Stuff SupCom 2 did right that FAF could copy

[FunkOff]

Most people here don't like SupCom 2 because it regressed considerably the game in a few ways. But it also make the game better in several ways. FAF should copy some of SupCom 2's good ideas, such as:

1. T1 mex have longer pay-back time. Maybe a cost of 100 mass for a T1 mex.
2. Shields have really low health health, but recharge quickly. This makes breaking through massed shields less of a big deal. For example, a mobile shield could have 50 hp (enough to block 3 Striker shots) and recharge in 2 seconds. This removes the need for "shield interference" which causes more problems than it solves.
3. Wreckage is worth 20%. Maps with lots of wreckage suck. ASF *AND* naval wreckage has already been super nerfed in faf. Why not just nerf all of it? Make wreckage worth 20% (instead of 81%). Then wreckage will still matter, but not be a huge deal.

TL;DR: T1 mex --> cost more, Shields --> Less hp, faster recharge, Wreckage --> 20% mass value

[prodromos]

Maybe I am wrong
but t1 to have longer payback time?
I think this will mostly negate the advantage of early map control;
do we really want that?


I don't know about shields.


Well wreckage should stay as it is , .. I think.
To the average population of FA it would do harm.
The vast majority just learns to be lazy under shields
and pds.
No, I think this would encourage such behaviors as well
as nerfing the importance of first t1 mexes. At your level
your suggestions may have merit , but then again your level is
a rarity. People should learn that it's important to have map control
and to reclaim and this does not help.

At first I thought SupCom 2 did well with performance issues( you can actually
control more units with much less lag), but it did it at the expense of the
normal behavior of units. Now all move like a big snake on ice. It's not nice
seeing troops with four legs skating on grass as if it was ice.( I would actually acknowledge
the perf improvements if I saw more threads being consumed by the game, which
practically doesn't happen; ok maybe a little but nothing big).
It improved graphics though, this it did well. But then again they limited camera
controls. They made planes just hover over the ground when idle which is horrible.
And they allowed for arty fest to be easy, which may appeal to some(see the Thermo crowd)
, but it can really break late game. And they made pds so powerful it doesn't have any meaning
building mobile troops late game. You can just sit your ass behind shields and pds to infinity.
Again this appeals to some people, but it's at least horrible.
They improved ai though, this they did well too. AI in Supcom 2 is an improved version of Sorian Ai
as it was built by Sorian I think. Now, this may have little meaning for online play, but it's positive
and should be mentioned.

[fluffycake]

In my personal opinion:

1. Low payoff times for T1 mexes promote expansion, resulting in earlier engagements. If you increase the cost of T1 mexes, players would be more concerned about consolidating their current holdings than expanding (and potentially losing mass to a raid). In other words, the early game would probably end up being rather turtle-ey.

2. First of all, having any T2 shield that goes down after 3 striker shots would be absolutely abysmal. But more generally speaking...why? What problem is being addressed here?

3. Reclaim is a vital part of SupCom - not only does it add another facet to economic management, it also rewards territory control and risky play. Take Setons, for instance - the early game (for the two land players) revolves around control of the middle of the map, where there are dozens of high-value wrecks. Engagements in this area reward micro, and are generally fun to watch.

Additionally, the reclaim mechanics promotes more careful/tactical use of experimental units.

[Iszh]

t1 mex more expensive would simply end up in more slow t1 gameplay. It would slow down the game on t1 stage like on t3 there is much less stress with army. Maybe not the worst what could happen. when doing this you have to click less and think more on t1 stage On the other hand it removes the bonus to conquer areas for a short time and increase eco turtle tactics. If you conquer an area on high cost it pays back fast with 18s repay time of t1 mex. if it will not pay back so fast why to conquer a not stable area? you always need to conquer and wall immidiately. It might change gameplay to much. Better fix t3 mass fabs .... t2 mass fabs are even better than t3 mex and t3 mass fabs are worse than scus with ras rofl

shields system of fast recharge and low hp is more like a % damage reduction if the damage stays low. when there is big damage there is no reduction anymore. on the other hand our big shields are like additional life. it will change behaviour to much i think this is a bad idea. to be able to built nearly undestructrable fortress with hill of shields is intended to be in ta and fa and belongs to those games.

lower reclaim value i do not like so much. yes i do not like spawn reclaim on maps as well because is forces people to strange tactics and very often games are ended right after start because somebody failed to get his reclaim. but the reclaim value of destroyed units is ok should stay like it is. reclaim value is another very big eco factor thats nice! if you remove this the game will lose another flower of variety.

[tatsu]

1.) yes. this is always a strategical plus and keeps the t1/t2 phase a little longer + more expansion
2.) no. we took ages to get shields right AGES. and what we have now I boasted on the PA and AOTS forum as the very best take on shields there could be. bases dying to t3 arty is the way it should be.
3.) no. the exponential mass on the map factor in FA is another flavorous bit of this game. It makes you have to think twice about sending your "oh so powerfull" XP in. also it adds strategical complexity and a nice mechanic.
with the coming of map-reclaim-view in the 3641 patch (and perhaps the hopes of one day also having area commands as well) reclaim really comes into it's own and doesn't become a micro contest but a strategic decision.

[Morax]

Territory control and post-battle reclaim make the game so dynamic it would be a shame to limit one.

I have played and watched games where there are tense jabs at expansions to slow an opponent's economy or extremely intense fighting over fields of wrecks (really exciting, actually).

Supp Comm 2 is about as good as a sequel to a comedy movie, e.g. why the hell was there a Hangover 2 and 3 while the first was perfect?