2 MACs Free with Every Comm Station

JediPhreaK

<div class="IPBDescription">Or maybe just 2 at the start of the game?</div>I though it might be a nice way to help things get built initially without solely relying on players to build for a commander.

If you get 2 Free MACs to build for you at the start of a game and then whenever you build a new Commander Station then at least base building could be handled mostly by the commander freeing up the Marines slightly. And if they get killed you would have to build a robotics factory to get any more.

I thought it might be an interesting possibility, even if its only 2 free at the start of a brand new game; and not with every new base, it would still be at least something for the commander to work with more directly. It would free your marines up from sitting around in base too long, and lead to less commanders getting out of the chairs to build.

Anyways it was just a though so what do the rest of you think?

l3lessed

You're kidding right? This would be awful and make marines so OP at the beginning. Rines wouldn't have to ever let their guard down to build. Just escort the macs and secure an area while the macs build everything, not to mention endless welding for free before the res was ever spent on welder research and rines buying welders. Macs are an investment for a reason, because they give rines a huge advantage on the field with continuous, automatic welds and building.

Champlo0

<!--quoteo(post=2046468:date=Dec 15 2012, 08:00 PM:name=l3lessed)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (l3lessed @ Dec 15 2012, 08:00 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2046468"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->You're kidding right? This would be awful and make marines so OP at the beginning. Rines wouldn't have to ever let their guard down to build. Just escort the macs and secure an area while the macs build everything, not to mention endless welding for free before the res was ever spent on welder research and rines buying welders. Macs are an investment for a reason, because they give rines a huge advantage on the field with continuous, automatic welds and building.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
lolwut, 2 macs isn't going to change anything. The most powerful function they would serve is being an early source of armor.

If macs really were a "huge advantage" like you say you'd see everyone rush them. They're not that good, and they wouldn't change anything. It also doesn't make sense for them to be in a spawning build. It would be better just to see marine construction rate buffed up, or see the return of nano-construct.

JediPhreaK

2 MACs die pretty easy, if you get into the Marines base they will be gone super fast. But it would provide a reasonable boost to speed initial base building early on.

l3lessed

You're honestly trying to argue giving marines two free macs, a unit that can auto build and weld, won't buff rines during the early game? Macs aren't researched up front now because there are more critical tech to get before sinking the res into a robotics facility and macs. It makes the benefits not worth the cost when it comes to sacrificing early phase or shotguns or upgrades. Lastly, they won't die that easily as they auto weld each other. But give them two free macs, and they get all the benefits with no draw backs, the res cost. That being said, a possible boost the their building rate is fine with me.

maD maX

Not sure if it was all servers but for several builds in beta rines started with 1 Mac, it was alright not sure why they got rid of it but either way it doesn't do much..,, from a basic vision both teams start with one tech and 1 rt, should aliens get drifters and a whip?

JediPhreaK

I would just like to see some of the early base building taken off the shoulders of the Marines. Alien Comm builds pretty much everything solo, yes teammates can assist building things faster but the Alien Commander is far more autonomous. I think a boost to initial base building would not be bad, and remember those MACs would be still very slow moving at the start of the game.

Maybe allow things to build faster instead within a certain radius of a command chair or something. It would be nice early game for a Marine Commander to be able to let his teammates be more aggressive while a couple MACs build in base.

l3lessed

I personally think just tweaking the build rates would help with this problem. Only thing I would worry about is making it to easy for rines to setup a base right outside alien hives, but if you're a good alien comm their should be plenty of infestation around your hives to give you plenty of early warning. I think they removed the macs also to get players to work with the comm much quicker rather than just run off rambo style and not worry about building up their base or easily accessible res nodes; instead, they can just rush critical choke points and let the macs do all the work behind them.

A single mac might not be to much of a early game shift though. I would have to play some games with it before I could make a final opinion.

JediPhreaK

I'd still like to see this implemented, or maybe even pay a few extra res to build structures automatically or something.

Kazel

I thought working as a team was the core of playing marines.

2 MACs would be absolutely OP. It would leave the entire team to run straight for the alien hive, and with anything bigger than a 4v4 you would have enough marines to egg lock aliens from the start.

In short, no.

I see a lot of good comms actually get out of the chair and build the base up themselves, leaving the roaming marines to build the outside RTs. I personally think it is a very good way to do it. Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with leaving one marine at base to build your few first crucial buildings(armory, arms lab, etc). Seeing as at the start of the game marines have both damage, range, and HP on the skulks I don't think this is a problem.

SpaceJew

I think this idea actually does have a bit of merit. Two Mac's are not lightening fast at building anyway, but it would get things up <i>a little</i> faster. Honestly, I'd like this more if MAC's were buildable from a command chair. I know it mirrors aliens hive/drifter relationship, but it doesn't have the same end result. Adjusting build times would probably be the safer and easier route though, in either case.

Basically, two MAC's won't do much for semi-knowledgeable or new player Marines. Making it an option to build MAC's without a significant investment in a Robotics Factory makes them early game viable to maybe help make up the difference of having a few Marines that either don't know or don't care they are supposed to help build.

MAC's just build way slower than Marines, there's your built in disadvantage in honestly trying to build resource nodes or really anything with just a few of them. The more you pay to build them, the faster they build, but there is a built in cap as well.

If they were really that great, I think you'd see more people going early Robotics with poor teams. (Although now that I think about it, I do see that a lot with rookie Marines...seems like they do it for ARC's and Batteries though rather than MAC's.)