903 réponses à ce sujet

[thepimpto]

thepimpto wrote...


LEVELING SYSTEM

Get rid of Progressive talent costs. One point per bar means no more wasted skill points at max level.

One of the few things I actually liked about the ME2 leveling system was the specialization of the powers however I feel this is best left to Shepard’s and NPC’s passive class talents trees. In any case talent specialization for all skills in progressive ways could become a larger aspect of customizing the player’s character, play style, and complete game experience.

A return to something more along the lines of the ME talent tree is advisable, however perhaps not to its full twelve bar extent.

Example:

Overload: [] [] [] [Specialization1*] [] [] [] [Specialization2*]

Specialization1 would be a choice like in ME2 (Damage or Area of Effect) where as Specialization2 would further expand Specialization1. In the case of damage a player could get an Overload bomb that would drain the target’s shield and send out a concussive blast knocking down enemies within a certain radius or for AoE an overload chain connecting to nearby enemies akin to master force lightning in KotOR.

Something along those lines expands the current system yet keeping it streamlined. However, I would like to see more range and variety in talents giving more depth to character classes. Soldiers got the worst of this, but each class has its own lack of depth. All classes became equal with none better or worse at handling any facet of the game except perhaps difficulty level. The only things that truly separated the classes were class specific bonus powers and weapons available.

-Cryo became the Tech version of Bastion stasis from ME1
-Incinerate is not to far off form the tech version of Warp
-Ammo copying real talents and replacing them

The only unique techs besides class powers were AI Hacking and that wasn’t too useful this game and Overload. And of course...well biotics are biotics.

The only truly uniquely defined class was the Adept because their lack of balanced powers, but I will not get into the radically toned down usefulness of biotic powers other than Warp (Hardcore and Insanity), because that has been addressed enough and the developers got the message. However I will address certain powers should be just as effective regardless of armor and shields.

I do not like Ammo as a talent gameplay-wise, nor from a story stand point do I find it logical, but ME2 Soldiers would not work with out it. Now to address this for ME3 a few of the class specific powers could work for the Soldier (Adrenaline Rush, Charge, Tech Shield but more along the lines of Shield Boost in ME1, Incendiary Grenade, Fortification) would work better as Soldier talents with ammo being a mod.

Andorfiend, I agree with you that the skill trees should actually branch (earlier, and multiple times) for a greater sense character individuality. Thats why I reposted this excerpt from one of my earlier posts to give you an idea of how I think i could be expanded.

[Scarecrow_ES]

Branching could be fun if done right... however, can you think of a way it could be done right? Realistically, "evolving" powers, as they're done today, really only consists of choosing one incremental enhancement of the power over another, slightly different, incremental enhancement of the power. The trade is often damage for area of effect, for instance. Unless you could produce a power development system that offered truly DIFFERENT powers at each stage of branching (as in, something way beyond a simple incremental change, but a real, power-altering choice), then a multi-branching system won't work. In the end, a player could make a series of choices that would ebb back and forth between a series of incremental choices, and the result would be a wash. (I choose the damage-focused branch this time, the area of effect next time, and in the end they even out, rather than specializing anything at all).



To offer a system that offers a multi-tiered branching pathway where the choice of path at each tier is distinct, thing of the sheer complexity of the choices. You'd need 2 choices at the first tier, two choices from each of those original choices at the second tier (4 choices), and another two choices from each of the 4 choices at that tier (8 choices)... 14 distinct possibilites, and a maximum of 3 could be seen by the player in a given playthrough (meaning there are 11 possibilities the player is outright denied). Even coming up with 14 differing versions of a power would be a monumental task... but then having to ensure balance and playability... BAH! Makes my brain hurt.

[Andorfiend]

Scarecrow_ES wrote...

(as a side note, I like KotOR style weapon augmentation systems and lots of customization options too. Will BioWare want to go back to that though? No, I doubt it, so why struggle futily when you can work progressively within the established gameplay?)

Yes, that's why I proposed using the established gameplay mechanics from ME 1, rather than some other alternative. That having been said, we're providing feedback to encourage Bioware to make the game we want to play. An excess of timidity in what we dare to suggest serves no one, least of all them.

Scarecrow_ES wrote...
The problem I have with the opposite-approach hybrid heat/ammo system like you describe is that, again, it really favors some weapons over others. Running out of clips would virtually gut automatic weapons but would do little to sniper rifles. However, as usual, if we see an abundance of clips as we do in ME2, automatic weapons users will never run out. In which case, Pistols and Shotguns get screwed. And if you can continue firing your weapon, even after you've completely abused them, how much pressure does that REALLY put on the player to conserve. The consequences of NOT conserving are marginal at best for most weapons. Balancing such a system to play evenly would be nearly impossible, unfortunatley.

From a real-world scientific point of view, my system makes a great deal of sense. All weapons, be they chemical propellant based (as standard firearms are) or directed energy weapons, or the odd physics-based systems such as in ME release a good deal of energy back into the weapon as heat when fired. That heat builds with each round, and is vented to atmosphere over time. Regardless of the existance of a thermal clip in a weapon, as in ME2, it would STILL cool itself over time (except in a vacuum). Also, there are real dangers of overheating. In chemical propellant weapons, there is a high risk of premature detonation due to exposure to heat. With Mass Effect weapons, it means the destruction of the on-board electrical/computer systems necessary to make the gun work. Remember, these things analyze the target, select an appropriate sized projectile, create said projectile from a block of raw material, select a proper velocity to damage the target, and then apply the electrical field to react with Eezo and then expell the projectile. THis is all HIGHLY electronics dependant. We can't even keep our PCs running reliably if they get much over room temperature. Imagine exposing them to several hundred degrees temperature. No responsible firearms manufacture would allow a weapon to be fired in an overheat condition.

Just throwing the science out there.

The current system highly favors the automatic weapons with their large ammo capacities. A breakdown mechanic which favors the low ROF weapons then restores balance. Frankly I'm sick of being forced to use a machinepistol with my Infiltrator. If I'm willing to put up with a 1/4 or 1/8 ROF why should I not be allowed to use it? As you noted yourself the ME 2 Sniper rifle doesn't fire any faster than the ME 1 SR did, it just has a hard limit of 10 shots now. Which in point of fact completely negates the in lore reason for the switch.

And as far as science goes allow me to quote, um... you. "That heat builds with each round, and is vented to atmosphere over time. Regardless of the existance of a thermal clip in a weapon, as in ME2, it would STILL cool itself over time (except in a vacuum). Actually things do cool themselves in a vacuum but they are limited to radiative cooling and do not dissipate heat through conduction and convection as they do in an atmosphere.

So as you established, thermal clip or not the weapon is still cooling itself over time. Once it is cool enough to fire, why shouldn't I be allowed to fire it? And the wait for it to cool again? This longer period of having to pause and wait.. What would it look like? Oh! I know! It would amount to a slower ROF. Huh. Where have I heard that before?

Sorry if this comes off as snarky, but please, don't imagine a total lack of function somehow makes more scientific sense than reduced function.

WRT branching powers I suggest one early split and possibly a second evolution at the end resulting in 4 end results per power. 14 would indeed be difficult. Also impossible since it's not an even power of 2. Well, that assumes symetrical branching of course. I suppose there is no reason to assume symetrical branching. 

So for a couple of examples lets look at a couple of powers and sketch the evolution trees. I'm going to assume 8 levels of powers (for no particular reason) and with branches at 2nd level and 8th level. And a boost in effect at levels 4 and 6.

First Incinerate.  At first level it's a single target instant damage effect.
At second level it splits into two branches Single target vs Area of Effect. Just for fun we'll throw in a second difference and say that the single target remains an instant effect but the AoE is a naplam blast and does damage over time. Then for levels 3 through 7 the damage increases. For the single target blast at 4th level it will jam an opponents weapon for 2 seconds from overheating and at 6th will halt movement too as they scream and writhe. The area of effect produces smoke that reduces foe accuracy at 4th level and leave an area of damage that effect any mob passing through it at 6th.  Then at 8th level the single target gets two more choices. Either a HEAT blast that does double damage to armour or a thermal pulse that does extra damage to shields/barriers too. The area of effect at 8th level either gets extra slow napalm that adds more burn time to the DOT or sticky napalm that is 'contagious' as the burning mobs bump into their buddies. 

So now for a Biotic power I'm going to make one up and call it Lift. At first level it's a cross between Lift from ME 1 and Pull from ME 2. It's a single target effect that hoists somebody in the air and holds them there for a few seconds. At second level it splits into two branches Pull and Throw. The Pull branch becomes able to lift bigger targets in the air and keep them there longer. The Throw branch  let's you toss foes about. At 4th level Pull gets the Spindizzy effect which whirls your foes while they are in the air. Organic targets will be helplessly dizzy after landing for another couple of seconds (and will get hilarious animations). Inorganic foes don't get dizzy but might accidently shoot their buddies while spinning. The Throw Branch now get the 'Bowling for dummies' effect which tosses them at their buddies. At 6th level Pull adds 'Biotic wedgie' which does damage over time while the foe is suspended. The 6th level Throw add-on is a Hard Toss which does damage to the foe and whoever he jits when he lands. At 8th level they split again. Pull gets to choose between a Lift Field which hits everybody in a three meter radius or 'Drilling for oil' which slams the spinning mook down hard enough to punch them into the deck. Throw gets either 'Ricochet shot' which adds another couple of bounces into freinds for the toss effect or 'Swinging for distance' which will lobb the foe off a balcony, rift in the building, reactor core etc if available, or imbed their little pinhead in the ceiling if one isn't.

Modifié par Andorfiend, 21 février 2010 - 05:45 .

[shadow_name]

OK, heres my opinion on the giant wall of text.

Weapons
To be entirely honest, I didn't think the selection of weapons was too few.  The classes themselves (Heavy Pistol, SubMachine, AR...) each had their own strengths against different defenses, and carrying 4 is more than enough variety. Adding a customization system to each weapon could be cool, but weren't the weapons already varied well enough? Take heavy pistol for example. Initial had larger clip, lower damage, larger ammo reserve vs upgrade.

Armor
Agree that armour changes should have a bigger impact.  But 10-15% is a little big considering you could be compounding 5 pieces.  One thing that irked me was that you never found any armour pieces during missions like you do with research or weapons.  As for party members, I really liked how the alternate outfits all had a similar color scheme (black and yellow) maybe each different version could give a small boost to one of their skills.

Heat Management vs. Ammunition
In my opinion, the goal of thermal clips was to change the pace of the game to be more intense.  The reload system as it is works quite well for that.  If we are just trying to reconcile lore, why not just give holstered weapons
an ammo recovery for the 1 loaded clip, and the in-use weapon ammo recovery for the 1 loaded clip when out of combat?

Cooldowns
Please no energy (mana) meter... As stated by the Devs, the goal of the global cooldown was to stop the power dump in ME1, where players would unload all their powers and then the rest of the combat was boring, waiting for the cooldowns to end.  I do agree that one problem is that you can't combo powers, but cooldowns are vitally important.  I think it would be better if the global cooldown wasn't based off of the cooldown of the power used, but rather on each of the individual powers.  For example, use a 12 sec cooldown skill, all skills cooldown is set to 12 seconds, but if the normal cooldown for the skill is less than 12 seconds, then its cooldown is set to its max. Likewise, if you a 3 second cooldown skill, the 12 sec cooldown skill can be used in 3 seconds.

Skill Assignment and Evolution
My only annoyance with skills is, as you pointed out, the 2 points you end up with at lvl 30 that you cant use.  Interesting idea about getting a bit of choice between different skills fulfilling the X slot.  But I bet Bioware has intentionally placed each of the skills in each of the classes to keep some semblance of balance without letting players build uber classes.

Power Evolution
As someone else pointed out, having to spend the time out of cover to charge an ability means its unlikely I would ever use charged forms.  That said, you give some interesting variations on abilities that could be incorporated as standard skill evolutions beyond the standard add AOE or damage.
 
Revamping the Controller
Go PCs?

Scanning Unsurveyed Planets
Basically you point out that scanning is tedious, so you add 3 more steps to it to make it even more work... Regarding the current system, a couple of changes (1) small planets should mean your scanner covers a proportionally larger area of the planet, (2) like you said, give an overlay of scanned areas and (3) let us sell excess minerals.  As a side note, scanning with your eyes closed is very entertaining, going only on the sound.

[asaiasai]

Scarecrow_ES i agree with your idea, come to the developer with a problem but also come bearing a solution and this sir you have done well. I agree with you most sincerely on points number 2 and 4, it is like you have read my mind, or maybe just a matter of great minds think alike, in any case thanks for taking the time to post it in such a concise manner. I see that the developer has graced this topic with thier presence (no sarcasm intended) so i will add my voice to yours in saying to them, i agree that for these two controversial problems the solutions offered here are a good compromise and as such deserves consideration.

There are those of you that like this ammo system because from what i have read it forces you to use different weapons. The way i feel about it is if you want to use a shotgun or a pistol there are classes that are forced to rely on them play that class. I want to play a soldier, then someone tells me before a mission i have to carry a pistol and a shotgun into combat two things are going to happen; once i hit planet side the first thing i am going to do is strip all clips from both of those weapons, second i am going to break both of those weapons so they can not be picked up and used by the enemy, then i am going to move out with out being encumbered by weapons i feel are useless. I want to play a sentinal, why must i carry a subgun into combat in the first place? Why don't i just leave the weapon on the ship, grab extra clips for the pistol and move out, or vice versa, why not allow the player to customize thier combat load out in accordance with class restrictions. Forcing or removing choices in my weapons loadout does not facilitate immersion. Dictating tactics to the player does not add immersion to the game, and does not make combat more interesting if anything it makes combat more annoying because i am subjectred to and hampered by some arbitrary rules set.

If Bioware insists on this broken ammo mechanic for ME3 then i need to have the ability to customize my weapons and ammo loadout, therefore those of you who want to be forced to use another weapon type can carry one into combat, those of us that do not can leave them on the ship. The OP has posted a good idea, a compromise i feel gives everyone something and takes a little away from everyone as well. The only other solution i can find is that the clips are not pre assigned, they are kept in a "pool" for the player to use in any weapon they want, spare clips picked up would replentish the pool. What bothers me the most about this ammo system is that the clips are supposed to be universal yet i can not strip clips from weapons i am forced to carry but find useless, to use in the weapons i want to use.

Asai

Modifié par asaiasai, 21 février 2010 - 08:26 .

[TornadoADV]

Simple solution : Go back to ME1, forget ME2 happened, problem fixed.

[BoneDealer]

Seblun wrote...

Very well thought out post, I agree with nearly everything.

One thing about armor for squad mates, why not give the squad mates casual clothes while they are on board the Normandy? Just like Shepard they can wear regular clothes while they are "off-duty" and when it comes to mission time, they put on their armor.

Still reading through the posts. Love alot of the OP ideas with the only thing on the fence on right now is some of the controller layout options. But read this post and found myself wanting to see the very same thing  in ME3 and wanted to put in my "Ditto" on this.

[BoneDealer]

david46 wrote...

Planets with multiple missions really bug me. I find it incredibly stupid to end up near the mass relay when i still have business to take care of planet side. Why do you have to leave Ilium or Omega and then fly back to do another? I recruit Samara, fly to the relay, fly back and do Miranda's loyalty mission. Why? Is forgetfulness a side effect of the Lazarus Project or just a design problem?

You would also think that the ME1 team members would at least say hello when you meet but thet don't. I recognized Garrus but nobody else did.

Little things like these break the immersion of role playing for me. I wonder why these things slip by QC testers?

Yah the "mission complete -> Relay away" ME2 thing erked me as well. Why BioWare did you abandoned the ME1 method of choosing to leave a hub world when you wanted too rather than be forced off? What all the sudden the Airlock by the cockpit is just for show now? Just seemed odd and got annoying.

Modifié par BoneDealer, 21 février 2010 - 08:41 .

[shunjalo]

To say that I agree with OP would be an understatement of galactic proportions. In fact, I believe he should be on BioWare's payroll. Hire this guy, please.

[Frotality]

shunjalo wrote...

To say that I agree with OP would be an understatement of galactic proportions. In fact, I believe he should be on BioWare's payroll. Hire this guy, please.

i agree implicity. we need a petition:P

[Soruyao]

So, I still think the ammo system as it is works very well and most problems would be solved by an optional activated ability that uses a GCD and generates a thermal clip via an omni tool.



This fits well with my lore explanation of how the guns work in this game: Thermal clips are actuall filled with a super cooled liquid substance, which is consumed when a gun fires. The cold substance "muffles" the heat generation of the gun, and the clip is used up when the liquid is gone. If the gun were able to fire with no liquid, it would short out or explode. The main benefits to using these new types of weapons are that the guns fire much more powerfully, and they are immune to sabotague, which became highly prevalent soon after ME1.



If the liquid is the same liquid that's used in cryo blast, then it's pretty simple to assume an omni tool could create a thermal clip as well. (which would explain why they're all over the place!)



However, I will agree that there is a problem with how fast and slow firing weapons work. (I never ever ever ran out of ammo with my geth pulse rifle, or even came close.) This problem seems really simple to solve to me, and doesn't require a complete overhaul of the system or a hybrid overheat mechanic that completely changes the lore again. Why not just make automatic weapons get half a clip of ammo out of every thermal clip? That way, if you miss a lot, you might have to use a slow weapon if you fire fast weapons.



Tweaking how much ammo guns get from a thermal clip is a much easier way to fix the problem, since the knob is already there to tweak. Heck, they could even just double the amount snipers get from each clip. Then nobody would ever run out with anything and we could pretend the ammo system doesn't exist. (I favor halving fast weapons instead though, but that's just me.)

[BoneDealer]

If I need to use points in an ability to make thermal clips, I don't so how that would be better than the OP hybrid ME1 and ME2 proposal.



Some of what people tell me when I grip sometimes about ME2's thermal clip is that now it "forces you to use your other weapons which is a good thing". To me that is stupid. I shouldn't be FORCED to use other weapons. I should feel that I NEED to use other weapons for certain situations. If I choose not too then I should have to deal with that choice.



The ME2 ammo system isn't a game breaker for me, but I like the OP ideas and in my opinion I think it would offer a more enjoyable experience. Oh and Bump... Shame this thread fell off the sticky.

[BoneDealer]

I like the ideas on the "charged evolved" powers. But how would that work for powers like the Ammo Powers?

[greghorvath]

First of all. This thread is great. Scarecrow, you are the man.

Second. My starting points are the following:
    
- I love both games, and in spite of my initial resistance to the changes in ME2, I now find myself loving the game (even though it crashes too often for comfort…) 
- I found that there were too few missions and quests in ME2, side missions not really giving neither insight into the storyline nor skills/weaponry. They were just quests that didn’t really matter (which is rather unnerving when playing insanity for nothing). Improvements and upgrades were too easy: „Shepard: Upgrade?” „Henchman: Yeah. Resources?” „Shepard: Yeah / No” „Henchman: Here / Come back later”…
- I am usually very good at criticising, and not so good at giving alternate ideas, but I really mean no harm      
- I have a weird sense of humor, which many may find unamusing. If you suspect you may be one of
those people, just skip those parts and have patience. Thanks
- English is my third language, so if you are allergic to typos and grammar mistakes, just jump to the next post. Thanks again

And for the main body of my text:

 {INVNT}:

- Great ideas. Very thorough. I would additionally propose a skill that would allow the player (in case they wish to evolve this skill instead) to modify the weapons better (or for less resources or cheaper or whatever). Acquiring the skill could be a possible mission idea. Mission should involve puzzles and riddles instead of shooting. (the puzzles could be refreshed via Cerberus network so replaying would be a bit more challenging, a.k.a. fun)

- Very good point regarding the refill of heavy ammo on the Normandy. I mean what kind of a serious paramilitary organization has a ship with no ammunition stock on board? Seriously. It doesnt have to be free (credits,  resources), but it has to be available. The same thing for medigel.

- I agree with making armor modifications worthwhile (more serious effect than in the current system). Make them available for Shepard but make them modify squad armor, which is a must. Having Jack run around naked with a mouth mask next to a fully armored Grunt is just silly. Acquiring armor would be a good idea for side quests (with relevance). Getting the team better prepared (with better armor) giving you an edge against millions of virtually invincible, gargantuan sentient machines would make sense. (wait, scratch that…resistance is futile…)

{WEAPS}:

- Someone in this thread wrote about one time bonuses for the weapons. I like the idea.

- I love the hybrid weapon idea, although I liked the ME version and had no special problem with ME2 solution (a similar system as in Modern Warfare would have been aggravating. There you can’t use ammo from the same type of gun if one has laser sighting and the other doesn’t. That was stupid…) However, everyone says there is no
shortage of clips. I don’t know if it is a bug in my game, but playing a lvl30 Infiltrator on insanity I have run out of ammo (ooops, heat sinks) several times, with no supply to be found. And I seldom waste ammo, being the good shot that I am… (If you want a good FPS to copy, have a go at Crysis and don’t tell anyone you used it… But I would prefer the original ME than making ME3 any more FPS than ME2)

- Just one thing. Please give weapon statistics for the number freaks. Thanks

- I agree with having more variations in weaponry.

{PWRSKLL}:

- First of all: Hallelujah, for advanced training and retraining powers. So many people arguing about best build, while I change build for nearly every mission (slight exaggeration there). I found it very useful on insanity…

- I liked the proposal, although I like both ME and ME2 systems, and wouldn’t mind seeing either in ME3.

- A bit more skill options (more in numbers) would be welcome, and I like the changeability,
choosibility of powers proposed by Scarecrow. However, I think it would be great to acquire skills via side missions (e.g. choose between going to interplanetary mage on Hyundai Sonata to learn divination (whatever that may be) or famous weaponsmith on Vauxhall Astra for advanced weapon tinkering etc., with one learnable skill per playthrough) You could have several available (recycle the voices of Helena Blake and Dr.Chakwas again… And since academic high achievers monitor - and are jealous - of each other, you could choose only one, cause the others would not want to teach anything to a pupil of the competition… „Not what I would call effective academic peer revue…” great line, that is…) and no extra skill points even if you have them all available, so you would have to choose which one is important for you in every playthrough, or power training). You would only have a few more skill points, so you would need to think about where you put them.

- I find the power evolution idea a bit over the top. The extra points that remain in the ME2 system should be available for adding to a fully evolved power, and that would further enhance the effect (minimally: 2-3% per extra point, with maximization of usable points).

{SCNSMGMT}:

- I love the effort and elaboration in Scarecrows post. I don’t like the idea itself so much though. It would get just as tedious by the second playthrough and you would not get nothing but a complication of the current system. What I would suggest is to keep a similar system for ME3 but implement the following: have a side quest for improving the scanning system. There could be several improvements to it, the simplest being a larger scanner scope that can see more than a 2 square diameter circle at a time. The ideal scanning system for me would be a system that scans an entire planet at a time, revealing the places of minerals (types as well) which you could probe according to your needs. This would be an improvement over the current system. What I simply cannot do without (exaggeration again) is an exploration log,  a list telling you where you have been and what you found there AND what you have left behind, if using the planetary scanner. This would've been very useful in both games and could be similar to the secondary info of the codex..

- Scarecrow, I really loved your ideas but I think the strategy game aspect would be sort of out of the boundaries of ME. But it is nice, and perhaps I am just being conservative here.

Miscellaneous {MSCLLNS}
      
- To anyone with eyes. Did nobody notice, or am I too sensitive about having messages and texts diplayed over my radar??? (e.g. Archangel health over my radar while all of the screen available…)  AAaaargh
     
- Armor on husks? I understand you have to make higher difficulty levels actually harder, but why would the reapers bother with giving them armor? Why?

- The galaxy map info is great, but it would be even greater if they just popped up when you go over them. The current system is way too busy and chaotic.
       
- Please don’t put buttons over each other (even if it happens occasionally): for example buy fuel and enter system. That is just sick.
       
- Never ever have an enemy talk as much as Harbinger. Please consider this as a (very) serious request for a patch that shuts him up. Thank you.
       
- Enable double clicking. Inventory management, exploration, private terminal messages etc. would be greatly facilitated. This is very important for the fluency of the game on a PC.
       
- The mission completion screen must go. I personally think that was a horrible idea and cannot think of any possibe excuse for it. Have the evaluations come up in the mission log. That would be perfectly sufficient if anyone is interested in the sarcastic comments of the Illusive Man (which are great btw, only not enough for  a separate screen)

- For replays, have an option of starting from scratch or starting with what you got in the previous game (mods, weapons, resources). I mean whose idea was it to have the weapons from the previous playthrough but not the mods for them? Duh…Have both or neither. And if you promise powerful bonuses for a second playthrough, give
powerful bonuses. About 15% of the resources necessary overall is NOT a powerful bonus, whatever anyone may think.

- Don’t have so many canned fights. Fighting in a tube is not fun.

- I like the research system, but having to go to the research station is a bit old fashioned. We should be able to give an omni tool command to the science officer who can do his/her work if the resources are available, enabling you to use the upgrades even while on a mission. However, a time factor would be great to include in the research process. I dont know how, but in case I think of something I will edit…

- Have a trading system. Withouth that, the game looses a great possibility for immersion. If I had to name one bad thing about ME2, it would be the removal of trade. Trade minerals for money and vice versa. I want to be able to sell weapons, mods, Zaeed…

- It would be great to be involved in some sort of non linear activity. Someone mentioned piracy. Nice. Merchant missions for money. Escort missions. (Yes, I did love Origin’s Privateer).
       
- It would be great to have missions and scenarios unlockable by achievement for further playthroughs. I noticed some new areas on insanity. Great idea, give me more.
       
- For the love of God, give us a SKIP INTRO function… Pleeeaaaase…..
       
- If you have a character portrayed as extremely strong in their introduction, have them be as strong as a squadmate. I will not name anyone because of the no spoiler thingy, but why can't she take out the 3 mechs destroying crates with the flick of her mind?
       
- I liked the money for kills and XP (and the fact that they increased with rank and number of playthroughs) in ME. Where did that go?
       
- What happened to grenades? Am I the only one who misses those?
       
- I would love a simulator aspect for some missions. E.g. the kodiak pilot is hurt and you have to run out the enemies in a jungle scenario while not being able to rise too high because of the fear of anti aircraft fire and then dock with the Normandy. I think I just wet myself with excitement…

I am glad I got all these off of my chest. Fire away everyone.

Modifié par greghorvath, 23 février 2010 - 11:27 .

[Scarecrow_ES]

A lot of posts since I last got into the thread... I'm reading through them now, and will reply when I can get something together. Thanks, everyone, for your support of the topic!!!

[Scarecrow_ES]

Let's see... first I want to address some confusion about the scanning system for planets I suggested. Many people seem to think that I am simply suggesting adding additional tasks ON TOP of the already time-consuming initial planet scan, and thus adding significant extra time to go through everything to get your resources. This isn't exactly right. I am suggesting making the initial scan part much faster, using a larger reticule or faster scanning speed, with the included "permanent once revealed" mineral map, to aid in mineral location detection. The scanning part becomes much easier in the process. We then move on to another mini-game (chemistry), and then the actual management of resources can be ported out as a sort of continuing sidequest of sorts. In reality, I expect that a player will spend no more time working on mineral aquisition under my system than in ME2, but in my system the time spent will be broken up into a series of different actions to break up the ME2 tedium. I also expect that a player will feel more engaged in the planet scanning and resource management system, and should probably have a LOT more fun in mine than in ME2.

[Scarecrow_ES]

Andor... my stance on making suggestions to repair ailing systems rather than suggest all new ones is one of progress rather than renewal. Developers (at least ones with integrity, like BioWare) have certain ambitions for their projects. They want them to be distinct in the marketplace, and present gameplay all their own. We could certainly suggest that a given game take the best ideas from other games within their genres, but in doing that, we're bound to actually play the resultant game and complain "Geez, this is just like [Recent Popular Game]! Can't these guys come up with anything original? If I wanted to play [Recent Popular Game] I wouldn't have paid $60 for this one!"



Beyond that, if a developer has to implement a completely new system from scratch, they run the risk of that system being buggy or incomplete... more or less trading one set of problems for another. A prime example of this is the switch from regenerating heat to ammo for weapons from ME1 to 2. Had the developers simply tried to work out the kinks of the earlier system, rather than scrap it, the result would have been bound to work better than the system we ended up with.



The hybrid system I proposed takes the best from the previous 2 systems. It's easy to implement, and is without any of the real problems from either system. Is it going to be the preferred system of every single player out there? No, it can't be perfect for everybody. But it will WORK for everyone, which is far more important.

[Scarecrow_ES]

Andor (again)... with the hybrid system I propose, as long as the player does not overheat the weapon he's using (ie push his weapon beyond the safe-use tolerances of the weapon, well beyond the "redline" so to speak) the weapon temp WILL go down on it's own, and thus offer the "reduced functionality" you want, as you'll only be able to get another shot off when the weapon has cooled down enough to do so. As long as you manage your heat, you can fire forever without needing to switch thermal clips.



It's only once you push the weapon beyond what it can handle, by firing too many rounds in too short a time span, creating an overheat condition, does the weapon prevent you from firing again. Again, to point out scientific rationale, while a weapon may disapate heat into atmosphere over time, it cannot do this in a vacuum, for example. The heat would continue to build, and would have nowhere to go. This is perhaps one of the only remotely plausible reasons why the switch to a thermal clips system might make sense in the ME universe. Being able to actually exchange a heat sink is the only way a weapon could continue to fire in a vacuum.



Now, these thermal clips use some sort of intermediary material to absorb the heat from the weapon. If for any reason that heat sink system were to become damaged, and unable to absorb any more heat, this could do serious damage to the weapon and the user. It'd be like running a car with no water in your radiator - it won't take long for catastrophic failure to occur. Now, with a car, we can pull off to the side of the road with an overheated car. Chances are, though, that you're not going to wait 10 minutes, and start driving off again. If the same thing happened to a plane in flight, there's no pulling over, so there are systems in place to ensure this never happens.



Given the sheer necessity of a heat management system in such an electronics-heavy weapon like in the ME Universe, I can't imagine these weapons would lack a sort of heat-damage prevention system. If your thermal clip stops working... no firing for you. This is exactly what my system proposes. Fire beyond the tolerances and heat absorbing capability of the thermal clip, you blow it out, and the weapon won't work til you put in a new one.



The real difference in terms of actual gameplay experience between my system and yours is that my system has actual consequences to the mishandling of weapons. You don't want to overheat that weapon if you can avoid it. Treat it right, and it will be there when you need it. That sort of consequence doesn't exist in your system, so there's no real incentive to take care... at least not any more incentive than there was to overheat in ME1, as that too only resulted in few seconds delay before you could fire again.

[Scarecrow_ES]

As far as the branching skill trees, Andor (sorry again) - you're basically treating these as two separate powers with their own progression track. Once you make that first choice, you're locked into that type of power from then on. It's not really branching then, is it? You're just making a choice between one skill tree and another, very similar, skill tree. I'd have to say I like that idea even less than the branching idea. It has the potential to frustrate a lot of players.

[TornadoADV]

I would only accept your weapon system if the current planet/ship/whatever you were on dictated the performance of a weapon's internal heat sink.

[Scarecrow_ES]

I think it's funny that so many people will post against my proposed recharging power meter, but then will express their preference for a system that plays remarkably similar to my system. A rose by any other name smells just as sweet, folks.



How about I just describe my system like this:



It's a cooldown system that breaks powers into categories like heavy and light, and assigns a basic cooldown timer to each level of power. Heavy powers have a cooldown time that's approximately 2-3 times as long as the cooldown for light powers, which means that a player may use several light powers in a row in the amount of time a heavier power may take to recharge.



O NOEZ! It's exactly the same thing... mind boggling! What's the point of arguing symantics. The only thing my system adds is the ability to use several powers without waiting in between if there is enough power in the meter (if the player has waited for the full "heavy power" cooldown period before using another "light" power). Otherwise it plays more or less exactly like the ME2 system, or you could say like the ME1 system without having to wait a long time for all of your powers to recharge if you used them all at once.

[Scarecrow_ES]

Tornado, if the developers would actually want to add environment-specific effects on gameplay, I would be 100% for it! This is a missed opportunity for mission variety, I think. Maybe give us some limited 0-atmosphere combat, or have real gravity/atmosphere effects in gameplay. It might be difficult to program and balance with missions, but it would be very very cool.

[Scarecrow_ES]

Soruyao... I think your skill-based fix for the lack of "ammo" does solve to problem. I don't, however, think it's a good solution, only for the fact that for those individuals who choose NOT to invest in the skill, they'll have to contend with the poor ammo system. It's punishing those players while rewarding others - not fixing the gameplay.



It's possible that some progress can be made by tweeking the rounds made available from thermal clips, as you've said. However, simply adding rounds causes another problem... a lack of consequence from constant fire, or as some people like to put it "firing with impunity."



Yes, it'd be great to not run out of sniper ammo in the middle of a fight. But just giving me more ammo only means I can now fire a very powerful weapon a whole lot more, which creates the opposite issue of balance from where we started. The best system is going to limit just how much damage you can do in a given period of time, but not limit how long you can stay engaged in a fight. By overheating your weapon when you used it too much in too short a time-span, The ME1 system could deal with low-intensity fights well, but screwed you in a high intensity fight. Allowing powerful weapons to fire quickly lets the ME2 system deal with higher-intensity firefights, but the severe ammo limits placed on those weapons to prevent their continual use removes their longevity and prevents you from staying engaged in a fight. My system lets you stay engaged in just about any fight, but still provides limits on damage/time and instills real consequences for overuse.

[TornadoADV]

Scarecrow_ES wrote...

Tornado, if the developers would actually want to add environment-specific effects on gameplay, I would be 100% for it! This is a missed opportunity for mission variety, I think. Maybe give us some limited 0-atmosphere combat, or have real gravity/atmosphere effects in gameplay. It might be difficult to program and balance with missions, but it would be very very cool.

It would be great is on some missions you wouldn't have to worry about overheating your weapon and others you're constantly ejecting heat-sinks to keep your weapons functional. One would favour high ROF weapons and the other would support high damage per shot weapons.