Base change suggestions

chavr · 2003-05-24, 10:58 PM

http://www.angelfire.com/rpg/eqpaladin/Basechanges.JPG

That is a picture of a base with some added drawings that I want to use to illustrate my suggestions. Yeah, it's crapola looking, but all I have to do graphics with is MSPaint, so bear with me please.

Anyway, here's what I have for bases.

This isn't to scale. The trenches and bunkers need to be kicked out about 50-75m or so. There needs to be no trees within 50m of the trench area. It should be clear open ground.

First off I'd like to explain about the brown and white lines. The brown lines represent a trench. This trench is deep enough that you can not see a player moving in it. The lighter brown lines intersecting the trench are indicators for firing positions. A small ramp up into an area big enough for one person. There is enough room for a person standing to have their muzzle above ground level. Each trench goes underground at the point of the white lines. The trench encircles the base only ending at the bunkers. The bunkers are the only way to get out of the trench.

The white lines represent barricades. Notice these are all positioned where the turrets are. Their purpose is to funnel people into the turret line of fire. They are tall enough a person can't jump over and have raised edges where you can duck and hide behind them.

Next look if you will to the top and bottom of the base. You see a black/gray/black square. This is a bunker. These bunkers tie into the trenches. Each bunker has a 12mm chaingun mounted in it with a 500 rd ammunition supply. There is a trunk access next to the weapon to reload it once it's empty. Anytime the base is captured the weapon will automatically refill itself.

The bottom set of bunkers have a dark red dashed line and an arrow. This represents an underground tunnel leading into the basement of the base. This takes the place of the third entrance to the base as you can see the previous large vehicle opening has been closed off.

Let me direct attention now to the red arrow at the top of the base. This points to a grayed in area of the wall. This area is a vehicle enclosure. It is as deep as the wall is wide. There should be different size enclosures to ensure you can fit all the vehicles out of the way. You just pull or back into it and it offers your vehicle a place to be stored out of the way. Not all vehicles will fit inside perfectly, but some cover is better then nothing.

The last thing to notice is the landing pad on the outside of the bottom of the base. There is a purple circle marking the position of a terminal. This terminal controls the landing pad. When activated the pad moves up into the position you see it at now. A galaxy can then land on the pad and a vehicle drive up the ramp. The person who activates the pad will get an icon similar to the vehicle icon. When you are done with the pad you close it and the pad will drop to ground level. After 5mins have elapse the pad will revert to empire control and anyone can step up to the terminal and close it. After 10mins the pad will automatically drop. This terminal is unhackable. You have to be in control of the base to operate it.

I suggest these changes in an effort to make bases easier to defend. Current bases have very little if any tactical construction and need work done to them.

I'd also like to suggest having a shield for the turrets or else having the turrets drop down when not in use. Currently unmanned turrets are just big targets and serve no useful purpose. Having a turret drop down inside it's foundation when not in use will help to increase their lifespan.

That's all I have for now. More to come later though.

Masurao · 2003-05-24, 11:32 PM

This isn't the wosrt idea ever....bases are taticaly crappy to defend...it surprises me how a squad of guys can easily get into a base full of oposing troops.

The turrents do have sheilds, you need the amp station I think to make um work.

And the pop up turret thing wouldn't be that bad either.

But for a warning prepair to be flamed by the unopen minded.

chavr · 2003-05-24, 11:36 PM

They can flame all they want. I am no expert on the subject, but I do know a little about how to setup a defense.

I picture a base as a sort of modern day castle. Right now if you took the planetside bases and designed a castle on it you'd be in trouble.

No murderholes, no archer slits, two big open gates with no moat, drawbridge or portcutliss. An inner courtyard so cluttered you can't make a cavalry charge when the gates are breached. No cutouts at the top of walls for people to fire from. A completely ungaurdable sally port.

All kinds of bad ideas really if your planning a defense. To sum it up, the bases suck if you want to use them tactically.

Sentrosi · 2003-05-24, 11:54 PM

These are great ideas for base defense, but I think what Sony wanted in this game was to encourage team play. That is to have a squad be able to defend a base with some support. True, a full squad can defend against much larger odds right now, but I sort of like that.

The only thing I don't understand is the outside vehicle pad. why have it again?

Ignore Me · 2003-05-24, 11:55 PM

I like some of your ideas, like adding better trenches. We need more people like you that are willing to present their ideas without fear of being personally attacked by those 12 year olds that used to spam the official forums about why they can't pay to play.

ghost

Doppler · 2003-05-25, 12:04 AM

Preface, i love your ideas. I debate whether a organized squad of guys getting past a whole army of milling idiots has much to do with bae set up by I degress. My only problem with this whole thing is that reworking the base defenses at this point whould require a redownload of all the world files (at least if they set them up the way I think they did) this whould be for the most part unacceptable. I think a simpler way to improve base defenses whould be the placement of more turrents inside bases. I want some kinda flack turrent on top of the base as well as 4 pill box style turrents on the ground in the courtyard. Or at least pill box style bunkers. The back door poses an intresting tactical question, how do you make it more defensable without fucking up the nearby terrain, i think a wall mounted turrent mounted on the side of the wall above the door rather then the lip may be the answer.

ObnoxiousFrog · 2003-05-25, 12:09 AM

Originally posted by Sentrosi
True, a full squad can defend against much larger odds right now, but I sort of like that.

Exactly. The whole purpose of base attack defense is that the guys on the inside have a far better change than three times that many guys attacking the base. But, if the attackers break the lines of the base, then the base stands little chance unless a quick defense can be mustered.

Doppler · 2003-05-25, 12:15 AM

The problem witht he castle analagy is that it doesnt take into account autoimatic weapons and artillery support. Base defense no is maintained by something call full ccoverage fields of fire. It's basicly the lesson we sorta learned furing vietanam (at the cost of too many lives might i add)

What i wanna see (shamelssly ripping another idea off of tribes) is actualy making the CC be a control center. I.E jack in and being able to remotely controll turents. Or do it with the lounges.

ObnoxiousFrog · 2003-05-25, 12:36 AM

Wow, the lounges! What are you gonna do, scramble the Spice channel?

1024 · 2003-05-25, 01:53 AM

I also think that they should add another feature to CC other than just for hacking the base. This would bring more people to the CC every now and then, making it harder for a stealther to sneak and hack the CC.

Sentrosi · 2003-05-25, 02:44 AM

Anyone think of linking this thread over to the official Sony forums?

chavr · 2003-05-25, 08:43 AM

The outside vehicle pad doesn't create vehicles. I just used the air vehicle graphic cause it had the size I needed. All that outside pad does is raise and lower for a galaxy to land on. The reason it's there is because it's pretty freaking hard for a galaxy to find someplace to land. They have to land on the road, in the tree's, in the courtyard... basically anywhere they can. There is no specific spot for a galaxy to stop and load up troops after the base is secured.

This landing pad solves the problem. I guess you could just make it simpler and have concrete landing pads that dont' raise up scattered aroudn the outside, but one that raises up would be cooler IMO. Either way, it gives galaxies a specific place to park and load up. I dont' recommend hanging out there during the assault, your outside the wall defenses after all, but it would be something more then searching for 5 mins for a spot you can land.

The problem right now with bases is that a 10 man squad can not defend against an equal or greater force. An attacking force has 3 outer entrances and 3 inner entrances in most bases. A defending force has to spread out and cover all the entrances. An attacking force can concentrate on one entrance. By reducing the entrances and placing in an outer defense ring it allows a defense to observe the attacking force and to concentrate at key positions.

The trench system allows defenders to move to the main axis of attack while under cover. It also would introduce tight corridor combat, something that is missing currently.

My design allows a few defenders to gaurd key areas and the rest to be in reserve as a quick reaction force. If your key people are overwhelmed you rush to the area and are able to defend against an attack. I realize that in modern day combat castle like bases wont' work, but in planetside the concept still holds value.

As for the download thing, if they do a map every other day it wouldn't be that bad. Prepare the download first and allow people to get it into their computers before it goes live. Then when you put it live have them download a program that replaces the old files with the new ones. If not that then implement the ideas with the first expansion. I dont' really like waiting that long, but that would be better then having the current bases that aren't bases concept.

Incompetent · 2003-05-25, 08:55 AM

kickass ideas, i love em, obviously a few of them need a little tweaking, but by and large they are great ideas. Trenches laid out the way you described would just kick an unbelievable amount of ass. I also agree that whoever designed the base must have been the most tactically inept person of all time.

Demdadar · 2003-05-25, 09:22 AM

great ideas . someone should copy and pase or link the post in the official forum . for some reason , i can't post in the official forum .

chavr · 2003-05-25, 09:23 AM

If someone wants to link this to the SOE boards feel free. After my suspension lifts I WON'T be posting it on the SOE boards, so unless someone else links it or copies it they won't see it. Ain't no way I'm going back to those boards and posting. I really dont' feel like getting my account permantly banned because I post "unwanted" posts.