SC's TTK (time to kill)

[Bruttle]

So have found myself thinking about this off and on since I started in on SC. There are various mechanics in-game and in the future that make me seriously wonder how the "time to kill" will play out in the release version.

In-game right now, they have shield management. For the future they have things like battle repairs and the crucible. It makes me wonder how much it will actually take to stop a ship on release. Right now, it doesn't really take much. Honestly, there isn't much point to shield management when the difference is so minimal. Sure, it could give you a couple extra hits, but that's really not a huge difference. You're just as likely to survive if you concentrate on your flight skills and don't divert your attention to the shield balance.

Likewise, on-board repairs aren't likely to make much of a difference considering how quickly your ship explodes. This is just getting more and more apparent with some of the big guns that are being introduced. The vanguard with a shiny M7A on the nose is just un-freaking-believable. It leaves absolutely no time to do anything, let alone conduct repairs or change my shields.

So maybe it's just a balance thing, but I keep coming back to previous CIG statements that the TTK is going to change a bit on release. I think they are underselling it big time. I think there will be a drastic change in the time to kill. I think that by the time it gets to full release, we will have to spend quite a bit of time in an actual fight.

Right now, it feels like spaceship COD. I think that's going to change quite a bit before we're done (at least I hope). This is also reinforced by the FPS shooting they were demonstrating in the 3.0 demo. The time to kill in there was looking pretty good. It places much more emphasis on tactics and team play.

So what do you think?

 

[maynard]

I expect there will be optimal crew sizes on multicrew ships that make a real difference in your survivability in the PU

for solo ships what you see is what you get

 

[Beerjerker]

It will have to be a careful balance. I think it would make for great game play to be repairing the multi-crew ships to mitigate damage. But if fighters have to struggle too much to get kills, what use would fighters serve? I'd like to see fighters effective, but needing to go to the shop after a scrap, whereas multi-crew can lick their wounds to some extent and keep on trucking. Kind of the direction I see it heading.

FPS, in my opinion, will be a bit tougher to balance. If everyone can take a bunch of hits, then weapons will seem like pea shooters. If weapons kill to fast, it will get arcade-ish and the "death of a spaceman" idea will be pointless. I look forward to seeing how the injury system works and how armors have upsides and downsides. One thing that would be really disappointing (to me anyway) is if your arsenal of sniper rifles, shotguns and bazookas just disappear to where the sun don't shine when you magically squeeze into a cockpit to be a fighter pilot again.

I don't think you should be able to carry much more than a small sidearm in a cockpit, or survive more than one hit when wearing just a flight suit. But that may be too punishing for most players to enjoy.

 

[Bruttle]

I don't think you should be able to carry much more than a small sidearm in a cockpit, or survive more than one hit when wearing just a flight suit. But that may be too punishing for most players to enjoy.

They keep talking about weapons lockers in the ships. That may be the direction they are looking at. They also keep coming back to real world analogies. It seems that CR favors logical mechanics. They seem to be staying away from the easy, metagaming way out. Like you were saying, it will need to be a careful balance. This game has a scary quantity of things that will need exactly that.

 

[Beerjerker]

it will need to be a careful balance. This game has a scary quantity of things that will need exactly that.

That's why I'm backing. :) They seem to care about taking the time to put effort into every aspect they can. With so many games going the route of "hold this button to complete this objective," this game seems to care about all the little details.

 

[Bruttle]

That's why I'm backing. :) They seem to care about taking the time to put effort into every aspect they can. With so many games going the route of "hold this button to complete this objective," this game seems to care about all the little details.

LOL! I am right there with you. If I have to do one more quest to "travel to x place, kill y creatures, return to x..." I swear. I mean, I get why it's there. It's easy to do by the 100s. But come on, can there be no ingenuity? Those are the same friggin quests I did in Everquest back in 1999...

 

[Teru]

Honestly, I would like to have extended Dog fights.

FPS:
If you are shot with a gun you should die, I think this has been discussed but if you are hit in the arm you can't use that arm. If you are hit in the leg you limp. If you are shot in the torso with a ballistic or laser type weapon you die.. I think a non-leathal way of detaining criminals would be nice too.

Ship / Vehicle
I hope SC take it in a tactical approach. Shields should be able to hold up to impacts for an extended duration resulting in draining power and thruster resources. I think you should be able to "feel" like you are being destroyed and have a chance to fix problems that develop. A small ship should blow the fk up when hit by a high powered rail gun. Not suggesting it shouldn't. But medium to large ships have the capacity to withstand punishment. A small ship has the capacity to avoid direct hits with speed and evasion. I agree that you need the opportunity to get out of a seat and fix equipment and still have a chance at "winning" or escaping.

Let's see how it develops I guess.

 

[fiarce]

If you are shot in the torso with a ballistic or laser type weapon you die..

I don't think a torso shot should be instant death depending on the situation. It should take a player out of the fight, but S&R should have a chance to come in and scoop them up for some "Operation" mini game to determine the patient's outcome. Meanwhile, head shot, you die*!

*Unless wearing ballistic heavy armor, but with ability to KO would be amazing.