Brainstorm: Altrenative Resource Models
Bad Mojo
Join Date: 2009-05-01 Member: 67317Members
Join Date: 2009-05-01 Member: 67317Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Current system "works," but is boring</div>I think the current system for how resources are accumulated is a system that functions, but it seems to allow for very little variance from game to game, which can make it seem monotonous on the strategic side of things. I also would say that because the teams are asymmetrical, the resource models for each team might be better off being different from each other.
There are hardly any real trade-offs when making command decisions. If the marines should decide to go for pure upgrades, it should set them back on being able to acquire other tech like Phase or Shotguns. Not so far back that they can't ever get it until it's too late, but enough to make these decisions significantly affect the way the marines play, causing aliens to have to adapt their own strategies. Choosing which hive type to go with first as Khamm is one good example of this. You can pick Shade Hive first, and that's going to affect how your team plays a lot compared to getting Crag first. However, the linear/boring flow of resources still makes upgrades a routine chore more than interesting strategic decisions.
Back on topic...
<b>Resources for SCORE:</b>
I've argued for this model before, but it was buried under the endless RFK for/against argument.
Basically instead of simply awarding people 1 pres for getting a kill, use the score system that is already in place, and instead of awarding a flat 1 resource for doing something, make it a more steady, and passive increase in P.res, that is directly affected by score.
Example: You get .1 P.res (I'm almost sure my number is wrong here) for each RT your team has active, per tick.
Now say you've been running around repairing damaged power nodes and RTs (and teammates), and building structures, while your teammate has been ramboing and killing skulks left and right. You are 2-2, he is 11-1. Would it be fair to only reward him when you've also been contributing arguably just as much as him, if not more?
Simply put, adjust the score awarded for tasks to where players can be equally rewarded for contributing to the team in general, not just killing aliens. Examples: 1 score per 100 armor welded/50 healing (gorge), 1 score per skulk kill, 5 for Fade, etc. Remember, this is score, not P.res.
There would then need to be a formula in which your score is used as a multiplier for additional P.res per tick. So again, you have 3 active Extractors on the map. You get .3 P.res for that. Then you have 22 score from doing various things. 22/200=.11 so you're getting .41 P.res per tick. This example would probably acccelerate P.res too much but it's just to illustrate the mechanic. Finally there would be a cap on P.res per tick, probably somewhere between 1-2.
This system could allow new players to still be rewarded for doing simple things like building structures that contribute to the team, and not require you to be amazing in combat
<b>Side notes:</b>
It might be a good idea to have different score bonuses in this type of system as well. Like a "clutch" bonus for killing a skulk when by yourself near an extractor (effectively saving that extractor in the short term) or a "defense" bonus for kills while near the command station. So instead of the 1 score you would get for killing a skulk somewhere random on the map, you would get 1+1 for the defense bonus.
There are hardly any real trade-offs when making command decisions. If the marines should decide to go for pure upgrades, it should set them back on being able to acquire other tech like Phase or Shotguns. Not so far back that they can't ever get it until it's too late, but enough to make these decisions significantly affect the way the marines play, causing aliens to have to adapt their own strategies. Choosing which hive type to go with first as Khamm is one good example of this. You can pick Shade Hive first, and that's going to affect how your team plays a lot compared to getting Crag first. However, the linear/boring flow of resources still makes upgrades a routine chore more than interesting strategic decisions.
Back on topic...
<b>Resources for SCORE:</b>
I've argued for this model before, but it was buried under the endless RFK for/against argument.
Basically instead of simply awarding people 1 pres for getting a kill, use the score system that is already in place, and instead of awarding a flat 1 resource for doing something, make it a more steady, and passive increase in P.res, that is directly affected by score.
Example: You get .1 P.res (I'm almost sure my number is wrong here) for each RT your team has active, per tick.
Now say you've been running around repairing damaged power nodes and RTs (and teammates), and building structures, while your teammate has been ramboing and killing skulks left and right. You are 2-2, he is 11-1. Would it be fair to only reward him when you've also been contributing arguably just as much as him, if not more?
Simply put, adjust the score awarded for tasks to where players can be equally rewarded for contributing to the team in general, not just killing aliens. Examples: 1 score per 100 armor welded/50 healing (gorge), 1 score per skulk kill, 5 for Fade, etc. Remember, this is score, not P.res.
There would then need to be a formula in which your score is used as a multiplier for additional P.res per tick. So again, you have 3 active Extractors on the map. You get .3 P.res for that. Then you have 22 score from doing various things. 22/200=.11 so you're getting .41 P.res per tick. This example would probably acccelerate P.res too much but it's just to illustrate the mechanic. Finally there would be a cap on P.res per tick, probably somewhere between 1-2.
This system could allow new players to still be rewarded for doing simple things like building structures that contribute to the team, and not require you to be amazing in combat
<b>Side notes:</b>
It might be a good idea to have different score bonuses in this type of system as well. Like a "clutch" bonus for killing a skulk when by yourself near an extractor (effectively saving that extractor in the short term) or a "defense" bonus for kills while near the command station. So instead of the 1 score you would get for killing a skulk somewhere random on the map, you would get 1+1 for the defense bonus.
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