Start with a Jeep in classic maps

Classic maps always start the same way: everyone runs in different directions without chance of seeing the enemy.

They all run to get resources so they can make refineries and then get a vehicle factory.

I think the game should start with one jeep for each team.

yess nooo maybeee?

 

Maybe two or three would be nice, just in case someone takes it and drives it into the ocean, or if there's more than 2 people who need to make things unbroken.

 

This would be totally up to the mappers... if krenzo would tell us what keyvalues are on those tanks. Otherwise we will never see pre-made vehicles in maps. Or maybe some clever h4x0r could search the Empires dlls to find them.

 

I've asked for vehicle entities a long time ago, and Krenzo said no back then.

 

Would be nice to get some quick res going (drive to the furthest "safe" one), and if they ever put an MG slot on them it would be quite the interesting early game skirmish.

 

They're getting remade with perks I think...but I do see beginning with Jeeps as a recipe for 5 minute games. In some places it would be quite handy, but others, if you really want to get there fast without breaking the game just use the speed upgrade.

 

I might be content with 2 but 3 would be pushing it...

The objective is to quickly get your first refinery down - not run in every direction as fast as possible and win the game in 3 seconds.

 

It's already possible to win the game in the first three seconds, just have the other team drive the Comm truck into the ocean.

 

I like the slow growing feeling of the RTS games, so no...

Its like asking for a starting tank, there's better games for fast action...

 

I agree, the start game is very carefully balanced so you plan where you're gunna attack, when move out... adding jeeps really would mess this up. suddenly your team is already on the back foot because the jeep team didn't succeed, the team is already split up, people are fighting over the jeep, some noob has grabbed it and is doing donuts around the barracks... and given that it takes about 40 seconds to get back into the action after a massive battle, I hardly think it's worth it.

 

no
filler

 

i've heard a few snippets from various devs about.... "commander powers" and "commander jeep" so maybe something is being mulled over, but as of right now, I'm gonna have to give a strong no to this; it detracts from both the early commander mobility (no one else has vehicles) and the value of an early VF build. The effect on both is very minor, but it's there and I think that's a step in the wrong direction, gameplay wise.

 

What about having the Barracks deploy a single jeep every x seconds?

 

what about ... no .. oh god no.

 

Fun and run rhymes, but it's misleading. Having to run for up to one minute at the beginning of a game is a flaw, yes a flaw. This has to be addressed. Of course no-one wants rushes and games that ends with destroyed comm vehicles within two minutes. That can however be avoided.

I propose this:

• Vehicle starting positions on all classic maps (info_vehicle_start?)
  
• One jeep for every four Northern Faction players, one AFV for every four Brenodi players
  
• The jeep and the AFV should be as lightly armored as possible, and the AFV should have no weapons
  
• The vehicles should be locked, unlockable only by the comm or a squad leader if at least 3/4 of the seats/slots is used by his squad
  
• The comm or a squad leader (whose squad occupies most seats/slots in the vehicle) should be able to eject players from a vehicle before it's unlocked
  
• Depending on map size, the vehicles should begin to overheat if they reach X units from info_vehicle_start

What would this do? It would remove one of Empires flaws, the early running, and it would promote teamplay since players are forced to keep together (or run, there's always running).

 

no....just no. It's good the way it is and no one minds walking around for 1 minute at the start of a game before the comm gets an APC up. And the suggestions you made above are just pointless, un-necessary and too much sore head for developers

 

<filler>

 

Please do ditch the attitude.

A lot of people mind the running, myself for instance. It can't be too hard to implement either. I'm no developer, but except for perhaps locking/unlocking vehicles and ejecting other players from vehicles (which really isn't necessary, but on the other hand would make it easier for the team and squads to stay together) I don't think the things I suggested is overly complicated to accomplish for a dev team like Empires.

If you as a player can reach the action in 15 seconds instead of a minute, that's in my eyes nothing but an improvement. What, exactly what, is so good with having to hold down the walk key several times longer?

 

Maybe just one jeep. 2 engineers get over to the res point, build it up, run into the enemy jeep and explode just in time for the rest of the players to reach each other.

And a side note, there should be a better way to get jeeps than through vehicle stations. Players see that as a waste of res and yell at you for spawning one. Jeeps are great for getting somewhere fast, of course, and are an integral part of the game, granted you dont spawn 30 of them and pile them up around the commander. There should be a way to get jeeps without the hobscobbery of pissing off the entire team.

 

good point - lets put both ideas together.

What if engineers could build jeeps (without commander intervention)