PopeUrban
El Expedicion
17
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Posted - 2013.07.10 05:56:00 -
[1] - Quote
I like the SUBSTANCE of this idea, but for it to work you'd have to literally add a new "disabled" state to basically willfully prevent a ship that reaches zero hull or self destruct from actually exploding. Using a percentage of hull nerfs hull and completely kills any ability to escape with low hull.
If we introduced, as an effect of the boarding module, an ability to arrest a structural breach that causes an explosion then it would be pretty balanced.
Now:
0 hull, your boat explodes.
Boarding:
0 hull, your ship still explodes, unless someone makes an effort to stop it from exploding.
The boarding ship has you locked and you are being affected by the "Emergancy integrity array", you reach 0 hull. You (the pod) are ejected from the ship (which is functionally dead anyway) and that hulk becomes the match. This is in effect if you've self destructed as well. Your ship is essentially a wreck with all the stuff still on it, being held together by the agressor's module.
Defenders - You could use boarding defense contracts like insurance, mercs based on leaderboard metrics. Dudes higher on the board respond to higher grade contracts. You could also use members of your own corp. Mercs stationed at a nearby planet, pos, carrier, or other vessel. You opt in to this system only if you see value in it. If you're a player that doesn't see himself in a position to actually regain a ship by defending against boarding (solo pilots for instance) this isn't a system you'll want to opt in to. IF defenders spawn, that action turns on a similar structural module. This prevents the agressor from simply turning off the boarding mod to hose the defense.
Objectives:
Stabalize the hulk by welding, repairing, hacking, etc. in order to return it to functioning status, then holding those systems whilst depleting enemy merc clone reserves.
The winning team gains control of the ship for whomever summoned it. That player has the option to jet all cargo and nuke it, restore it to 1% hull so a pod can hop in, or just nuke it. The mercs are paid either automatically (in the case of random roll contracts) or by player created specific contracts with corps/individials mercs.
In this manner you're adding an additional wrinkle to ship combat but you're nerfing ships that choose to board, ensuring that boarding is a job for specialized vessels that can be prioritized in fleet engagements if necessary. They can be disrupted, scrammed, bombed, etc. However, the boarded ships are still just a secondary lease on life for ships that are already dead. As in self destructed or zero hull dead. |