Sole Fenychs
Sinq Laison Gendarmes
Gallente Federation
201
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Posted - 2014.02.15 13:35:00 -
[1] - Quote
BL4CKST4R wrote:Aeon Amadi wrote:Slightly off topic but am I the only one who thinks Armor Plates being a high PG item in a low-powered slot is ******* silly? I think it's silly that armor even costs PG. Why do I need to run energy through my armor? !?!?!
Running power through the suit to offset weight?
Wait, no, that's actually not done. Or maybe each armor module weighs a ton and the power is there to offset the weight to *only* the current speed reduction.
Anyway, what the hell is with all those "There should be shield repairers" claims and stuff like that?
Shield and armor symbolize the two facets of FPS:
- Shield is the new "red goo means take cover" approach where your health is effectively infinite but you turn squishy
- Armor is the oldschool "be a tank, but make sure to not overextend and conserve health" playstyle. The rep tool has basically the same function as the health packs of the past.
Personally, I'd say that the shield/armor tanking duality should be taken to its extreme. Something like giving armor tanking suits no or only extremely neglegible shields and vice versa. However, that would require damage type bonuses to be evened out, because it otherwise breaks balance on an encounter basis.
Shield modules should focus less on raising shield HP and more on making its actual strength more of an advantage - Less regen delay, higher regeneration.
The former is good for frontline fighters to pop into cover, regenerate a bit and then go on fighting. The latter is good for hit and run players that can take the time to let their shields regenerate.
The shield values for both of those playstyles should be the same. What should be different is to either have faster regeneration or lower regeneration delay.
Armor, on the other hand, should have far more variety in terms of HP values. The advantage is a steady output and a frontloaded design - Your armor *always* regenerates, but when it's shot off, you'll take a while until you are fully regenerated.
This, again, should be used as a basis for customization. Amarr trade regeneration and speed for high alpha armor (...I think I just raped a word), while Gallente focus on regeneration with swift movement and the ability to be far more flexible in cover usage. A Caldari will always need to pop into cover for a few moments before regeneration kicks in, while a Gallente doesn't need to care about one or two stray shots breaking regeneration.
However, attrition will favor the shield tanker over the armor tanker, because the armor tanker will have more and more trouble getting back to full HP.
The idea of the repair tool here is to have armor reliant on infrastructure and coordination. Shields, meanwhile, should be independant. Having them regenerate easily is part of that, but maybe there should be more to it.
How can we emphasize the fact that shields are the playstyle for unorganized groups and lone wolfs? What if shield modules had integrated scan profile reduction, while armor modules (not reppers) increase your profile?
Unfortunately, this would run into issues due to Gallente being the stealth focused faction. |