhaul of how jacking and looting would work.

Jacking:

If an hacker jacks and immediately deconstructs an enemy vehicle that he is certified to use he gets a �credit� for the theft. This credit can be cashed in at any vehicle terminal to reconstruct that hacked vehicle. This would have the following limits. 1. Only 3 of any given type of vehicle can be stored as credit. Any number past this limit of 3 would not be counted towards your credit total and would be lost. 2. Only vehicles that are immediately deconstructed can be saved as credit for later purchase. If you use the vehicle even once it will not save as credit for future use. Use is defined as getting into the drivers seat, a gunners position, or any passenger position.

So let�s say a VS infiltrator with advanced hacking manages to jack and immediately deconstructs 3 NC Vanguards over the course of game play. The next time this player visits a vehicle terminal these vehicles would be selectable from the list provided all of the requirements are met (i.e. tech facility and armored assault certification for the vanguard). Next to the list representation of the vehicle in the terminal selection menu would be a numeric value representing the amount of accessible stolen vehicles (i.e. a �3� in this example).

This would put added value to vehicle jacking and also increase the need for empires to secure/guard their vehicles. Leaving them laying around will cost you eventually!

Looting:

The following would overhaul how looted items are stored, accessed, and used within the game.

The way that AT items are accessible at equipment terminals inspired me with this idea for managing looted items. If you have certification with a weapon type you can see that type in the equipment terminal menu when you access the terminal. If you don�t have access to the item at the time (no equipment module) then the item is there, but grayed out and not selectable. The ammo for the weapon is selectable however and you can load up on the ammo if you desire.

I�d like to see this done for all weapons that you are certified to use. If you have captured weapons in your locker they should be available at an equipment terminal with a numeric value next to it to represent how many you currently have access to and can select for use. Even if you don�t have the weapon the ammo should be available if you are certified with the weapon. In this way only the weapons need be looted as every empire should have access to the ammo as needed.

So let�s say I�m a TR Heavy Grunt with HA certification. When I visit an equipment terminal I see 4 weapons under HA. And let�s assume I have 5 looted lashers in my locker and I�m at a base not equipped with an equipment module. Under my weapon selection listing for HA I�d see the MCG and it�s ammo available for selection. I�d see the Lasher with a count of 5 and it�s ammo available for selection. And I�d see both the maelstrom and jackhammer as grayed our and unavailable for selection, but the ammo types available is desired.

The changes here is that you no longer need loot ammo for captured weapons unless you need to use it on the spot. You also can equip looted items at the equipment terminal. So inventory load outs featuring captured equipment can be saved and instantly accessed. This prevents the awkward fumbling around at the terminal and locker to load up with captured gear. This also changes the VS position as the only empire that has exclusive ammo to it�s empire weapons. Now the NC and TR can enjoy captured VS equipment just as the VS enjoy theirs.

This would also make AV weapons more highly prized as looted items. Currently it�s pretty tough to capture the AV weapon and all of it�s bulky ammo.

Lootable �MAX Modules�

In addition to the jacking and looting changes above I�d make enemy MAX Units lootable. When killed an enemy MAX Unit would have an ammo box sized �MAX Module� in the upper left side of the inventory pack. This can be looted and stored in a locker. If the looting player has certification in that type of MAX Unit then when he accesses an equipment terminal he would see that MAX type as a selection in the armor menu. As with the weapons, MAX types certified in but that do not have captured modules stowed in that players locker would appear on the list as grayed out, but the ammo would be available for selection. In this way if you are using your �last suit� you can still have access to the ammo so you don�t have to worry about running out (not really a problem with MAX Units anyway).

So let�s say I�m a NC Uni-MAX specialist and I manage to loot and stow in my locker the following: 5 TR Dual Cycler MAX Modules and 7 VS Comet MAX Modules. When I visit an equipment terminal those MAX Suits would be selectable from my list with a corresponding numeric values next to each type to represent my available amount of captured enemy MAX Modules (5 and 7 respectively).

I think the above changes would be FUN, add more dynamics to game play, help with balance issues, ddd more value to advanced certifications such as hacking (for vehicles) and medical (reviving that MAX pilot in the captured MAX Unit), and did I mention it would be FUN?

[NoSurrender]

I love everything except the MAX suits. the induviduality of MAXes needs to stay to empires

[Rbstr]

i agree

[EarlyDawn]

I like almost everything. The only thing I think I would want to see added would be an upper limit of vehicle blueprints you could store. Maybe a max of any three vehicles? Or prehaps make the player deconstruct the vehicle within a certain radius of a vehicle silo, or lodestar (enabled or disabled via DSC, dosen't matter) for it to register.

Also, a cool Elite Ability behind hacking would be a very hard to acquire medal that would allow you to hack an enemy vehicle terminal and access any vehicle of that empire's that you posess the certification for.

[TheN00b]

Originally Posted by EarlyDawn

I like almost everything. The only thing I think I would want to see added would be an upper limit of vehicle blueprints you could store. Maybe a max of any three vehicles? Or prehaps make the player deconstruct the vehicle within a certain radius of a vehicle silo, or lodestar (enabled or disabled via DSC, dosen't matter) for it to register.

Umm, he has that...

[BadAsh]

Originally Posted by NoSurrender

I love everything except the MAX suits. the induviduality of MAXes needs to stay to empires

I thought about that too and hesitated with the MAX looting idea... but the MAX is the ONLY thing you can't hack or loot...

So if I can loot a Lasher, Pulsar, Beamer and equip myself with all of that while riding around in my jacked magmower... where is the preservation of empire uniqueness?

Having that preservation ONLY apply to MAX Units seemed a bit silly to me... I dunno, I thought it would be cool to see Red and Black Scatter MAXes and a Yellow and Blue StarFire MAX

Besides this would give TR players the opportunity to try out a REAL MAX Units... LOL...

[TheN00b]

Originally Posted by BadAsh

Besides this would give TR players the opportunity to try out a REAL MAX Units... LOL...

Drools...

[EarlyDawn]

Originally Posted by TheN00b

Umm, he has that...

No, he has a limit PER vehicle. I would rather see three slots PERIOD, that you could divide up as you see fit. This way, it becomes practical for the user to be able to deconstruct the vehicle into code by a silo. Wouldn't unbalance anything because you know you're taking up the room with a semi-damaged vehicle.

[Edit: Wait, I need some clarification. Does that refer to three of EVERY vehicle or ANY THREE vehicle codes BadAsh?]

[scarpas]

i doubt there would be enough locker space for these ideas though....


but thier okay ideas

[Lartnev]

I have to say they're interesting concepts. I especially like the ability to purchase AT ammo regardless of modules status.

As for the MAX thing.... well you'd always have scattercannon and starfire MAXs . But seriously, hacking a vehicle is a lot harder than killing a MAX, and that's why you're allowed to steal empire specific vehicles and not MAX units. Of course you can nick weaponary, but that's the versatility of the infantry unit.

[EarlyDawn]

BTW, great thinking on making the Lockers and Equipment terminals more interconnected. Makes the lockers more valuable. You can get the enemy equipment you have stored in there from the equipment terminal for ease of access, but keep them valuable in case power goes down.

[HawkEye]

yea those ideas are good. one thing i hate is when im looting a pack then the pack decons while im swithcing guns or getting ammo.

[BlackHawk]

Originally Posted by BadAsh

I thought about that too and hesitated with the MAX looting idea... but the MAX is the ONLY thing you can't hack or loot...

What about the knives?

[Lartnev]

Originally Posted by HawkEye

yea those ideas are good. one thing i hate is when im looting a pack then the pack decons while im swithcing guns or getting ammo.

[BadAsh]

Originally Posted by EarlyDawn

No, he has a limit PER vehicle. I would rather see three slots PERIOD, that you could divide up as you see fit. This way, it becomes practical for the user to be able to deconstruct the vehicle into code by a silo. Wouldn't unbalance anything because you know you're taking up the room with a semi-damaged vehicle.

[Edit: Wait, I need some clarification. Does that refer to three of EVERY vehicle or ANY THREE vehicle codes BadAsh?]

I was thinking a limit of 3 per vehicle type. But, that's just a number I pulled off of the top of my head. More or less would be fine by me, as long as it's not unlimited. To my thinking 3 sounded fair as there are not that many vehicles that you would hack and save. Most vehicles are common pool so you won't need to do this.

I.E. A TR hacker would only want:

Vanguards
Magriders

Enforcers
Threshers

NC Deliverers
VS Deliverers

So that's only 6 viable hack n grab targets...

I kind of like the idea of deconstructing it by a silo... but the only problem I see with that is people would be able to use the same vehicle over and over as long as it does not get destroyed. My original thought was that you should get only one "use" of any hacked vehicle... so you can only save their matrix if you hack and deconstruct without using the vehicle. Basically this gives you the use it now OR save it for later option.

Another thought I had was that rather than instantly saving the vehicle upon deconstruction a matrix of the vehicle would be stored in your REK with an indication on your HUD. You would have to manually visit a friendly vehicle terminal and hack (upload) the vehicle matrix to save it. So once you capture a matrix, don't die before you get a chance to upload your stolen matrix!