Ever since I started playing PvP in SM 2 (which is btw the majority of my 144h game-time as of yet) I noticed the desire of players wanting to play a certain class and not being able to, because of the restrictions.
I have seen this frustrating people, in some cases even so much that those people started trolling in lobbies.
However, I also noticed people getting frustrated by facing off 2 Bulwarks + 2 Heavy's in Capture Modes.. So I was therefore wondering if this is to be expected (like in other games with restrictions and class abilities such as Overwatch) or is it something that could and should be "fixed". I was thinking quite a lot about it and how such an issue could be "fixed", which let me to go over other games and see how they "fixed" this.
I noticed that most games fall in one of two categories:
Category 1:
they have no "special abilities" that would/could be game breaking and therefore doesn't require a restriction on players per class, but the amount of different classes tends to be lower.
Category 2:
They have "special abilities" and the restriction on classes to ONE player per class (such as Overwatch), but those games tend to have a lot more classes to choose from.
With those 2 categories in mind I kept looking at SM 2 and started to realize giving the game "mooooore" classes like in Overwatch is not possible - unless the customization for each class is being reduced (if not completely removed). Considering all the above I came to the conclusion that there are several options to engage these 2 issues.
Option 1:
Remove the Abilities (except for assault - for obvious reasons) and therefore remove the restriction on players per class. Problem here is that most of the abilities define the class and upcoming classes such as an apothecary would also be defined by it.. resulting in future problems.
However, this could or would allow the average player to definitely play their desired class, allow for bigger lobbies and give the PvP a more casual feeling such as in games like Call of Duty, Battlefield, Day of Defeat etc.
Option 2:
Separate the Class-Ability for PvE and PvP. The ability would be something to level up and progress in PvE and PvP gets an overall weaker version compared to now. This would make it possible to have several people play the same class without it overwhelming the lobby/game breaking. The problem that comes with this is how different the abilities are (for each classes) and at what point is the ability too good if you have multiple players using it and the other way around.
This would generally go in the same direction as option 1, allowing for bigger and more casual lobbies while still keeping the option of implementing unique classes with abilities. It could also be used in an competitive environment such as 5v5 lobbies.
Option 3:
Reduce the usage of abilities (with exceptions) to once per "lifetime". Meaning a tactical can only use his Auspex Scan once until he dies and respawns.
This goes into the direction of option 2 to remove the class restriction, while keeping the abilities. It can be used in either a casual or competitive environment and puts more emphases on proper ability usage instead of spamming it - tactical depth.
Option 4:
Is to go with the current system and make it even more strict to go further into a competitive direction. For this the lobby needs to be reduced to 5v5 and the restriction to 1 player per class. With the (possible) upcoming classes of Apothecary, Chaplain and Librarian the game would/could have a total of 9 classes to choose from.
This would add tactical depths to the game as you have to make a choice (considering what class would fit best into your team while working good vs what your opponent chose) and back to back banner or iron halo usage on capture points wouldn't be an issue anymore.
In order to bypass the frustration of not being able to play your class in this option it would be great to be able to choose your class pre-match. Downside is matchmaking would take longer.
I would personally love to see option 3 for "public" games that give the big casual lobby vibes from games like Call of Duty, Battlefield, Day of Defeat etc. which would fit really good into the 40k setting, but I also want a competitive ranked system in which option 4 could work really well.
Now I am wondering what do you guys think about the ability and restrictions of players per class? Can you see yourself enjoy one of the options I mentioned above or do you have an entirely different view?
Let's gather thoughts and ideas for the Devs to make the best possible decision for the PvP of SM 2!
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