Adding variance to Expansion

[Andon]

Alright, Rav said something in this thread that got me thinking.

Expansion is a pretty straight techpath. It has one way to play it without getting a second techbase - Both other techpaths have many different ways to play without getting an expensive techbase.

What kind of stuff do you think would add variance but not be unbalancable?

Personally, I think that an EMP missile for scouts/figs (Figs only because they can mount same stuff that a scout can) would be useful, along with perhaps another gun mount weapon - A lot of the reason for Sup/Tac being so diverse is the missiles. Maybe another deployable for ints or scouts as well.

[pkk]

QUOTE (Andon @ Feb 20 2009, 11:24 AM) Personally, I think that an EMP missile for scouts/figs (Figs only because they can mount same stuff that a scout can) would be useful, along with perhaps another gun mount weapon - A lot of the reason for Sup/Tac being so diverse is the missiles. Maybe another deployable for ints or scouts as well.

Way waste money on Dis3/Galv against SY, if you can research EMP msl for Scouts/Figs for just ~15k? IMO to strong vs SY.

[Valiance]

Some sort of scoreboard which shows the win/loss ratio of each techpath would be real useful in balancing stuff imo. that was kind of off topic, but it just popped into my head, so meh =]

[CronoDroid]

I'm not sure how much more variable you can make Exp, I think it was designed to be the straight shooting, hard hitting techpath that it is, but if you want to mix things up I will steal Xeretov's idea about all HTTs being able to mount Hvy Cloak. That would certainly do a lot for Exp's endgame prospects, maybe they wouldn't have to get a second techbase so often.

Hell, let HTTs mount Lt Booster or something.

As for ints, EMP cannons are fairly useless (if not completely useless), maybe give them a small amount of damage?

Maybe Exp can be the booster techpath. While I dislike the idea of giving them a crappier booster at the start (Rav's thread), an extremely high acceleration/lower top speed booster could be cool for combat situations.

It's just that I see giving ints more options make them even better at combat, which isn't a very popular idea (aside from the Int Lobby). Ints dropping prox, for example, would be silly and bolstering their anti-SY power breaks up a nice balance we have going. Ints, as they are, perform well, but when you get to Adv Sup or Tac, their combat power is reduced considerably (Seeker3, QF3, Hunter3, etc).

An HTT change I would be in favour of. LtBooster? HvyClk? Mmmmm.

[Dark_Sponge]

QUOTE (CronoDroid @ Feb 20 2009, 10:18 AM) An HTT change I would be in favour of. LtBooster? HvyClk? Mmmmm.

Bios HTTs are TOUGH to stop and fun to use. I think it'd be cool to give all HTTs Hvy Cloak.

It'd require some changes though: higher normal sig for HTTs at least, and maybe moving Sig GAs to another techpath as well.

[Sushi]

I propose the following:

Half-Ints -- For the Expansion team on a budget.
* Half the price!
* Half the scan range!
* One gun (one and a half for heavies)!
* Can only turn left!

[Evincar]

pkk, why exactly is an emp missile stronger than dis vs caps? one adv fig with dis 2 mounted can solo a corv with the energy of a single load (if the corv is distracted with other target)

[WhiskeyGhost]

hvy cloak on htt's? what madness is this? if you want hvy cloak get Bios. Expansion already has signature GA's, and as stated by Crono, are a "straight shooting, hard hitting techpath", but now we gonna make it stealthy to boot?

I don't see any issues with their usage in SG's, and the only times i see it in PU games is when you have all of 4 out of 20 people actually doing the run. The only exception to this being when the enemy has heavy scouts/Expansion+PP (usually because ints will chase down the htt, and if they lose sight only need to pulse it out again).

Hell, let's just add hvy cloak to bombers too why we're at it, and to fig bombers as well.

Instead of doing that, why not make EMP cannon actually functional against small base shields, so TT can work without needing 10 EMP cannon loaded hvy ints? That'd be a damned pretty sight to see a group of coordinated ints and a TT run capturing an outpost (the exception of course as always, being IC since it uses major base shields instead of light ones like regular outposts).

The only side effect would be a perk towards playing IC Expansion, but that could be remedied by just making it's shielding the same as other outposts (you still wouldn't take hull damage from galv, but shield damage would be possible. A minor issue at best, since all those fighters would do is feed KB).

EMP cannon itself is in it's own damage class, and changing the IC outpost shield should be quite simple as well. Then Exp gets a nifty but risky offensive capability without just having it be a stepping stone tech, and it makes one of it's existing techs actually have some sort of usage rather then just being used for clearing caltrops and the odd usage against SY.

[Valiance]

having never used it except for once galving giga as belts, this is probably incorrect, but if emp cannon took just a little bit of hull off aswell as shield (not loads, just a bit) would this make it useful for bouncing miners? id imagine that emp shreds shields, but it currently takes no hull (afaik) so the miner would just carry on, but if it took off abit of hull, the miner would crap itself and run for its life =]

of course the same can already be achieved using minis and even emp if you give the miner a good ole' ram =]

[CronoDroid]

Well if you don't want to give HTTs HvyClk, give them LtBooster.