0059 Feedback and Critiques
Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2009 6:19 pm
Regarding STF, I really think this mod has come a long way! The Engineer income system is really awesome, and offers the player a lot of flexibility in how they manage their economy. Here are a couple rough edges that I noticed:
The good:
All the units feel great!
No seriously, you've outdone yourself this time, Herc. The units all have great character and feel in the game. I was tricked a couple times by some abilities (such as a Psionic Storm that didn't hurt Mutalisks), but these are hardly points that can be held against the game. Very nice!
The economy works very, very well
You have found a wonderful alternative to the mineral/gas system of StarCraft! It could use some tweaking, but the concept that you've put forward works very well. I'm very impressed!
Guards were a much-needed addition
Before, it was way too easy for players to rush facility units against an economy-driven player. Having Guards available early (and trainable at such a fast rate) helps protect a player from early harassment. I might suggest that the Guards be buffed a bit, and have their costs increased (150/2, maybe?).
The bad:
Early-game economy:
Saving up to build your addon facility breaks the pace of the game, because the player very quickly changes from microing their workers at a good pace to having to wait for 500 cash. It is not fun for a player to have to wait on anything in an RTS. Sure, sometimes players opt to save for extreme rush builds (4-6 pool, 8rax, etc.), but generally, the common openings should feel like they click. Supply should become available just as a new worker is needed, etc. Literal examples from StarCraft won't carry over to STF directly, but the same premise needs to be respected. If you can keep the momentum in the early game, the fun will carry into the late game.
Flags, and land capture
The land capture system, while innovative, feels more like Sim City than a competitive RTS game. There isn't a whole lot of reason to place flags, except that they give enough supply for one mercenary each. Their placement is limited, yet their position has no effect on their use. Beyond committing 100 cash to an additional 5 supply, there isn't any element of choice offered here, and having to build flags everywhere is really annoying. Perhaps a better way of doing this might be to use supply-offering refineries, built on top of geysers as capture points? As soon as there's a lot of action, and players are killing each other's flags, rebuilding suddenly becomes a chore.
Upgrades feel out of place
The upgrades seem to be scattered way too nebulously around the tech tree. For example, Kevlar Armor, an upgrade for the Engineer and Guard only is researched at the Espionage Facility. I can understand how this may have a design implication, luring the player into needing the Espionage Facility in order to get that particular armour upgrade, but the resulting interface isn't very intuitive. Also, having upgrades with multiple levels mixed in with single-level upgrades can be a bit confusing, too. A lot of units have specific attack and/or armour upgrades, and some don't. It just feels like there are a ton of upgrades mashed into each of the facilities without much tact.
In each of the facilities, I think there should only be a handful of upgrades for the units trained specifically at that facility. They should drastically affect the units bound to their effect. In StarCraft, the Vulture had two upgrades: Speed and Spider Mines. Each upgrade would enhance the unit in a different aspect and affect how the unit was used in game. For instance, Spider Mines could hold off higher-tech units, because it prevented an enemy from encroaching until they unlocked detectors, providing the Terran with ample time to tech or expand in the meantime. On the other hand, the speed upgrade allowed the Vulture to harass the enemy, producing an entirely different role. The upgrades available at the facilities in STF should do the same.
Ultimately, this is a wonderful improvement over past versions, in so many ways. STF's style is nearly there, and I can see that it's possible now that STF could meet StarCraft in terms of gameplay mechanics. I'm looking forward to seeing the other races, and the ensuing team-play.
The good:
All the units feel great!
No seriously, you've outdone yourself this time, Herc. The units all have great character and feel in the game. I was tricked a couple times by some abilities (such as a Psionic Storm that didn't hurt Mutalisks), but these are hardly points that can be held against the game. Very nice!
The economy works very, very well
You have found a wonderful alternative to the mineral/gas system of StarCraft! It could use some tweaking, but the concept that you've put forward works very well. I'm very impressed!
Guards were a much-needed addition
Before, it was way too easy for players to rush facility units against an economy-driven player. Having Guards available early (and trainable at such a fast rate) helps protect a player from early harassment. I might suggest that the Guards be buffed a bit, and have their costs increased (150/2, maybe?).
The bad:
Early-game economy:
Saving up to build your addon facility breaks the pace of the game, because the player very quickly changes from microing their workers at a good pace to having to wait for 500 cash. It is not fun for a player to have to wait on anything in an RTS. Sure, sometimes players opt to save for extreme rush builds (4-6 pool, 8rax, etc.), but generally, the common openings should feel like they click. Supply should become available just as a new worker is needed, etc. Literal examples from StarCraft won't carry over to STF directly, but the same premise needs to be respected. If you can keep the momentum in the early game, the fun will carry into the late game.
Flags, and land capture
The land capture system, while innovative, feels more like Sim City than a competitive RTS game. There isn't a whole lot of reason to place flags, except that they give enough supply for one mercenary each. Their placement is limited, yet their position has no effect on their use. Beyond committing 100 cash to an additional 5 supply, there isn't any element of choice offered here, and having to build flags everywhere is really annoying. Perhaps a better way of doing this might be to use supply-offering refineries, built on top of geysers as capture points? As soon as there's a lot of action, and players are killing each other's flags, rebuilding suddenly becomes a chore.
Upgrades feel out of place
The upgrades seem to be scattered way too nebulously around the tech tree. For example, Kevlar Armor, an upgrade for the Engineer and Guard only is researched at the Espionage Facility. I can understand how this may have a design implication, luring the player into needing the Espionage Facility in order to get that particular armour upgrade, but the resulting interface isn't very intuitive. Also, having upgrades with multiple levels mixed in with single-level upgrades can be a bit confusing, too. A lot of units have specific attack and/or armour upgrades, and some don't. It just feels like there are a ton of upgrades mashed into each of the facilities without much tact.
In each of the facilities, I think there should only be a handful of upgrades for the units trained specifically at that facility. They should drastically affect the units bound to their effect. In StarCraft, the Vulture had two upgrades: Speed and Spider Mines. Each upgrade would enhance the unit in a different aspect and affect how the unit was used in game. For instance, Spider Mines could hold off higher-tech units, because it prevented an enemy from encroaching until they unlocked detectors, providing the Terran with ample time to tech or expand in the meantime. On the other hand, the speed upgrade allowed the Vulture to harass the enemy, producing an entirely different role. The upgrades available at the facilities in STF should do the same.
Ultimately, this is a wonderful improvement over past versions, in so many ways. STF's style is nearly there, and I can see that it's possible now that STF could meet StarCraft in terms of gameplay mechanics. I'm looking forward to seeing the other races, and the ensuing team-play.