2012年4月21日星期六

Mercenaries ... a new perspective (+visual presentation)

Hi all

After a discussion at this topic http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/s...d.php?t=716727 regarding merc and mules i got an interesting idea (which i already hinted at in the topic), why not re-imagine mercs in D3 from a whole new perspective, why not making them more interesting and less about spam and overpowered skills/auras but more about tactics and meaningful choices.

After seeing the Gameplay vid of WWI08 i though "hmmm those are some interesting mercs, they are no longer silent robots, they talk, react and feel more realistic and interesting to have around unlike the one skill spam robots of D2"

Also seeing those pics also inspired me that weak mercenaries that can be recruited in numbers (max 3 at the same time) could really be lots of fun specially for those who play the single player more than the online.





So i envisioned them being the main typical mercs in D3 while there are another hi-level mercenaries for hire (who cost more and play differently) here is a quick comparison between them.

-Rookie Mercenaries: (i.e very close to those guys in the WWI08 video)

-Three can be recruited (great for Single players who want company)

-Have no skills (only basic attack and throw commands)

-Can carry extra items (have bag slots that are upgradable / more slots = more expensive to hire )

-Can only use Blue-magic items.

-Can use potions on themselves or the player.

-Have 4 AI modules.





-Veteran Mercenaries: (Close to D2 mercs .. but not really the same)

-Way more expensive than Rookies

-Only one can be recruited at a time.

-Refuse to carry your items and find it insulting that you ask them to.

-Can use all items except uniques.

-Have 2 or 3 unique combat skills with cool downs

-Have 4 AI modules





AI Modules:

Are simply switches/flags that you either set to Value "A" or "B" .. not rocket science but it will add a whole new depth to using mercenaries and enemy mass control.



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Here is a visual presentation i made too.





Hope you like it .. i'll await your comments and opinions.|||I like the ide of mercs just if there not as OP as they where in D2 |||Fun idea, but I disagree with the Extra Bags idea. It would cause a lot of Switching. If someone is going to fight a boss, they'll take along a tough merc for damage. If they're just grinding, they'll take three weak mercs for the extra bags. Some consistency would be better.|||Quote:








I like the ide of mercs just if there not as OP as they where in D2




Sure thing .. you do agree the mercs in the WWI 08 weren't overpowered at all ... my idea is built on that .. the ones i envision will only be slightly more survivable than the ones in the WWI08 video.


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Fun idea, but I disagree with the Extra Bags idea. It would cause a lot of Switching. If someone is going to fight a boss, they'll take along a tough merc for damage. If they're just grinding, they'll take three weak mercs for the extra bags. Some consistency would be better.




But switching won't be easy at all .. it will have consequences (since you can't have both ... veteran mercs leave you if you hire rookies .. and vise-versa) ... here is an example.

You have a good veteran merc (which you payed 10,000 for), now that merc started with only one combat skill and only one AI module accessible .. upon using the merc and leveling him up he gained access to 2 more skills and 1 more module ... now you have to think very carefully before sacrificing all this to get three rookies cause they have extra bags.

And the other way around too ... if you spend a lot of time taking care of your rookies and upgrading them it will be a problem to switch to veterans .. because you will lose the money you invested and will have to deal with loads of extra items they will drop before they leave.

It's a choice you will have to make and it won't be easy to just switch them on whim.

Either way the extra bags is just an idea to make them more interesting ... they could just have a limited storage space and a potion belt if that's necessary for balance.

Also Rookies are very good at crowd control .. more than Veterans who can get over-swarmed.|||Still, you shouldn't make players choose between combat effectiveness and carrying capacity. That's what Charms did in D2, and it was just a hassle. I'm trying to say that with your system there will be a lot of switching, and it's best not to make it hard.

Why even use mercs to carry items? You already have Bags for your bigger inventory.|||Quote:








Still, you shouldn't make players choose between combat effectiveness and carrying capacity. That's what Charms did in D2, and it was just a hassle.




I didn't say that the Rookies are only carrying capacity, there is much more to them than that.

-First they are a lot better at crowd control than Veterans

-Second using their AI modules in smart ways could create pseudo formations that can be useful in many situations.

It's just like skills, some are good at damaging single targets and others are better at crowd control and damaging multiple enemies.


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I'm trying to say that with your system there will be a lot of switching, and it's best not to make it hard.




Pardon me, but you sounded in your previous comment that you were complaining it is too easy to switch .. or at least that's the impression i got.


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Why even use mercs to carry items? You already have Bags for your bigger inventory.




Because you are destined to run out of storage space sooner or later (specially if you are playing well and drops are falling left and right), so instead of having to go to town every five minutes to sell items you can continue to fight uninterrupted for longer periods (not to mention the info about the town portal scrolls removal, while not 100% confirmed it makes mercs that can carry items a necessity)

Also you can carry full sets of items and a large collection of uniques and rares on the battlefield (but surely will put your self in lots of trouble if you can't play good enough to keep your rookies alive)|||Quote:








I didn't say that the Rookies are only carrying capacity, there is much more to them than that.

-First they are a lot better at crowd control than Veterans

-Second using their AI modules in smart ways could create pseudo formations that can be useful in many situations.

It's just like skills, some are good at damaging single targets and others are better at crowd control and damaging multiple enemies.




I know, but that just means you can make rookies and veterans equally useful without needing to use rookies as pack-mules. It should be many vs. few, and not storage vs. power.


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Pardon me, but you sounded in your previous comment that you were complaining it is too easy to switch .. or at least that's the impression i got.




No, I didn't mean it would be easy to switch, I meant it would happen too Often. If you just left out the whole "human bag" thing it would be a great idea.|||I'm not certain why I didn't think of multiple mercs before. I really like the idea of what basically amounts to 'expendable' mercs. Even discounting their usefulness in combat, I think it would be interesting to feel as if you were fighting with a group even if you were playing single player.|||Quote:








I know, but that just means you can make rookies and veterans equally useful without needing to use rookies as pack-mules. It should be many vs. few, and not storage vs. power.




Why not both, or even more ?

Many Vs Few

Storage Vs Power

Pseudo Formations Vs Combat Skills


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No, I didn't mean it would be easy to switch, I meant it would happen too Often. If you just left out the whole "human bag" thing it would be a great idea.




Why do hate the human bag thing ?, if the town portals are really removed it will really be something that's needed not just a luxury.




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I think it would be interesting to feel as if you were fighting with a group even if you were playing single player.




Exactly my thought after seeing those screenshots.|||Like I said, making the player choose between Power and Storage Space will just cause issues. That's what happened with Charms in D2. You sacrificed your gameplay experience for a power boost.

Human bags are absolutely not needed. They serve no function that couldn't be done by the regular player inventory. Plus, town portals are not gone. Just look at the gameplay video. The barbarian has a town portal scroll in his inventory!

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