Ok, Ive pitched this idea a few times but normaly get smacked with bags of soy. However, I like it and shall toss it out once more. How about Com Powers ala C&C Generals? These would be powers reserched by the com and could be used once before having to be recharged over a certain period of time. Or, if not researched, they could corispond to a new building that could be destroyed to remove the com powers. THe most obvious power would be a "broken arrow" call that gave the com an "airstrike" whereever he wanted it. It could as far as we wanted with temp boosts to vehical cooling, stamina length, satalite coverage (like UAV in BF2), even supply drops to augment the res if the com needs a boost in a tight spot. These powers wouldnt be a game winner but might help when the chips are down. *perpaires to be pelted with bags of soy* Go ahead.
If the comm gets anything like this then they should be able to turn a battle, but only if used in conjunction with the combined efforts of your team and timed perfectly. Example: You use a scout to spot while artillery shells their front line. Their very well upgraded tanks charge after the artillery, which flees through a chokepoint. Broken arrow @ chokepoint = dead tanks. Enemy team loses 2 good tanks and the res they cost. Your tanks then charge in and shut down their VF. Scouts and riflemen move in to suppress their grenadiers so your armour can rape their base with minimal resistance. Engineers have a massive BF2 style teamdamage, heal, teamdamage, heal circlejerk in some far off corner. Without the airstrike their tanks wouldve destroyed any vehicles you sent at them, but luring them into a spot where you could use the airstrike wins the game.
Luring them into turrent spam also kills them. If your a good comm and you communicate well, you can get an engie to build walls trapping them from retreating from the chokepoint. Then, when they bail, they are mincemeat for inf. Same rush happens, the end. Good comming is the ultimant superweapon.
TURRET NOT TURRENT. I like the idea of these special powers, but not anything too major like 5 free tanks or invincibility. I like something along the lines of a commander arranged air strike, but maybe not so many missiles. Maybe just one commander aimed/launched bomb. Just one bomb launched anywhere on the minimap. Maybe with a meduim-high impact damage, but not much splash damage.
it should be capable of destroying a small building such as a ref or armory, but more important structrures such as a vehicle factory or barracks will only be severely damaged (80 -95%).
Oh no, superweapons! D: For everyone who doesn't want to read most of the rest of the bullshit here , I disagree. Now the great thing about C&C, is that you are the only player, and so teamwork can be defined as you doing a good job. Bots do all of the battlefield jobs, such as an airstrike (that you, because you are the commander, order). Enter the players. They serve much the same function as bots. In fact, in a team-based rts/fps, they replace bots in all of the major and fun battlefield roles. In a multipler rts/fps, where you are commanding other players, communication and cooperation are required to win. And so the players communicate to give themselves an edge in the battle that they are now fighting. Adding direct commander powers, especially something along the lines of an air or artillery strike, would detract from teamplay, the game's emphasis on teamwork, and also the commander's role as the organizer of his forces. Now surely one can argue that commander powers, instead of detracting from it, promote teamwork. Imagine the scene, a commander calls his units forward, poising them on the brink of attack. He orders the airstrike, the bombs hit, and the team springs into action. Granted, this does show some teamwork. Now imagine the same scene, except that now you're flying over the enemy, evading AA fire. The team is depending on you; your bombs will soften the enemy. Players are depending on other players. The commander is directing them. Teamwork is even more prevelant here. My inherent problem with giving the commander airstrike powers (or, indeed, any power other than the anti-turtling power that is planned) is that it automates a role that should be reserved for the players. Automation of roles is fine as long as the role wouldn't be fun to play. For example, re-loading a tank's cannon. But bombing can be fun, and artillery can be fun, and so they should be saved for the players. Automate those, and why not automate the vehicles. And, you know, then the infantry can go to. And then you're playing an rts.
I think it should be a very much late-game thing, where the commander has very little to do other than click on researches and give a few orders. In the early game any abilities would waste time better spent actually building stuff. The "REF HERE COMM OMG PLZ REF WTF COMM HURRY UP REF HERE!!!" spam is already bad enough without the comm trying to artillery enemy bases. Hmm.. what if the airstrike can only be dropped on a scout's marker or something, if possible? To prevent comms from spam-bombing enemy bases a la Battlefield 2. Commanders are players, too.
Yes, but the commander serves a very different role than the rest of the players. His job is his namsake: to command. He orders the airstrike, and then his soldiers see it through. Except, in an fps/rts, those solders are not automated.
yeah, im against superweapons in this game, but then again, I hate superweapons in most games. I think there are better ways to enhance teamplay then implimenting such a huge change such as this. There are a lot of things i want to see before this.
well I wouldnt mind the comm getting some kind of powers (not sure what myself) But I think direct powers to kill atleast one person or tank takes away too much of the control players on the field have. Ive played lots of pub/scrim games with ns where one person actually made the difference in an attack or defence. I wouldnt want to see a team that has full control of the situation lose this control because the commander still had one superweapon in stock. I also see a superweapon pretty much as something for big games where the enemy has serious big armies and bases, I dont see any real use of it in this game but im definitly for commanders having somekind of power, but rather not destructive
yeah, maybe a super weapon is quick build, where they have one building build in a couple seconds without an engineer. I might endorse something like this, but i still think it is a lot of unnecessary work
maybe make the com powers more "support" dropping a medicrate (i think engineers can only drop ammo crates? so comm can dropp healt crates) dropping reinforcements (letting players spaun on the designated area for 2,5 minutes dropped from parashutes (must be in line of sight of friendly units dropping a jeep from a parashute etc... you got the point, not powerful but fun to use
Superweapons would be very nice. But I think the only way to get these into Empires without making the game unfair is to implement them like in C&C Renegade: The Player has to buy a beacon and has to drop and arm it where the superweapon shall impact. The beacon is lost when you die before dropping it and it can be disarmed.
If the comm is going to have ANY power, it should be to help do something boring that no one wants to do-- not bombing runs, that would be quite interesting. I agree with Falcon X wholeheartedly here. A 'superpower' shouldn't change the emphasis off teamwork. Maybe, instead of directly affecting the game, he can buff his teammates. In Natural Selection, the commander can drop ammo and medicine in the battlefield. We need something like that. Not health and ammo per say, BUT maybe temporarily reducing damage to a soldier via an armor pack or something. Make sure any power he has affects the players on his team, not the enemy directly.
Worst senario: (fave book) We just lost the barracks!!! Comm is under attack! Radio: I need artillary at these coordinates! *comm tank appears on mini-map* Artilary strike! Plane appears on map and drops a big, bulky looking bomb at comm tank. Or should I say... BOOM TANK! Game over. Best case senario: (most hated book:p ) You, as commander, see your naders pinned behind a wall, with no ammo or engie You 'beam down' an ammo box and a health box No more tanks:D
