HL2 MP Mod: Tribal - in need of constructive criticism

[Reservoir Frog]

Hi all,
I'm co-leading atm on a fledgling Half-Life 2 multiplayer mod called Tribal... and I need some criticism on the concept from some of the hard but fair critics on this forum.

Basically it's a post-apocalyptic, squad-based shooter that hopefully will encourage team tactics. Sounds pretty ho-hum right now eh? Well, we thought so too... so here's our idea to, in Elzar's famous words, "knock it up another notch..."

Instead of money or some stand-in resource that can be converted to real assets, we've decided to make ammunition and weapons the only resource in the mod. Basically each team starts with a fairly large ammo and gun reserve that is distributed in an as yet to be confirmed manner. The team then has to move out across the battlefield to capture and hold facilities that each grant different bonuses once occupied. For starters we're going to have ammo dumps, weapon caches (will give different and more powerful types of weapons), pillboxes, and vehicle hangers... we'll add more or streamline it as balancing requires. Apart from this ammunition and weapons can also be scrounged from dead enemies.

Several game modes are planned around this resource system, including a basic mode where both sides start equal and must wipe the other side out (running them out of guns and ammo). A last stand style mode. And maybe cheap things like deathmatch and team deathmatch.

As far as combat mechanics go, ever since Halo and Call of Duty I have been unable to fathom an FPS without aim down sight and melee attack functions... they're just too damn cool, and add a visceral quality to combat. We'll implement the three standard poses, standing, crouching, and prone... some weapons will only be useable when deployed, meaning u will have to be prone or have deployed on a surface (we don't know whether we can implement this yet, especially on surfaces like walls, etc). Running will severely degrade accuracy. We're also playing with the idea of a sprint function a la GTA III that will double your speed for a short time (with a fairly decent cooldown) but render you unable to fire your weapon, good for getting away or moving from cover to cover.

Light, heavy and flying vehicles are planned...
so is the ability to call in airstrikes.

So do you think the idea is decent? Is there some fundamental flaw that I'm missing? Or is the proof going to be in the execution, as I hope it will be? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

cheers
Reservoir Frog

P.S. We've got a team of 5 - 6 ppl atm, we will start needing people soon, but not until we think the concept is mature enough.
P.P.S. I will post some preliminary weapon renders if asked to.
P.P.P.S. I will also post a story outline if requested, its good having a reason to blow shit up...

 

[PinFX]

I like the idea of having equipment being the direct resources and also the idea of a team-based shooter in a fallout setting. However, you might need to think hard about what you need to do in order to make your main concept succeed. Things like how many weapons a player can carry, elements that will prevent too much camping while still preserving tactical elements, the actual holding of locations, and basically how not to have the players all in a headlong rush to get a rocket launcher when its supposed to be a team game.

As I said I like the central idea. If you want to make it work it won't be easy, but a team based shooter with the resource system you want could be interesting. Cheers!

 

[Argyll]

I like it because it sounds sort of like my mod in a good way Don't worry though, the setting and content is much different and I'm sure there are lots of other features that differ. But in terms of goals etc. that you stated it sounds similar.

I think it's a good concept :cheers:

 

[Reservoir Frog]

Pendragon,
Thanks for your detailed feedback, here's some answers:

Question 1: Will this be class-based? The implication (to me) of the weapon/ammo dumps is that it will not be class based, as it suggests that players will be able to pick up weapons and go.

I'm not fond of the idea of classes, so no, it won't be class based. You fill the niche of whatever weapon you have or are best at... You get a SMG or shotgun, you're close assault, you get a sniper rifle or machine gun, you're support, etc

Question 2: How will the vehicles fit in? Will this be a BF1942 system where the vehicles are a resource in and of themselves?

Yes, vehicles will be a resource... there will only be a fixed amount of them on the map at one time (if any at all)... they can be damaged to the point of being unusable but we're planning several types of rockets, one of these, the Hotwire Rocket, will allow you to repair disabled vehicles.

Question 3: How does the Fallout-esque setting affect gameplay? As far as I can tell, it might as well be BF1942 (tweaked, but you get my gist) with new models.

Just clear one thing up... its not a nuclear fallout... its basically an ecological apocalypse caused by killer-mutant-mushrooms, FUN! People go underground for 50 years, while the mushrooms eat themselves to extinction and then inherit a wasteland devoid of life. They fight each other for what resources are left. Hence the name of the mod.

Camping has always been a contentious issue, but I believe this is mostly due to people not being cautious when breaching a room or entering a new area, etc. We'll have plenty of grenades to clear buildings out... basically then, if someone noobs you by camping, its more than 50% your fault. (Sniping is not camping, a good sniper always relocates... else he dies pretty quickly)

Concerning facilities, bunkers, caches, etc... whatever ammunition in a cache is appended to your current reserves until you lose control of that cache. With weapons, you have access to those weapons from the bunker they are in, until you lose control of that bunker... so ideally anyone can run in and grab those weapons unless it is defended. I'm considering the idea of putting a trunk on the light support vehicle so that you can transport heavy items en masse from the front to your homebase for safekeeping... whether weapons in bunkers will replace themselves over time or not will be a balance issue.

As for an overall bonus for area control, we're not sure... access to new weapons, tech, and more ammo should be reward enough... but if required we'll definitely consider it.

Thanks again for your detailed feedback... more please!

cheers
Reservoir Frog