Damon Romani
Villore Sec Ops
Gallente Federation
21
   |
Posted - 2012.07.27 02:04:00 -
[1] - Quote
Having played EVE for so long, I had some idea of what expect when coming into this game. Having come into this beta only a couple of days ago, I am getting a first-hand taste of what it's like to be a brand new militiaman in a field of experienced soldiers.
In EVE, even a brand-new rookie pilot can be useful in a fleet fight filled with 5 year old characters. This because they can get into fast, tiny, hard-to-hit frigates and help pin down the huge enemy battleships, slowing them down and preventing them from retreating altogether. With a minimal amount of training, you can quickly get them into stealth bombers, providing even more ways for the rookie to contribute to a large battles without getting instantly vaporised.
Dust is somewhat lacking in this feature at the moment, and I think some serious consideration needs to be put into fleshing out low-SP combat roles that will allow a rookie to feel like he is contributing.
Suggestions
Push Rookies into Gunnery
A rookie can already contribute meaningfully by manning the guns on somebody else's Marauder. At the very least, the UI should be encouraging rookies to find and get into vehicles as gunners. A system for enabling rookies to quickly locate and get into friendly tanks anywhere on the battlefield could also be beneficial.
Make a Unique Militia Dropsuit
A rookie is never going to be able to stand up in a brawl against a veteran player, and the default suit selection should reflect this. Rookies should be getting pushed into support roles instead of direct combat roles. The heavy militia suit in particular stands out as a rookie-trap, because it loses the speed of the other suits while offering very little protection.
Create a new class of dropsuit that is only available as a militia BPO. This suit would be a hybrid between the existing scout & logistics suits, focusing on speed and utility. Their role on the battlefield would be to mostly ride shotgun in vehicles, being the first ones to get out when it comes time to hack or repair. Their improved speed would help them reach the objective quickly, as well as returning to the vehicle quickly once the job is done.
Make a Unique Militia Vehicle
Just like the existing militia dropsuits, the militia vehicles are not really able to fulfil their own advertised roles, and are instead being primarily used as taxis. So just make a militia taxi and be done with it. Similar speed to a LAV, no guns, no tank, no passengers. Self-destructs if left unattended.
Conclusion
Making unique militia gear serves two purposes:
- It defines a clear role for new players on the battlefield, and unique models help telegraph this to all. Rookies will more easily recognise that they aren't using the same stuff as others, and that will help shape their goal-setting.
- The existing ingame models communicate specific roles, but the militia gear heavily water down these messages. Keeping militia variants of specialised gear off the battlefield helps everyone more clearly assess threats at a glance.
|