MegaCorp
06-10-03, 19:27
What if turret dropping remains unchanged, but KK introduced some sort of turret killer? A way to kill an individual turret fast, but can not be used by just anyone.
For example a Monkey Wrench: used to destroy a turret, but can only be used once per minute. Meaning the big delay is in how soon you can do another turret, not in how long it takes to cripple a particular turret. The time to zap the turret should be long enough that it is not risk free; i.e. you might get killed trying to disable a gatling turret as it shoots you full of holes.
This tool is not actually a monkey wrench per se, but rather a sophisticated electro-mechanical device that is *called* that because it is used in an analogous fashion.
Use of the tool would require relatively high mechanical skills (repair *and* construction). Thus your typical combat specialists (be they monk/tank/pe/sniper/droner) won't be able to use it, and instead support personnel become more useful in fights. To expand on this, the ability to even drop turrets would also require high repair and construction skills as well as the use of a Monkey Wrench.
This new tradeskiller is essentially a Combat Engineer. His/her repair and construction skills won't be good enough to shine in either of those areas individually as a tradeskiller, but by being evenly balanced can be realigned and focused for combat use.
I do not have a handle on how high trade skills can go, nor what values can be achieved when both repair and construction need to have equal values, nor what the result for a capped Combat Engineer would be, but for purposes of discussion, let us say 85/85 for dropping turrets, and 100/100 for destroying turrets; adjust these values as appropriate to be practical but non-trivial to achieve.
Note that no new class of character need be created to do this, it merely makes use of existing trade skills and involves specialization. Depending on what values are chosen for the required skills, it might result in the exclusion of all but one class from being Combat Engineers. Or perhaps multiple classes could be Combat Engineers who can drop turrets, but only a given single class could apply enough skill points to also be able to destroy turrets.
As for what happens to turrets that are tinkered with by a Combat Enginer ... destruction may be the way to go, but perhaps a turret should become deactivated for 3 minutes, then automatically come back online. Another idea is that the turret is subverted and becomes a turret of the Combat Engineer's clan and begins shooting accordingly. More interesting might be an option to *either* destroy or subvert a turret, so a decision could be made based on whether enemie Engies are present (if not, subvert, if so, maybe best to destroy). And of course if a turret can be subverted or temporarilly disabled, a Combat Engineer from the defending clan can potentially tinker them back into normal working order.
To ensure very directed specialization, and avoid an over supply of Combat Engineers, there might need to be other requirements as well. Perhaps an attribute requirement such as Int of 90 for dropping Turrets and an Int of 110 to Destroy. And some value of High Tech (T-C) skill might also be appropriate.
Ideally, the Combat Engineer would be able to do some degree of shooting as well, but because of the requisite skills for turret manipulation, all combat skills would be restricted due to lack of extra skill points - meaning use of rare weapons might be limited or not at all possible. He/She would probably stay away from the central heated action until ready to dash in and attack a turret. This potentially implies improved running skills for getting in and out fast - ideally achieved by simply balancing athletics and agility, and choosing to wear ath/agl implants instead of fighting implants (a nice assortment of which already exist). It is also reasonable to consider a Combat Engineer having limited stealth abilities to help in getting into position (then decloaking to tinker with a turret).
And of course this opens the door for specialized armor, weapons, implants, and other tools designed for Engies.
What are your own thoughts on this???
Spook
For example a Monkey Wrench: used to destroy a turret, but can only be used once per minute. Meaning the big delay is in how soon you can do another turret, not in how long it takes to cripple a particular turret. The time to zap the turret should be long enough that it is not risk free; i.e. you might get killed trying to disable a gatling turret as it shoots you full of holes.
This tool is not actually a monkey wrench per se, but rather a sophisticated electro-mechanical device that is *called* that because it is used in an analogous fashion.
Use of the tool would require relatively high mechanical skills (repair *and* construction). Thus your typical combat specialists (be they monk/tank/pe/sniper/droner) won't be able to use it, and instead support personnel become more useful in fights. To expand on this, the ability to even drop turrets would also require high repair and construction skills as well as the use of a Monkey Wrench.
This new tradeskiller is essentially a Combat Engineer. His/her repair and construction skills won't be good enough to shine in either of those areas individually as a tradeskiller, but by being evenly balanced can be realigned and focused for combat use.
I do not have a handle on how high trade skills can go, nor what values can be achieved when both repair and construction need to have equal values, nor what the result for a capped Combat Engineer would be, but for purposes of discussion, let us say 85/85 for dropping turrets, and 100/100 for destroying turrets; adjust these values as appropriate to be practical but non-trivial to achieve.
Note that no new class of character need be created to do this, it merely makes use of existing trade skills and involves specialization. Depending on what values are chosen for the required skills, it might result in the exclusion of all but one class from being Combat Engineers. Or perhaps multiple classes could be Combat Engineers who can drop turrets, but only a given single class could apply enough skill points to also be able to destroy turrets.
As for what happens to turrets that are tinkered with by a Combat Enginer ... destruction may be the way to go, but perhaps a turret should become deactivated for 3 minutes, then automatically come back online. Another idea is that the turret is subverted and becomes a turret of the Combat Engineer's clan and begins shooting accordingly. More interesting might be an option to *either* destroy or subvert a turret, so a decision could be made based on whether enemie Engies are present (if not, subvert, if so, maybe best to destroy). And of course if a turret can be subverted or temporarilly disabled, a Combat Engineer from the defending clan can potentially tinker them back into normal working order.
To ensure very directed specialization, and avoid an over supply of Combat Engineers, there might need to be other requirements as well. Perhaps an attribute requirement such as Int of 90 for dropping Turrets and an Int of 110 to Destroy. And some value of High Tech (T-C) skill might also be appropriate.
Ideally, the Combat Engineer would be able to do some degree of shooting as well, but because of the requisite skills for turret manipulation, all combat skills would be restricted due to lack of extra skill points - meaning use of rare weapons might be limited or not at all possible. He/She would probably stay away from the central heated action until ready to dash in and attack a turret. This potentially implies improved running skills for getting in and out fast - ideally achieved by simply balancing athletics and agility, and choosing to wear ath/agl implants instead of fighting implants (a nice assortment of which already exist). It is also reasonable to consider a Combat Engineer having limited stealth abilities to help in getting into position (then decloaking to tinker with a turret).
And of course this opens the door for specialized armor, weapons, implants, and other tools designed for Engies.
What are your own thoughts on this???
Spook