Skills without having to return to a Barracks

This is another one of those things which makes no sense whatsoever.

Okay, let me paint a picture:
I am playing very well, having lots of fun co-operating with my team-mates on the front lines, when I get a skill slot opened up, awesome! - But in order to use the new skill I just picked, I have to suicide, and walk all the way back, or get yelled at for buying a jeep.

Now what would of happened if I was able to get the new skill immediately? I would of most likely continued experiencing the best part of the gameplay Empires has to offer.

So for an amount of time after unlocking a skill slot the player should be able to pick a skill and be able to use it immediately, regardless of the players location.

 

So you will be like a Crysis guy on crack...

Example:

You are an engineer, you started with the repair upgrade; you built the foward rax with your team and you are moving up; your teamates get gunned down; you swich from repair upgrade and revive your team, then swich to upgraded turrets and plop a lvl 3 down...

This gives too much power to the engineer especialy, this doesn't force you to plan ahead...

Though if you are saying it in a way that once you get a skill unlocked it has a special icon saying "Lvl UP; Pick your skill" after you choose it once out in the field, from that point on you have to change it in the barracks... for that I dont see a problem...

 

Tell the commander to build an armory in the frontlines.

 

I don't think I explained it correctly.

I did not suggest that you should be able to switch skills on the fly, just allow for 10 or so seconds after unlocking a skill slot to assign one.

 

unless your doing a rambo mission or have a shitty commander, switching classes and getting the skills shouldnt be hard to do..

 

The Barracks/Armory/Flags requirement to change the skill/weapon loadout is there for two purposes: Balance and Teamwork. Whether picking a freshly unlocked skill or changing an existing one, being able to do so in the field not only throws off the balance, but it also removes any need for coordination with your commander.

 

It's weird because first reading this i really didn't think it was neccesary, but actually i really like this idea. as long as you only get 10 seconds to choose your skill (so no running around able to chose what you want as soon as you find the need for a specific one)

I mean, this is one of the less useful uses of krenzo's coding time, but still, it's a nice suggestion)

 

Go to an armory.

 

What about skill changing in APCs?

 

Seconded!

I don't really see a reason why you shouldn't be able to change skills or even your class in an APC. People already do this, it would just remove the one ticket penalty that you have with suiciding and respawning in the APC. I don't think it would throw off game balancing too much.

 

I just think, if the skill is blank. you should beable to change it. if its filled, and you wana switch you should hit an apc,armory,rax thats it.

 

it needs the 10 second timer. you can't be allowed to


and APC's are far too mobile to allow you to change class. that means that on my own, i could go to an enemy outpost, sabotage it, mortar it, the build our own outpost there. The point of APC's rather than barracks is that APCs are deisgned to go into enemy territory, and so you shouldn't be able to just change class whenever you like there.

 

You can already do that, it just takes two tickets which isn't expensive since classic maps, with very few exceptions, are never won by tickets.
Also, it still takes time to destroy a base and set up a new one, 2x15 sec respawn timer more or less doesn't change much about that.
And if you have an APC inside the enemy's base they have other problems than what class you are.

 

ive typed out like 3 ways of trying to balance this, but had to erase each one cause it seems like had an exploit built in.

so i would have to say, good idea but no.

 

How is being able to pick a new skill as soon as the slot opens up an exploit?

I would think that its incredibly rare for someone to get killed from having to walk back to the base to get the new skill, so its not like it avoids being shot at or improves the players power to a level that would be unreachable by normal means.

The current system promotes usage of the kill command, which _can_ be considered an exploit.

TBH its more exploity now than if this suggestion was implemented.

The only way this could be an exploit is if someone chooses the skill when they need it - but the 10sec timer idea fixes this.

 

I agree with Kitsun, you should be able to use your new skill when you're promoted, no time limit, just a message saying "a skill slot is unlocked, press b to use it"

 

^im an engi. i lvl up. i keep the slot blank and wait until someone dies to choose regin, wait until i can build a turret to get upgrade, or wait ill im deconstructing to get repair.

the time limit on getting it could reduce this, but that seems arbitrary and odd.

 

exactly mr quackums. there has to be a time limit.

 

What about if an engineer has to 'build' the upgrade on you?

 

Would be handy to just be able to activate the unlock when you get it.