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Zat Earthshatter
Osmon Surveillance
Caldari State
304
   |
Posted - 2013.01.24 08:20:00 -
[1] - Quote
The Problem
The District system - a good way to facilitate planetary conquest, while making it feel like you accomplished something.
However, it's a little bare-bones - you simply have to capture all Districts to conquer a planet, it matters not the order or location that they are in. So much for strategy
My Solution
Actually - it's CCP's solution. They've solved it already, but don't know it.
Look in the Event Horizon Lounge on PS Home, play the board game Slay, and tell me what sounds familiar. Now, we can apply that to DUST 514 itself.
Basically - I want planetary conquest to work like an RTS version of Slay, with some modifications.
WARNING: The following is a somewhat-complicated rule set. Not nearly as complicated as Slay itself, but enough so to make unprepared heads hurt - standard-issue EVE.
DOUBLE WARNING: this is my longest-ever suggestion - running a grand total of four massive posts. Please make sure you have the time before reading the entire thing. Alternatively, read the summary and play a game of Slay in PS Home to get a general idea.
The Districts (improvement based off of Ulysses Knapse's feedback)
In Slay, the critical resource is earned by holding territories - but the resource is locked into that territory's linked group.
In DUST, clones are the "critical" resource. Without them, we cannot fight. Where do they come from? They come from the Districts, that's where!
In an attack, the target District supplies 40 clones to start, and linked districts supply a lower amount depending on distance.
>Districts directly adjacent supply 20. One can have a maximum of 5 hexes supporting an attacked District, so the maximum bonus here is 100
>Districts 2 hexes away supply 10. Due to hex-grid math, this gives a maximum of 11 linked Districts - another 110.
>Any further Districts only supply 5 clones each.
Attackers would be smart to attack out-lying Districts first, to cut down on the clone bonuses. Cutting off Districts will be far more effective, however.
The Clones
The reason that the clone supplies are not consumed as long as the District is owned, is simply to make the decisions easier - a commander need not worry about how many clones he's committed to a fight, because he hasn't lost them. He only needs to worry about the player amounts he can deploy.
If you attack a District, the clones available from the District Group you attack from are available to use in the fight. If multiple owned District Groups border the target, you can choose whether to use them as well. More on that later.
Capitals and Sub-Captials
Even if pushed to the last District, the defenders still need a chance, hence making this necessary.
Defenders get one District to be their planetary Capital - representing governmental control over the entire planet.
Having Districts in the same group with the Capital is ideal, as it grants five times more clones in any situation than a standard District.
Whenever a separate District Group is made that has 2 or more connected Districts in them, a Sub-Capital is formed from one of them. This Sub-Capital grants only twice the clones of a standard District, but is still effective in maintaining control.
The War Barge
Attackers do not get a full Capital until they conquer the planet. Once it enters "planetary Siege" mode, the War Barge becomes the Attacker Capital.
The 5x District clone bonus is applied to the first District captured - now called the Anchor District. For defenders to win, they have to re-capture the Anchor District, then use it to launch up to the War Barge and turn off its Siege mode from within.
Once defenders do so, the War Barge is vulnerable to EVE starship attack - it is recommended to turn off the Siege when your EVE friends are around to destroy it, as they cannot kill it while in Siege.
Momentum (modified clone effects of "charged" Momentum, which gives more reason to manage it.)
To prevent Attackers from losing immediately, and the Defenders from being assured destruction, we add Momentum as a resource. Consecutive victories in battles you've deployed to (sent DUST soldiers to take) increases the Momentum meter.
"Charging" the Momentum meter:
>reduces timers of all call-ins, including RDV wait time. At maximum, it's there almost the moment you call it in!
>EDIT: lowers enemy clone counts while you are attacking, up to 50% at full Momentum - represents blitzkrieg-style warfare, allowing attackers to gain large amounts of territory when built up.
>Improves all Command-asset bonuses, such as the player-MCC's bonuses.
It goes down the longer you wait to begin another battle, but is brought down by 1/2 maximum when a battle is lost. Oh, and getting recently-captured locations cut off eliminates Momentum entirely.
On the flipside, Attackers have full Momentum after they've first laid their Anchor Point - Defenders start with none. This is to allow Attackers to gain a hefty foothold without being beaten back right away.
This changes the game to one of picking battles you are sure of victory in, allowing Districts to fall if need be, and strategically stopping an advance with a single smart move. |
Zat Earthshatter
Osmon Surveillance
Caldari State
304
|
Posted - 2013.01.24 08:20:00 -
[2] - Quote
Attacking
Your first job as commander of a planetary conquest, is to figure out the best location for your Anchor District.
Once the War Barge is in Siege mode, you can pick from available Districts to attack.
You cannot Anchor at:
the same quarter-sphere as the Defender Capital.
the Anchor District of another Attacker, or directly adjacent to it. Yes, this means multi-way battles can happen.
Once selected, you initiate a DUST battle over the potential Anchor Point. Defenders in that District are taken by surprise, so they have lower clonecounts than rules normally dictate. You must win this District, or defenders can immediately counter-attack into your War Barge, turn off the Siege, then have it destroyed like a normal starship.
If you win either of those battles, you gain the Anchor District. I recommend that you continue to seize the opportunity and attack while you have your Momentum boost.
After some time, cutting off Districts, you are ready to attack a Sub-Capital in an isolated District Group.
Sub-Capitals are a racial map reminiscent of a "port" city. A small, open airfield allows non-VTOL civilian craft to take off and land here. Tight streets intended for commuting traffic are perfect for CQC once everybody evacuates. There are also plenty of corporate towers for enterprising snipers.
The objective here is to reach the "City Hall" building, hack the system, then plant a bomb at the power core whose location you "requested".
Once conquered, the location gives a temporary Clone boost until your cleanup crew dismantles the city and builds a military base. All's fair in love and war, and I don't see any dating in DUST.
A long strategic battle later, and you have whittled the enemy down to where you can deal the final blow: Capturing the Main Capital.
A bustling population center, the massive Capital's buildings reach into the upper layers of atmosphere - high enough to require two full detachments to assault properly.
The upper division's goal is to locate the Spaceport and launch a computer-virus package to the orbital Customs Office, flipping its recognition of the planet. Aerial vehicles are highly recommended for this battle.
The lower division's goal is to locate the main government building, hack the system to locate the Executive Bunker, then eliminate the planet's Executive Officer. Executive Officers will have an AI elite guard, so you have to deal with them as well - send your best on-foot killers to this portion.
The planet itself isn't taken until both divisions complete their objectives, and if one fails [u]both battles have to be fought again[./u] |
Zat Earthshatter
Osmon Surveillance
Caldari State
304
|
Posted - 2013.01.24 08:21:00 -
[3] - Quote
Defense
You are in a pickle - the enemy has successfully acquired an Anchor District, and is fast-approaching your Capital.
Stay Calm
and
Slay Them!
You only have so many players at your disposal - but it's the same with the attackers. Understand that they will want to over-extend, and resist your urge to do the same. Know when to let a District go, and know when you cannot lose one.
Your first objective is to halt their advance and stop their Momentum. Put your best commanders in MCCs, and stop them before they can cut you off.
Once that is done, you need to counter-attack and build up your own Momentum. Strike "soft" targets until you can start cutting the attacker Districts off, then re-gain your lost territory.
Eventually, you'll have captured back enough Districts to attack the Anchor, and then the War Barge.
The Anchor will be mostly the way you left it - except for the enemies' Beacon Tower, which is your objective.
Get your soldiers into the Beacon Tower, reach the central controls, then hack it to commandeer a fleet of RDVs to bring your war assets into orbit - into the War Barge itself.
Once inside, You can either:
>Hack the Siege Reactor, turning it off and preventing it from turning on for an hour - the quickest to perform, but the War Barge can escape.
>Sever the powergrid lines to temporarily knock out the ship's warp core and Siege mode - requires breaching tools, and a longer time to complete.
>Overload the Power Core, and escape before it blows - Brings the War Barge into low structure, knocked out for some time. Takes the longest, and any of your assets still inside are destroyed. |
Zat Earthshatter
Osmon Surveillance
Caldari State
304
|
Posted - 2013.01.24 08:37:00 -
[4] - Quote
Interface and Pay
Conquest Commanders (those who partake in this meta-game) have a unique District interface. It allows them to select Districts, identify when they were acquired by their corp / faction, and how many clones are available to use for that District's purposes.
At the bottom, you see your Momentum Meter. Clones help a battle, but it is this meter that will decide your fate.
Once a District is selected, you see the basic map layout of that District. If it's yours, you can see the deployed Installations left over in that District - they remain there permanently until destroyed. If it's the enemy's, you can only see the basic layout and the clonecount that will be available.
Selecting any District will show if there are any active Attacks against it.
>Attacking: Select an enemy District, then pick the "Attack" option. You then choose adjacent District(s) to attack from. You cannot Attack from an allied district that is itself being Attacked.
>Defending: Select a District with an active Attack and select "Defend". Districts that aren't actively Defended are simply taken, and do not create a DUST contract for either side.
Both situations, once the other side also commits, create a DUST corporation or mercenary contract, depending on your settings.
When the Conquest is complete - either a win or loss - you gain SP based on:
>Successful Attacks and Defends
>Whether you won or lost the Conquest - also sets your ISK reward based on the full contract
>Any and all boosters affect Conquest Command SP
It should be noted that DUST Conquest Commanders can hit their SP cap in a single successful Conquest.
EVE players that opt for this role gain a higher ISK bonus on these factors - but it costs the contractor more. (I see no reason an EVE player couldn't do this, but this will make DUST commanders more profitable to use)
ALL SP-capping systems still apply to Conquest Commanders - no SP advantages to be had
Summary
This suggestion, however long, upgrades Planetary Conquest into a fully-fledged career option for DUST players.
>Uses the existing Slay minigame as inspiration
>Becomes a hex-based RTS with dual resource management.
>Is not for everybody - only those with true strategic ability will be effective at this, hence creating corporate demand.
>Is slanted toward DUST. EVE players require further compensation, which means DUST players are simply cheaper to use as commanders. Viola, economic purpose!
And lastly, this creates a divergent career path for DUST.
EVE always allowed you to do whatever you wanted - PvP, Trade, mine, even explore. FPS games almost never have this freedom.
This new mode and reward system allows DUST players that freedom - they can be good at an FPS, or they can be the next Napoleon and engineer a grand conquest of entire worlds. |
Zero Harpuia
Maverick Conflict Solutions
422
|
Posted - 2013.01.24 09:18:00 -
[5] - Quote
Kinda reminds me of Planetside 2, attacking the separate facilities to split enemy lines and all. Maybe we could also have facilities equipped to districts to alter how they function, similar to the aforementioned capital(anti-orbitals, biomassing plants for more clones, drone production facilities for AI battle assists), to cause a more strategic attack method from 'attack here to split, attack the weak one, attack to split, attack the weak one, repeat til capital' that this method would lead to otherwise. |
Jackof All-Trades
Bojo's School of the Trades
79
|
Posted - 2013.01.24 14:19:00 -
[6] - Quote
This has potential. The taking of planets most definitely needs to be tactical, and we can't have that if there isn't any order to the attacks. Since no one else has even considered something like this (I think) then you definitely have my support. |
Octavian Vetiver
Dog Nation United
Relativity Alliance
152
|
Posted - 2013.01.24 14:47:00 -
[7] - Quote
Add that in with the PI 2.0 idea from EVE forums and it's a match. It makes it to where you aren't just running around crazily. |
Zat Earthshatter
Osmon Surveillance
Caldari State
304
|
Posted - 2013.01.24 22:32:00 -
[8] - Quote
PI will definitely play a role - but my OP is already immensely long and complicated, plus PI itself is an EVE mechanic.
However, I can say that having DIstricts with PI facilities nearby should improve performance in some areas, depending on the facility type.
Of course, I also would like racial PI items up in EVE, as the current ones only seem to be Caldari by their icons - which would wind up cramping DUST's style should we fight over them. |
Jackof All-Trades
Bojo's School of the Trades
79
|
Posted - 2013.01.25 08:07:00 -
[9] - Quote
Octavian Vetiver wrote:Add that in with the PI 2.0 idea from EVE forums and it's a match. It makes it to where you aren't just running around crazily.
Holy crap, I just looked at the PI 2.0 idea and it's amazing. |
Ulysses Knapse
Nuevo Atlas Corporation
73
|
Posted - 2013.01.25 10:28:00 -
[10] - Quote
No. It would be bad for overall balance. There are other options to improve strategy that do not harm gameplay in general. |
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Zat Earthshatter
Osmon Surveillance
Caldari State
304
|
Posted - 2013.01.25 10:56:00 -
[11] - Quote
Ulysses Knapse wrote:No. It would be bad for overall balance. There are other options to improve strategy that do not harm gameplay in general.
Anything specific?
It is a large suggestion, but it is open to improvement. If I like your modification(s), i'll use them. |
Ulysses Knapse
Nuevo Atlas Corporation
73
|
Posted - 2013.01.25 11:06:00 -
[12] - Quote
Zat Earthshatter wrote:Ulysses Knapse wrote:No. It would be bad for overall balance. There are other options to improve strategy that do not harm gameplay in general. Anything specific? It is a large suggestion, but it is open to improvement. If I like your modification(s), i'll use them.
I don't like the system you designed for clone resources, but just for the sake of improvement, I'll tell you how to improve it. Instead of having a linear accumulation, you could have a set amount that gradually increased. For example, if you have one district, it's 40 clones. If you have two districts, it is 45 clones, and so on. The amount increased can vary depending on the amount of total districts on the planet. |
Zat Earthshatter
Osmon Surveillance
Caldari State
304
|
Posted - 2013.01.25 11:44:00 -
[13] - Quote
Ulysses Knapse wrote:Instead of having a linear accumulation, you could have a set amount that gradually increased. For example, if you have one district, it's 40 clones. If you have two districts, it is 45 clones, and so on. The amount increased can vary depending on the amount of total districts on the planet.
Makes sense - Plus with a sliding scale for District bonuses toward each other, it might be easier to tweak for balance - CCP could adjust the "brackets", and how much of a bonus each bracket gave.
Say the gradual change was based upon how far each District was from the one being attacked. Here's some sample numbers to illustrate the change.
>The attacked/attacking District deploys 40 clones
>Districts directly adjacent to it send 20 to aid
>Districts 2 hexes away supply 10
>Any further linked Districts supply 5
EDIT: added to OP - credit given for your feedback. |
Ulysses Knapse
Nuevo Atlas Corporation
73
|
Posted - 2013.01.25 13:04:00 -
[14] - Quote
Zat Earthshatter wrote:Ulysses Knapse wrote:Instead of having a linear accumulation, you could have a set amount that gradually increased. For example, if you have one district, it's 40 clones. If you have two districts, it is 45 clones, and so on. The amount increased can vary depending on the amount of total districts on the planet. Makes sense - Plus with a sliding scale for District bonuses toward each other, it might be easier to tweak for balance - CCP could adjust the "brackets", and how much of a bonus each bracket gave. Say the gradual change was based upon how far each District was from the one being attacked. Here's some sample numbers to illustrate the change. >The attacked/attacking District deploys 40 clones >Districts directly adjacent to it send 20 to aid >Districts 2 hexes away supply 10 >Any further linked Districts supply 5 I do feel like this is a good improvement, but i'll wait for your approval before adding to OP.
Why wait for my approval? I haven't patented it or anything. |
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