Revise player capability progression

[nateberkopec]

Player Capabilities

• Short range small arms - AK74U, Makarov, etc (Tier 1)
• Medium range automatic small arms - AK74M (Tier 2)
• Long range small arms - SVD (Tier 3)
• Long range optics for small arms - (Tier 4)
• Squad automatic weapons - (Tier 3)
• Grenades - (Tier 2)
• Low-tier AT/AA launchers - (AV Tier 2)
• Guided AT launchers - (AV Tier 3)
• Guided AA launchers - (AV Tier 3)
• AT mines/static explosives - (AV Tier 1)
• NVGs - (Nightfighting capability)
• Silencers (?) - (Unsure, tier depends on how much this affects AI)
• Rangefinder (?) - (AV Tier 3)
• UAV - (Tier 4)
• Grenade launcher - (Tier 3)
• Personal armor (chest/head) - (Tier 4)
• 50 caliber - mounted or static - (Tier 4, AV Tier 2)
• Heavily armed technicals - AA, AT - (AV Tier 3)
• Unarmed helicopters - (High squad mobility capability)
• Light artillery (mortar) - (Tier 4)
• Heavy artillery (howitzer, 100mm+) (Too powerful? Is the current system (NATO-only) balanced?)

Tier 1 - Can only take down isolated patrols at short range Tier 2 - Can only take down patrols at long range - roadblocks become viable but difficult targets Tier 3 - Larger firefights become viable. Now have decent long range (400-800m) capability. Tier 4 - Can take down most unarmored targets with efficiency.

AV Tier 1 - Can take down armored targets, but only statically. Ambush only. AV Tier 2 - Can take down most vehicle targets, but with difficulty. Low anti-armor capability. Mostly ambushes. AV Tier 3 - Can take down most armored targets with efficiency.

Stealable/non-purchasable capabilities

(Maybe have stuff spawn at bases like tanks, w/e as a reward for capture?)

[aefreedman]

I would suggest doing tiers in groups like an RTS. Having some number of items in Tier 2 sets you to T2, but having only one keeps you in T1. This way there's a bit of ebb and flow in your relative power and makes you feel that you're progressing. If it's too granular and balanced you miss out on those moments of "aw man we just unlocked this sweet RPG-7 and the AAF is totally not ready"

[nateberkopec]

Scavenging is kind of fun, but we could move the entire arsenal system over to a tech-tree-like progression. How exactly you control how the player progresses in the tree I don't know, but it would allow you to better control capability unlocking. Right now, technically the player can unlock anything at any time because they just need to find enough AAF with it. A more abstract system would allow you to tie progression with cities/resources controlled, etc.

[nateberkopec]

Forum thread about locking AT/AA.

TBH getting launchers is probably too easy. Could adjust in the short-term by making them less common on AAF troops (they dont need them to start with anyway b/c you have no armor), or even not allowing them in the Arsenal.

[nateberkopec]

Another thing - top tier weapons in Antistasi today are basically locking AA/AT and mortars, which are extremely easy to get to (first ~4 hours). Locking AT is harder to find in RHS, but in vanilla you can basically get infrared scopes on .50 cals, Titan AA/AT and mortars in the first 2-3 hours and just wreck shop.

[aefreedman]

Removing permanent arsenal unlocks based on number of items scavenged and saved is probably the solution. This way you can have AAF with items that you would never want the player to have more than they can find of.

Arsenal unlocking could then work like a tech tree and get coupled to some independent system. e.g. a time-based mechanic from city support, having factories, acquiring special items, doing special missions, specific time-based events, or whatever other creative solution we would implement.

[aefreedman]

I would also say that the permanent Arsenal's purpose should be a ratcheting system. You only want an item to become permanently unlocked when you want to ensure that a player's capability won't drop back below that level.

Right now it works like an inventory, but it should not. It should be a kind of secondary save system. It should also be a strong signal to the player about what their focus should be. If you managed to unlock AT weapons, it should change your strategy. Right now there's no way to control the narrative arc through the game.

As a reference, I would look at StarCraft I/II competitive play and see how matches follow a certain kind of narrative. Part of that narrative is inherently "StarCraft", another part is just "RTS", and another part is spontaneous and part of a player's decision-making and playstyle.

We need to cheese.