Game mode for destroyers, ideas, discussion

Suggestions Game Modes and Maps
1

I remember from long ago (roughly 3 years) when the idea of bigger ships first came to be introduced in game. First we got dreadnoughts. Some people were disappointed that they couldn’t control them or parts of them. Well, they are here the way they are. Then we got destroyers, which allowed just that, but weren’t so huge as dreads.

 

But to each their own. I’m just half ok with the dread battles and can’t say destroyers in skirmish pvp are all that amazing, since we came from frigball era straight into discoball era. They are lovely for pve and OS. So i remembered that old idea and some discussions on the edge of bigger ships that put them in a completely different game mode. There’s also a lot of other people saying the same thing.

 

So that being the case, what could be done? Just like i used to do this 3 years ago, gonna try it again, we’ll talk on the matter and then re-open a thread with a poll outlining some of the most acknowledged suggestions.

 

 

Here’s 3 of my ideas:

 

1.

I was thinking of something like a bigger count of players and on the big maps. Like 20v20 for example (tell me more about engine limitations, those of you who know). Ofc, none of the old modes should be in it, it’s what we’re after is a completely new game mode (read 2 for the contrary). So make it a mix of detonation, protecting and capturing beacons, something more than just one of the skirmish modes. I don’t know exactly what to not make it one of the existing modes, but not quite what i’m suggesting at point 3 (which is my favorite).

 

2.

Disregard point 1, retain existing game modes, but with destroyers only? Or with just a few smaller ships along them? Or at least 1 destro for every player in their lineup? You get the idea - normal skirmish, but with destroyers (it’s already happening however…).

 

3 - my favourite and the one i’d go for

Full blown MOBA style (without ‘mobs’), with destroyers protecting key points and attacking and having small ship support. Each team gets some sort of a bigger structure to protect from the enemy team. Pushing to the front lines will be other structures meant to protect that one, thus the enemy team having to destroy them beforehand. Basically imagine a CTB mode, but with more towers and a final structure that has to be destroyed behind them (not captured, DESTROYED - unless you think long weapon range or LRF fest would be an issue; or maybe a tactical approach). Avoid something like carrying bombs like in detonation, that calls for pyro spam. This looks to me like a spicy CTB to me and wouldn’t mind giving it a shot. It might also look like seccon, but i’m friggin tired of crossing 10km gaps between sniper camps - seccon is boring as of late, seriously… I want to use the maps’ obstacles, pathways, ambush points and so on. And again make it big like 20v20. The structures to protect and destroy would need LARGE amounts of HP, thus because the mode revolves @ destroyers, not smaller ships. Small ships carry out attacks on lone destros, make for decoys and other stuff. Maybe sneak in the enemy territory at the final structure to sabotage shields or something to the front structures. Also, might want to work with a higher time limit - 15-20 minutes? No limit? At some point one side has to lose, but i know there are other reasons too why time limits are in place.

 

I’ve partially based the above ideas a bit on that game ‘Dreadnought’. After i took a look at it’s gameplay, noticed right out that the game revolves around the big daddys (the destroyers’ counterparts in SC), but they also have small ship support. So the suggested modes are open for all ship classes, but focused @ destroyers with higher HP levels or capture points for the afore-mentioned modes.

 

 

What do you think of them, what could be done better, what’s your own suggestion?

Go leeroy!

 

(would also love to hear from the dev team what’s their opinion on this)

2

I think too few people play this game atm to have the player base split even more on yet another seperate gamemode.

 

I honestly see only two realistic solutions to the problems that have come with destros:

1 - nerf them to hell, so that they can actually fit in the already existing gameplay, rather than have the entire gameplay change just because of them.

2 - keep their stats and make them a multicrew ship class instead (ideally 2-man ships). But how exactly that would work I’m not sure.

 

Not that I believe either one will ever come true, but whatever.

3

Doombot already said “no” to separate game mode for destros in another thread.

 

As for MOBA style gameplay, Dreadnought is on the way, alike as we have Fractured Space right now. I don’t think that copying entirely their ideas would bring the playerbase to our game if they likely to do that better. We need something interesting and original, good enough to actually make our destro users play it instead of spamming pyros and blackholes on much weaker ships.

4

As for MOBA style gameplay, Dreadnought is on the way,

 

Yep, and there is a possibility that we will evolve this.

5

1 - nerf them to hell, so that they can actually fit in the already existing gameplay, rather than have the entire gameplay change just because of them. - this would defeat their whole purpose of existing

2 - keep their stats and make them a multicrew ship class instead (ideally 2-man ships). But how exactly that would work I’m not sure. - i’d rather do this for dreads, a destro is too simple for this

I’ll add those for voting if you want.

 

As for MOBA style gameplay, Dreadnought is on the way, alike as we have Fractured Space right now. I don’t think that copying entirely their ideas would bring the playerbase to our game if they likely to do that better. We need something interesting and original, good enough to actually make our destro users play it instead of spamming pyros and blackholes on much weaker ships.

Fractured Space won’t last because of it’s lobby system. Also, i’m not suggesting copying them entirely, just to learn from them before doing mistakes - it’s easier to use others’ experience rather than do what they did to reach the same result late.

And pyro / black hole spamming is due course already, that’s why i’m trying to propose a game mode FOR destros, with large health pools.

And what would your idea be? There’s not much originality left in the gaming world.

 

Yep, and there is a possibility that we will evolve this.

So i’m right on time with this :smiley:

What are the dev team’s visions, what do you think about it?

 

I’ll try to detail my own suggestions a bit more soon. Possibly with some images.

6

MOBA-style? Have fun limiting movement between lanes in 3D! Only place that does it is that one ice map in PvP, and the “jungle” on that map isn’t exactly hard to get through.

7

MOBA-style? Have fun limiting movement between lanes in 3D! Only place that does it is that one ice map in PvP, and the “jungle” on that map isn’t exactly hard to get through.

Nah, MOBA-concept is possible without strict lanes

8

Well, technically, Dreads are already “MOBA”

9

Well, technically, Dreads are already “MOBA”

yep

10

You don’t need lanes in space or jungle, just some structures at some positions. Don’t take it literally as other games, adapt it to SC.

And yes, Dreads are partially MOBA, but it’s nothing more than a sniper fest with that huge gap in between them. And the moving asteroids don’t count for anything.

11

 

this would defeat their whole purpose of existing

And what purpose is that, exactly? They deal too much damage for a class that’s supposed to ‘suppress’ and they’re way too tanky for a ‘support’ role. And then you have their modules… Combine it all and you get the single most versatile ship class in the game, that’s the problem. Add some actual skill of the pilot, and I guarantee you destros could be successfully flown even if both their damage and tank were nerfed by 40-50%, because of their active modules and unique controls most people forget the importance of, imo. Being able to target and shoot at everyone at 100% of your damage output all the time while not changing the positioning of your ship would make any frigate OP.

 

Anyway, I don’t understand why anyone would take their couple years old game and with just one or two patches change its pacing and gameplay so much, just for the game to resemble something else, from an actually different genre. I started playing SC because it had its own niche, and was unique, now it’s trying to look like something it is not, and in result it’s neither unique nor innovative in the gaming market, it’s just a bad copy of different games.

 

Eh, rant over, sry if it derailed your thread too much, though I think it’s surprisingly on-topic…

12

I think some of the current game modes could fit destroyers without too much modification.

 

Combat Recon: both captains are chosen to be people who have destroyers in their ship slots. No one else can spawn a destroyer. It would fit the theme of the game mode pretty well actually, and give people a chance to kill others in their OP ships without turning the game into a halo fest.

 

Capture the Beacon: allow players to spawn as either a destroyer or as their regular lineup of four regular ships. Spawning as a destroyer means they have only one life. To accommodate for this players would probably need a 5th ship slot dedicated for destroyers.

 

Beacon Hunt: I think this game mode is actually okay with destroyers when the map is big enough and has enough obstacles (i.e. a destroyer cannot sit in the middle and shoot at two or more beacons simultaneously with little movement). It represents a strategic tradeoff - you can fortify a beacon with your destroyer, but then you pretty much give up contesting the next beacon. 

13

MOBA-style? Have fun limiting movement between lanes in 3D! Only place that does it is that one ice map in PvP, and the “jungle” on that map isn’t exactly hard to get through.

Abandoned outpost and Iridium Strand are much or less 2-3 lanes maps. We dont need to exactly restrict the movements between them.

 

 

 

And what would your idea be? There’s not much originality left in the gaming world.

There is plenty of not popular ideas around, like dread/structure sabotage where one side is attacker and one is defender, mining wars where sides need to acumulate resources as much as possible and return to base with players that can disturb other side slowing them down, Team deathmatch with more than two teams (3 or 4) with only destros allowed, convoys and so on.

14

Abandoned outpost and Iridium Strand are much or less 2-3 lanes maps. We dont need to exactly restrict the movements between them.

Abandoned outpost has three lanes that all intersect at a single point, far away from both spawns.

 

Iridium strand only has three lanes in the sense that warpgates are lanes. The majority of actual fighting happens pretty far from both the entrance and exit of the warpgates.

15

Why do people get stuck on ‘lanes’ when they hear ‘MOBA’? How about points in space? That’s much more logical for SC. Hence structures. And if you align several ones on different parts of the map, there, you got lanes. But it doesn’t mean you can’t go from one end to another. Or you could play on Catacombs and get corridor style lanes as everyone knows.

 

Those are some good ideas from Rob, already thinking of some stuff for them.