Glycen mini-flags need a complete overhaul

I have never really thought about this issue until now, but when weedy mentioned it in-game, I realized I should say something before it's too late.

Basically, the mini-flags in glycen have some use early (and i mean EARLY early, like first 3 minutes early) in the game, and then are completely useless. By the end of the last game I played, BE had 5.5k, and NF had 7.5k. With 13k floating around on both sides, there is no point in bothering with the flags after about 5 minutes of play. The ONLY way for one team to gain a significant advantage would have to be if that team capped all the enemy flags, for a short time or payed as much attention to the mini-flag advantage as they do to the main flags. then, they'd have more res. But they'd already have lost the middle, if not worse.

I will be the first to admit that capping the money flags early on is important-- but after both teams have about 1k, the res is flowing enough that these things are an afterthought, nothing more. They're good for adding points to your score... that's about it.

During that last game where BE was being pushed back to it's base before rebounding, even if NF focused on the THREE side flags on the NE road and the flags surrounding the mid, they only succeeded in a 1 or 2k res advantage over BE. And when BE still has 4k, this difference wont matter in the slightest.

In almost every game you play in Glycen, both teams are absolutely loaded by the end of the game. I can think of a few exceptions to this rule, a few games where my team was broke, but by the time we were broke we pretty much lost the match anyway... losing that res was a product of losing the match, not the other way around, as it should be-- losing the res leads to losing the match.

Maybe I'm misinterpreting the focus of the map, looking at the goals wrong, assuming too much focus is placed on resources. But if that's the case, then what's the point of even having the flags?

Suggested 'flow': By the end of the game, the total res accumulated in the game should be much less-- neither team needs 13k, with the vanilla tanks they're pumping out, both teams barely need 3k. So an ideal number for the total res in the game accumulated by both teams would be around 5k, maybe anywhere between 3 to 7k. So a losing team with only 33% of the res (and one could assume, the flags) would have around 1.7k, and the winner would have a nice 3.3k. The loser MIGHT have to worry about conserving res, but wont be too pressed by the issue.

One could argue for even less res, but I don't want to halt the gameplay, I just want res to become an issue worth considering in the match. I would go as low as 3k total, but with one team at less then 1000, they'll have to conserve they're resources too much.


Solutions:
I haven't really thought of any, like i said, i never gave this issue much thought. Hell, i don't even know the exact mini-flag mechanics. All I know is what I observe. Here's what I could come up with:

1. Make all res flow dependent on flags- perhaps too extreme?
2. Slow down res flow from flags, BUT greatly increase starting res-- so they'll be more important once game is established, but you have greater leeway early on.
3. Fewer flags with more flow from those flags- this would solve it, but that's not really any fun. All those extra flags are a nice variety in the map.

Also... 4. Make flags harder to cap. I don't know wtf this would do, probably nothing, but theoretically if you have to spare more teammates to re-cap your flags, you might theoretically be forced to make a strategic decision or risk losing ALL the flags, eventually.

 

If you could tie technology to flags, that would help too. If possessing one-third of all flags gave you all of the armors for instance.

 

that seems very hard to balance, plus, as was mentioned elsewhere, glycen with more tech is kind of sucky. I'm not looking for massive changes, I just want the flags to play more of a roll in the map.

 

maybe less miniflags around? I mean you have 3 whole mini-flags right next to your first spawn.

 

dont removes the NF flags! they get the Empires Mod HQ!

 

even with unlimited res, which is pretty much the end game situation, the game is still fairly fun. I guess what I'm saying is that there doesn't need to be an endgame struggle for res, as the map is still fun without.

 

true, glycen is fun with or without infinite vehicles roaming around. If any map should be left alone at this point, I'd definately say glycen

 

right now, after the first three minutes, there is no point in the flags. You might as well just have infinite res, and take the flags out all together, then- the gameplay wont be affected one iota. On the contrary, I think gameplay would be improved-- people would focus on the main flags, not dick around with useless other stuff while the rest of the team is getting slaughtered. They are pointless--- POINTLESS-- after the very very very first skirmishes.

I'm not talking struggle, I just want the flags to MEAN something, to not be useless, just sitting there flapping around, like dirty, layabout pandas. Those damn pandas think they can get away with stealing our money and our bamboo and our resources. No sir, not in Empires.

 

could always have them spawn ammos? And they give you points for capping them.

 

that's all they are right now; score bumps- run here, get a point. I think they should have more impact then that. As for the ammo, it's an ok idea, but the map is so small, ammo is everywhere. I suppose a health crate would allow them to become 'mini-bases' of sorts, though.

 

I dunno, I don't like the idea of the mini flags playing as potentially a big a role in achieving victory than the main flags.

At most, I'd just lessen the number of them if I had to make changes at all =o

 

actually most people use those flags to change class which is very helpful

 

reduce the number, and make them mini-bunkers. a defendable position that can be captured for your teams health and ammo crates (pre-built but destructible?) and used to slow the enemies advance

 

You can change class at the mini flags? =o

 

I think so, I did it once or twice - definately with the one just opposite BE's VF it works. It made me

 

yah thats what I use them for on Glycen. Found them useful enough.

Plus they are route markers of sorts and whoevers in control of the route more than likely would have the mini flags capped anyway.

Its more for bragging rights, adding insult to injury kinda thing. <shrug> Like the flag/color bearers you see in the civil war movies, I mean they are ALWAYS the first to get shot but someone always goes and picks up the flag just to see them get shot again.

What about cool buildable buildins like in that Tic-Tac-Toe map? What happened to those, they are cool.

 

thats the key to an easy VF ninja.. not only that but if your a squad leader and use scout to sneak behind enemey lines you can then change to engy and mass rev your squad to cap..

thats not all you can do but im sure you can all figure out the rest

 

me thinks the flags need a nerf now

 

whoa i didn't know that!

actually if it were me I would change that, but frankly that might just me being a fun hating snob. there are so many flags it just seems FAR too easy to be able change class at them.

also, don't reduce the number of flags: if you want to change res flow then just decrease the amount of res each flag gets. but there's no need to dumb down and remove fun of going round capping flags.

 

can you make it less than 1 res a second? =o