Special Upgrades - Capture and Return
DeskLamp
Australia Join Date: 2013-02-03 Member: 182783Members
Australia Join Date: 2013-02-03 Member: 182783Members
Was thinking of a new upgrade base that could introduce an added layer to the game besides move forward, resource, research, destroy. Lifeform/Ability/Tech specific upgrades
The idea is if you kill unit or a marine with a weapon, an item would be dropped (this already happens with marine weapons, it would just be an alien body part or something) back to your base and place into the hive/arms lab you can research an additional upgrade. These upgrades would only be for higher level lifeforms / tech, and would only require to be obtained once (e.g. one fade, one flame thrower) to prevent any detractions from the fundamental gameplay.
Another element could be that only gorges can return items (they swallow them) which could add some balance to the wealth of weapons vs the small amount of lifeforms.
Impacts to Gameplay:
- Risk / Reward
* On the field decisions will need to be made as whether to continue a push, or to return an item of value to base, depending on the value of the upgrade and the position of the team.
* The decision to pull away from a potentially viable offensive to increase the capability to do more damage later will need to be made on the fly
- Alter offensive strategies
* The decision to push into a base has ramifications for the attacking team. The failure of an attack can lead to greater strength to the defenders. This could impact mid to late game mechanics, giving the defensive team a fighting chance
- Add an additional objective to the game
* Attack and hold strategies will be supplemented with capture-the-flag elements
- Create a new set of upgrades to impact the game
* Create counters to fight against hard to defeat late game strategies (e.g. exo pushes, jetpackers vs skulks)
Examples (these are ideas, the real value lies in coming up with interesting upgrades):
- Gorge part: Increase resistence to bile bomb
- Fade part: reduced armour or for every X points of damage, reduce fade speed X amount for a small duration
- Onos: Resistance to stomp or charge
- Shotgun: Resistance to shotgun blast
- Flamethrower: Cysts and other flammable objects no longer flammable
- Exosuit: bacteria damages exo armour (meaning that it will slow their advance until bacteria is cleared)
- Grenade launcher: whips hit back grenades
- Jetpack marine: skulk spurs decreases air-time (meaning skulks can actually kill jetpackers)
Remember returning a part won't immediately provide the ability, it will merely provide the option to research it, meaning the commander will have to choose whether to invest in these upgrades over other costs.
I think this idea could add an even greater layer of depth to the game. Please don't troll this idea with WoW comparisons. Try to imagine the implications to the game, and potential for new strategies based on potential upgrades.
The idea is if you kill unit or a marine with a weapon, an item would be dropped (this already happens with marine weapons, it would just be an alien body part or something) back to your base and place into the hive/arms lab you can research an additional upgrade. These upgrades would only be for higher level lifeforms / tech, and would only require to be obtained once (e.g. one fade, one flame thrower) to prevent any detractions from the fundamental gameplay.
Another element could be that only gorges can return items (they swallow them) which could add some balance to the wealth of weapons vs the small amount of lifeforms.
Impacts to Gameplay:
- Risk / Reward
* On the field decisions will need to be made as whether to continue a push, or to return an item of value to base, depending on the value of the upgrade and the position of the team.
* The decision to pull away from a potentially viable offensive to increase the capability to do more damage later will need to be made on the fly
- Alter offensive strategies
* The decision to push into a base has ramifications for the attacking team. The failure of an attack can lead to greater strength to the defenders. This could impact mid to late game mechanics, giving the defensive team a fighting chance
- Add an additional objective to the game
* Attack and hold strategies will be supplemented with capture-the-flag elements
- Create a new set of upgrades to impact the game
* Create counters to fight against hard to defeat late game strategies (e.g. exo pushes, jetpackers vs skulks)
Examples (these are ideas, the real value lies in coming up with interesting upgrades):
- Gorge part: Increase resistence to bile bomb
- Fade part: reduced armour or for every X points of damage, reduce fade speed X amount for a small duration
- Onos: Resistance to stomp or charge
- Shotgun: Resistance to shotgun blast
- Flamethrower: Cysts and other flammable objects no longer flammable
- Exosuit: bacteria damages exo armour (meaning that it will slow their advance until bacteria is cleared)
- Grenade launcher: whips hit back grenades
- Jetpack marine: skulk spurs decreases air-time (meaning skulks can actually kill jetpackers)
Remember returning a part won't immediately provide the ability, it will merely provide the option to research it, meaning the commander will have to choose whether to invest in these upgrades over other costs.
I think this idea could add an even greater layer of depth to the game. Please don't troll this idea with WoW comparisons. Try to imagine the implications to the game, and potential for new strategies based on potential upgrades.
Comments
The more important thing is not the suggested upgrades but the actual process and methodology itself (lifeform/tech specific; pick up, return, research).
It doesn't have to be stomp. Though if you want to argue on that point bare in mind the following:
It would require:
- Returning the part to the base (which could slow the marine down or make them unable to fire depending on testing).
- The commander spending additional res which could cost more than the stomp research itself to take into account the time spent getting stomp in the first place
You have several variables you could adjust to make any upgrade feasible. The important thing is that this research methodology opens up new play styles, tech trees, and strategies.
Hmm no thanks.
There is no risk in contrary to the reward, it's just time wasted to reward gained, (like farming quests, in rpg's)
Now excuse me if i go hit my head on the wall, as you've obviously confused the forum of the game. This is natural selection 2. not Warcraft Selection 2. This is a first person shooter, not an rpg, this is a game for fast paced gameplay, not tedium, and quests.
The risk is associated with the investment in protecting the person bringing the item back to the hive/arms lab. Resources act the same way, you defend your resources in order to have enough to upgrade. The difference here is the action to gain upgrades (capturing rather than holding), and the form of upgrade (alien/tech specific) are different from the current state. Furthermore if you invest in bringing the item back for research, what are you giving up in the field? Is it worth it at the time? That's for the team to decide.
As for the whole RPG/Warcraft rubbish people are going on about the only similarity is an item going from point A to point B, which can be said of most games.
I really can't see why you relate what I'm describing to as RPG farming etc. It's more akin to capture the flag elements. Firstly once collected you have to defend the individual with the object, and secondly you aren't collecting 19 gorge eyeballs, you are gathering a single, optional item which enables you to conduct further research. Hell, you're almost doing that now with dropping a hive and researching biomass. If you don't understand what I'm proposing then you should be questioning what you think Natural Selection 2 is.
Tedium is marines sitting in their base spamming grenade launchers and nothing changes, fast paced is the thrill of attacking and defending objects of strategic importance, such as phase gates, bases, or key resource locations (or the suggested item-of-importance here). The objective is to destroy the enemy base, but in order to do so you need to outthink your enemy, capitalise on their mistakes, prioritise orders to your team to gain an advantage, and utilise the skills of your players to win. WoW is mindless hacking and slashing.
"What you waving here, sonny, is just a hunk of onos poo-poo. Get it outta my sight and out of the base, before everything here starts smelling to high heaven... Good Lord, rookies these days..."