Observing from the discussion above, I salvaged and assembled a suggestion for a new gamemode called Tactical Control. It's basically a gamemode where more focus is on unit management and strategic maneuvers rather than rushing and base building.
In this post, I will thoroughly go through every feature of this gamemode and explain it like a game of its own. It's quite a handful.
1. Command Center
Instead of an MCV, all players start with an Armored Command Vehicle (ACV) that deploys into a Command Center. Players can't train units or build structures, Instead, they can call reinforcements from a number of paradrop support powers once the Command Center is built. The objective of the gamemode is to destroy all enemy Command Centers.
2. Reinforcements
Reinforcement paradrops are the only way for you to acquire more units. Each paradrop power offers a different set of units. The stronger the units are, the more expensive the paradrop would be and the longer it would take for the support power to reload. Here is a list of paradrops I could call as a Pacific Front Player:
Surveillance Squadron
Cost: 400$
Recharge Time: 1:00
Units: 3 Attack Dogs
Infantry Squadron
Cost: 1500$
Recharge Time: 2:00
Units: 6 G.Is, 3 Guardian G.Is, 1 Medic
Engineering Squadron
Cost: 800$
Recharge Time: 1:00
Units: 3 Engineers
Advanced Surveillance Squadron
Cost: 1000$
Recharge Time: 2:00
Units: 3 Robot Tanks
Vehicle Squadron
Cost: 2000$
Recharge Time: 3:00
Units: 4 Tsurugis, 4 Kappa Tanks
Rocketeer Squadron
Cost: 2000$
Recharge Time: 4:00
Units: 5 Rocketeers
Advanced Infantry Squadron
Cost: 3000$
Recharge Time: 5:00
Units: 4 Siege Cadres, 2 Navy SEALs
Transport Squadron
Cost: 800$
Recharge Time: 2:00
Units: 1 Stallion Transport
Amphibious Squadron
Cost: 1500$
Recharge Time: 3:00
Units: 2 Voyagers
Spy Squadron
Cost: 2000$
Recharge Time: 4:00
Units: 1 Thief, 1 Circuiter, 1 Hacker (see Section 10 for more info)
Chrono Squadron
Cost: 4000$
Recharge Time: 6:00
Units: 4 Chrono Legionnaires
Note: The Chrono Legionnaires are chronoshifted to the battlefield instead of being paradropped.
Commando
Cost: 2000$
Recharge Time: 6:00
Units: Norio
Note: This power will only recharge if your commando isn't present on the battlefield.
Blizzard Squadron
Cost: 5000$
Recharge Time: 7:00
Units: 4 Blizzard Tanks
Hailstorm Squadron
Cost: 6000$
Recharge Time: 8:00
Units: 4 Hailstorms
Battle Fortress Squadron
Cost: 6000$
Recharge Time: 8:00
Units: 4 Battle Fortresses
3. Gaining Cash
Players start with a set amount of credits they can spend on reinforcements. But to prevent them from permanently depleting cash, their Command Center will gain a certain amount credits every 100 frames (6 ingame seconds). You won't gain cash if your Command Center isn't deployed. You can use Engineers to capture Tech Oil Derricks if you want to boost your credit income.
4. Reinforcement Location
The reinforcements are only dropped around the Command Center; you can't target them anywhere else unless you relocate your Command Center.
I've thought of a way to relocate the Command Center without resetting the paradrop timers. All the support powers would be initially available from an invulnerable and unlocatable building, while the Command Center only provides the power required for the powers to be usable. So whenever the Command Center packs up and moves, the support powers would simply pause and not disappear and reset.
5. Constructing Buildings
Once you built the Command Center, you can only build defensive structures from it. The defenses are selected from the Structures tab to conserve space (if possible). All the defensive structures from the normal gamemode are available in this mode except side-specific ones. The Command Center has a wider build radius than the Construction Yard, so you can build defenses at a larger scale.
6. Power Production
Your Command Centers will provide you with only 800 units of power. which you will spent mostly on defenses. Because of that, you should build sparingly and thoughtfully. If you don't have enough power, defenses will be disabled and you won't be able to call reinforcements! If you would like to gain more power, you can capture Tech Power Plants throughout the map.
7. Radars
Radars are available once the Command Center is deployed. Just like in the normal game mode, they will go offline if you are low on power. Remember that your radar logs off every time you pack up the Command Center.
8. Support Powers
Certain support powers from the normal gamemode are available in the Tactical Control mode. Note that support powers are a lot more expensive in this game mode to keep gameplay elements balanced. However, unit spawning support powers are unavailable because they contradict with the gameplay style. (No Libra Clones, Motor Ambushes, etc.) Instead, they are replaced with new support powers that can actually prove useful.
Allies have a unique branch of support powers in this mode: Airstrike Support Powers. Since they cannot use fixed-wing aircrafts, instead they are granted quick and destructive airstrike powers.
Stormchild Strike
Subfaction: United States of America
Cost: 1200$
Recharge Time: 4:00
Effect: 4 Stormchild fighters will attack all units and buildings in an area with missiles and lasers.
Harrier Strike
Subfaction: European Alliance
Cost: 1200$
Recharge Time: 4:00
Effect: 4 Harrier fighters will attack all units and buildings in an area with armor piercing bombs.
Black Eagle Strike
Subfaction: Pacific Front
Cost: 1200$
Recharge Time: 4:00
Effect: 4 Black Eagle fighters will attack all units and buildings in an area with cryo bombs.
Barracuda Strike
Subfaction: All Allies
Cost: 2000$
Recharge Time: 8:00
Effect: 4 Barracuda bombers will bombard an area with highly explosive bombs.
9. Superweapons
Support superweapons are available as an ordinary support power for a steep price. Offensive superweapons however, can be only accessed by having them built on the battlefield. Superweapons give a fleeting firepower advantage for the players who build them, but they cost twice as much($10000) and take half of the power(-400) from the Command Center. So you will have to sacrifice defensive capabilities in order to accommodate for it. Command Centers are designed to be shielded from Superweapon attacks, so collaborative superweapon strikes and airstrikes won't be able to destroy them.
10. Infiltration
Infiltration would prove to be an issue since the Command Center does all the important building functions and infiltrators might have an issue trying to do exactly what with the building.
Unlike normal mode, all factions have the same three infiltrator units available at their disposal, all devastating in their own ways. Keeping infiltrators away from your Command Centers is an absolute necessity, because they can cause extremely severe hindrance to your army.
- Thief: Steals up to 10000$ worth of cash from a Command Center(dangerous). Uses the Epsilon Infiltrator SHP.
- Circuiter: If it enters a Command Center, it will shut down power for 2 minutes, disabling all timers and defenses (very dangerous). Uses the Soviet Saboteur SHP.
- Hacker: Resets all paradrop and support power timers and reshrouds radar if it infiltrates a Command Center(extremely dangerous). It is also the only infiltrator unit that can enter a superweapon, which results in it's timer getting resetted(even more dangerous). Uses the Allied Spy SHP.
11. Tech Structures
Certain Tech structures are either not available or modified in this mode because they don't fit the gameplay style of this mode. The following are the tech structures unavailable or modified in Tactical Control:
- Tech Refinery: Players have no access to miners, which makes this structure useless. Replaced with Tech Power Plants.
- Tech Secret Lab: Players have no access to factories, which makes this structure useless. Offers a special unit paradrop power instead.
- Tech Airfield: You still can train unique aircrafts at this building, which will be the only unit you will physically train in this gamemode. However, it does not unlock the Paradrop support power.
12. Naval Units
Sadly, I haven't really thought of any way to implement naval units in this game mode. I will get back to this section later if I figure something out.
So all of this combined can result in a very complex and unique gamemode where what matters isn't how many units you are producing, but how are you using the small amount of units you are given. Suggestions are always welcome.
I hope not only the Mental Omega developers, but other mod developers can take inspiration from what I have written above.
Good day.
Edited by Jargalhurts, 12 October 2014 - 09:04 PM.
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