| 1 |
I think a possibly workable overarching role for the commander could a combination of all or some of these:
|
1 |
I think a possibly workable overarching role for the commander could a combination of all or some of these:
|
| 2 |
\n
|
2 |
\n
|
| 3 |
[b][u]1) Early defense riot-assault.[/u][/b]
|
3 |
[b][u]1) Early defense riot-assault.[/u][/b]
|
| 4 |
\n
|
4 |
\n
|
| 5 |
This is fairly obvious: a commander in place should make that place rather expensive to attack with raiders due to its innate raider-defeating abilities. This can give us these constraints:
|
5 |
This is fairly obvious: a commander in place should make that place rather expensive to attack with raiders due to its innate raider-defeating abilities. This can give us these constraints:
|
| 6 |
- Commanders should not be easily able to escape the riot-assault role early on.
|
6 |
- Commanders should not be easily able to escape the riot-assault role early on.
|
| 7 |
- Commanders should be fairly rioty by default even without user intervention to make them more rioty.
|
7 |
- Commanders should be fairly rioty by default even without user intervention to make them more rioty.
|
| 8 |
\n
|
8 |
\n
|
| 9 |
[b][u]2) Secondary tech pick.[/u][/b]
|
9 |
[b][u]2) Secondary tech pick.[/u][/b]
|
| 10 |
\n
|
10 |
\n
|
| 11 |
[i]A faction of one[/i]
|
11 |
[i]A faction of one[/i]
|
| 12 |
\n
|
12 |
\n
|
| 13 |
This is somewhat less obvious. The commander morph system as-is already implements more of a proper tech tree, complete with tech tiers, than the rest of ZK combined. The commander is also a pregame tech/race pick much as the factory: in current ZK, at the start of the game, the player picks a factory (with its tech) and the commander chassis (with their module loadout restrictions).
|
13 |
This is somewhat less obvious. The commander morph system as-is already implements more of a proper tech tree, complete with tech tiers, than the rest of ZK combined. The commander is also a pregame tech/race pick much as the factory: in current ZK, at the start of the game, the player picks a factory (with its tech) and the commander chassis (with their module loadout restrictions).
|
| 14 |
\n
|
14 |
\n
|
| 15 |
I feel that these two things could work together to a further extent. I really like how @raaar uses commander as part of an army composition, performing an unique role that synergises with the rest of his units. I feel like this should be the default way for commanders to function: providing tech that is not available within factory in a way that synergises with the units of their factory. Here's some examples:
|
15 |
I feel that these two things could work together to a further extent. I really like how @raaar uses commander as part of an army composition, performing an unique role that synergises with the rest of his units. I feel like this should be the default way for commanders to function: providing tech that is not available within factory in a way that synergises with the units of their factory. Here's some examples:
|
| 16 |
\n
|
16 |
\n
|
| 17 |
- Godde using a HMG commander back when Redback did not exist to provide riot-dps to his spiders loadout.
|
17 |
- Godde using a HMG commander back when Redback did not exist to provide riot-dps to his spiders loadout.
|
| 18 |
- Raaar using a long-range missile commander to snipe enemy skirmishers and long-range-fire-supports to allow his Recluses to dominate everything else
|
18 |
- Raaar using a long-range missile commander to snipe enemy skirmishers and long-range-fire-supports to allow his Recluses to dominate everything else
|
| 19 |
- A quick dgun build providing antiheavy utility to factories that lack it
|
19 |
- A quick dgun build providing antiheavy utility to factories that lack it
|
| 20 |
- An area cloaker with inbuilt repair facilities
|
20 |
- An area cloaker with inbuilt repair facilities
|
| 21 |
\n
|
21 |
\n
|
| 22 |
This can be formulated into these goals and constraints:
|
22 |
This can be formulated into these goals and constraints:
|
| 23 |
\n
|
23 |
\n
|
| 24 |
- The commander should not have entirely unique abilities, but
|
24 |
- The commander should not have entirely unique abilities, but
|
| 25 |
- The commander should be able to equip a lot more utility tech than is possible now: djinn, capture, gravity, lobster throw, spider-leg, anti-air, black hole, float, anti-sub, whatever is needed to plug that annoying hole in the factory loadout.
|
25 |
- The commander should be able to equip a lot more utility tech than is possible now: djinn, capture, gravity, lobster throw, spider-leg, anti-air, black hole, float, anti-sub, whatever is needed to plug that annoying hole in the factory loadout.
|
| 26 |
- The commander should not be a comparably cost-effective source of those abilities compared with regular units, nor should commander builds be much more powerful than the units the abilities were taken from.
|
26 |
- The commander should not be a comparably cost-effective source of those abilities compared with regular units, nor should commander builds be much more powerful than the units the abilities were taken from.
|
| 27 |
- There should be less quantitative modifier modules and more qualitative ability modules.
|
27 |
- There should be less quantitative modifier modules and more qualitative ability modules.
|
| 28 |
\n
|
28 |
\n
|
| 29 |
As with losing a factory, losing this tech unit loses you the tech that it was providing to your army composition. But as with losing a factory, it should be able to recover the key functionality by rebuilding or resurrecting the commander.
|
29 |
As with losing a factory, losing this tech unit loses you the tech that it was providing to your army composition. But as with losing a factory, it should be able to recover the key functionality by rebuilding or resurrecting the commander.
|
| 30 |
\n
|
30 |
\n
|
| 31 |
Things that are "too universally good to be locked to a factory" and are implemented as morphs from statics could instead be commander abilities. Sparrow could be a commander recon drone ability of some sort, for example.
|
31 |
Things that are "too universally good to be locked to a factory" and are implemented as morphs from statics could instead be commander abilities. Sparrow could be a commander recon drone ability of some sort, for example.
|
| 32 |
\n
|
32 |
\n
|
| 33 |
Under this lens, i don't think any commander income - including what we have currently - is a warranted or desirable feature; it should be either ejectable into a vanguard socket building, or otherwise detached from the commander.
|
33 |
Under this lens, i don't think any commander income - including what we have currently - is a warranted or desirable feature; it should be either ejectable into a vanguard socket building, or otherwise detached from the commander.
|
| 34 |
\n
|
34 |
\n
|
| 35 |
[b][u]3) Alternate counter provider.[/u][/b]
|
35 |
[b][u]3) Alternate counter provider.[/u][/b]
|
| 36 |
\n
|
36 |
\n
|
| 37 |
[i]We have adapted[/i]
|
37 |
[i]We have adapted[/i]
|
| 38 |
\n
|
38 |
\n
|
| 39 |
This is pretty much 2) but remembering that this is ZK and we have flat tech.
|
39 |
This is pretty much 2) but remembering that this is ZK and we have flat tech.
|
| 40 |
\n
|
40 |
\n
|
| 41 |
If the new design even has chassis, you're still stuck with the chassis you have, but you could be able to morph your commander to counter some bits of the enemy composition, provided adequate intel, lead time, and resources to afford it.
|
41 |
If the new design even has chassis, you're still stuck with the chassis you have, but you could be able to morph your commander to counter some bits of the enemy composition, provided adequate intel, lead time, and resources to afford it.
|
| 42 |
\n
|
42 |
\n
|
| 43 |
This could somewhat help with the "stay relevant" goal: but instead of staying relevant by growing in power and importance, in this mode the commander stays relevant by staying flexible.
|
43 |
This could somewhat help with the "stay relevant" goal: but instead of staying relevant by growing in power and importance, in this mode the commander stays relevant by staying flexible.
|
| 44 |
\n
|
44 |
\n
|
| 45 |
This morphs the system with the following extra rules:
|
45 |
This morphs the system with the following extra rules:
|
| 46 |
- Modules should not [i]mostly[/i] be level-locked or have prerequisites.
|
46 |
- Modules should not [i]mostly[/i] be level-locked or have prerequisites.
|
| 47 |
- Modules could be possible to reclaim and respec.
|
47 |
- Modules could be possible to reclaim and respec.
|
| 48 |
- To maintain sanity and ease of use, modules could be assigned slots, represented visually as body parts, both in UI and in-world.
|
48 |
- To maintain sanity and ease of use, modules could be assigned slots, represented visually as body parts, both in UI and in-world.
|
| 49 |
\n
|
49 |
\n
|
| 50 |
Instead of an incremental RPG skill tree, we could have a somewhat swappable mecha loadout. Less Diablo; more LANCER.
|
50 |
Instead of an incremental RPG skill tree, we could have a somewhat swappable mecha loadout. Less Diablo; more LANCER.
|
| 51 |
\n
|
51 |
\n
|
| 52 |
(Or, less Diablo Skill Tree, and more Diablo Inventory Doll)
|
52 |
(Or, less Diablo Skill Tree, and more Diablo Inventory Doll)
|
| 53 |
\n
|
53 |
\n
|
| 54 |
"Currently i have a Shield Generator Crown on my head, but an ally made a bunch of snipers, and an Intel Visor would allow me to spot for them - so i'll use the Head slot for that instead, by selling the Shield at a discount, and installing the Visor"
|
54 |
"Currently i have a Shield Generator Crown on my head, but an ally made a bunch of snipers, and an Intel Visor would allow me to spot for them - so i'll use the Head slot for that instead, by selling the Shield at a discount, and installing the Visor"
|
| 55 |
\n
|
55 |
\n
|
| 56 |
Under this lens, the levels are meaningless and provide few if any innate bonuses. Modules almost entirely determine what a commander is (and what it looks like, hopefully). There's less incentive to keep getting levels because eventually your kitchen sink is complete and you can't add more forks.
|
56 |
Under this lens, the levels are meaningless and provide few if any innate bonuses. Modules almost entirely determine what a commander is (and what it looks like, hopefully). There's less incentive to keep getting levels because eventually your kitchen sink is complete and you can't add more forks.
|
| 57 |
\n
|
57 |
\n
|
| 58 |
\n
|
58 |
\n
|
| 59 |
[u][b]TL:DR[/b][/u]
|
59 |
[u][b]TL:DR[/b][/u]
|
| 60 |
\n
|
60 |
\n
|
| 61 |
[i]Totally Loco: Do Radical[/i]
|
61 |
[i]Totally Loco: Do Radical[/i]
|
| 62 |
\n
|
62 |
\n
|
| 63 |
- Remove economy except for buidpower.
|
63 |
- Remove economy except for buidpower.
|
| 64 |
- Lock early states into a default riot-assault loadout.
|
64 |
- Lock early states into a default riot-assault loadout.
|
| 65 |
- Be relevant by providing tech not available to your factory.
|
65 |
- Be relevant by providing tech not available to your factory.
|
| 66 |
- Stay relevant by staying flexible (by being able to swap loadouts).
|
66 |
- Stay relevant by staying flexible (by being able to swap loadouts).
|
| 67 |
-
Be
possible
to
rebuild
or
respawn
without
permanent
malus
(
like
current
loss
of
income;
not
counting
opportunity
cost)
.
|
67 |
-
Be
possible
to
rebuild
or
respawn
without
permanent
malus
(
like
current
loss
of
income)
.
|
| 68 |
- Don't overshadow units for cost: getting a unit ability via factory/unit should be cheaper than getting it via respawn/respec.
|
68 |
- Don't overshadow units for cost: getting a unit ability via factory/unit should be cheaper than getting it via respawn/respec.
|
| 69 |
\n
|
69 |
\n
|
Proposal: New Commander Morph System