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Thread Statistics | Show CCP posts - 6 post(s) |
Garrett Blacknova
Codex Troopers
3368
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Posted - 2013.08.08 13:15:00 -
[1] - Quote
For PC at least, I think it's worth keeping the NPC Precision Strikes. Not every PC-capable Corp in DUST is going to have EVE support on call. For now, most do, and in future, most will, but not all, and not forever. I understand (and agree with) encouraging the EVE-DUST link, but this isn't encouraging, it's forcing it. DUST-exclusive Corps need to be capable of functioning - if at a slight disadvantage - without the reliance on EVE players. Corps with limited EVE support need options when their Capsuleers are unreachable.
And on that note, for PC, I think there should be a WP limit on squads calling in Orbitals, AND a limit on EVE players being available for them. So you need to capture the beacon so your team has access to an Orbital Strike, AND the ground forces need to build up their WP to call it in. When a squad has called in their first strike, they need more WP before they can call in another, making it more likely that other squads will have the WP and that top squad won't any more. If it looks like the space battle is turning against you, Precision Strikes are still available. If your team can't capture the beacon and you need urgent support, you can also use a Precision Strike instead of waiting. The EVE support would be more effective/powerful, and ideally you want to wait for that opportunity, but that won't be the only option.
Faction Warfare is less likely to have these problems. You're automatically being targeted on areas in which there's an active space battle, which means there will usually be ships present fighting for both sides. In this situation, the elimination of Precision Strikes is more reasonable, and helps to make FW feel more like it's empire vs. empire combat rather than the player-owned Corporations or the regular NPC Corps going against one another.
Also for FW, it might work better to have sequential orbital requests. Availability could determined purely by EVE players controlling the beacon, and the highest WP count for a squad would mean they get priority on the strike. If a squad uses the strike, they become ineligible for another strike until all other squads have had a chance. Or they have their accumulated WP total reset for purposes of determining priority on an Orbital. The former option would mean that you guarantee to "cycle" through the squads during the course of the match, with the "best" players getting the first orbital, and the team's lesser-skilled players providing support later in the match. Using the other option would allow a particularly dominant squad to take all the orbital support themselves, but they would have to be performing a LOT better than the rest of the DUST Mercs on that side of the conflict. |
Garrett Blacknova
Codex Troopers
3368
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Posted - 2013.08.08 13:27:00 -
[2] - Quote
Cass Caul wrote:Ugh. I hate the fact that any team can earn an precision strike in Planetary Conquest. An EVE player can choose 3 variants of damage (or so I've been told. I don't fly destroyers), which might be better if trying to destroy an armor tank, but every single squad can earn their own OB. The DUST side Precision Strike takes half the time to call in as the EVE Orbital Bombardment, which just makes having some EVE guys about your planet/district a waste of time for them and possibly at the risk of losing a ship or two. That makes it pointless. Removing the player earned OBs would make EVE alliance members more valuable and strengthen the interconnection of DUST and EVE.
Unrelated, I think you need to stop giving Guardian points to someone with the armor repairer on the squad leader during an OB, and all the kill assist points for hopping into a Tank/LAV while the OB drops. This raises very real concerns.
But I still, for the reasons I stated beforehand, don't think that PC should lose Precision Strikes.
What I DO think should happen is that the delay on activation should be increased, so you have to plan your Precision Strike ahead in the same way you do with an EVE Orbital.
Precision Strikes give you a single option rather than the selection of ammo types available with EVE Orbitals. They also have a smaller blast radius and less damage, and with the proposed change, they DON'T get the advantage of a reduced firing delay any more. This way, for PC, the only advantage to Warbarge Precision vs. EVE Orbital is that the former can be used closer to friendly units without risking FF damage, and doesn't require support from another game that you can't guarantee every competitive Corp in DUST will want to involve themselves with. |
Garrett Blacknova
Codex Troopers
3388
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Posted - 2013.08.31 00:40:00 -
[3] - Quote
I still stand by my original post in the thread, as quoted below. I'd want to edit a few typoes, but I'm half asleep and can't be bothered right now.
Garrett Blacknova wrote:For PC at least, I think it's worth keeping the NPC Precision Strikes. Not every PC-capable Corp in DUST is going to have EVE support on call. For now, most do, and in future, most will, but not all, and not forever. I understand (and agree with) encouraging the EVE-DUST link, but this isn't encouraging, it's forcing it. DUST-exclusive Corps need to be capable of functioning - if at a slight disadvantage - without the reliance on EVE players. Corps with limited EVE support need options when their Capsuleers are unreachable.
And on that note, for PC, I think there should be a WP limit on squads calling in Orbitals, AND a limit on EVE players being available for them. So you need to capture the beacon so your team has access to an Orbital Strike, AND the ground forces need to build up their WP to call it in. When a squad has called in their first strike, they need more WP before they can call in another, making it more likely that other squads will have the WP and that top squad won't any more. If it looks like the space battle is turning against you, Precision Strikes are still available. If your team can't capture the beacon and you need urgent support, you can also use a Precision Strike instead of waiting. The EVE support would be more effective/powerful, and ideally you want to wait for that opportunity, but that won't be the only option.
Faction Warfare is less likely to have these problems. You're automatically being targeted on areas in which there's an active space battle, which means there will usually be ships present fighting for both sides. In this situation, the elimination of Precision Strikes is more reasonable, and helps to make FW feel more like it's empire vs. empire combat rather than the player-owned Corporations or the regular NPC Corps going against one another.
Also for FW, it might work better to have sequential orbital requests. Availability could determined purely by EVE players controlling the beacon, and the highest WP count for a squad would mean they get priority on the strike. If a squad uses the strike, they become ineligible for another strike until all other squads have had a chance. Or they have their accumulated WP total reset for purposes of determining priority on an Orbital. The former option would mean that you guarantee to "cycle" through the squads during the course of the match, with the "best" players getting the first orbital, and the team's lesser-skilled players providing support later in the match. Using the other option would allow a particularly dominant squad to take all the orbital support themselves, but they would have to be performing a LOT better than the rest of the DUST Mercs on that side of the conflict.
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Garrett Blacknova
Codex Troopers
3448
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Posted - 2013.09.02 12:31:00 -
[4] - Quote
Mobius Wyvern wrote:A Corp that's trying to do PC with no EVE players should suffer for that.
Most Corps are forming alliances that also have EVE Corps, which was part of the intention of this game all along: to have us both cooperate.
If this has to wait until those orbital cannons can be finished, then fine, but NPC strikes just eliminate any interest in working with EVE players for orbitals. Even though our strikes do more damage, people will still gravitate toward the "easy" and "safe" option, even when it makes no sense to do so. Re-read my post.
Precision Strikes don't have advantages under my proposed system. The only arguable advantage is the result of the "smaller blast radius" disadvantage - they have less collateral damage and can be used with less risk of friendly fire in mid-range combat. Also, if there's a cooldown on the use of the Precision Strikes, then EVE Orbitals will be able to "fill in" when a Precision Strike is still on cooldown, meaning EVE players can provide more consistent fire support.
The devs have directly stated that they DON'T WANT TO FORCE players to rely on the EVE/DUST link. I agree that it should be encouraged, and should give an advantage when it's used, but I disagree that going without should totally gimp your Corp in one of the primary aspects of being a Corp.
EDIT: Also worth mentioning, I think there needs to be a delay between calling for a Precision Strike and the Warbarge actually firing. That would negate the one area where people can legitimately argue that there's an advantage to Precision Strikes. |
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