[debate] Changing meds and heavies so NF is not ONLY missiles and BE cannons

To me the solution to all of Empires' balancing problems is quite obvious, and I've been saying this since I started playing in 2009.

The slot loadouts should be exactly the same for BE and NF:
Light has 1 of each type
Medium has 2 of each type
Heavy has 6 of each type

Every 2 slot weapon also has a 3 slot version, researchable either in the same research as DUMG, or with an additional research inside.

This makes it super simple to understand*, and incredibly difficult to fuckup the balancing, because even if we do make one weapon OP, the only problem will be less variance in weapons picked until we fix it, NOT people complaining and endlessly discussing which team is better. For fuck's sake, even maps can be imbalanced towards one team or another because the missile / cannon split.

At the same time, this change should be accompanied with switching the models of NF to not look and handle ridiculously - by designing tanks to fit the same hitboxes as BE's tanks, every aspect of them will be the same except the look.

I would very much like to do this for Empires 3.0.

* Especially the 2-slot has a 3-slot version aspect will encourage experimentation - because every weapon will also help you once you get to heavies. That will mean more varied heavy combat as well.

 

empires is no RTS anway, its a FPS with vehicles and gigantic deployables.

in an RTS you control all your units (AI* units), they hit what the fire at* and damage is based on stats and RNGs.
empires is no RTS. its just not - there are mechanics reminding on RTS, but it has very little in common.

seeing empires as RTS or even only partially RTS is the biggest common misconception in the history of empires.

and i dont mean to say its not strategic, its very. it also doesnt make the game any worse, i mean im still here after all this years, i wouldnt if i didnt like the concept.

but its no RTS

*there are rare exceptions, usually artillery or artillery like units (and ofc skills and spells, but the unit itself still hits as you command).

edit:
but i know what you fear, you fear comm gets even more unimportant than it already is. while this is a justified concern, i also believe that such change could be the chance to redesign comm in a meaningful way fitting into the FPS enviroment he ultimatively exists in. looking at active comm powers, better 3d representation of orders/hints/... and im sure theres some more gold burried somewhere in the suggestion forums.
research doesnt make comm and the act of researching is more or less completely detached from the core game (except for that comm needs to stop for 5seconds to go to commview)

the real downside is that low player counts and individually researchable harder counters wont go together so well. this is the strongest con argument.

 

I like the asymmetry in empires... I feel completely alone in that though.

 

i mainly fear for the unwanted asymetry due to differences in models you get with weapon symetry.

also yes ranger, there are many things resembling RTS, yet its a completely different type of game.
mainly due to the lack of control because of individual interests - there is only you in RTS.
and if you tell an engineer, "go build shit", he does and doesnt bugger off to increase his kill score.

you always need to consider that its not just one player and people are different and want different things - and thats where the troubles start.