Feedback:User/Guild Wars 3 perhaps/Build an Edifice in WvWvW
Build an Edifice in WvWvW | |
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| User | Guild Wars 3 perhaps |
| Categories | Player vs. Player Mechanics |
Go here to see a list of my other GW2 suggestions and discussion contributions.
This suggestion goes hand-in-hand with my previous suggestion, Alternative Scoring in WvWvW. It is part of a series which explores ways in which the depth of play, strategy, and tactics can be increased in WvWvW.
Unlike some of my other suggestions in this series, this one is really simple and thus won't require my typical book-length explanation (I can hear the sighs of relief already).
I played Age of Mythology. In the PvP mode, there was an option to set up alternate methods of winning a round other than complete annhilation of an enemy. One of these was the construction of an edifice (they were referred to as "Wonders" in AoM). If a player managed to construct this edifice and defend it for a certain amount of time, they would win the round; even against a militarily superior opponent. I would imagine other games may have had a similar mechanic, but AoM is the only one I'm familiar with which offered this.
I'm suggesting the creation of a similar option in WvWvW. However, unlike AoM, I'm not suggesting that the construction of an edifice is an automatic win for the team. A team can construct an edifice which, once constructed, will add points to their war score similar to captured resource camps, towers, or keeps. Since keeps add 25 points to a team's war score every 5 minutes and Stonemist Castle adds 50 points, the edifice should add some intermediate amount of points; 35 or 40, perhaps.
The construction of an edifice should be a massive undertaking requiring, potentially, hundreds if not thousands of supply points to complete. It's open to discussion whether the edifice is completed as soon as the last supply point is added or whether the edifice will still require a set amount of time to complete construction, even if all of the needed supplies have been delivered.
As an alternative or addition to the supply resource, players can also deliver resources gathered from nodes; mined copper, for example. This would give the gatherer types among the player base a meaningful and measurable way to contribute to the success of their team in WvWvW rather than just being cannon fodder in a gate assault zerg mob.
In AoM the edifices were specific to the cultures of the game; the Egyptians built a pyramid, the Greeks built the Parthenon, etc. Likewise, the edifices available in WvWvW should be Guild Wars Universe-specific. For example, a giant statue of Balthazar (or any of the six gods), a replica of the Pale Tree, some kind of Asura levitating stone-and-gem monolith, etc. Furthermore, each team should have the option of selecting from a list of edifices they wish to build; they aren't limited to just one type per team. However, they are limited to a single edifice at any one time during a 2-week WvWvW round.
When selecting which edifice to build, the player who has purchased the blueprints for the edifice begins the construction by putting it to a team vote of which edifice to choose. All the players on that team get one vote and the voting is open for 24 hours. A dialog box is available for viewing the various edifices and casting a vote. Once cast, the vote is final. In recognition of the expense borne by the player who purchased the blueprints for the edifice, their vote will count as 10 votes (or whatever number proves reasonable yet balanced). In the event of a tie, the blueprint owner's vote decides the tie breaker. Once voting closes, actual construction begins; any player on that team may then contribute supply or gathered resources to the work-in-progress.
Edifices can not be captured by an enemy team; only destroyed. However, they will have considerable hit points and will take a concerted effort on the part of an enemy to destroy. Also, an edifice can be damaged while under construction. If the damage is sufficient to reduce its current construction points to zero, the edifice is destroyed.
For example, let's assume an edifice requires 5,000 supply to construct. Halfway through building the edifice it comes under attack; its "health" at this point will only be 2,500 points and it will require another 2,500 points of supply to complete the construction. If the enemy deals 2,500 points of damage to the edifice, it is now destroyed and construction would have to begin anew (possibly with a new set of edifice blueprints). If, on the other hand, the enemy only deals 1,000 points of damage before being defeated or driven off, then the edifice's "health" is reduced to 1,500 and it will require 3,500 more supply to complete construction.
When construction is complete, it may be the case that the finished product has even more hit points than its construction cost would indicate. For example, if the edifice cost 5,000 supply to build, it may actually have 10,000 health when it reaches its fully-constructed state.
In addition to the points the edifice contributes to a team's war score, there may also be passive benefits associated with the structure. These benefits could both be local and global. For example, a replica of the Pale Tree may grant a global 5% health boost to the entire team. Any allied players standing within a certain radius of this edifice may also gain a +1 health regeneration boon or the removal of a condition every 5 seconds. You get the idea.
To increase the threat level an edifice represents to the opposing teams, it may even be that an edifice's bonuses increase with time. Going back to the replica of the Pale Tree example, perhaps its global health boost starts at 1%. Every 24 hours, this increases by 1%. Assuming this replica of the Pale Tree was built on day 1 of a WvWvW round, then - by the 14th day of the round - the edifice would be granting a 14% health boost to the owning team. Thus it behooves the enemy teams to try to destroy this edifice early in the game.
Edifices would also come equipped with their own defenses. What those are, specifically, may vary from edifice to edifice. But I think it should be something unique and "in character" with the edifice rather than the standard boiling oil, arrow carts, catapults, etc. A statue of Balthazar may fire gouts of white-hot flame from its eyes or cause burning to nearby enemies every X seconds, etc. Whether or not there will exist an option to upgrade an edifice's defenses is open to debate. Of course, there's nothing stopping the owning team from building a defensive ring of arrow carts, ballista, catapults, and trebuchets around the edifice.
If an opposing team does manage to destroy an edifice, this should award that team with some amount of war points for their world. Also, once destroyed, the owning team is now free to build a new edifice if they choose (recall that a team can have only one edifice in existence at a time).
In adding this option to WvWvW, it takes nothing away from the current mechanics and methods for scoring while adding an option for the less aggressive members of a team or the more gathering-construction oriented players to contribute to their world's success without resorting to combat.
Thank you for reading.
Guild Wars 3 perhaps 23:08, 2 July 2012 (UTC)
