After 5 Week Project, Robot Factory is currently our primary focus. At it's core, it's Warfare, with focus shifting towards infantry based gameplay instead of vehicles. It features the first implementation of what will become the Cover System Framework - meaning that taking cover behind static objects will be an important game mechanic.
The weapons set, I have concluded is currently well balanced and distributed, but suffers from a lack of real innovation. It's too simply crafted into the usual patterns. Lets lay down some ideas to help diversify the weapons and make the set stand out properly.
MSUC 2008 has also has two categories - best weapon in phase 1, and more interestingly, best weapon set in phase 3. Reckon we can get best weapon set? Perhaps it's worth a shot.
Let's try to add and alter features to current weapons and where possible, avoid adding new ones - less is best, but we do naturally need variety.
If you're not familiar with Robot Factory, download and read csv120 here:
http://sheelabs.game...h...;rev=0&sc=0
Here is the current set:
Cuter Shooter
The Cuter Shooter is a simple rapid firing energy projectile weapon. It is small and has a low profile, as well as having very little muzzle flare or give off much noise. It lacks range and deals very little damage, but instead of reloading, has a battery supply that recharges when the alternate fire is held.
- Every player starts with this basic weapon.
Xark Rifle
The Xark Rifle is a powerful assault rifle. It has a high rate of fire and high level of accuracy. It is a bullet based weapon, allowing it a moderate level of cover penetration. Secondary fire allows the weapon to use a zoomed scope. Ammunition is however scarce for the Xark. It has a 12 shot magazine that takes a relatively long time to reload.
- It is essentially a sniper solution.
Gibbermattic
The Gibbermattic is a silenced pneumatic stake launcher. It has a three shot magazine, and a very short reload time. It's projectiles are slow moving but powerful, able to kill in a single shot and nail a target to a wall. It has a single shot primary fire, and a three shot burst fire.
- It can pin enemies to walls.
- It has a powerful, arcing projectile, suitable for mid-range combat.
Node Corroder
The Node Corroder is a modified BioRifle secondary fire ability. It is particularly deadly to power nodes. Alternative fire allows the user to defend themselves briefly with a force shield, giving them time to charge their shot.
- It is especially useful against objective nodes.
- It can be used as a shield.
- The shot can be charged and launched. Projectile size is dependent on charge time.
Structure Adjuster
The Structure Adjuster is a powerful rocket launcher. It has a slow projectile, three shot magazine and a long reload time, but deadly damage, making it ideal for vehicle and node assaults. Primary fire is a single powerful missile,and secondary fire is a guiding target beam that auto locks onto nodes and cores, allowing the user to fire over or around intervening terrain. It must be deployed in order to be fired, and thus cannot move at the same time. Players carrying the Structure Adjuster move at 75% the normal movement rate.
- It must be deployed to fire.
- It can fire over intervening terrain.
- It is especially useful against objective nodes and vehicles.
Matter Scatter
The Matter Scatter is a modified Flak Cannon with increased accuracy, smaller projectiles and no alternative fire mode. It has a four shot magazine and a moderate reload time.
- It is effective at close range.
- Its projectiles have an arcing profile.
- Its projectiles bounce.
Blinker
The Blinker is a modified Enforcer with an alt-fire extreme muzzle flash (which expends an entire magazine), that causes players looking directly at it to suffer visual impairments whilst looking directly at it. It has a low cover penetration ability and a 20 shot magazine, with a short reload time.
- It is a weaker damage-per-second weapon.
- It can temporarily blind players.
Right, now as you see, the weapon list is varied, it's good.
But it essentially boils down to this:
- Basic, useless fall back weapon (Machine Gun).
- Sniper Rifle.
- Machine Gun.
- Rocket Launcher.
- Shotgun.
- Machine Gun.
Sounds less exciting already.
So, here's a few ideas to get us started;
- Give the Cuter Shooter a 'periscope' alternative fire, allowing the user to fire over objects without exposing themselves. As a basic weapon, using this mode can be very inaccurate, and not damaging, but the strengths are obvious. Could this make the weapon more viable as an alternative to the primary weapon, where finesse is more important than firepower?
- Change the Xark Rifle. I think it would become the most used weapon - it has a high rate of fire, and a lot of damage, with a lot of accuracy. Xark (or 'Zark') is traditional in UT, but may be over-bearing. Perhaps if we add features to the other weapons, this can remain blander, and be outweighted by lack of special uses? Perhaps remove the scope, as the rate of fire, damage and accuracy are already more than enough? If we do, what secondary fire mode do we now have, if any?
- Change the Gibbermattic alternative fire - is a burst fire necessary? What can we do instead?
- The Node Corroder charges to fire - this means our primary can be the temporary shield, and the secondary will charge the goo. What happens when we put the shield up and then use the alternative fire - do we just charge the goo, or do we do something else. We can reverse this too - think about the UT3 rocket launcher. It has loads of options; you can fire either in single rockets, or you can burst using the alternative - firing in a spiral, spread, or grenades by hitting left trigger. I'm thinking:
Hold Left - Bring up shield
Hold Right - Charge up goo
Hold Left, then click Right - Drop goo as a 'landmine' by firing it into the shield and letting it drop to the floor.
Hold Right, then click Left - Launch charged goo as a spread of small globs with high speed by flinging them out with the shield.
- The Structure Adjuster suffers from the same crisis as the Xark Rifle. I'm thinking we should make it more like a cannon, with a powerful primary, but no directed projectile. We should make it so the user has to crouch for a certain time to fire, rather than specifically 'deploy'. Other than that, how do we make it useful and stand out?
- The Blinker's blinding ability is pretty important, and should definitely stay in. But what of it's primary fire? It's still just a machine gun.
