GSF WZ suggestions

[needalight]

While the 3 node first to 1k points structure is both classic and a straightforward, I believe the current redundancy in maps/strategy is the biggest detriment to GSF replay value. In general I also feel as though there is a lack of context behind current objects; what's the point of getting 1k points? Can we redeem these points for stickers? With that in mind here are some future map ideas:

 

 

Siege of Cornet

 

Setting:

Industrial district in Cornet. Lots of heavy machinery, scaffolding, half-finished ships, and damaged structures as physical obstructions. This provides an environment similar to Kuat shipyards however more iconic and well, look like an actual shipyard.

 

Structure

Both teams start from capital ships on opposite ends of the map. Capital ships have equal value of shields (that slowly regen) and hull strength. 5 nodes on the map in the formation of a square with a node in the center (2 nodes closest to each starting point with a central equidistant node). The closest nodes are a Ion turret and a heavy laser turret. Ion does heavy damage to shields and low damage to hull, heavy laser does static damage. Central node is support station that increases power to respectively captured nodes. Goal is to incapacitate the enemy capital ship.

 

Mechanics

Turret nodes are on elevated platforms and the central node is a tower located closer to ground level (making capturing it trickier). Nodes have target-able signal generators that must be destroyed to take control of the node. Once the generator is destroyed, a new one is reconstructed over a dynamic time frame with respect to the amount of pilots in proximity. The reconstruction rate is slower than current cap rates but also scales to the ratio of pilots in proximity (countering the ability for one pilot to keep a node from capping by kiting enemy pilots). Only upon complete reconstruction does the enemy capture the node (no neutral phase). Unlike the current WZ's turrets, these generators have no self defense system but have considerably more health. A health bar for each generator is displayed on the HUD (similar to how the number of turrets up are displayed in current WZ)

 

15 min time limit, which ever capital ship has the highest hull strength wins.

 

 

Skirmish of Hoth

 

Setting

Ice field in space. Lots of interesting ice formations that range in shape size. Some of the larger formations will have tunnels. Some may have destructible walls that require clearing to pass.

 

Structure

Both teams start from orbital space stations at opposite sides of the map. In the center each team has two war ships (Destroyers for imps and Cruisers for pubs) and a single capital ship. Both the war ships and capital ships will be decked out with target-able components including cannons, shield generators, damage capacitors, and such. In addition the capital ship will have ion cannons and a bridge deck that can be target once the shield generators have been destroyed. The first team to take out the enemy capital ship's bridge wins. War ships will be placed offset at the side of the capital ships. Though the ultimate goal is to destroy the enemy capital ship's bridge, neglecting the war ships and focus firing the capital ship will be very difficult to pull off since you will be flanked from the war ships, capital ship, and enemy pilots on defense.

 

 

Mechanics

The most significant aspect of this WZ is targeting of ship components and how components interact with each other, providing a situation-ally ideal order of operations. War ships will have shield generators on their top, bottom, left, and right sides. Each shield generator provides a shield for the cannons, capacitors, and such on their respective side. Taking out the left shield generator would result in taking out each shield on all of the left cannons, capacitors and such. As a result clearing the left cannons, capacitors, and such will be considerably easier. Taking out the weapon capacitors (such as a frequency capacitor) would result in slower cannon fire. Clearing the cannons would result in eliminating damage. Capital ships will have similar components however they will be beefier and of course the bridge cannot be targeted until all shield generators on the ship have been eliminated. Components have respective objective point values and taking out components rewards the pilot/team objective points.

 

15 min time limit, team with the most objective points wins.

 

 

Makeb Isotope-5 Interception

 

Setting

Makeb (surprise!). Tons of crazy rock formations, caverns, timed exploding volcano traps, and such obstructions that you frequently see in makeb. In addition there will be tremors which cause the objects to shake slightly, making it hard to fly through a tunnel or crack.

 

Structure

Both teams start from opposite ends of the map, the pubs from the plantation and the imps from the skyliftdrilltowerthing. three nodes across the horizontal in the center of the map at offset elevations but equidistant to both teams starting location. The outer two nodes are mining facilities that slowly collects isotope-5 in the unit of fuel cells. these nodes will be structured very similar to the current WZ's satellites. The center node is a plateau guarded heavily by Hutt Cartel NPC turrets and has a shipment of isotope-5 that pilots can intercept and carry similar to the huttball however activated simply by proximity. Returning the shipment to a captured mining facility rewards the team with a static value of points (similar to how cubes work in hypergate). Given the volatile nature of isotope-5, the carrier is burdened with a debuff that saps their engine power and prevents afterburn boosting. If the carrier is shot down they will explode dramatically which will damage nearby pilots. The shipment will be dropped in freefall and unless caught will be gone....until a new shipment respawns seconds later at the center node. Deaths result in a static fuel cell loss (counters intentional crashing for missile refill) First to 1k isotope-5 fuel cells wins.

 

Mechanics

Fairly self explanatory. Very similar to current WZs but more interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

anyways those are just some ideas, nothing in stone and I welcome people to comment and criticize. I will note however I thought about a TDM style map however I don't believe it is appropriate because of gunships.

[Verain]

I really like all of these ideas, especially the first. This game has a ton of potential with stuff like this.

[Zharik]

Nice ideas, I hope they at least get noticed.

 

I'd like to see some more "3D" maps. Face it, the current 2 maps are flat. All 3 control points are in a straight line (slightly curved to the pubs in the shipyards?) but they are all on the same plane. We're fighting in space!

 

Now imagine a map with the same basic mechanic (3 control points) but in 3D!

 

A triangle of nodes, basically equidistant from each other with some obstructions (asteroids, blasted ship parts, etc), the spawn points that the Imps/Pubs start at are "looking at each other through the triangle". (This is hard to explain verbally, heh) They could be about 2.5 times one leg of said triangle from the center of the triangle and if you own a point of the triangle you get a new spawn about 1 leg length from it. I'd think that the distance from each node would have to be at about 25-30k to keep things about right so speedy scouts could do their job without being too fast, etc.

[Ramalina]

I'd really rather have space mission based space pvp than ground pvp stationary node wz retreads.

 

Escort, bombing runs, Captital ship battles ( did like that suggestion ), Death Star/Asteroid field runs, that sort of thing.

 

So more an adapt existing space missions to pvp than adapting existing warzones to space. Oh, and fill in some of the gaps in the existing space mission design. For example objectives that you have to get close enough to 'scan' before they register as things that should be either destroyed or protected.

 

Cause honestly, I get all the huttball I need in huttball, I don't want space huttball too.

[DEATHICIDE]

Since individual maps theme relies on readily available assets, I do like some of the OP's dream map ideas.

Though I would simplify my suggestions to some basic FPS themes:

 

CTF: also known as locate then escort the something home mode.

 

Assault: (My personal favorite type of gameplay) Destroy the enemy's objective areas, protect your own. (To illustrate this for you non-oldschool FPS junkies; Imagine the voidstar if it was mirrored in the center starting area, and both teams had to attack the enemy's doors, while defending their own at the same time)

 

TDM/DM: Drop us anywhere, preferably somewhere with lots of debris, and let the killing begin.

 

Siege: There is an NPC controlled area, heavily defended with a super shiny prize inside that they are protecting, both teams have the same objective, which is to bust in, grab the shiny, and take out any PC or NPC who is in your way.

 

I am not expecting to see any of this, but I would love to see all of it, and some of the OP's illustrations could be easily made into assault maps using existing meshes and textures, as well as AI mechanics, so it really would not be that hard, especially considering that on the engine they are using, multiple level designers could work in the same space at the same time.

I know that if I ran the show, I would be all over this.

[Armonddd]

CTF: also known as locate then escort the something home mode.

 

One way I've seen this work outside of standard CTF is to have a guvvin spawn at home base that a player must escort to a center objective (each team escorts to the same location) to score a point. Thirty seconds (or so) after a team scores a point, their home base spawns another guvvin.

 

The specific examples I'm thinking of were originally made for "ground game" style PvP, where snares are more common, but I think it could still work in space PvP (ion cannons and such would take on the role of snares).