Solution to Spamming -- Upkeep
Egad!
Join Date: 2011-10-19 Member: 128250Members
Join Date: 2011-10-19 Member: 128250Members
One of the features I thought was very interesting in WCIII was the upkeep system it had. You started out each skirmish getting resources as normal, but once you had so many units, you would incur an upkeep penalty. I think this would work well in NS2.
For the first few <b>weapons</b> (i.e. shotgun, flamethrower), <b>higher life-forms</b> (fade, onos), or <b>sentries/hydras</b>, the resource cost is normal. But once you get beyond, say, 2 or 3 of any one weapon, life form, or defensive structure, there is an added upkeep cost to acquire any more. For example, if sentries normally cost 10 team resources, then after 2 sentries had been built, a third sentry would cost 20 team resources. This doesn't prevent spamming outright, of course, but it penalizes those who do spam, giving the opposing team a resource advantage that they can exploit.
The added benefit of this feature is it encourages diversification, as it is much less expensive for only a small number of players to have any one weapon/life form. And diversification in turn encourages teamwork, which is such a huge part of what makes NS2 a great game.
Where this idea doesn't work so well, I think, is with grenades and flamethrowers, where players will just fire manically all over the place. For this, I think the solution (if it hasn't already been done -- I don't actually have NS2 myself, I've just been watching videos) is to add friendly fire. I heard Hugh complain about this on one of his NS2HD videos, and he and his teammates had the great idea to make grenades damage teammates, and deduct resources if you killed a teammate with it. Friendly fire with flamethrowers doesn't work quite as well, but I think it is worth considering.
For the first few <b>weapons</b> (i.e. shotgun, flamethrower), <b>higher life-forms</b> (fade, onos), or <b>sentries/hydras</b>, the resource cost is normal. But once you get beyond, say, 2 or 3 of any one weapon, life form, or defensive structure, there is an added upkeep cost to acquire any more. For example, if sentries normally cost 10 team resources, then after 2 sentries had been built, a third sentry would cost 20 team resources. This doesn't prevent spamming outright, of course, but it penalizes those who do spam, giving the opposing team a resource advantage that they can exploit.
The added benefit of this feature is it encourages diversification, as it is much less expensive for only a small number of players to have any one weapon/life form. And diversification in turn encourages teamwork, which is such a huge part of what makes NS2 a great game.
Where this idea doesn't work so well, I think, is with grenades and flamethrowers, where players will just fire manically all over the place. For this, I think the solution (if it hasn't already been done -- I don't actually have NS2 myself, I've just been watching videos) is to add friendly fire. I heard Hugh complain about this on one of his NS2HD videos, and he and his teammates had the great idea to make grenades damage teammates, and deduct resources if you killed a teammate with it. Friendly fire with flamethrowers doesn't work quite as well, but I think it is worth considering.
Comments
+1
Understandable. I considered Upkeep more as a prevention of turret/hydra spam than anything else.
As for alien recycling, what about something like an ability for the gorge to "eat" a structure to regain resources. Perhaps it needs to be researched? I know its kind of an iffy idea at this point, but I just feel if aliens had a recycling option it should be a bit different than marines. And a bit less efficient, as aliens are all about expansion, and I fear there could be balance issues otherwise.
As for alien recycling, what about something like an ability for the gorge to "eat" a structure to regain resources. Perhaps it needs to be researched? I know its kind of an iffy idea at this point, but I just feel if aliens had a recycling option it should be a bit different than marines. And a bit less efficient, as aliens are all about expansion, and I fear there could be balance issues otherwise.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Call it whatever, but if your going to institute an upkeep on anything (structures, weapons, classes, etc) you need a way for that side to remove unwanted structures/weapons/classes or else it won't work.
Onos devour?
:)
1. Food count system; You have no limit on how many different types of buildings you can build, you do however have a limit on how many of any specific type however. In-order to increase this limit you need more power-nodes up and running, if a power-node were destroyed and you cannot support the amount of the new adjusted limit cap, then either buildings closest to that destroyed node is deactivated, until they can be restored, or the cheapest lest prioritized buildings are deactivated, the commander and divert power to a sector by choosing a building he wishes to temporarily deactivate and then divert that to another building so it may be restored. 2. Upkeep system; once you reach a limit like in first suggestion, you get an upkeep where you pay more for adding extra buildings, to keep upkeep down you have power nodes that increase your limit to how many buildings of a building type you can get, such as turrets, once a power node goes down, you don't pay anymore for the already added towers but expect the price to be higher depending on how many of the building type wanting to be built there is. This way there is no stuck amount of buildings you can use, and it doesn't increase difficulty by deactivating a structure. Structures can be sold but a MAC must be there to disassemble the structure, it takes half the time to disassemble than to of built it, but only gives back half the resources, otherwise you can cut your loses and let the alien destroy it for you but you wont receive anything else other than a lowering to upkeep. the same idea of selling your buildings can be used in the 'food count system'. -note all upkeep and food count remains for structures only, keeping this for weapons is dumb tbh.
Aliens: 3. Infestation spread system; in this more overall amount of infestation that's spread allows for more structures to be placed, also if a power node is taken out then infestation should be given a small bonus in spreading a little further than normal, allowing more structures to be placed. The Gorge has no limit or remains with what ever limits that have already been placed, the only new limit is that the structures he places must be close to a larger structure assuming they feed off of its life, and it off the hives. the reason for this, is when you see them you know of a potentially greater threat, though the smaller structures aren't to close to the larger ones, they are within a few feet/steps, so you can expect trouble around a corner or two. 4. Upkeep alien system; In this version power nodes taken out decrease upkeep instead of increasing it, Gorges however have a maximum limit per player as to how many structures he places. Once he reaches his limit, he wont be able to cough out anymore until one dies, he can hurt his own structures if he wants to dispose of them, perhaps if he attacks his own structure his attack alters a little looking like hes eating it or something. The Gorge doesn't regain resources for killing his own structures, while he lives all his structures gain a defensive boost or attack boost, this is to encourage players to not build, then suicide and come back as something else, in order to spam structures. Commanders who sell there structures don't need a builder to disassemble such as the marines, they just sell it and it will automatically slowly disintegrate taking just under half the time to build it, but giving back just under half the resources.
Hope this helps better I might re-post this but probably not.
For more details, see <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=115274&view=findpost&p=1881816" target="_blank">here</a>.