CELESTA AUNGM
Kang Lo Directorate
Gallente Federation
453
   |
Posted - 2015.03.13 18:45:00 -
[1] - Quote
 Well, after playing in the new Echo release for one night, I knew THIS was going to be the one topic that would catch fire on the Forurm.
This M-fibril mechanic is something I don't use on my character, so my reactions to it are only based on observations of the OTHER players I saw using it that night:
I saw two players use their new jumps to take up sniper positions on buildings that were nearer the Objectives, so they could be more effective snipers.
I saw two players use the feature as a new "vertical strafe exploit", where it was impossible for the medium-range opponent to keep a clear line of fire on a target who hops faster than the vertical-response of your controller.
I had one player hack an exterior Null panel, then rise straight up as if by cat-burgler's helicopter cable, and she never came back down. The feature allows you to completely avoid being engaged.
I saw one player give up running around the map completely, and pogo-stick her way toward the objective for as long as the M-fibril allows---as a less-counterable means of travel. It looked as comical and outlandish as the speedy-HAV and the speedy-Scout issues we had.
 On the plus: It clearly gives players the opportunity to perch their weaponry/equipment on highground-advantage perches, arguably "at whim", without having to seek the dropship or jumping-LAV assistance that (unfortunately) many players aren't very good at arranging with fellow Dust players.
 On the negative: This kind of works AGAINST Dust devs' increasing desire to convince/inspire players to coordinate and successfully get assistance from one another as an effective and rewarded strategy for beating the opposition in a match.
 On the plus: It removes the advantages that wise players used against opponents,GǪ the advantage of using terrain limitations and hilly topography to outmanuver an enemy or cover avenues of approach around the map.
On the negative: This attacks the purpose of having maps with TERRAIN. Terrain and hills are part of the important challenge of "controlling access around the map", which is arguably how destroying the MCC is ultimately accomplished. As some people have already posted, there's no advantage to making the maps "essentially flat", by giving free open access to anyone who wants to wear moonboots.
 On the plus, it adds a new component of "fun" to those players who may not really have any strategic use for the M-fibril boost, and are just looking to increase their "pleasure" in playing a game.
 One the negative, in a videogame that interacts with other human players, "fun" and "pleasure" differs with motives, so game designer need to be careful about what kind of "fun" they are opening their game to. The kind of fun that impedes and alienates too many other players?
No matter what cool new features the majority of us would enjoy and probably use effectively, there's alway among us a risky amount of player who don't care that this is Dust, or it's CoD, or it's video Monopoly. They play it because they want to find SOME method of obstructing the gameplay and disrupting the general population's experience. This is THEIR "fun".
Like the cloak, this is just another "fun" feature that CCP will need to monitor aggressively. We're going to have some considerably bad experiences soon.
Universe of good wishes for the 49, especially CCP Eterne...
No story can have life without writers and publishers.
|