Improve co-op Combat and Vehicles
Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2017 5:50 pm
List of proposed changes
* Improve break force of Tanks
* Combine both Tank Shell/Ammo types (at least for uranium versions)
* Add multipassenger Vehicles
Details
1) Break force
Tanks should either have a better break by default or benefit from the Breakforce Research (have their own version of it worst case). I'd like the tank to allow for faster reactions and sharper control especially when it comes to emergency breaking. At the very least, you should be able to break down to a fully controllable speed in <= 1 second.
Why
You may not have noticed but ever since the introduction of fuel based speed multipliers the tank slides over ground as if it were ice. It feels like I have to mash the "S" button for 10 solid sections in order to perform an emergency break. And while it decelerates comparably fast at first, like half the time is spent going from "slow" to "stop" which feels unrealistic. The result of this are not only annoying controls but also a grave danger for any players and their constructions around you. With all the cluster grenades and robots flying through the air it's already very hard to keep track of which player goes where exactly so somebody driving a tank in a multiplayer scenario poses a great risk and life threat.
2) Tank Shells
I'd like both the piercing and the area damage effect combined in the same shell. Damage can be dealth according to whether the biter is by direct impact or explosion. The shell should try to explode as close to the target area as possible instead of getting blocked by nearby biters.
Why
The choice made here is not very interesting to begin with as it is fairly inconsequential. Both groups and lines of biters are roughly equally common and you can force one or the other with you positioning. It might have been more interesting if you could swap on the go but that's not the case. Anyway, in the context of coop combat HE shells are extremely dangerous because of their friendly fire potential. Especially since there is always a risk in shooting them because they might get stuck and explode too soon - which is relatively hard to predict.
It's just an unecessary risk to have and I don't see what interesting side effects this may add to the game. If it comes down to it - I would rather not use the cannon at all and stick with the machine which has no friendly fire at all AND is also the superior weapon system balance wise.
3) Multipassenger Vehicles
Ever played Borderlands, Unreal Tournament or Battlefield? Then you know exactly what I have in mind: Cars, Tanks, Spiderbots, whatevers that can be occupied by 2 or more players at the same time. Perhaps even give each seat a different job like driver, main cannon, secondary cannon and thus allow vehicles to act in multiple ways at the same time.
Why
This would really give a boost to the co-operation feeling on the combat side of Factorio, which currently is more dangerous than actually rewarding. It would negate the risk of friendly fire, make coordination easier and allow people to pick up friends and move them where they need to go - even if it's just to pick up their corpse far out in the fields.
Thanks for reading.
* Improve break force of Tanks
* Combine both Tank Shell/Ammo types (at least for uranium versions)
* Add multipassenger Vehicles
Details
1) Break force
Tanks should either have a better break by default or benefit from the Breakforce Research (have their own version of it worst case). I'd like the tank to allow for faster reactions and sharper control especially when it comes to emergency breaking. At the very least, you should be able to break down to a fully controllable speed in <= 1 second.
Why
You may not have noticed but ever since the introduction of fuel based speed multipliers the tank slides over ground as if it were ice. It feels like I have to mash the "S" button for 10 solid sections in order to perform an emergency break. And while it decelerates comparably fast at first, like half the time is spent going from "slow" to "stop" which feels unrealistic. The result of this are not only annoying controls but also a grave danger for any players and their constructions around you. With all the cluster grenades and robots flying through the air it's already very hard to keep track of which player goes where exactly so somebody driving a tank in a multiplayer scenario poses a great risk and life threat.
2) Tank Shells
I'd like both the piercing and the area damage effect combined in the same shell. Damage can be dealth according to whether the biter is by direct impact or explosion. The shell should try to explode as close to the target area as possible instead of getting blocked by nearby biters.
Why
The choice made here is not very interesting to begin with as it is fairly inconsequential. Both groups and lines of biters are roughly equally common and you can force one or the other with you positioning. It might have been more interesting if you could swap on the go but that's not the case. Anyway, in the context of coop combat HE shells are extremely dangerous because of their friendly fire potential. Especially since there is always a risk in shooting them because they might get stuck and explode too soon - which is relatively hard to predict.
It's just an unecessary risk to have and I don't see what interesting side effects this may add to the game. If it comes down to it - I would rather not use the cannon at all and stick with the machine which has no friendly fire at all AND is also the superior weapon system balance wise.
3) Multipassenger Vehicles
Ever played Borderlands, Unreal Tournament or Battlefield? Then you know exactly what I have in mind: Cars, Tanks, Spiderbots, whatevers that can be occupied by 2 or more players at the same time. Perhaps even give each seat a different job like driver, main cannon, secondary cannon and thus allow vehicles to act in multiple ways at the same time.
Why
This would really give a boost to the co-operation feeling on the combat side of Factorio, which currently is more dangerous than actually rewarding. It would negate the risk of friendly fire, make coordination easier and allow people to pick up friends and move them where they need to go - even if it's just to pick up their corpse far out in the fields.
Thanks for reading.
. Hm...makes me wonder if it can't already be done with a second teleporting car...*evilgrin*
?