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Jmaster

Alpha Tester
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Everything posted by Jmaster

  1. discordauth:brvar4VjNRM6PwttKDnmpaSyRJG6RMAS-Tb1blAHM4A=

  2. I disagree with the idea that ships become irellavent with weapon customization. The big thing that weapon customization allows for is more jobs. Plus if it's done right I don't see meta fleet composition being a massive issue. For example: look at From the depths,it offers extensive weapon customization that is balanced. There is no "perfect weapon", everything is a tradeoff. You can make a rotary 120mm gatling cannon in FTD, it would just use a massive amount of power, take forever to reload and be the size of a small ship (completely impractical). In a large organisation I would see standardization being a thing, but in terms of the universe? Nah, with weapon customization you could make a weapon that counters your opponents. Performance and tech wise while it is cool to think about, multi mesh components is incredibly complex and not something I see happening before release. Hell if it ever gets done it would probably be dlc. The second option however is alot more doable. Instead of multi mesh components you could use animation states or sub meshes to allow for custom visuals. Hell, most of the modification is just tweaking variables such as fire-rate,accuracy,or range. I disagree with the idea of "upgrade modules" because they remove experimentation and development. They also lend it easier to creating a meta by creating constants. Having to actually modify values means that players can discover for themselves the optimal values for what they want to do. It also adds RnD time for weapon creation and opens up the possibility for people to play as weapon engineers. Honestly, a system like this will most likely be too complicated to put in before release but it would make for a kickass dlc. (imagine if the engineers in elite dangerous were players offering their custom weapon designs) -sent from phpne
  3. There's something that I feel alot of space-survival/construction games miss out on, weapon customization. Being able to design/tweak weapons and ammunition adds a layer of depth to combat. Instead of everyone using the same turrets people could design their weapons to work well in certain situations. Plus it creates an occupation for more engineering-minded players. Look at From The Depths as an example of weapon customization done right. A similar (But simpler) system would definitely add variety to combat between ships. Having in-depth weapon customization would create more opportunities for advanced players to use their knowledge. This also adds another level of constuction because now players could create weapon companies to sell their weapons or blueprints. Of course, there should be some simple to use 'plug and play' general weapons; These weapons could be balanced weapons, with non of the benefits or trades-offs of custom weapons. Some ways that such a system could work: 1) Multi-component structures: (This is the method that From The Depths uses) While multi-component objects offer more creativity and involvement from the player, it is also complicated to implement and may effect performance. It would also need to be simple enough to understand the basics, yet allow for complex creations by advanced users. There would need to be a controller component which would keep track of the attached modules. Such a system could work and would be really neat but I'm not sure if multi-component objects is something that the engine supports (and it isn't worth adding for one feature). Another effect of a multi-component system is making weapons take up space, which would have a positive effect of preventing 'death cubes' (A cube construct covered in turrets). 2) Production-based customization: Using a 'Turret Factory' a player could modify a turret's characteristics and/or model. This turret factory could be used to manufacture turrets (which players can place). Each turret could have a different physical appearance: A high ROF modified turret could have multiple barrels vs a sniper modified turret with a single extended barrel. The players should have the ability to customize each part of the turret from barrel length, gauge, count, etc. Since the turrets would be one component there wouldn't be a need for multi-component support and the performance hit would be the same as a regular 'non-modified' turret. The addition of a 'turret factory' would mean that a player could perfect a design then mass-manufacture and sell their design. Both systems allow players to build weapons with different characteristics, and both would require trade-offs. For example: A high rate of fire turret would have a trade-off on accuracy, while a sniper turret might have higher damage/accuracy but a much lower rate of fire (suited more towards Alpha-strikes than DPS). Personally, I prefer the first method of multi-component constructions since it offers more creative freedom. The system From The Depths uses for it's custom cannons (advanced and CRAM cannons) is probably the best I've ever seen done. However, From the Depths is not a good example on the usability front, since it has a cliff of a learning curve and no real tutorial. I think a system similar to From The Depths would be a good addition although it may be to complicated to implement; The second method is a compromise in terms of performance/usability and creative possibility and may be a better fit.
  4. Honestly I was thinking something similar to Eve Online's tower system, where you can't be attacked until your tower shields are dropped. Whether it is because you didn't refuel the tower or someone brought in a siege fleet, either way you're not safe. The way I would go about safety-when-logged out would be with a layered approach; The first layer would be to create accountability, specifically showing that an area is claimed by a corp/alliance. Once a corp has claimed an area, it's claim area would show up as a volume when you 'turn on claim boundaries'. When a player damages anything inside the zone it would send a warning to the owner corp/alliance. However, entering an area claim without permission would not have any consequences on it's own. Instead, the owners of the zone would need to place a radar station. The radar station would create a spherical detection volume which would alert the owners in the event that an unauthorized ship/player has entered. The radar could also be integrated with the scripting system to allow for automated warning/defense systems. The second layer would be to create consequence, specifically creating a threat to dissuade a player from attacking; Auto-turrets and active defenses would fall into this category. Ground-based auto-turret defenses would need to be connect to both a power source and a radar system for target acquisition. There should be a clear progression of ground based turrets, from basic anti-personel/light vehicle to large anti-capital-ship weapons; The cost to build and maintain/power should rise as potential damage increases. Additionally turrets should be balanced to suit their respective roles. For example: an Anti-Capital turret should have a really slow traverse speed and should have difficulty depressing to hit ground targets. Turrets should be something that can be overcome with fleet composition, tactics or clever design and shouldn't offer free protection without a large downside. The final layer is dissuasion, or simply making it not worth the attackers time. Passive defenses such as shields or E-WAR would fall into this category. Shields and E-War should be a massive power drain and should not allow constructs from inside to fire out. Shields serve as a way to dissuade your average raider from attacking your corporation base. A good example of this would be the way towers work in EVE. The 'bubble' or shield presents pirates with a choice, spend an hour/hours trying to crack the shield or look for juicier prey. A 'bubble' or shield does absolutely nothing to prevent a siege fleet from wrecking your shit. A similar strategy should be employed here; if you have the resources to run one, a shield or E-WAR system should provide a large blocking factor to individual and small group attacks. I don't know whether this should be posted here or in the ideas/suggestions sub-forum...
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