Ideas for better GSF Game Modes

[Kyrrant]

So, one of the big problems I've been having with GSF is that... well, Domination, as implemented here, just doesn't work well with GSF's gameplay mechanics.

 

The fun parts of GSF are dogfighting, chasing down enemy space craft, weaving around asteroids or cover in order to approach hidden gunships, flying wildly to evade fire. Generally speaking, it's not found slowly flying around a satellite to block a capture and not bothering to fire back, or seizing an objective just by standing in a very small airspace around it, without shooting anything.

 

Maybe I'm oversimplifying things, but it really just feels like a lot of the problems with GSF (including some of the imbalance questions with gunships) have more to do with the poor choice of game mode than anything.

 

So, what would make a better game mode?

 

1: Capital Support

 

Two large capitol ships are slugging it out with each other, but due to reasons of plot are unable to do significant damage against each other on their own. Each ship has four powerful Shield Generators that can best be destroyed by smaller fighter craft, each of which are protected by point defense weapons, as well as the enemy fleet.

 

Capital ships deal X damage to each other every second, which would take ~15-20 minutes to destroy the enemy... however, destroying a shield generator doubles the damage that ship takes. Pilots can either go on the offensive and take out the enemy shield generators, or hand back and defend their own capital ship against the enemy.

 

I think this would make for a good game mode, the only real issue being that, if both sides go all offense, it could devolve into very short matches, and if both sides go all defense, the fights would be an utter slog... but I think tactics would win out here.

 

2: Arena-Style Deathmatch

 

Basically, Arena-ing with GSF ships, albeit allowing for 8-12 players on a side. First team to destroy all enemy ships wins a round, best of 5-7 rounds, some tie-breakers and anti-coward measures to ensure it stays fun... really, I don't know why developers keep forgetting to include non-objective "Just go around and kill stuff" modes...

 

3: Trench Run

 

...duh.

 

There's a large station or installation on a planet or something, called the... I dunno, Steath Dar, with one major weakness, a target that, due to the way the target is placed, requires going into this long, heavily defended trench in order to get a missile lock, or railgun blast, in order to destroy it. Except that the trench has dozens of blaster cannons lining it that need to be cleared out in order to destroy it.

 

Teams play it Voidstar style: One on offense, the other on defense, and then they switch for the second round. The team that destroys the target fastest, or does the most damage to it if neither side can destroy it, wins.

 

Balance wise, the target might have a powerful shield that slowly regenerates? Ion railguns could deplete it entirely, but missiles and torpedoes do have the shield bypass damage, and there's other possible strategies...

 

...the point is, this is Star Wars with fighter piloting. If we don't have a trench run at SOME point, then Bioware has clearly failed us *sage nod*.

[archifikoss]

They are eventually going to add more game modes (hopefully by the time Preferred access begins) so you needn't worry

 

I do agree though that it would be awesome to get cap ship destruction/defense missions!