Power Node Ideas
elixE
Join Date: 2010-12-17 Member: 75740Members
Join Date: 2010-12-17 Member: 75740Members
I first want to say that I have been a big fan of the original NS and I have really enjoyed playing the beta for the last couple weeks. I think the game is a lot of fun and has a ton of potential and the development team has done a great job.
Now onto the issue I have seen with power nodes. I think they are a great idea, but they need to be tweeked a bit to make the game more balanced. In the early game it is very easy for the alien team to go around the map take or all the power nodes, thoroughly preventing the marines from being able to expand to other parts of the map. This then forces the marines to have to turtle just to survive until they get upgrades before they can then try and push out, and then even a half way competent alien team can contain them and wear them down with ease.
I think this can be relatively easily fixed by allowing marines the ability to repair power nodes themselves, as I have seen other suggestions on the forums. However I also have another suggestion that might make the games more interesting and balanced.
My suggestion is that even after a power node is destroyed, that most structures will still be able to operate but at a limited capacity. For example, resource towers will still gain carbon, but at a much slower rate, armories will still provide heath and ammo, but no weapons can be purchased from them, turrets will power down, only one infantry portal will operate. That way all those structures will still have some value and not just be a waste.
It will also have the feel that only important features will be active as a form of energy saving.
I bring this up because of an issue in a game last night. It was a small game, 3v3, and I was the marine commander on tram. We took marine expansion and ended up having to relocate there as the aliens took maine spawn. We had over 200 carbon and full upgrades, but the aliens managed to take out the power node in maine expansion and we were dead in the water. The one MAC I had to try and repair the power node got taken out with ease and I was unable to build a new MAC, and everything was powered down. I couldn't drop anything because the command station was even powered down. This was very frustrating as we had the ability to push out now that we had full upgrades, but couldn't do anything and that got me thinking.
MACs will still have a role, but the above suggestion will allow the marines to have the ability to expand more easily and more quickly. It will bring back the ability for marines to sneak a lone player to a tech point or resource nodes out of the way and create strong holds in alien territory.
Now onto the issue I have seen with power nodes. I think they are a great idea, but they need to be tweeked a bit to make the game more balanced. In the early game it is very easy for the alien team to go around the map take or all the power nodes, thoroughly preventing the marines from being able to expand to other parts of the map. This then forces the marines to have to turtle just to survive until they get upgrades before they can then try and push out, and then even a half way competent alien team can contain them and wear them down with ease.
I think this can be relatively easily fixed by allowing marines the ability to repair power nodes themselves, as I have seen other suggestions on the forums. However I also have another suggestion that might make the games more interesting and balanced.
My suggestion is that even after a power node is destroyed, that most structures will still be able to operate but at a limited capacity. For example, resource towers will still gain carbon, but at a much slower rate, armories will still provide heath and ammo, but no weapons can be purchased from them, turrets will power down, only one infantry portal will operate. That way all those structures will still have some value and not just be a waste.
It will also have the feel that only important features will be active as a form of energy saving.
I bring this up because of an issue in a game last night. It was a small game, 3v3, and I was the marine commander on tram. We took marine expansion and ended up having to relocate there as the aliens took maine spawn. We had over 200 carbon and full upgrades, but the aliens managed to take out the power node in maine expansion and we were dead in the water. The one MAC I had to try and repair the power node got taken out with ease and I was unable to build a new MAC, and everything was powered down. I couldn't drop anything because the command station was even powered down. This was very frustrating as we had the ability to push out now that we had full upgrades, but couldn't do anything and that got me thinking.
MACs will still have a role, but the above suggestion will allow the marines to have the ability to expand more easily and more quickly. It will bring back the ability for marines to sneak a lone player to a tech point or resource nodes out of the way and create strong holds in alien territory.
Comments
If you bring back welders MACs are useless, unless you put welders on tier 3.
Adding in welders means degrading the MACs role further, at which point he might as well be removed, but that's not something I want to see. I'd actually like his role to be increased a bit again, but we'll see how that goes.
Ideally, marines should start with 1 MAC, they will build at the same speed as a marine and cost around 15 carbon. That way the commander can leave a MAC in base to build while the marines expand and cause havoc.
At their current cost and the fact they are the only ones that can do certain things and that they die so easy, they are a priority target for the aliens and cripple the marines.
But tweeking the MACs and finding their place will happen in time, right now I think power nodes should get more attention to balance game play.
I agree, balance issues should not be made off of such a small game, however this is something that can be seen in any game, it is just more of an issue in a small game.
Power nodes are to critical of structures that are easily taken out at the start of a game and completely prevent the marines of having any chance of advancing and force them to turtle. If marines can still advance with out power nodes but in a limited fashion, will help. This way, having power nodes active is still important, but if you lose a power node you are still able to hold a position and get value out of those structures and the resources you invested.
Ideally, marines should start with 1 MAC, they will build at the same speed as a marine and cost around 15 carbon. That way the commander can leave a MAC in base to build while the marines expand and cause havoc.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Good ideas all around, but this in particular is good. The MACs really do build extremely slow from what I've noticed (this is a guess but probably 1/4 or 1/3 the speed of a marine or even less), and at this stage in the beta they really are vital, and yet despite that they are also very very fragile. If you give marines welders, and you leave everything else as is (i.e. MACs) then you <b>will</b> make the MACs obsolete, and you <i>might as well</i> remove them. Turn them into what is basically a marine that can't shoot and you've got a useful specialised unit of labour. Fragile power nodes + lerk snipers (or fades) + fragile, scarce MACs + useless rifle = sad marines.
I think it's a little strange actually, that certain core structures don't have -backup power-, like the command centre and IPs. So that's my idea. Give them a small delay after the power goes out before the backup power for those essential structures kicks in, to reward the aliens for their effort; but then give them backup power, maybe at a 'power saving' level (i.e. lower), although that's basically the same as "most structures will still be able to operate but at a limited capacity".
I think it's a little strange actually, that certain core structures don't have -backup power-, like the command centre and IPs. So that's my idea. Give them a small delay after the power goes out before the backup power for those essential structures kicks in, to reward the aliens for their effort; but then give them backup power, maybe at a 'power saving' level (i.e. lower), although that's basically the same as "most structures will still be able to operate but at a limited capacity".<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I'm a fan of these suggestions.
I think we can mostly all agree that both MACs and Power Nodes are interesting and useful features, however it is all about finding how they fit into the game play. I have seen several common ideas in this thread:
1.) Introduce welders for marines so they can repair power nodes and structures
2.) Increase the build speed of MACs to equal those of marines and decrease their cost so they are basically a marine that cant shoot and is a dedicated builder/repairer
3.) Introduce some sort of battery power or limited capacity mode for critical structures (such as IPs, Command Stations, Armories?, Extractors?) that way they can still be somewhat useful until a power node is repaired
4.) Treat power nodes like any other structure, that once they are above 0% they are operative so aliens can interrupt the repair of them
Does this about sum up everyone's feelings?
Marine 'power' ability would probably be better solved using depletable portable power supply- tier 2 or 3- that they can plug in to damaged power nodes.
would be a good strategic decision, go in with the extra rine, or port him into the power node for some lights
and on alien side.. "quick shoot the rine bee-lining for the powernode!"
then the gorge serves yet another important roll by being the only alien to be able to spread Di to forward rooms and shut down the power. Just a thought
gorges aren't very popular at the moment.
Also the idea of limited power when the node is down is another excellent idea!!!!!!!!!
I agree welders would make mac useless.
What is there was 1 welder only per game to could hand out? And that welder stays in the map for the whole game. When you die you drop it. It Would make the aliens try and protect it... I think that's throwing a big spanner in the works though.
gorges aren't very popular at the moment.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->Don't forget that Gorges are <b>NOT</b> feature complete. There are still more abilities the Gorge will be able to do. Moral of the story: Don't judge a Gorge by its cover (belly?).