Heavy Tank vs Medium Tank

Discussion in 'Feedback' started by duke, Sep 18, 2017.

  1. duke

    duke Former Developer (BE Creator)

    Messages:
    296
    Likes Received:
    31
    Trophy Points:
    0
    I'm toying with the idea of getting rid of the distinction and just going with an MBT. Should we have heavies? What should the main distinguishing features be? Right now it's just greater capacity but it's unclear why you couldn't just upgrade your way up to that on the medium tank.
     
  2. D.D.D. Destroyer

    D.D.D. Destroyer Member Staff Member Moderator

    Messages:
    9,509
    Likes Received:
    111
    Trophy Points:
    0
    As it stands in current Empires: heavies are slower, less maneuverable, and more expensive. Their advantage is more armor and more firepower, including the ability to field siegebreaker weapons, like nukes, dual UML/TOW, and dual ranged cannons. They have a place just like medium tanks do.
     
  3. Lazybum

    Lazybum :D Staff Member Moderator

    Messages:
    4,827
    Likes Received:
    190
    Trophy Points:
    0
    The real point of heavies is to give a tier aspect to the game, effectively giving empires it's late game stage.

    People say like to say it helps break through stalemates or help bring a game to an end, but I honestly don't see them work any faster at ending it then meds or even lights if the teams are somewhat balanced. The real reason they help actually end the game is just putting a team into bankruptcy thanks to the high cost, preventing a team from fielding any more opposition. So yeah, don't have money issues or design maps so people can't stalemate and this shouldn't be a problem.

    You are absolutely right, there's no reason you couldn't just bolt on some extras onto a MBT or whatever. From a gameplay perspective of why you might want to keep it though it helps tell the player that this tank will kill them just a bit harder then the regular med tank. Of course I would assume in this new version of empires you'd make it more obvious that the tank has different weapons or more of them/armor, so that's a moot point I suppose.
     
    Last edited: Sep 18, 2017
  4. duke

    duke Former Developer (BE Creator)

    Messages:
    296
    Likes Received:
    31
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Ok, they're staying then.
     
  5. Lazybum

    Lazybum :D Staff Member Moderator

    Messages:
    4,827
    Likes Received:
    190
    Trophy Points:
    0
    As a personal aside, I would encourage to not make them a final tier/end game thing but more of a side grade thing to mediums. Like in fighting games or mobas, some people like slow and powerful and others prefer fast and weak.

    I know rts games are generally made to have tiered stages, with new researched stuff quickly obsoleting old stuff, but considering empires is also a fps you can certainly get away with not going that route.
     
    D.D.D. Destroyer likes this.
  6. duke

    duke Former Developer (BE Creator)

    Messages:
    296
    Likes Received:
    31
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Yeah I like the way they are now, they're not the ultimate armor - you know the trade offs and you have to make a choice.
     
  7. TheLiberalElitist

    TheLiberalElitist Member

    Messages:
    627
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    0
    I think with the inclusion of aircraft, and naval crafts heavies and artillery would become unnecessary.

    I anticipate battles when these are added will be way less static than in current empires where you needed heavies to brake chokepoint stalemates.

    I would not complain if they were left in, but currently in my mind they would be expensive sitting ducks to aircraft .
     
    Last edited: Sep 19, 2017
  8. D.D.D. Destroyer

    D.D.D. Destroyer Member Staff Member Moderator

    Messages:
    9,509
    Likes Received:
    111
    Trophy Points:
    0
    More counters and unit types, good. I imagine the meta would revolve around getting mediums first, then aircraft, and then siegebreaker tech.
     
  9. Lazybum

    Lazybum :D Staff Member Moderator

    Messages:
    4,827
    Likes Received:
    190
    Trophy Points:
    0
    I'd like to make a point that if aircraft is indeed that dangerous you would have to do some serious overhauling on the command vehicle, considering how easy it would be to destroy with aircraft. I don't think having a meta degenerate to rushing aircraft every game is a good thing, especially because that would most likely be even more player skill dependent, swinging the game even more in favor of the better team.

    That said I really don't think aircraft would ever be that amazing considering the whole rts/economic factor of empires. Even if cheap the fact people will crash all the time in them if they moved with as much freedom as people hope for(like in battlefield or planetside) makes me wary. Consider how often people lose tanks due to bad driving, something with 3 dimensions to move in is gonna be terrible. So honestly I don't think heavies or normal tanks would be obsoleted from aircraft.
     

Share This Page