Dev Blog by CCP Frame:
http://dust514.com/news/blog/2013/06/developing-game-mode-variations/Quote:
There have also been major changes to Skirmish Mode. Players who have been with us since closed beta will remember that Skirmish used to involve a team escorting a Mobile Command Center (MCC) across a map while a rival team attempted to stop them, a setup now commonly called GÇ£Skirmish 1.0GÇ¥. Unfortunately, this mode was not as balanced as we would have liked. At the time it was deployed, the fittings and skills players could select, and the randomization of outposts in each battle, led to uneven gameplay between the teams.
Players let us know, so we created a version of Skirmish Mode (commonly called GÇ£Skirmish 2.0GÇ¥) with more symmetry among teams. Anyone who has played DUST 514 should be familiar with this newer setup. There are now two MCCs floating above a battlefield, launching barrages of concentrated firepower at each other. Players rush to capture NULL cannons to damage their enemyGÇÖs MCC as quickly as possible while preventing their rivals from doing the same.
CCP, who were those players that let you know? Those players were just wrong. Skirmish 1.0 was a very balanced game. I never understood why anyone in the forums thought they were unbalanced. The game mode encouraged a lot of teamwork, we had to move with a purpose regardless of which side we were on, and it allowed the defenders a chance to regroup and mobilize without getting too redlined because they had an entire base to heavily guard and protect WITHIN THEIR OWN REDLINE WHERE THE NULL CANNONS WERE!!!
I do recall seeing a handful of players in the forums whining and QQing about the original game mode claiming that defending the objectives were difficult but they completely ignored the fact that they had every chance to establish a solid fortification while the attackers were busy trying to deal with the defense relays.
I also do recall similar players complaining about how hard it was to attack. But those players were wrong as well because they were just not working together as they should have. On top of that, there were plenty of places to flank the enemy but noooooooo they just wanted to run-n-gun like in CoD out in the open for snipers to shoot at and at the time snipers were crap so that's saying something about the unit cohesion of the players.
Let's also not forget that during this time in which Skirmish 1.0 existed, players were unable to squad up, unable to form corporations let alone group up with alliances and qsync, and there were no voice comms available. The only reason Skirmish 1.0 seemed unbalanced to some was due to the missing features I just mentioned. I bet you 500 million ISK (or one PLEX) from my Eve Online character that if the above-mentioned features were available at the time, then Skirmish 1.0 would have been loved by every player... even the whiners would have loved it because then they would rely on green dots rather than random blueberries. I bet this feature would also make PC battles more interesting.
So on behalf of all of the players on this community who want Skirmish 1.0, I ask CCP to please bring this game mode back. It was fun, it was balanced, I saw no reason why it had to go.
If anyone here agrees, put a +1 in your reply and scream HOOAH!!!!
EDIT:
Maken Tosch wrote:
Thanks for the support, guys. I appreciate it.
For those of you who are not aware how Skirmish 1.0 works, here is a step-by-step process on how it went in any given match.
1. Match starts with an attacking MCC slowly advancing on the far side of the map away from the target outpost or city while the attacking mercs attempt to hack and destroy 3 defense relays before their MCC's shields run out.
2. At the same time, the match starts with the defending players having NO MCC on their side but do have a city with 2-3 null cannons located FAR BEHIND the redline where they can organize and fortify their position before the defense relays get taken out.
3. Defending side hope to keep the attacking side from destroying their defense relays.
4. If all 3 defense relays go down before the shields do, then the MCC has a chance to advance further and dock up over the outpost or city as the redline retreats back and exposes the city. But it needs to dock up before its armor runs out.
5. Attacking mercs do everything they can to try to capture the null cannons within the city.
6. Defending side fortifies itself within the city in an attempt to keep the enemy from coming in.