For Honor 2.0
Let me first give a small background on myself. I have been playing For Honor since Closed alpha. I love the game, with all it shortcomings that it has it offers a unique and fresh gameplay I have not played often. I love this game and tend to play it for a long, long time. This post is not intended to be negative, but rather to help improve this game which is one of my favorite games in years. Now I am not here to discuss the most obvious problems the game has, mainly Revenge mode, Connection, Guard Break, Matchmaking and Balance issues.
As I said I love the game and thus I do not feel a complete overhaul is needed. So why this post/thread. Well i have noticed that whilst in Alpha and Beta we only had access to a few maps I had fun throughout. Yet now in the Live Game things are getting pretty stale and (dare I say) boring.
After some careful examination I have come to the conclusion this has to do mainly with how the game is played by many people, rather than the game itself. I see people asking for more modes, maps etc. But I don’t think that is the main problem. Cause a map like Citadel has been there since the start and I still feel it’s one of the most fun ones. Rather it is about how all rounds, matches, maps and game modes tend to feel the same, especially the 4VS4 modes.
In Test periods the fighting was being tested, people tried different modes and basicly fights were fresh, open and different everytime you faced a new opponent, even with the new class. Now fights are mostly people spamming LA or using the same Combo for that class, which means as much that at times evey Orochi or PK or Warden basicly fights the same way, every Warlord uses the same cheap tactics etc. etc.
But also the game modes themselves have basicly boiled down to 4VS4 Bashing and mashing competitions rather than actual fights between high skilled warriors. Wether it is Dominion, Skirmish or Elimination every mode basicly boils downto parties ganking up on loners or just idiotic spamming of attacks and unblockables hitting everyone, even teammates, in the hope to get the kills. And then there are the powerups, which can make someone an instant GOD on the battlefield if he has defense and attack buff. And basicly all strategy goes out the window, making all modes feel basicly the same, which is a shame.
Which is why I wanted to discus show we can change these modes into something better, more complex. I am going to try to give my own ideas but obviously my ideas are just that. I am in no way a gamedesigner.
Dominion – Now
So Dominion is now a 4 VS 4 game that has a central battlefield with mobs and a capture point and 2 seperate points. Taking a point requires one player to be at the base without opposition, as you all know. The capturing team gets +100 whilst the losing gets -100. When a player stays at the point the timer goes from +1 per tick to +2. But the capture is so fast that staying for the +2 isn’t needed to win. So basicly teams just run around capturing points, leaving to kill the other team, lose the point, run back recapture and go on again. Which makes dominion not so much about Dominating as it is about Running.
Dominion 2.0
This should be the core mode for team based gameplay. And imho it needs to be the most strategic.
There is still a battlefield with mobs (point B). When one team captures the field a a Captain (like in current Skirmish) spawns there. Making it harder to take back.
Meanwhile on point A and C the capturing of the point takes 2x as long so that it takes people actually out of the fight to capture a point. With 2 or more players the time is quicker, kinda like how it is now with just one player. Staying on the point does not give you +2.
Instead after staying on the point for a period, let’s say 30 seconds a group of mobs, like in Point B spawn. As long as these mobs are there the point can not be taken. If the player stays for another 30 seconds (time frame should be evaluated obviously) a Captain will spawn, as long as this captain is there the point gives +3 per tick. This way owning a point is more of a big deal. And since it isn’t so easy to take over quickly anymore due to mobs and now requires multiple players to attack a point the game becomes more open.
As such more teamplay is needed, but also defending a point becomes more viable and needed. It also requires people to have more map awareness and to split up more, as losing a point now becomes a big deal. So this makes sure the Ganking Squad routine becomes less viable. As running around with 3 or 4 makes the point open for capture and defense.
Next to that I would give bonuses to teams that hold points, So next to giving points for ticks owning points also give acces to something strategic; Let’s say that having point A for 2 minutes gives a bonus; like a bombardement of the Battlefield killing all enemy mobs instantly. And holding point C for 2 minutes spawns double mobs at point B or something like that. Imho these are changes that are quite easy to put in the game but make a huge difference in the strategy of the game mode.
Elimination – Now
Right now Elimination is a mixed bag. Sometimes it’s 4 duels between 8 Heroes sometimes it’s 2 groups teaming up mashing the hell out of their opponents. Sometimes its 4 players teaming up ganking the hell out of each player on the opposite side one by one.
The main problem with the mode is it’s now quite clear what it wants to be. On one hand it looks like Brawl mode but with more players. On the other hand it looks like Skirmish except players don’t start as a team.
Elimination 2.0
Considering the fact that the game starts of with each player opposite of one opponent, my idea is that the gamemode was intended to be about 4 duels in one battle with a sort of last man standing mode. Thus here would be my idea;
The players start in seperate parts of the map in closed off sections. Once a player gets a kill his part of the map opens up and he can go to the his teammate duelling someone else. He can choose to watch or go for Less Honor and 2 VS 1. Less points are rewarded for the kill then. This happens to all fights so in the end all players of one team are eliminated. Also make Friendly hits count as full hits. Killing your own teammate gives the player a big downgrade for the next round, like not having fighting indicators or something. This mode should punish teams that don’t play together but are more interested in getting their own kills.
Also all pickups are removed from this game mode. Now I know people will say just go play Duel or Brawl then if you want 1 VS 1 fights. My answer would be go play Skirmish for 4 VS 4 chaos. Cause currently (except for the dead = dead part) both modes basicly play and feel the same way, Skirmish just takes it all into one round and Elimination has 5.
IMHO this game should be like a Brawl mode except for 4 VS 4. Thus Pickups, Feats etc. should not be in this mode. It should be about a Last Man Standing thing, rather than Last Man Ganking.
Duel Mode and Brawl mode
1 VS 1 mode, quite easy and already very good. (Not talking bout Hero balance btw, as a Lawbringer main I know that's not yet up to snuff) But it has some shortcomings, mainly maps (Enviromental kills) and Revenge mode. Same goes for 2VS2 mode
Duel Mode 2.0
Simple, less maps on bridges / narrow runways so the duel is about skill rather than who can GB / CGB the best.
And drop Revenge mode, it has absolutely no use in Duel. If you get your *** kicked by the other player; he/she is better. Period. There should not be any system in play that punishes a player for being better. Seriously…. Drop Revenge mode in duels.
Brawl Mode 2.0
I actually think Brawl mode is fine as it is. 2VS2, simple but effective. Revenge should only come into play once one of the players is killed. But besides that I think the mode is fine.
Skirmish - Now
This mode should be cool. On paper this mode should be giving us a real feel for battle and fighting and such. 4 VS 4 Free for all with mobs and captains and everything. Yet it feels empty and chaotic and pretty much the same as Dominion except with even less strategy or Elimination without the consequence of a kill.
Skirmish 2.0
Embrace the chaos. Rather than adding more strategy just embrace the mode for what it is. A free for all, Arcade mode for fun mostly rather than skill.
Drop the mobs and captains; they only get in the way, are annoying and add absolutely nothing tot his game mode as all players now run passed them to some open field in which people duke it out.
Here I can see the power ups having a benefit. The gamemode is more choatic, less about skill but rather just fun. Have the **** one be on the centre of biggest open space of the map (The Japanese bridge map (I am horrible with map names) does this already) so that it is part of the fighting chaos.
And last but not least; Make it 6 vs 6. In order to truelly embrace this chaotic mode add more players. This will also imho limit the ganking more. Now I here you think more players will only mean more gankin… but as already seen now in game 4 people ganking on one hit’s their own team just as much as the opponent. With even more players it becomes useless and so it would result more in 2 teams of 3 players rather than a 6 player mob running around I think
And as a bonus:
Capture the flag 1.0
You have probably guessed I am more of an objective based teamplayer than just about the kills. But I think the best part of For Honor is that with Duels, Brawls and Elimination 2.0 the Skillfull fight and kills thing is covered.
The premise of the game is simple, each team has to capture a flag on the other side of the map and get it back tot heir base. But because this is For Honor we can have some fun with it.
Some idea’s:
- Killing a player simply spawns them back at their base. Excecuting a player takes them out of the game for 12 secs before spawning.
- In the middle of the map (point B mostly) is a point that can be captured. If captured players can choose to spawn at this location after being killed.
- Capturing the flag gives a point. The team that captures the flag 3 times winst he round. Match is best out of 3.
- Capturing point A and C also gives benefits, like mobs spawning at the flag, the flag can only be taken when mobs are killed or a speed boost to the team.
So these are just some of my ideas fort he current game modes to increase the difference between them and make them more strategic. Which will result in the game modes staying more fun and fresh. What do you guys think, what do you want to see in game modes?
Let's all be constructive and help this awesome game remain valid for the months to come!
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