Destroyers in matches with beacons (Domination and Bacon Hunt) present a unique problem to the game.
When the enemy team has a destroyer (or multiple destroyers) on the field, your team is faced with some choices:
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Focus the enemy destroyer and try to kill it
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Ignore the destroyer and capture beacons / plant bomb
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Respawn in destroyers to counter the enemy’s destroyers
The problem with option 1 is that killing a destroyer takes a long time, no matter how poorly it is built, and it usually requires several teammates working together to be successful. This takes players away from the objective (the beacons) and allows the enemy to cap. Plus if you are unsuccessful, then you are dead, your team is down however many players and the destroyer gets to continue making trouble for you, as stated below.
The problem with option 2 is that you now have a (many) destroyer(s) running around unchecked. Any even semi-competent destroyer can rack up a large number of points by spawn- or beacon-camping if left unchecked. Plus they can come after your team while they are capping beacons. This includes spawning black holes on beacons to prevent their capture by your team, and allowing their team to cap unaffected.
The problem with option 3 is that now you have pilots who are not focused on the objective, but rather with killing each other. That is all well and good, if the game is only about killing other pilots, why have beacons in the first place? Plus, I don’t know of any pilot in the game who actually enjoys playing as a destroyer or against one. Especially so for pilots who want to help their team out by capturing beacons and dogfighting. They don’t want to be stuck in a slow-moving clunky ships simply so that their team has a chance of winning.
With the introduction of R11 destroyers that are capable of being faster and more maneuverable than most frigates and some fighters, these problems have been exacerbated. Black Holes on beacons are seriously broken and need to be removed.
To that end, I propose two solutions:
Solution 1: Remove Destroyers from Beacon Matches
Any player with a destroyer in their lineup will be unable to choose that ship for the battle.
Affects Beacon Hunt, Domination, Detonation, and Capture the Beacons (if reimplemented)
Q: But what about about players with only destroyer(s) in their lineup?
A: They will not be able to enter a match with beacons in it. This will result in longer queue times for those players who choose to play only destroyers. By the time a player builds a destroyer, they should be able to play with other ships, and there is no reason to queue with only a single destroyer, or multiple destroyers in their lineup to begin with.
Solution 2: Create “Destroyer-Free Zones” around Beacons
In a certain radius around a beacon (say 3000m) the effects of destroyer modules would be nullified (except for turrets)
Affects Beacon Hunt, Domination, Detonation, and Capture the Beacons (if reimplemented)
Destroyers cannot activate their modules while they are inside of this area (again except for turrets)
The effects of destroyer modules cannot exist inside of the area
This means that Black Holes could not exist inside of this area, and that the effects of Black Holes outside of this area would not exist inside
Pyro-Emitters that are fired into this area would stop on the border and not continue inside
Tempest Launcher missiles and Photon Launcher projectiles would explode on the border of the area
Wormhole Generator projectiles would be absorbed by the border like if they hit a rock or object and would not result in teleport
Destroyers could still fire into and enter the area, but would be unable to use their modules
This way, a destroyer could no longer deny the capture of a beacon or the planting of a bomb, simply by using their modules
Also because of this, Destroyers would be unable to carry bombs in detonation
Thoughts?