An Answer For Comm Micromanagement That Doesn't Involve Health Spam?
Xerond
Undefined Join Date: 2004-07-09 Member: 29817Members, Constellation
Undefined Join Date: 2004-07-09 Member: 29817Members, Constellation
<div class="IPBDescription">Really?</div>The thread in general discussion about health spam sparked an idea to think about...
How could we retain good micro-value to the comm without health spam?
Selective shields.
These are nanite driven shields that form around a marine within a split second amount of time. I would opt that these sheilds are directional, and only protect a 180 degree directional view of the marine. These shields cost resources, have a cool down. I would make itself a precise process, knowing who to shield, in what direction, at what time while entering a room is intense. Then stacking health packs between shields to help reinforce them. There is teamwork involved between the comm and the marine. Not to mention I think it would look bad-ass.
A marine steps into a room, the normal skulk waiting just outside the door. You step in, the skulk is seen, and the comm drops a shield on his left to prevent that first bite. (from the perspective of the comm) The skulk's attack doesn't register damage when it contacts it.
Already this mechanic is very similar to the direct focus seen in health spamming. The comm's attention is usually focused over one marine to start. It requires the comm to be looking at the scene at that same moment. Usually that first heath pack is used to restore full health immediately. Eventually it becomes a skill when managing health packs for a team in direct combat.
The shields act similar but now give the act a bit more variety. Now there could be a balance between health packs and another quick ability, and managing between those two how to shield and stack healths. And making directional selections on where to place these shields on marines is strategic as well.
In terms of appearance... these shields show up like a slight flash or light, or think of a glimmer passing over a slate of air. Their time frame is usually only enough to prevent a single melee attack, and must cool down enough to allow many melee attempts. Not only is there interaction between the marine and the comm when using this mechanic effectively. You build a second interaction between the alien players, and the comm. Based on the comm's play style, aliens can gauge where to attack marines and at what directions. Skulks could juke to bite and the comm drops a shield. The skulk faked the comm and then takes down the marine. There is a direct mini game between the alien players and the comm now.
Anywho, thats mostly it. I'll come back and expand on this if I get the time. If you have any questions I'll explain it better. If you like it, cool. If not, let me know what's wrong with it. Or how we might improve it.
How could we retain good micro-value to the comm without health spam?
Selective shields.
These are nanite driven shields that form around a marine within a split second amount of time. I would opt that these sheilds are directional, and only protect a 180 degree directional view of the marine. These shields cost resources, have a cool down. I would make itself a precise process, knowing who to shield, in what direction, at what time while entering a room is intense. Then stacking health packs between shields to help reinforce them. There is teamwork involved between the comm and the marine. Not to mention I think it would look bad-ass.
A marine steps into a room, the normal skulk waiting just outside the door. You step in, the skulk is seen, and the comm drops a shield on his left to prevent that first bite. (from the perspective of the comm) The skulk's attack doesn't register damage when it contacts it.
Already this mechanic is very similar to the direct focus seen in health spamming. The comm's attention is usually focused over one marine to start. It requires the comm to be looking at the scene at that same moment. Usually that first heath pack is used to restore full health immediately. Eventually it becomes a skill when managing health packs for a team in direct combat.
The shields act similar but now give the act a bit more variety. Now there could be a balance between health packs and another quick ability, and managing between those two how to shield and stack healths. And making directional selections on where to place these shields on marines is strategic as well.
In terms of appearance... these shields show up like a slight flash or light, or think of a glimmer passing over a slate of air. Their time frame is usually only enough to prevent a single melee attack, and must cool down enough to allow many melee attempts. Not only is there interaction between the marine and the comm when using this mechanic effectively. You build a second interaction between the alien players, and the comm. Based on the comm's play style, aliens can gauge where to attack marines and at what directions. Skulks could juke to bite and the comm drops a shield. The skulk faked the comm and then takes down the marine. There is a direct mini game between the alien players and the comm now.
Anywho, thats mostly it. I'll come back and expand on this if I get the time. If you have any questions I'll explain it better. If you like it, cool. If not, let me know what's wrong with it. Or how we might improve it.
Comments
I am in favour of further micromanagement being implemented through optional upgrades, similar to catpacks in NS1. A silly example being a phase-suit upgrade with a short range blink ability that has to be activated by the comm. Sure, you could get HA or JP if youre not confident in your abilities to micromanage or you could get this upgrade (probably for less res or earlier in the tech tree or something) and if you're good, be able to use it to its full possibility.
Just make sure it has a less effective ability that the marine themself can trigger, like with the phase suit the marine could phase out into an ethereal form and take no damage for about .5s (think the miss effect from Bonk! in TF2) but once the effect was over they would take like 50 damage. And it would be on a 5s cooldown.
I would favor more micromanage with the buildings, especially the auto turrets.
Also already planned are the weldbot and the Mobile Sieges (MASCs). So if the weldbot turns out to be a fully fleshed out feature then it should provide lots of extra micromanaging opportunities, especially if you use multiple weldbots at the same time AND multiple MASCs also.
I always liked the ping + inform your troops method, it felt much more commander-esque to me rather than dropping supplies in the midst of combat.
edit: I don't believe the solution lies in replacing the medkit spam with something else, but simply offering more micro management options to the commander on field, like with turrets, operating doors, informing your infantry where the enemy is, etc. It would be nice if the commander's presence was felt by the aliens through more than <i>medkit spam,</i> you know? I think that's a good way to evaluate what works and what doesn't -- whether or not the aliens can actually feel the commander's presence outside of medkit spam.
edit2: Hell, even making it so that it was impossible to drop medkits directly on top of your troops would be a better solution. You'd have to coordinate with them -- "medkit coming in behind you/to your right/to your left" instead of the soldiers just ###### at you endlessly WHY DIDN'T YOU DROP IT ON TOP OF ME COMM YOU SUCK.
However, if it was directional, then maybe it could work.
If it was a AoE(small) spell than reduced all incoming damage by 75-85%(with a few exceptions... I.E. Divine Wind A.K.A. Black Pits of Death), that had a recharge timer per 1 use and had a nominal resource/energy cost, then it would be okay. (Nerf version would be directional.)
At that point you can use it either to hive a marine a few more shots on a critical moments before his shield gets chomped down or you can use it to breach a room. Then again the 40 energy cost means that you're not going to get that many scans or siege off anytime soon.
Of course the directional shields can work too, but based on NS1 those feel really twitchy and more like a reflex minigame than a decision. With proper UI and line of sight detection it might be a different story.