Beren Hurin
OMNI Endeavors
Reverberation Project
464
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Posted - 2013.05.15 15:27:00 -
[1] - Quote
So I think the community is trying to wrap their head around why people should play FW vs. instant battles, and while you have the choice of a few different game modes of instant battles and the variety of tactics around them, I believe the ability to sync into a game is undervalued. Regardless, I think there is still something that could make FW unique.
It seems like the dev team doesn't want to just boost the value that you get from FW just through isk or special faction gear. This is logical, because then if all you cared about was income and SP grinding, then why wouldn't you just play FW if it was the better deal.
A solution for making FW unique means that the experience of play, immersion, cooperation, and investment should all be slightly different from instant battles.
So there are some thoughts going on here with some ideas. I laid out my 'command points' idea. It is basically turning squad lead commendations into a currency that can be stored and then called upon later for advantages in other matches.
The command points could then be spent before or during other FW or PC battles to give an edge, or turn the tables in your favor (More clones, more MCC HP, ability to delay in OBS etc). I also tied the squad command role with these benefits and suggested a new skill branch to affect this system. It includes a sub branch that helps squad members accumulate SP more quickly, but requires its own investent of 2mill SP or so to get worthwhile advantage.
They become like wildcards you can store up, rather than equipment or weapons that let you hit harder. It also means that a faction warfare combat veteran (with saved up command points) becomes possibly more of an asset than a max SP toon who is always playingn solo, or AFKing, or always in PC. The FW Vet becomes its own commodity. But is only valuable in squad play somewhere else. Command points only have social value where there use is desired.
Another idea is to have different milita factions drop pieces of new racial 'translink hardwirings'. They would give personal bonuses and squad bonuses when everyone is equipped with one. The appropriate racial pieces would only drop while playing for that race's faction militia. So if you wanted the Gallente armor hardwiring that provides a 25% reduction to personal armor movement penalty and a +25% armor bonus to a full squad with the same hardwiring, then you would be fighting in Gallente FW hoping for those drops. Once you get all of the 3 pieces to make the hardwiring, then you assemble it and plug it in giving you the bonus.
This would also encourage specialized squad compositions and a kind of social investment that is different than instant battles. |