Our T.H.M.P.R. Acting Like a Squad-Mate

[MattHunX]

It would make escorting and protecting our MEK-A more interesting if we had the ability to issue simple commands, as if it was a squad-mate.

It could have basic behaviors.

e.g.:

1. Return to base immediately, with the resources, without engaging the enemy. Run, don't gun. Haul ass without taking chances in a fight.
2. Protect yourself and retreat! Default behavior, should only stop and engage Kaiju and larger threats, while remaining mobile as it takes out smaller ones or ignores them entirely, leaving them to you.
3. Engage and distract the enemy. More actively attack any threat, even grabbing hold of both smaller and larger enemies, pinning them down for you to shoot at.
4. Turtle up! This command could be issued when a larger or stronger enemy is about unleash a devastating attack and our MEK-A has to shield itself from it or when it is being swarmed and cannot effectively engage the enemy without being shredded by the rest, while it's attacking one of them. It would assume a defensive posture, becoming a bit more resistant to damage, but immobile and without being able to attack.

 

[Omnires]

What about also adding in.

5. Coordinated Attack, focus attacks on whatever the player is attacking until that thing is destroyed or player selects a new target. If no target is selected then goes into default self-protection mode.

6. Emergency Response Team, goes into a power save mode to send out a distress signal to players both within the area and players your friend list. Players who accept the call will teleport to the MEK-A's location as well as added to the player's team. Because of the large energy demands the mass teleportor has it can only be used once every 5 or 10 minutes before the MEK-A has enough extra power stored up to use it again. (This ability is here because it is common for games with large maps and worlds to have a "teleport to friend" option to make forming teams easier. Although it is an ability with a long cool down or it is something you have pay for with each use to keep it from being used too much.)

 

[Ronyn]

That sounds pretty cool.

 

[Nunaden]

how about that the ppl on your friend list and in a 250m radius get teleported and teh rest must run (if they are in the range of 1km... lets just assume that the distress signal has this range) 'cause it would cost too much energy to teleport some1 over 1km (the MEK-As energy capacity ain't enough for that ).

 

[MattHunX]

What about also adding in.

5. Coordinated Attack, focus attacks on whatever the player is attacking until that thing is destroyed or player selects a new target. If no target is selected then goes into default self-protection mode.

6. Emergency Response Team, goes into a power save mode to send out a distress signal to players both within the area and players your friend list. Players who accept the call will teleport to the MEK-A's location as well as added to the player's team. Because of the large energy demands the mass teleportor has it can only be used once every 5 or 10 minutes before the MEK-A has enough extra power stored up to use it again. (This ability is here because it is common for games with large maps and worlds to have a "teleport to friend" option to make forming teams easier. Although it is an ability with a long cool down or it is something you have pay for with each use to keep it from being used too much.)

Hmmm...

I like the coordinated attack or focus on the player's target. And the emergency signal, too. The teleporting might be overdoing it a bit, though. Alerting nearby players or even friendly NPCs would be enough.

 

[yapushkin]

Sounds like a good idea here, but make it only that leader of the group could give commands to mek.

 

[yapushkin]

What about also adding in.
6. Emergency Response Team, goes into a power save mode to send out a distress signal to players both within the area and players your friend list. Players who accept the call will teleport to the MEK-A's location as well as added to the player's team. Because of the large energy demands the mass teleportor has it can only be used once every 5 or 10 minutes before the MEK-A has enough extra power stored up to use it again. (This ability is here because it is common for games with large maps and worlds to have a "teleport to friend" option to make forming teams easier. Although it is an ability with a long cool down or it is something you have pay for with each use to keep it from being used too much.)

And also what if we replace this

... it can only be used once every 5 or 10 minutes ...

with this,

What about also adding in.
... it can only be used once every X minutes, after use leaving MEK immobile for some time and provoking X extra wave(s?) of enemies (same to those that attacking now, or whatever)

point of it is that, if you summon backup, it must have some fair enough consequinces so it stays challenging and dont become ezpz. What do u think?

 

[Omnires]

And also what if we replace this



with this,



point of it is that, if you summon backup, it must have some fair enough consequinces so it stays challenging and dont become ezpz. What do u think?

If the enemies are smart. I can see that some of the commanders and tacticians would not attack right away. They would try to stay out of range watch both you and your MEK-A while gathering more forces. After they build up their numbers they do a plain attack in a formation rather than just doing a banzai charge like the dumper enemy types do.

If we could have leader type A.I. enemies who can change the behavior of lowered ranked enemy types. It could make for some nice battles. As higher ranking enemies are called to fight in the fight they'll change the enemy tactics. And you can screw up those tactics by taking out their change of command.

 

[Torgue_Joey]

Wooooo everybody can give it commands? NOW WHERE'S THAT F*CKING TROLL MESSING WITH THE COMMAND?

 

[yapushkin]

Oh, oh!! What if everyone in same group has right to "command" MEK, but leader have higher priority for it. So everyone can give commands to MEK, but only until leader decides to give his commands to it. So if group "tacticians" will misunderstand each other or whatever other reason, leader can put his dot in dispute.

And also MEK will fulill commands of everyone in same group right after it recieves comm without finishing its current com, (except if its leader`s command), but when leader commands (since higher command priority) it will abandon any other player orders and start to fulfill leader command and ignore any other commands (except leader itself) until this command complete.

 

[Wyntyr]

Either only the owner gives commands...or...the owner sets up one person to give it commands (default being the owner).

 

[Torgue_Joey]

I curious how they gonna implement that in the game. Don't want 20 peeps calling in the thumpers at once, UNLESS WE'RE INTO SOME HARDCORE SUICIDE EVENT

 

[yapushkin]

I think that thumping rules will be pretty same to FF ones, not more than X thumper per X meters area around

 

[Omnires]

But what if we could have a number of them in the same area? We could have lines of MEK-A all traveling in a formation readying to fight a group of kaiju. All while players and smaller enemies are fighting all around them.

And even that one of the things we are fighting over ancient alien artifacts. This also means we could be fighting over, with, and against ancient alien war weapons and machines.

 

[TankHunter678]

The more thumpers that can be placed in a relatively small area the more of the feeling like the old firefall CBT melding thump wars get revived.

Also, I would not mind being given the ability to thump for dirt, that way we can as players create our own mini warzone with thumper events.

When a big group of people gather, given them the ability to create big events worthy of a large grouping.

 

[Manwild]

Well given that the owner has the right to deploy the Mek-A, but is killed. Who will still be able to call it, when it gets to hot?

On solo thumping, there's a good chance you will lose the Mek-A. In a group encounter, the owner has full controll, untill he/she is wiped out, then it has to run the full course, with no other members calling it early.
Deploying a Mek-A will be critical for the owner to stay alive. Running in guns blazing thinking if you go down there's going to be no consequences, is a joke.
Defending the Mek-A and the owner will be a better challenge to call it in early.

 

[TankHunter678]

Well given that the owner has the right to deploy the Mek-A, but is killed. Who will still be able to call it, when it gets to hot?

On solo thumping, there's a good chance you will lose the Mek-A. In a group encounter, the owner has full controll, untill he/she is wiped out, then it has to run the full course, with no other members calling it early.
Deploying a Mek-A will be critical for the owner to stay alive. Running in guns blazing thinking if you go down there's going to be no consequences, is a joke.
Defending the Mek-A and the owner will be a better challenge to call it in early.

I think anyone within the party should have the ability to send it back early.

Only the owner however can command it as a unit. Otherwise trolls will be destructive with commanding the unit.

 

[Manwild]

I think anyone within the party should have the ability to send it back early.

Only the owner however can command it as a unit. Otherwise trolls will be destructive with commanding the unit.

I agree with your second point as well.
Thumping is going to be a critical role, and my reasoning is to stop thumper spamming nodes.
If your not skilled enough to defend your Mek, why get the choice to just stick it where you please, and let other's take care of it.
There's going to be conflicts if someone else pulls your Mek early, and you had the skill to keep it going for a longer period.
The other side is, if it's not your Mek.
I'm the boss of this group, and I choose when to stop.
Or, I got to go, so I'm stopping this now, cya.
If we don't put any skill or responsibility into dropping Mek's, it's going to be a runaway resource gathering, with mindless and senseless hoarding of resources just for the elite, getting all the cream spots.
It's going to be a very delicate balance on the lore.
Also I'm thinking to put a 30 min cooldown on the Mek as well, if you lose it.

 

[MattHunX]

I agree with your second point as well.
Thumping is going to be a critical role, and my reasoning is to stop thumper spamming nodes.
If your not skilled enough to defend your Mek, why get the choice to just stick it where you please, and let other's take care of it.
There's going to be conflicts if someone else pulls your Mek early, and you had the skill to keep it going for a longer period.
The other side is, if it's not your Mek.
I'm the boss of this group, and I choose when to stop.
Or, I got to go, so I'm stopping this now, cya.
If we don't put any skill or responsibility into dropping Mek's, it's going to be a runaway resource gathering, with mindless and senseless hoarding of resources just for the elite, getting all the cream spots.
It's going to be a very delicate balance on the lore.
Also I'm thinking to put a 30 min cooldown on the Mek as well, if you lose it.

Also the more damage it sustained in a single thumping run, the longer the cool-down until its next use should be. Because it would need more repairs and maintenance.

 

[Daynen]

Allowing attack commands would just allow some people to use it as a siege weapon instead of it's intended purpose. I think any commands we're allowed should still be ultimately to the preservation and escape of the THMPR.