Haerr
Clone Manque
1784
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Posted - 2014.11.05 12:39:00 -
[1] - Quote
Zatara Rought wrote:I think the time has come to rework e-war as a whole to bring mediums back into the e-war game through module use. I disagree! 
A rework of the EWAR system is long overdue. Several ideas have been mulled over and contributed to. Here is a short (hehe) summary.
EWAR
On modules and a core issue
One problem of the current EWAR system is that modules are either good enough or completely ineffective and a waste of slots. This is in stark contrast to how other modules in Dust works and a rework of the system ought to allow for modules to be useful even when their combined effect isn't perfect.
One idea is to implement a falloff to scan precision on both passive and active scanners. This would allow for a tug of war between precision enhancers and profile dampeners, in which the result determines how close you can be to someone before you show up on their scans.
On the binary nature of scans
Currently you either do not show up on the tac-net OR you up on the mini-map as a directional arrow and as a chevron on the HUD (regardless of LOS). There are several problems here that are not entirely straight forward to solve. First of which is that there are only two states of being scanned down, second is that the max scanned down state is giving away too much information.
One way of reducing the impact of being scanned down is to increase the number of scanned down states. If for example we have hidden, sector on the mini-map, blip on the mini-map, and chevron on the hud while in line of sight, we then have four states of which the max scanned down state gives away less information.
Removing the directional arrow on the mini-map and the chevron on HUD while out of line of sight will make it more difficult to time CQC alphas, it will also make it more difficult to time pre firing your weapon to when an enemy is coming around a corner because it will be more difficult to determine exactly when he will be coming around said corner.
On shared scans
In the current system shared (squad) passive scans are too powerful related to how easy they are to use, while shared (team) active scans are too difficult to avoid in comparison to the benefit that they provide. In the idea of precision falloff and more states shared scans are not necessarily a bad thing provided that they are optional extras that are at a disadvantage compared to personal scans. Shared passive scans could require the use of a pg/cpu intensive module and the sharing active scanners could be less powerful than non-sharing active scanners.
On Scan Profile modifiers
In the current system it wouldn't make much difference to attach temporary scan profile penalties (increases) to actions such as firing a HMG. It would how ever make a fair bit of difference with the precision falloff idea. Actions such as firing non-suppressed weapons and/or having activate equipment could temporarily (while active) make it easier to pickup your position. It would also allow for separately balancing suppressed weapons or variants and non-suppressed weapons.
On Combining Scan Profile modifiers with different scanning layers
Combining the ideas of the recently added infantry passive vehicle scanning layer and Scan Profile modifiers there could be a layer for vehicles to detect AV-infantry when they are charging up or locking-on. This would allow for vehicle pilots to have an early warning system against AV while not giving away the position of AV infantry to other types of infantry. However there is no reason to why a weapon, say a forge gun, couldn't have Scan Profile modifiers in several layers. It would also give heavies a reason to fit profile dampener, reducing the range of which vehicles can pick up forge guns while they are charging.
On Active Scanners, Medium suits, and Profile Dampeners
Currently there is very little reason to fit Profile Dampeners on Medium suits, with the Precision falloff idea there is more reason to do so but still not enough. That can be somewhat remedied by introducing a new bonus to Profile Dampeners: Scanned Down Duration -xx%, it will work in both the current iteration (to a degree) of EWAR and more so in the Precision falloff idea. It will also allow for profile dampeners to have a use even when their primary function fails, reducing the feeling that the modules are useless as soon as there are high level scanners being used.
While comparing the difference in Scan Precision vs. the Scan Profile to modify the time scanned down would be a more elegant solution, putting a clearly worded bonus directly on the module is likely a better solution as it makes the benefits of the module more straightforward. |