"Specialized classes" mod for team games?

[karx11erx]

What do you think about adding a "specialized classes" modifier to team games?

That would mean that each player can take up a certain role and will spawn readily equipped for it, w/o having (or being able) to pick up extra stuff. Somewhat like the current team-oriented shooter games.

Possible classes were

Mechanic

• Guns: Omega cannon, Helix gun.
• Missiles: 6 Concussion, 4 Flash
• Other: Two proximity mines (decoy)
• Special ability: Will restore shield points to team mates he hits with the Omega
• Ship: Faster, less max. shields

Gunner

• Guns: Quad Superlasers level 2, triple Fusion
• 8 Concussion, 4 Mercury, 2 Smart, 1 Mega (could probably carry and drop others, but not use them)
• Other: Two proximity mines (decoy)
• Special ability: Can drop vulcan ammo, energy and smoke grenade powerups
• Ship: Slower, more max. shields

Sniper

• Guns: Gauss, Dual Superlasers level 2 (or Dual/Quad Laser 4? or Plasma?)
• Missiles: 3 Concussion, 1 (2?) Homing
• Other: 2 smoke grenades
• Special ability: Can cloak for a short period of time with a certain period of time in between (will decloak when firing, taking flag, or hitting something)
• Ship: Fast, low max. shields

This would be a basic complement of support, attack and defense classes. There could probably some more good classes (ideas anybody?), and maybe some better balance is needed, but these modifications would probably give some new spice to old team game modes like CTF and Entropy.

The mod would need to have additional properties, like not respawning any spew or used up missiles (you'd have to re-equip at equipment generators).

The more I think about this, the more this looks like it would add a whole new dimension of team playing to D2X-XL, and the more I like it.

I could even make D2X-XL use the three ship types from D3 for the 3 classes.

[Wheeze87]

OOOooo yeah, i like, i like. Kind of like a descent version of team fortress.

I really like the idea, although i couldnt think of any new classes for you just yet... The ones you got sounds okay, MAybe there should be a but i just had an idea...

next to proximity bombs, you have written "decoy"......

Well instead of when you drop a bomb, what about if you actually plant a fake ship. So basically, its a proximity bomb, displayed with a ship model.
Mabey you could make the explosion blast of these "decoys" slightly more dangerous that standard proximity bombs too...

Other than that i think this is a really good idea!

[Megagun]

Scout

Guns: Laser level 1.
Missiles: None
Other: Two proximity mines (decoy)
Special ability: Infinite afterburner energy
Ship: Insanely fast, Extremely low amount of shields. 75% the size of a normal Pyro

MissileCarrier

Guns: None!
Missiles: 20 Concussion, 14 Mercury, 10 Flash, 10 Smart, 8 guided, 5 Mega, 2 Earthshaker
Other: Two proximity mines (decoy)
Special ability: Can drop missiles, can generate missiles and shields (costs energy!)
Ship: Insanely slow, Extreme shields, Double the size of a normal Pyro (!)

[karx11erx]

Megagun,

the classes must be playable and fit seamlessly into a Descent team game. Extreme ship classes are thinkable, but imo these do not make much sense.

The sniper would be a scout and a great flag runner already. The mechanic is the slow hulk with extreme firepower.

Nevertheless your ideas are welcome, and if we get some more we may be able to distill another good class from it.

[Sirius]

Not sure Descent is the right game for this, but if you want to try it, by all means...

[karx11erx]

I think that CTF and Entropy lend themselves extremely well to such an extension.

I know from D3 CTF games that people chose their ship according to role (defense uses Magnum, flag runner that other, fast ship). All I am doing is rounding that off.

[MetalBeast]

This idea sounds great, I think it would be possible to implement simplified version of Enemy-Territory gameplay.

But it would be a much of Work, other side it would push the gameplay to the stars

What I'm thinking about is objective related game-mode.

Not so complicated and complex like in ET or BF, but something simplified.

Example:

One team has to build bariers in predefined points of the level and defend them.
Other team must try to destroy the bariers and final take the way to destroy the main-objective.

Example 2:

There is a capturable Point in the center of the map, this team which has captured it will become points as long, as his team can hold this position.

etc. this game mode would make this game really interessing and very unique.

I was playing ET for years, so I can design some levels for this game-mode, if you want.

[Kirby]

what's the current situation on possibly adding new weapons?

I'm assuming that if squad-based teamplay is implemented, that weapon and missle pickups would be disabled.

My idea was to put in a Descent 3 mass-driver weapon for snipers.....and possibly many other things.

[karx11erx]

No new weapons or object oriented gameplay with this engine.

[-JoFFa-]

In Russia we have rdo.unirep.ru descent related site.

and a year ago or so - me and my fellow programmer Uri even started some project called d1sciple.

the point was to make a MMOAction Shooter.

So there was an enormous map and there was such ideas as in say "Z"(if anyone played) Also i'll add his words that because of D1 cubic structure - the level with todays hardware could be enormous and self generated on the fly.

So the point was that each side capturing the strategic points - then on the zones of that points - robot creation plants started produce robots.

Who initially help the fighting sides.

And there was an idea to make upgrades of the same ship.

For instance - the Pyro have something like an exscape capsule, which - born on the captured strategic zone choosing the Ship heavyness is sorta like choosing level difficulty in Quake 1.

Pod(scout) can come to a hangar of the team located in HQ and upgrade itself by "pick up and wearing" the Pyro-light and become a next type of a ship.

Then that ship - could instantly upgrade itself to a heavy one version of it also by pick up and wearing heavy gear - sorta like shield in quake.

Strategic points were connected by the portals for members of the command only. So they can jump insytantly into battle. Also each member can see a card of the current situatuion. Can turn on the camera of

their team mates and also team can choose a leader who can try to lead them sorta like in a strategy game.

so that way there can be a single pyro but with kind of stripped version then standart then heavy. and it ll be all the same ship. Also each ship has its unique ability - as in unit of strategy game...for instance scout - could place Turrets. Has a cloakcking device and afterburner.

Its all be very cool but will require a lot of balancing job.

Also we played the d3 once CTF. and we asked Magnums to be on a base and we took the light an fast and maneurable ship(other then pyro GX) for flag capture and we kinda feel something like strategy in that game. It really worked. So i think

idea with classes is great one. And it probably wont really need a different ship types. Just one but upgradeable.

[karx11erx]

I think most Descent players would be happy to have just Descent on a modern engine.

[-JoFFa-]

I think most Descent players would be happy to have just Descent on a modern engine.

You bet. I'm one of them. And yet you're allready done a lot what i and think most of like me dreamed of. Thank you again Diedel.

[Wheeze87]

Just wondering if this side-project is dead, or if this is going to get the "go ahead"

[Aus-RED-5]

There are other things in the works....... think about it...

edit: though that doesn't mean it won't happen. Just not right now.

[Wheeze87]

Oh yeah, don't worry, I appreciate there are BIG things coming for D2X-XL