Cross Atu
OSG Planetary Operations
Covert Intervention
2578
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Posted - 2014.07.10 16:11:00 -
[1] - Quote
CCP Wolfman wrote:Ok, next topic! This week we will (hopefully) be testing low orbital drops in Salvage, or as they have often been called GÇÿsky spawnsGÇÖ. Up until now weGÇÖve been using fixed spawn points and (shock horror) some mean spirited people liked to camp them. So since we've always been fond of the idea weGÇÖve decided to try out putting the spawn locations in the hands of the players rather than dictating them ourselves so hereGÇÖs is what is being prototyped:
- No default spawns.
- When you deploy you are GÇÿdroppedGÇÖ to a random location on the map.
- Drop uplinks and LOD Beacons can be used by players to set up their own bases of operation anywhere on the map.
- Drop Uplinks and LOD beacons are only usable by the player that deployed them and his squad.
Thoughts? 
Same thoughts as I have/had about it in Dust.
As an additional method it's great value added.
As an exclusive method is deeply flawed.
Addressing the exclusive aspect (as I think the value added side is pretty clear)
It removes tactical game play in many ways be eliminating stealth. It increases "redline" behavior due to the ability to kill players on their way in or camp their touch down locations (re-creating the "spawn without cloak" effects of early Dust).
It encourages AoE and 'spray and pray' spam as you can just blanket an area with fire for kills, and also it's one of the few counters to be spawn camped. (thus removing the roles of this weapons by making them effectively mandatory rather than niche).
Taking the first two bullet points
- No default spawns.
- When you deploy you are GÇÿdroppedGÇÖ to a random location on the map.
Those are great for optional spawns or as a first spawn in effect but as the only option again we're digging into the pre- history of dust with things like people opening fire as they're spawning just in case they're surrounded by hostiles.
It recreates situations like the "game show" event back in beta where there was no tactical play for the first portion of the map until opening spawns were all finished and uplinks were in place to establish a battlefield dynamic that wasn't essential a RNG at work.
Taking the next two points
- Drop uplinks and LOD Beacons can be used by players to set up their own bases of operation anywhere on the map.
- Drop Uplinks and LOD beacons are only usable by the player that deployed them and his squad.
This is interesting, assuming these spawn mechanics work the way our current spawns do, combined with a general spawn derived from the sky spawn school, that could become very interesting and dynamic.
I would append to this however that it should be the default Drop Uplinks and LOD which are squad locked with a verity available that would be team wide. Balance this 'team spawn' type such that it's efficiency (spawn time, fittings cost, number of spawns) was lessor than the squad only iterations. Having squad only is the primary push seems good, but removing possibility for team spawn entirely hobbles emergent and tactical play within more organized contexts such as PC, FW (or whatever Legion equivalents will be).
An alternate way to allow team spawn (would require testing of course) would be to make the mCRUs the slowest spawn points but open to team spawn. Thus you'd still have to establish and defend an asset presence on the ground to attain team spawn values, the squad links would be primary, but the mCRUs would provide a unique and tactically viable asset.
First thoughts,
Cross
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