Baal Roo
Subdreddit
Test Alliance Please Ignore
2763
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Posted - 2013.11.22 02:25:00 -
[1] - Quote
We all know that there's a pretty big problem with the current structure of the redlines in Dust 514.
Snipers, forge gunners, and tanks consistently take advantage of the current redline mechanics to fire upon enemies from unassailable positions, leading to less diversity, less tactical choices for retaliation, and just a general and fairly constant stream of "**** redline snipers/tanks/FGs!" from the mouths of players.
Now, obviously the redline serves some important functions.
1. It defines the edges of the playable area on a terrain that extends well beyond the redlines themselves.
2. It gives teams a "safe" place to spawn.
I think it's also important to clarify that there are actually 2 different redlines. There's the basic "shared" redline that achieves goal #1, and there's the "team specific" redline that achieves goal #2. I think we can also agree that both are 100% necessary and cannot simply be done away with.
So, the question becomes how to best deal with the frustration of players "exploiting" the redline, while still managing to fulfill both of the redlines functions.
What I would recommend is actually relatively simple changes that work together to create what is, in my opinion, a much easier to understand and more balanced redline system:
More clearly differentiate the two different types of redlines (shared vs. team specific)
The easiest way to accomplish this is to simply change the color of the team specific "redline" to something other than red. A Yellow hashed area seems like it would be a good fit. I would also recommend giving this area a new and different name like the "Deployment Zone."
Deincentivize firing into or out of the "Deployment Zone"
This could be as simple as awarding no warpoints for any actions that take place in one zone, but affect an asset residing in another. Alternatively, I could imagine a scenario in which no live fire can enter or exit the Deployment Zones themselves. Either of these choices could be easily explained through lore. The former through the same language used to warn players that they are "contractually obligated to enter the combat zone," or the latter as a defensive shield generator placed on site by the respective armies to secure the staging areas. |