Good afternoon!
Like everyone else, I have developed an opinion of what I disliked about FireFall, from early beta and on through the disasters we experienced after every major update.
I want to see a well bounded architecture starting at the frame so that as the game progresses, the changes don't break everything. In addition to that, I want to see more flexible play and hybridization.
So let me start with the basics. Each basic frame should be based on how mobile it is, not on a "class". So light, medium, heavy, and heavy in terms of sizes and mobility. The focus should be based on how you build the frame up within the confines of that.
First up is the power core. The amount of power you need (capacity and recharge weight) dictate its overall weight. In theory, you could attach the smallest power core on the heavy frame, but you wont make it far due to power requirements to move it.
The system core you select for your frame, is where your focus comes from. It controls your actuators, etc, and augments your movements according to the size of your frame and what is equipped to it. When you build your system core, you would build it according to what you want to do - assault, heavy, engineer, bio-tech, sniper, etc. Your experience reinforces the system core's efficiency and artificial intelligence making you faster, better, and manipulating your environment or tech. As your core develops, it can gain skills from other frames in a very random and rare fashion. Imagine that one bio-tech has the ability to throw out fire like the one firefall assault class. If and when it happens, the recharge rates, etc, are greatly handicapped. Another example could be a heavy that has a limited ability to gain a leaching heal. (side note is that you can create a new frame of a different type, install a blank core and copy an old core into it, thus creating a second frame. This allows for drastically different game play within the same class, but without the penalty of starting over from scratch. Maybe impose some mobility and skill rate penalty for x hrs as your new core adjusts.)
Next is munitions core. This core is reliant on your system core for how to assemble your ammunition and deployables for use. It contains a matter transporter and converter to assemble your munitions on the fly according to the bounds of your system core. The matter transporter brings in the ammunition (size and type) and the matter converter modifies the round accordingly and since it is smart, it responds according to its primary and secondary firing options. (Side note is that you have a character wide fault which stores your frames, weapons, supplies, and materials. Matter transporters allow you to access these items either from your frame or from stations.) So for example, if your play style and frame size requires a smaller caliber, then the matter transporter will bring that size ammunition to you. If your power core dictates you are a bio-tech, it will modify the matter of the round to be toxic according to the skills learned in the core. Now this is all done at the magazine level. So if you just equipped a magazine of nanobot equipped hardened capsules that can heal or destroy depending on the primary/secondary, unless you drop it and reload, you cannot equip a different round type. I can have the same "skills" as before, but implemented differently depending on if I am using a grenade launcher, shotgun, minigun, assault rifle, or smg.
This brings us next to the hand held weaponry. Building weapons is a must, starting with type and caliber for lethality/dps. You the focus on frame, barrel length, and magazine/drum/belt to determine accuracy, stability, and mobility. Since all weapons are augmented by your system core, they need power, some more than others like a minigun. Notice the magazine/drum/belt comment - 5 to 20, 30-100, and 100-300 respectively depending on the calibers being used.
Your frame can be equipped with its own weaponry and can be used for self defense or offense. What you can employ is a bit more confined by your system core. This brings in more class specific gameplay like poison clouds, shoulder mounted matter transporters (for deployables), EMPs, etc, etc, etc. How well they work depends on the size that is geared towards your frame. These are the traditional skills that are bound to your keys.
Finally we have armor - mobility, heat, stability. No more words needed.
From here, then we can have a material types, modules, etc, for all of the components above. However we should stay away from effecting dps, but rather mobility, weight, accuracy, special affects, sights, etc.
I hope the vision is clear. The goal is being unique but still effective.
Like everyone else, I have developed an opinion of what I disliked about FireFall, from early beta and on through the disasters we experienced after every major update.
I want to see a well bounded architecture starting at the frame so that as the game progresses, the changes don't break everything. In addition to that, I want to see more flexible play and hybridization.
So let me start with the basics. Each basic frame should be based on how mobile it is, not on a "class". So light, medium, heavy, and heavy in terms of sizes and mobility. The focus should be based on how you build the frame up within the confines of that.
First up is the power core. The amount of power you need (capacity and recharge weight) dictate its overall weight. In theory, you could attach the smallest power core on the heavy frame, but you wont make it far due to power requirements to move it.
The system core you select for your frame, is where your focus comes from. It controls your actuators, etc, and augments your movements according to the size of your frame and what is equipped to it. When you build your system core, you would build it according to what you want to do - assault, heavy, engineer, bio-tech, sniper, etc. Your experience reinforces the system core's efficiency and artificial intelligence making you faster, better, and manipulating your environment or tech. As your core develops, it can gain skills from other frames in a very random and rare fashion. Imagine that one bio-tech has the ability to throw out fire like the one firefall assault class. If and when it happens, the recharge rates, etc, are greatly handicapped. Another example could be a heavy that has a limited ability to gain a leaching heal. (side note is that you can create a new frame of a different type, install a blank core and copy an old core into it, thus creating a second frame. This allows for drastically different game play within the same class, but without the penalty of starting over from scratch. Maybe impose some mobility and skill rate penalty for x hrs as your new core adjusts.)
Next is munitions core. This core is reliant on your system core for how to assemble your ammunition and deployables for use. It contains a matter transporter and converter to assemble your munitions on the fly according to the bounds of your system core. The matter transporter brings in the ammunition (size and type) and the matter converter modifies the round accordingly and since it is smart, it responds according to its primary and secondary firing options. (Side note is that you have a character wide fault which stores your frames, weapons, supplies, and materials. Matter transporters allow you to access these items either from your frame or from stations.) So for example, if your play style and frame size requires a smaller caliber, then the matter transporter will bring that size ammunition to you. If your power core dictates you are a bio-tech, it will modify the matter of the round to be toxic according to the skills learned in the core. Now this is all done at the magazine level. So if you just equipped a magazine of nanobot equipped hardened capsules that can heal or destroy depending on the primary/secondary, unless you drop it and reload, you cannot equip a different round type. I can have the same "skills" as before, but implemented differently depending on if I am using a grenade launcher, shotgun, minigun, assault rifle, or smg.
This brings us next to the hand held weaponry. Building weapons is a must, starting with type and caliber for lethality/dps. You the focus on frame, barrel length, and magazine/drum/belt to determine accuracy, stability, and mobility. Since all weapons are augmented by your system core, they need power, some more than others like a minigun. Notice the magazine/drum/belt comment - 5 to 20, 30-100, and 100-300 respectively depending on the calibers being used.
Your frame can be equipped with its own weaponry and can be used for self defense or offense. What you can employ is a bit more confined by your system core. This brings in more class specific gameplay like poison clouds, shoulder mounted matter transporters (for deployables), EMPs, etc, etc, etc. How well they work depends on the size that is geared towards your frame. These are the traditional skills that are bound to your keys.
Finally we have armor - mobility, heat, stability. No more words needed.
From here, then we can have a material types, modules, etc, for all of the components above. However we should stay away from effecting dps, but rather mobility, weight, accuracy, special affects, sights, etc.
I hope the vision is clear. The goal is being unique but still effective.
