Note: this is a revamp of my previous post
I have posted a few
simple ideas about making the metagame work better until a better advanced system can be put in place. But this post is more about making a few slightly more major changes without completely scrapping the current system. Again, a major overhaul isn't going to work since many people have already invested heavily into the current system and scrapping it wont go over well with both those invested and the developers, so any comments should be about trying to meet the devs at least half way.
So, before I begin, I was thinking about some of the comments that Hamma pointed out in his video, as well as some of the things
buzzcut posted.
There are several key problems with the game. First, resources are unimportant - Hamma pointed out that there needs to be a way to cut off resources, or make them more meaningful. Second, over population promotes the zerg. Third, the reward system is heavily biased toward XP/certs and nothing more (even continent locking is boring because its based on continent population rather than skill). Fourth, there is not meta strategy for territory control, which territory you attack is based more on the number of defenders than any benefit you gain from the attack. Finally, defense is both impossible and unrewarding.
Regions
So my solution to much of this is tweaking the hex system slightly to fix some of these issues. There are roughly 3 of each primary "bases" (bios, techs, and Amps) for a total of 9. Each faction has roughly one of each in their section of the map. My proposal is the creation of pseudo-regions. The purpose for these regions is that these 9 points are the only things that generate the bulk of the resources. All the outposts around these bases feed into the regional resources,
but only if the primary base is held. This makes it so that if you lose one of those bases, simply controlling the outposts around it does not generate resources for your faction. The region itself should also only generate one type of resource so that factions can bleed types of resources by capturing these bases (adding more strategy to where to attack). So if you take a tech plant, you can cut off ground based vehicles. If you take a bio lab, you can cut off maxes and grenades.
Higher defenses, connected outposts
Since capturing these bases will mean a large portion of resources getting cut off, these bases need to be much more defensible. The lattice makes this much better than it was with the hex, but still there are many connections to have to defend. Since losing the outposts are not as important as losing the bases, small outfits can easily bring fights out to stop links as they are now, but now they can increase the number of resources generated.
So to clarify whats going on here, there are only 9 major points on the map (these can be increased to include large bases to increase this if necessary). Only these bases can collect resources. Surrounding outposts in the region generate additional resources only if the region base is also under control (so lose the base you lose all the resources for that region.) Another faction can slow resources for that region by capturing the surrounding outposts, but cannot collect the resources for their faction until the main base is captured (making defense more "profitable" for those that like tanks etc.) Also the warp gate generates some resources so if you are out zerged, you can still spawn some vehicles, but not as often - so you better use those vehicles to take back a base not to farm.
So how can you defend these successfully. Each base should allow anyone to spawn on regardless of where they are on the map, just like the warp gate. Also, it would be nice if there was an option turn on special notifications for regions that are under attack. So if the bio lab region is under attack, you get an announcer saying "A biolab is being taken, defend it!"), or perhaps tie this more to platoons (or larger) to manage and notify.
Finally, all forces in the region should get the XP gain for capturing the base. So if you are a small faction holding an outpost so that the rest of the team can get to the generators, you are contributing and should get a piece of that pie. This makes it so that smaller outfits can contribute by holding peripheral territory.
Over population issues - "Manufacturing"
Right now a server may be equal in population, but we all know each continent is rarely equal. So lets tie "manufacturing" as a resource. Actually, its already there, but its a "timer." Which currently isn't really a huge balance for those who just stay in ESFs all day without setting foot on the ground. So the idea behind "manufacturing" is that with a higher population, there is also an abundance of manufacturing vehicles, etc. meaning with increase productivity, there should be a slow down when it reaches too much. All this is getting at is that the timer goes up based on the percentage of people on that continent above 35%. So if Indar has a VS population of 45% the timers on all "manufacturing" would increase by 10%. This creates some incentive for those that want to farm, to do so on balanced continents.
So to recap, if a continent (
not server) is over populated, the timers to spawn vehicles is increased, despite the fact they may have the resources to buy them. This makes it so that the zerg and zergees are both roughly balanced in vehicles and if populations are equal (just for arguments sake :P) the faction with the best skill to capture and cut off resources will do the best.
Other people have mentioned increasing spawn timers, I am not advocating this. This is simply a way to balance over population by giving factions on under populated continents access to supplies a little bit faster, giving them a little advantage to push back the zerg.
Reward system
XP, resources, and continent locks - there are three rewards for capturing territory, yet none of it really matters compared to XP/cert gain. We have already dealt with resources by locking them in to more defensible yet more important roles with regions allowing other factions to be able to really bleed other factions by taking major bases since now they are fewer and tied to only one type of resource. XP will be slightly more balanced since the reward for farming only comes after bases are secured - meaning its heavily tied to infantry holding and if its not, then they need to get out of the tank and maybe capture the bases if they want to keep using them. Also if a base is defended it should get XP (maybe with a dynamic system or just a flat XP if the influence sways to another faction then back to your side). Finally continent "locks" really do nothing. So the idea would be to drop resource gains from continent locking and instead introduce a new resource that can be used toward things like the carriers etc. So you can only have a carrier if you captured a continent and held it for 24 hours. So in other words, you have to hold the continent, not just cap and move to the next one. However, if you are doing well and can cap multiple continents then those resources go up faster.
Alerts
The alert system made the game have an objective, and I think thats great. However, at the moment it is THE only objective that matters. What this means is that if you have a biolab alert, all the other territories become peripheral to that alert. One faction grabs more than half the objectives and then turtles up - or all factions do it just to get some piece of the pie. With a meaningful resources system, it makes it so that you can now choose alternate to cut off resources to the enemy, making the enemy now have to spread out more and cover more than what is in the alerts.
Metagame - Strategy
Metagame is simply the way each individual battle links to one another in a meaningful context. Before it didnt matter where you fought, just the number of territories captured, and even if you held all of them, you got nothing in return. The alerts tied in an objective, but they are shallow (XP only) and random. With a new resource system, you know have real consequences for your choices, do you go for more tanks by attacking a tech plant or more air by going after an amp? No longer is it, well this base is too hard to well defended so we will go around and when they leave head in. Hopefully, a continent lock will mean access to restricted vehicles or supplies, or holding territories well gains better clan recognition, etc.
Epilogue - TL; DR
- Give smaller factions a place without joining the zerg (they can secure the outposts linking to regional bases), but they can join the zerg if the defense isn't doing much.
- Makes resources and map strategy more real.
- It increases incentive to defend bases (and outposts to cut off attacks).
- It also gives the defense the ability to get into position since it makes bases the main points.
This is not the end all to the metagame, its just something that meets the devs half way by simply tweaking the existing system and resources.