Quick One - Mid-Late Game Tech Path and Research Times
ReapMyster
Australia Join Date: 2014-01-11 Member: 192954Members, WC 2013 - Silver
Australia Join Date: 2014-01-11 Member: 192954Members, WC 2013 - Silver
Currently in order to get grenade launchers, flamethrowers, jetpacks, and exos (mostly now unused in comp matches) you have to wait what seems a fairly substantial time to upgrade (as well as the cost). This also delays the use of protolabs (though I realise that this is not the primary reason). The result seems to be very linear and singular strategies employed by marines.
My thought is to make protolabs researchable from either the armoury, comm chair, or observatory without the need to upgrade to advanced.
This provides a choice for marines in which to expand their mid-late game strategy. Phase gates, jetpacks, advanced weapons. I think this option WILL also require some changes to weapon upgrades to make them a more viable option (i.e. flamethrowers no longer being a "support" weapon). E.g. marines may wish to concentrate on the mobility of jetpacks with the standard shotgun response; OR sacrifice the additional mobility for increased damage (increase the power of flamethrowers to take energy and kill structures; increase the reload speed of grenade launchers). I like the idea of providing a choice in the mid-late game of tech-path, whilst not limiting marines if they have a large reserve of resources; impacting the strategies that would be employed depending on the choices made.
So...
Basic Start: Armoury - shotguns, mines, grenades
Mid-Late Game Choices:
Increase the research costs / time on Advanced Armoury / Protolabs:
Separate building of Protolabs from Advanced Armoury
This leads to two tech-path options:
- 1. Marine Firepower: Advanced Armoury - flamethrowers, grenade launchers, HMGs
- 2. Tech Mobility: Protolab - Jetpacks, mobile-exos (see below)
Exo mobility
So far exos are weak, pathetic, slow mechs that don't do enough damage. This has often lent people to suggest making them stronger or creating more damage at the sacrifice of mobility. But instead why not make them move faster, use the current damage outputs in the latest comp mod (i.e. railguns do 75 damage and no build up); and allow the thrusters to last longer (like a jetpack) and move in multiple directions to give them an edge in combat. This also allows exos to use its unique abilities (railguns, not vulnerable to spores, etc.) but still maintain that level of armour weakness. Think of it in terms of a weapon that was designed to try to match the Kharaa's natural mobility advantage.
Flamethrowers
The way you can reduce the flamethrowers status as a support weapon is to make them viable killing weapons. I would suggest increasing the energy drain from flamethrowers and marginally increasing the damage outputs to aliens. Marines should operate in groups to begin with so an alien that cannot bite / swipe / blink becomes a viable target. Think of it as something that can kill as well as a shotgun, but using different means (i.e. where a shotgun is an instant kill with a few meat shots to the skilled; the flamethrower requires the marines's ability to remove the alien's ability to escape or attack, then draining their health away).
Grenade launchers
Don't know how to make this NOT a support weapon. Maybe provide a secondary grenade option such as the Nerve Gas or Pulse grenade; and/or increasing the reload speed
My thought is to make protolabs researchable from either the armoury, comm chair, or observatory without the need to upgrade to advanced.
This provides a choice for marines in which to expand their mid-late game strategy. Phase gates, jetpacks, advanced weapons. I think this option WILL also require some changes to weapon upgrades to make them a more viable option (i.e. flamethrowers no longer being a "support" weapon). E.g. marines may wish to concentrate on the mobility of jetpacks with the standard shotgun response; OR sacrifice the additional mobility for increased damage (increase the power of flamethrowers to take energy and kill structures; increase the reload speed of grenade launchers). I like the idea of providing a choice in the mid-late game of tech-path, whilst not limiting marines if they have a large reserve of resources; impacting the strategies that would be employed depending on the choices made.
So...
Basic Start: Armoury - shotguns, mines, grenades
Mid-Late Game Choices:
Increase the research costs / time on Advanced Armoury / Protolabs:
Separate building of Protolabs from Advanced Armoury
This leads to two tech-path options:
- 1. Marine Firepower: Advanced Armoury - flamethrowers, grenade launchers, HMGs
- 2. Tech Mobility: Protolab - Jetpacks, mobile-exos (see below)
Exo mobility
So far exos are weak, pathetic, slow mechs that don't do enough damage. This has often lent people to suggest making them stronger or creating more damage at the sacrifice of mobility. But instead why not make them move faster, use the current damage outputs in the latest comp mod (i.e. railguns do 75 damage and no build up); and allow the thrusters to last longer (like a jetpack) and move in multiple directions to give them an edge in combat. This also allows exos to use its unique abilities (railguns, not vulnerable to spores, etc.) but still maintain that level of armour weakness. Think of it in terms of a weapon that was designed to try to match the Kharaa's natural mobility advantage.
Flamethrowers
The way you can reduce the flamethrowers status as a support weapon is to make them viable killing weapons. I would suggest increasing the energy drain from flamethrowers and marginally increasing the damage outputs to aliens. Marines should operate in groups to begin with so an alien that cannot bite / swipe / blink becomes a viable target. Think of it as something that can kill as well as a shotgun, but using different means (i.e. where a shotgun is an instant kill with a few meat shots to the skilled; the flamethrower requires the marines's ability to remove the alien's ability to escape or attack, then draining their health away).
Grenade launchers
Don't know how to make this NOT a support weapon. Maybe provide a secondary grenade option such as the Nerve Gas or Pulse grenade; and/or increasing the reload speed