A third faction
Snoopie
Join Date: 2010-02-16 Member: 70600Members
Join Date: 2010-02-16 Member: 70600Members
Recently I read this article:
<a href="http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm/loadFeature/4103/Three-Distinct-Factions.html" target="_blank">http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm/load...t-Factions.html</a>
He brings up a lot of good points. I've noticed in NS you normally know how to counter things = Heavy gets defeated by Onos which gets defeated by jetpack which gets defeated by fade which gets defeated by shotgun which (sometimes) gets defeated by lerk and so fourth.
Adding a 3rd faction to the game would totally mix these things up. What if you had an Onos and another alien thing with a marine on a jetpack, the marine on the jetpack would most likely go for the onos but the other alien would probably go for the jetpacker meanwhile the onos would go for the other alien or vis versa, really you wouldn't know what to do since there is a third ordeal. The game would seem much than just a fighting frenzy and people would finally have to take extra careful steps before just running into things in the game. Not saying people aren't careful in NS1 but the point Im trying to get across is everyone knows how to counter things. By adding a third faction in the game with the aliens and the marines would provide a whole new game.
If this was to be made possible I would see it as a map basis. Not every map would have 3 factions on it. You can mix and match 2 or 3 into it.
thoughts?
<a href="http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm/loadFeature/4103/Three-Distinct-Factions.html" target="_blank">http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm/load...t-Factions.html</a>
He brings up a lot of good points. I've noticed in NS you normally know how to counter things = Heavy gets defeated by Onos which gets defeated by jetpack which gets defeated by fade which gets defeated by shotgun which (sometimes) gets defeated by lerk and so fourth.
Adding a 3rd faction to the game would totally mix these things up. What if you had an Onos and another alien thing with a marine on a jetpack, the marine on the jetpack would most likely go for the onos but the other alien would probably go for the jetpacker meanwhile the onos would go for the other alien or vis versa, really you wouldn't know what to do since there is a third ordeal. The game would seem much than just a fighting frenzy and people would finally have to take extra careful steps before just running into things in the game. Not saying people aren't careful in NS1 but the point Im trying to get across is everyone knows how to counter things. By adding a third faction in the game with the aliens and the marines would provide a whole new game.
If this was to be made possible I would see it as a map basis. Not every map would have 3 factions on it. You can mix and match 2 or 3 into it.
thoughts?
Comments
Any game balancer can tell you how painful the game theory goes for Free-For-Alls. Gang-bang the little dudes, guy that stays out of fights wins, etc.
Also, NS2 will only have 2 factions. Word of God. Balancing 3 factions is a pain and frankly typically not worth the effort. Heck, balancing 2 asymmetrical teams is hard enough. It took Blizzard, what 10 years to get StarCraft1 balanced?
There's no point in crying about balance though NS2 aint going to be released balanced (alpha/beta) and even if we had 3 sides it would be just a little more and not effect release anyway.
<strike>The point of the alpha/beta is to balance the game before it's released into retail. There's plenty of point in "crying" about balance.
And OF COURSE it'll affect release if they decide to include one, BECAUSE THEY'LL HAVE TO CREATE ANOTHER FACTION. I SHALL CONTINUE TO RAMBLE AT YOUR NONSENSICAL IDEAS AND IT IS OF MY OPINION THAT YOU HAVEN'T GOT A CLUE OF WHAT'S GOIN-</strike>
Are you being sarcastic? Because that's ###### genius.
Also: You sir, are full of so much ###### that it ain't funny. Here's a suggestion: You should make your own faction with LUA and balance it yourself once NS2 comes out. Tell us how it goes.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I love you too, point being it aint going to be in balance in official release and should it really be, it cant be the game we really wanted.
I would suggest that you make your point and not include any hubris into your argument.
In any case, why would you make that point in this thread? Why attempt to justify a third faction?
I never did you just thought so. Point being 3rd race wouldnt have been balance issue if UWE wanted to add one.
So, you wanted to point out that a third race wouldn't have been a balance issue if UWE wanted to add one.
In a thread where somebody suggested to add a third race.
Right?
But the thing is that UWE decided not to add one. Meaning if they did so NOW to satisfy us gamers it would be RELEVANT to point out that it would be a balancing nightmare. Providing a past hypothetical is pointless in a present suggestion thread.
Truth be told, I hate 3 faction RPS games, so as a gamer it would piss me off if thy added a 3rd faction.
Multi-faction RTS sometimes work, but again see StarCraft1 for balance hell (and even SC2 and all its current problems, and with Blizzard being the balance gods they are and a huge development cycle), and that was even for pure 1v1 matchups. Heck, see the Dawn of War series and the balancing hell that is as you get over 7 factions.
Also, Free-for-alls are bull and shouldn't ever be done if you want balance. For a frag fest, meh, but then you're almost always carbon copy characters and no body really cares about balance, just shooting stuff. If you want teams and balance, Free-For-Alls are impossible. See : <a href="http://gamingsalembic.wordpress.com/2008/01/27/free-for-all-falls-flat/" target="_blank">http://gamingsalembic.wordpress.com/2008/0...all-falls-flat/</a>
Quoted for awesome! Yes, it's that time of year again...
On the third race thing: I can see it changing the way players fight each other, I can see it changing the RTS elements of the game immensely (By adding a whole new level of no-nonsense politics.), and I can't see how it could fit into the NS universe.
It might not be a bad idea, but 'a third race' is (in my opinion) too vague. It's very hard to make anything more than opinionated predictions of very general aspects of the game. My opinionated very general prediction is that it would change so many things that the result would no longer be Natural Selection.
Edit: Lovely article spellman23 - well worth the read.
Agreed.
It's definitely too late in development to add another faction.
It's definitely too late in development to add another faction.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Not true. You just need new textures (i.e. robots for either Aliens or Humans) and -alas- you have a third faction.
But only two are in fight all the time.
But only two are in fight all the time.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
And models.
And art design.
And new sound effects for the respective units/buildings.
And a new playstyle that will identify that faction as unique from both the Humans and aliens.
And map alterations that should accommodate the new faction and their playstyle
Resulting in hundreds of extra hours of work, and as a result thousands of dollars of money.
Alpha is planned to come within a few months, and that will mean that all in-game assets are going to get feature locked within half a year.
Stacks up to me to be too late.
And art design.
And new sound effects for the respective units/buildings.
And a new playstyle that will identify that faction as unique from both the Humans and aliens.
And map alterations that should accommodate the new faction and their playstyle<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
No, not really. If it's just a reskin, it's just a reskin.
It's causing some randomness and refreshing, keeping the game alive longer.
It's causing some randomness and refreshing, keeping the game alive longer.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
So you'd want UWE to halfass a new faction? That's absurdly stupid.
Robot's short for RO_
RO maps will be a little bigger than most NS maps and there will be 3 main base areas for the 3 factions. Aliens/Marines/Robots
The point to the robots is to kill the Marines and the Aliens. During this time the Marines can join forces with the aliens and vis versa but contact can still be made between the 2 since, in the end, it will come down to who is still alive - and seeing as aliens don't speak english very well an alliance may not be made fully.
So to even things out, robots will spawn in a totally separate room with a generator somewhat between the aliens and marines bases. Their doors do not open for the first 30 seconds of the game. During this time the players playing the robots have time to watch the first 30 seconds of the game unfold. After the 30 seconds has been completed the robots spawn and the doors to there domain open.
Robots have very high health very high damage but are extremely slow. As well the team can only have a limited amount of players on it, this option changed by the server admin.
Weaponry for the robots consist of a Gatling gun (much like the terminator) and heatvision.
Other weaponry for the robots is a gun that fires a small box at a building that can slow down the amount of resources the resource buildings collect (Marine and Alien). To get rid of these the marines can weld them, or the aliens can attack them. The robots also have a homing beacon that once used will teleport them back to home base this, of course, can't be used while you are being hit.
As the marines and aliens start to kill the robots over and over, the robots become more and more weak. Eventually they will be just about equal if not less as a marine in health but still have that consistent high damage and low speed. This will prevent robots from lasting forever in the match and being careful with their lives.
Robots can also capture resource nodes around the level that will increase thier power if they get too weak from to many deaths. BUT they cannot build them, they can use there gun that fires the small box's to suck off the extra resources that they were initially slowing down for the marines/aliens. As those resources are getting sucked, it will increase there power back to normal very slowly.
To destroy the robots there main generator building must be destroyed. Whomever destroys it first Aliens or Marines unlock a unique artifact from the robots.
Once the robots are destroyed the players on that team are placed back into the waiting room and can join aliens or marines.
To not make things uneven, I'm not sure if they should be allowed buildings or not.
This is just an idea I came up with when I was bored. I could see it adding something fun and intuitive to natural selection 2.
It can also be really customized, certain levels can have more than 1 robot faction that unlocks different artifacts once killed.
Just an idea! thanks
Does this mean it's a good thing I didn't read that?