DUST Search - An alternative approach to tank balance

Dead Pressman wrote:

Hello all. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Dead Pressman and I die a lot.

Now, It isn't difficult to predict that prototype HAVS are eventually going to make their return to the game. As these videos of the bad old days clearly demonstrates, this is a potentially horrifying development for infantry and lesser tankers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KNSdD8PYgY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs84DERE-c4

Oh, boy. That looks fun! (For them.) But what about the rest of us? Dust 514 can be brutal enough without taking those joy-wrecking Godzillas into account. However, buffing AV or nerfing these brutes will only lead to a bitter moral quandary. After all, tanks SHOULD be capable of this sort of destruction; but at the same time, this is just a game and not a real war. Leaving that level of power in the hands of a select few players would be grossly unfair. So, how can we come to terms with the powerful vehicles that HAV pilots would like to command, versus the rest of us who would like very much not to be ground into bloody sausage beneath their treads?

Simple! We use tanks as a point of ESCALATION, and not ENTITLEMENT. We turn them into a REWARD for good play, and not a CRUTCH for bad players. Here's how:

1. Tie in deployment of HAVS with capturing checkpoints: If there's one thing that everyone can agree with, it's that the current debate on HAV balance is lose/lose. Nerfing tanks punishes pilots for how they chose to spend their skill points, but arbitrarily placing them back at their pre-Uprising levels of dominance will punish EVERYONE ELSE. There has to be a middle-ground where Tankers can enjoy the fruits of their labor, and infantry can enjoy the opportunity not to be bottlenecked and destroyed by tanks. Luckily, it's an easy enough fix: Tie up deployment of HAVS with checkpoints. If it's a five checkpoint map (A-B-C-D-E), then limit the ability to summon HAVS to the team that has 3 of those 5 nodes. If it's three checkpoints (A-B-C), then limit the ability to summon HAVS to the team that has 2/3 of those nodes. This accomplishes three things:

I. This eliminates early tank dominance. HAV Pilots will not be able to summon and slaughter with impunity. It's the end of 25-0 KDR silliness, (Unless your team is on the ball and captures those nodes early.) In other words, it will remove the power from a handful of tank players and disperse it evenly amongst the team. When you see one of your buddies rolling down the street raining fire and death, it's because you helped contribute to it! And when you're standing next to the puddle of meat and fluid that used to be your best friend until a HAV winked at him, and your turn is coming up next, well that just means you really should have worked on capturing those nodes, sunshine.

II. It establishes the tank as a niche. HAV pilots will have the OPPORTUNITY to be a devastating force in the field, but it won't be guaranteed. If you want to run your tank so badly, then put your boots to the ground and help capture those nodes. You have to get blood on your dropsuit, cowboy.

III. It redistributes the responsibility. Those GÇ£ nerf-tankingGÇ¥ threads made a good point about the innate unfairness of HAVSs getting on the field, but past a certain point it became embittered whining. Well, now the ball will be in the hands of the infantry. You can indulge in some Call Of Duty style gun running, in order to pad your war-point count, while their scouts capture nodes, call in some HAVS and ultimately destroy your team, or you can employ some teamwork and keep those tanker idiots sitting on their butts all match long, crying about having nothing to do. What gives you the right to complain about them rolling over you, if you didn't do anything to keep them out of play?

Now say this change is implemented. If HAVs are restored to their former level of
strength, then the following MUST be implemented as well, in the name of fairness.

2.Make HAVS a one-and-done affair: By this I mean, if the other team blows up your HAV, then that's it. You're done. You can't summon another one for the rest of the match, and that's the end of that. If another HAV gets you, then tip your hat and plot revenge for the next match. What kind of military would give more than one piece of heavy ordinance to a clown who gets his ride blown up, anyway?

3. Tie in HAV deployment to War Points. If your HAV is destroyed, you should be
penalized for it by having war points deducted from your score. Risk/reward, baby.
Hiding yourself in a few tons of steel-plated rolling death has to carry risks beyond
merely losing your ISK investment.

4.Finally, in Ambush games, limit summoning HAVS to a cumulative war point score.
Say, first team to rack up 5,000 or so. When a HAV approaches you in Ambush, it's punishment because your dropped the ball. A sign of the end, you could say.

Just my thoughts.


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Killar-12 Intrepidus XI EoN. 310	Posted - 2013.07.24 06:05:00 - [1] - Quote Dead Pressman wrote: Hello all. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Dead Pressman and I die a lot. Now, It isn't difficult to predict that prototype HAVS are eventually going to make their return to the game. As these videos of the bad old days clearly demonstrates, this is a potentially horrifying development for infantry and lesser tankers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KNSdD8PYgY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs84DERE-c4 Oh, boy. That looks fun! (For them.) But what about the rest of us? Dust 514 can be brutal enough without taking those joy-wrecking Godzillas into account. However, buffing AV or nerfing these brutes will only lead to a bitter moral quandary. After all, tanks SHOULD be capable of this sort of destruction; but at the same time, this is just a game and not a real war. Leaving that level of power in the hands of a select few players would be grossly unfair. So, how can we come to terms with the powerful vehicles that HAV pilots would like to command, versus the rest of us who would like very much not to be ground into bloody sausage beneath their treads? Simple! We use tanks as a point of ESCALATION, and not ENTITLEMENT. We turn them into a REWARD for good play, and not a CRUTCH for bad players. Here's how: 1. Tie in deployment of HAVS with capturing checkpoints: If there's one thing that everyone can agree with, it's that the current debate on HAV balance is lose/lose. Nerfing tanks punishes pilots for how they chose to spend their skill points, but arbitrarily placing them back at their pre-Uprising levels of dominance will punish EVERYONE ELSE. There has to be a middle-ground where Tankers can enjoy the fruits of their labor, and infantry can enjoy the opportunity not to be bottlenecked and destroyed by tanks. Luckily, it's an easy enough fix: Tie up deployment of HAVS with checkpoints. If it's a five checkpoint map (A-B-C-D-E), then limit the ability to summon HAVS to the team that has 3 of those 5 nodes. If it's three checkpoints (A-B-C), then limit the ability to summon HAVS to the team that has 2/3 of those nodes. This accomplishes three things: I. This eliminates early tank dominance. HAV Pilots will not be able to summon and slaughter with impunity. It's the end of 25-0 KDR silliness, (Unless your team is on the ball and captures those nodes early.) In other words, it will remove the power from a handful of tank players and disperse it evenly amongst the team. When you see one of your buddies rolling down the street raining fire and death, it's because you helped contribute to it! And when you're standing next to the puddle of meat and fluid that used to be your best friend until a HAV winked at him, and your turn is coming up next, well that just means you really should have worked on capturing those nodes, sunshine. II. It establishes the tank as a niche. HAV pilots will have the OPPORTUNITY to be a devastating force in the field, but it won't be guaranteed. If you want to run your tank so badly, then put your boots to the ground and help capture those nodes. You have to get blood on your dropsuit, cowboy. III. It redistributes the responsibility. Those GÇ£ nerf-tankingGÇ¥ threads made a good point about the innate unfairness of HAVSs getting on the field, but past a certain point it became embittered whining. Well, now the ball will be in the hands of the infantry. You can indulge in some Call Of Duty style gun running, in order to pad your war-point count, while their scouts capture nodes, call in some HAVS and ultimately destroy your team, or you can employ some teamwork and keep those tanker idiots sitting on their butts all match long, crying about having nothing to do. What gives you the right to complain about them rolling over you, if you didn't do anything to keep them out of play? Now say this change is implemented. If HAVs are restored to their former level of strength, then the following MUST be implemented as well, in the name of fairness. 2.Make HAVS a one-and-done affair: By this I mean, if the other team blows up your HAV, then that's it. You're done. You can't summon another one for the rest of the match, and that's the end of that. If another HAV gets you, then tip your hat and plot revenge for the next match. What kind of military would give more than one piece of heavy ordinance to a clown who gets his ride blown up, anyway? 3. Tie in HAV deployment to War Points. If your HAV is destroyed, you should be penalized for it by having war points deducted from your score. Risk/reward, baby. Hiding yourself in a few tons of steel-plated rolling death has to carry risks beyond merely losing your ISK investment. 4.Finally, in Ambush games, limit summoning HAVS to a cumulative war point score. Say, first team to rack up 5,000 or so. When a HAV approaches you in Ambush, it's punishment because your dropped the ball. A sign of the end, you could say. Just my thoughts. No, there are better way to balence this would be a pain in the ASS to code