George Moros
Balkan Express Squad
400
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Posted - 2014.05.24 07:32:00 -
[1] - Quote
Just to give my 2 cents about the whole scanning vs dampening debate...
IMHO the problem with current detection mechanics in general (meaning, not just relating to scouts) is that the detection system works like an on/off switch without any "gray" areas. The whole scanning vs dampening meta resolves to "how low my profile has to be in order to remain undetectable to this-and-that?" As a result of this, the balance between profile and precision will always have issues. Either you will have a meta with perma-"you have been scanned" for everyone, or noone will bother with scanners because they know that a significant portion of enemies will be unaffected by them. This pretty much sums up the difference in meta pre and post 1.8.
What needs to be done (and I know that it can't be done by simply tweaking a few numbers - the whole system has to be reworked), is to introduce the "gray" area for detection. A gal scout with very low profile simply cannot expect to win every "profile vs detection duel" no matter how low his profile is. In the same manner, a cal scout or a gal logi cannot expect to detect anyone no matter how good his detection is. I suppose there are a number of ways to implement this, so I'll try to propose one possible method...
For passive scanning: current mechanics works by simply checking whether your scan precision beats your enemy's scan profile while he's inside your scan radius. If it is, you see his marker on your "radar". What could be done is to introduce another variable into the formula - his relative distance to you dynamically increases his scan profile. Since the whole detection mechanic resolves around how much noise someone makes (scan related numbers represent decibels), this even makes perfect sense reality-check-wise. If your enemy is just inside your scan radius he should be less visible (heardable?) than if he's standing just behind you. In other words, your enemy's marker should be made more and more transparent (or in any other way harder to detect) if your scan precision beats his scan profile by just a tiny amount. As he moves closer, the difference between your scan precision vs his profile increases, making him more and more visible on your radar. This way, even a heavy could potentially see a scout on his radar, if the scout is standing just behind him.
For active scanning: by using similar math as in the example above, the difference in the amount your scan detection beats your enemy's profile determines his visibility duration. If you win by just a tiny amount, you'll see him just for a split second, if you win big, you see him for longer duration.
So, by making scanning mechanics work as just proposed, you'd (hopefully) get the following:
- Your scan profile/precision rating becomes a relevant stat no matter what dropsuit you use. Of course, it still remains more relevant to dropsuits relying on stealth than to those which do not. With this mechanic, even a heavy profits from having a lower scan profile or precision - it does help his survivability, although not as much as having more EHP - just as it should.
- Your scan profile/precision rating has utility at any level. It's not just "I gotta have profile lower that X, and I'm cool". Having a profile smaller or greater than X becomes cool too - it depends on player's playstlye/preference/requirements rather than some fixed value to determine which value of X is cool, and which is not.
- Most importantly - you get the mechanics with which it's much easier to create a balanced EWAR meta.
Pulvereus ergo queritor.
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