The cost of war challenge event / mission.

[Omnires]

I got this idea from playing some older games and how at the end of a mission they give you a grade based on how will you did. Taking note of things like all games do. But then I remembered how in some mecha games they also showed you how much money it costed you and the enemy in that battle. Everything from the repair cost to your mecha to the cost of all the bullets and missiles you fired. And the cost of the damages you did to the area/map and the cost of damages you did to the enemy.

This was because in some games you can still have a tactical win even if you lost the battle by forcing the enemy to use up more money and resources than you did. Making it that much harder for them to pull resources in the next battle.

Anyway, to the point of this thread. What do you all think about having a challenge mode or event in the game where we have to manage out resources wisely to win it. You are only given so much resources and you have to say survive 3 waves of enemy attacks with them. Even if you clear all 3 waves you can still lose the challenge because you spent to many resources to do it. Players who can clear the event under budget will get a bonus of some kind for not being wasteful.

 

[zdoofop]

Like reverse thumping. I like it.

 

[Wyntyr]

Interesting idea for sure.

 

[Thorp]

This scenario of running out of resources may naturally play out while player bases are being attacked. I anticipate while player bases are being damaged their resources are being used for repairs and other costs which over time will naturally run out leading to loss of player bases and other territory.

I would also speculate that a scenario of fixed resources would require a staged environment such as an arena or alternative game mode. Setting this up as an in-game Event may work however Em8er on a grand scale plans to allow players to donate resources to the warfront. Forcing limited resources would fracture a gameplay loop of Em8er.

The idea has a sound gameplay mechanic but on a grand mmo scale I don't believe it'll work without players deliberately volunteering to not quibble against whoever is in charge of the resource management. Players are going to aim to "have fun" and that usually means spending big without truly thinking about the consequences. A game called Savage: Battle for Newerth was a prime example; some players would absolutely waste team resources attempting to have game time as an expensive unit only to be the crux of why their team ran out of money and lost the match. Such a scenario would be best kept separate from global efforts lest you wish to upset the global player community.

Perhaps Em8er will incorporate some sort of a global vote for resource management. A poll such as "Repair Defenses or Build Tanks" would be a way for players to have some collective control in such a scenario of limited resources. But as we've probably all experienced in video games and life...the best strategic decisions are often thwarted by choices that give immediate rewards.

 

[Omnires]

One idea could be there is a unit trapped behind enemy lines and was able to fight the enemies into a stand off in this mountainous terrain. They are surrounded and the enemy seems to have set up a blockade forces things into a kind of siege warfare. Before the they fully surrounded and cut off, command managed to send you in with some resources to aid them. The goal is to try and survive long enough for the main back up force to gather and mount a rescue. The goal is stay alive as long as possible and you can do that in any way you see fit. It is even possible to win without even fighting as long as you can run out the clock buying time for reinforcements to get to you.

Because of this there are many different tactics players can do to clear the mission / event. Do you repair all the units you can and charge at the enemy head on? Do you build up layers of walls and other defenses to slow the enemy down to buy time? Do you focus on guerilla warfare and keeping everyone hidden and always moving around within the warzone? Do you just take some of the supplies for yourselves and try to act like a decoy while the unit tries to escape? And so on. The more options the players have for winning the better.

 

[Drakin5]

Logistics play a key part in any war simulation so it’s rather obvious that resource management would likely be implemented in the game. Just think about it. We’re thumping for resources and where do you expect them going to be used for?

To an extent, think resources as money. it is limited and should be used wisely. Do you save them in a piggy bank or spend it?

 

[Pandagnome]

I like the idea that we have a HQ for each biome that is ours and we need to keep it maintained, repaired and defend it, at the same time we have our own bases scattered around.

It is not really a mission, it is more about keeping the HQ sufficient as this is important. The biome could be completely out of our control if for some unforseen circumstances gets taken over we would have to do our best to retake it back.

If that doesn't happen & we are overwhelmed we either have to go back to the previous biome through the gates.

Or alternatively we could then have a mission Omniris mentioned and this could be in the sky tower where our hidden base now become seen and the focus since the HQ is taken over we have the option of combining our resources together with the help of Reaper space bank who is a banker in space sometimes comes to help out but not always.

We then can have an option to create siege units, stealth units etc etc and plan an invasion to recapture our HQ. Some of us may not want to risk their resources so going back to the previous biome and regrouping is another option with lower tier units.

Lets say we recapture it we would need to re-engineer the tech used because depending how long the Tsihu have taken over the process may be long. If it was a full take over then there is a chance we could gain certain options that the tsihu tech had on the HQ.

To an extent, think resources as money. it is limited and should be used wisely. Do you save them in a piggy bank or spend it?

So the resources is going to be very useful not just for our HQ either keeping it in good condition and to rebuild and recapture and even our bases, virtually everything we do.

Also our resources can be collected and sent to the space because it is the biggest place!
In space there is a Reaper Space Bank we can transfer what we need and it gets sent to us.

Are there any attacks on the Reaper Space Bank not really the space bank moves around when possible to avoid asteroids and other threats. The Space banker in space sometimes reminds you that you have low deposits of something then you could take a Reaper space bank loan but you have to pay some ingame monies and small % interest.

Reaper space bank was created as a way to store resources and support its reapers so they do not need to create resource storage facilities. However if the Reaper space bank was to go offline which it could do !!!!!!!!!

Then resources may be limited that is why some reapers have decided to create Storage facilities near their own bases. The result is you still have some unlike the Reaper space bank, the downside is putting too much in the storage near your base could be lost if the base gets destroyed :OOOOO

Anyways Reaper space bank is nice and so is storage just becareful not to put too much in the storage near the base. Oh If the Reaper space bank is offline we would all be affected so we need to build some investigator repair units to see what it is then if it was something like power device was corrupted the repair units could require resources to fix it.

 

[Omnires]

I also remember how in some games like Armored Core there was missions where you has to ether protect or attack an train line or a group of air ships holding cargo based on what side you picked in that fight.

I remember being out in the middle of the desert with my mech protecting a train station. Than after the path was cleared the train rushing into the station to refuel. Then an enemy mech shows up and I have to protect the train until it leaves the map. I win as long as the train can get out of the area with the cargo. I didn't have to fight or kill the other mech because running out the clock was good enough.

I also remember fighting on inside and on top of giant cargo air ships. Jumping from plane to plane to protect them from waves of missiles. As long as more than 2 planes are able to make it out alive I win. But I got a pay bonus for every ship over 2 that made it. And even bigger bonus if no ships are taken down.

I can picture lots of ways in which we as the players would be cut off from our normal means of getting supplies and ammo. So we have to be careful about how we use what limited supplies we do have to complete the mission. Some of those missions was more like puzzles when weighing your options, all the while trying to stay alive in the middle of battle.