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Posted - 2014.01.02 02:27:00 -
[1] - Quote
Some of the following solutions have been inspired by playing Battlefield 4 on the PS3. This shows that they are not only technically feasible, but also effective.
First off, I'd like to begin with a broken mechanic that has been in the game well before the start of open beta: Amush "smart(lol)" spawning and camped uplinks. The solution to this is rather quite simple and already being demonstrated by games like Battlefield. We need a live footage cam for every spawn point so we can make intelligent decisions about where to spawn. Ambush already has set spawn points, but the game just randomly selects one for us. I really don't see how any other solution could be more effective. Or more awesome.
Now it's time to get down and dirty with possibly the most prevalent issue stemming from any one update: Tank spam and vehicle imbalance. My solution to this is also partly inspired by Battlefield, with regards to the important fact that Dust is indeed it's own, unique game. Before I talk about the vehicles themselves, I'd like to propose a few AV changes as well. It seems fairly logical, but if you're going start from scratch on vehicles in order to balance them, then you have to do the same for their opposites as well. AV needs to be completely redone, as the constant nerfs/buffs have them entirely mixed up. Swarm launchers rockets shouldn't be so agile and should get the damage back they had in the previous patch, Forge Gun projectiles should get their damage back as well but move slightly slower (requiring more skill at leading shots), and the Plasma Cannon needs a direct damage buff. Anytime raw skill/practice requirements are increased instead of damage numbers decreased, the balance becomes a whole lot more likely to succeed. Now for vehicles. The speeds at which tanks can move is insanely fast, especially when you look at how slow heavies move compared to other infantry. Also, few lines that I believe need a bit more definition are the lines between the 3 types of battle contracts: Public (pub), Faction Warfare (FW), and Planetary Conquest (PC). I feel like all balancing in the game is done from a perspective that the only way to fix things is to balance game items across all modes and contract types at once. This obviously isn't effective. Each contract type has it's own experience to offer, and those differences need to be nurtured. I'll discuss each game mode independently. First are pub matches. Pub matches are fictional, no impact battles that should be used solely for training, experimentation, and light-hearted enjoyment purposes. Two free tanks should be provided to each side by the fictional contract corps battling each other. These will be redeployed 3 minutes after destruction. Personal tanks can still be called in, but there will be a hefty fee. In FW, there will be no free tanks and no extra fee to call in personal tanks, basically keeping it the same as FW is currently. Rebalanced AV/vehicles and the potential ISK sink should hopefully keep tank spam at an all time low. Lastly, we have PC. People don't typically experiment and take risks in PC, hence why teams usually demonstrate a well organized band of various infantry and vehicles. The previously mentioned AV and vehicle balance should work effectively in PC as well.
My list of possible solutions wouldn't be complete without a suggestion for managing grenade spam. The solution is a rather simple one: Bump down the number of non-contact locus (regular) grenades carried by one (i.e. miltia grenades only allow one to be carried and all other locus nades allow for 2), and no longer allow grenade cooking, as it makes contact grenades seem pointless.
This last suggestion isn't something that I was originally going to include, but it came to me while I was writing this post. I believe that scrambler rifles need a little tweak in how they function, but not necessarily a nerf. The amount of damage done by an uncharged shot should be decreased while the rate at which damage increases by charging shoud be increased, keeping the damage done by a fully charged shot the same. The rate of heat build-up should also be decreased so that more charged shots can be fired. This will encourage people to use the charging function of a ScR more and discourage it's use as the laser version of the old Tactical Assault Rifle.
Agree with all, some, or none of my points, but please do discuss these imperative balance issues. The success of Dust depends on it.
Son of a plasma cannon!
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