Change the Insurgent faction to Kit Request
Posted: 2011-12-21 15:39
Status Quo
Currently, the Insurgent faction, as is well known, is the only "pickup kit" faction in Project Reality. This faction has access to seven kits at spawn: Cell Leader, Collaborator, Sapper, Insurgent (AKSU-74), Insurgent (Shotgun), Warrior (AK-74), and Warrior (AK-47). There are some additional kits available for pickup for this faction, depending upon the map, game mode, and layer. These kits are Sniper (Optics and Iron Sights), Marksman, PKM, RPK, RPG, and the Artillery IED kit. The pickup kits are available at weapons caches on Insurgency maps, and in main bases on some other map layers.
This setup presents some inherent problems as outlined below. This suggestion attempts to address these problems.
Problems
Skirmish
As it stands now, the Insurgent faction is completely handicapped in the Skirmish game mode, due to the lack of a kit request system, and due to the lack of a Combat Medic. The Collaborator, while useful in Insurgency, is only a liability in other game modes. Many (if not all) of the Skirmish layer maps featuring the Insurgent faction do not have pickup kits available in the Insurgent main base area, meaning that the Insurgent faction is required to fight using the seven spawn kits only. Additionally, if a player on the Insurgent team wants to change kits that player is required to either suicide or find a kit on the ground. There are no other options.
Teamwork
The Insurgent faction is inconsistent with all other factions in Project Reality in that the faction's design promotes a lack of teamwork. In every other faction, a lone player is restricted to the Rifleman kit. On the Insurgent faction, a lone player can be a Sniper, RPG gunner, Arty IED sapper, or use any of the other kits available to the faction. This not only requires no teamwork, but promotes lone wolf game play. I believe that this goes against the core philosophy of Project Reality, and accordingly, should be changed.
Collaborators
The Collaborator kit is being addressed elsewhere, however there are a couple of key points that are relevant to this topic. Collaborators are the only option for medical support in combat. While this can be made use of, to an extent, on Insurgency maps, due to the Intelligence point penalty for their death, on Skirmish and AAS layer maps featuring this faction, this is a major hindrance. Additionally, the Collaborator is the Insurgent faction's only source of a grappling hook, a tool reserved for the Specialist or Scout role in every other faction.
Proposed Solution
I propose that the Insurgent faction be changed to a kit request faction to bring it in line with all other factions within Project Reality. The current kits should be used, with very few modifications, as outlined below.
Proposed Classes and Kits
Officer - Cell Leader Spawn Kit
Antitank - Standard iron sights RPG kit with tandem warhead (New Kit)
Antiaircraft Primary - AA Pickup kit
Combat Engineer - Arty IED Pickup Kit
Sniper Primary - Optics Sniper Pickup Kit
Sniper Alt - Iron Sights Sniper Pickup Kit
Rifleman Primary - Warrior AK-74 Spawn Kit
Rifleman Alt - Warrior AK-47 Spawn Kit
Automatic Rifleman Primary - PKM Pickup kit
Automatic Rifleman Alt - RPK Pickup Kit
Rifleman AT - RPG Pickup kit
Rifleman AP - Sapper Spawn kit
Medic Primary - Combat Medic (New Kit, Equipped like Taliban Combat Medic Primary)
Medic Alternate - Collaborator Spawn Kit
Rifleman Specialist - Insurgent Shotgun Spawn Kit (Suggest adding Grappling Hook)
Grenadier - Insurgent AKS-74u Spawn Kit
Marksman - Marksman Pickup Kit
Crewman - Not Needed
Pilot - Not Needed
Benefits
Increased Teamwork
By changing to a kit request faction, players will actually have an incentive to, at a minimum, be a part of a squad. Being without a squad would limit a player to the Rifleman/Warrior kit, rather than the current system which allows lone wolves to have the most powerful kits available.
Improved Game Play
On maps other than Insurgency especially, such as Skirmish and AAS layer maps, the Insurgent team will actually have access to their more powerful kits, thus making for more interesting battles for both sides. As it stands currently, these maps are badly imbalanced due to the kit issue. On Insurgency layer maps, rather than constantly losing team assets, such as Sniper and Arty IED kits to lone wolf players, those kits will go to players in squads at a minimum, and hopefully to more teamwork oriented players.
As always, I am open to feedback, constructive criticism, etc.
Currently, the Insurgent faction, as is well known, is the only "pickup kit" faction in Project Reality. This faction has access to seven kits at spawn: Cell Leader, Collaborator, Sapper, Insurgent (AKSU-74), Insurgent (Shotgun), Warrior (AK-74), and Warrior (AK-47). There are some additional kits available for pickup for this faction, depending upon the map, game mode, and layer. These kits are Sniper (Optics and Iron Sights), Marksman, PKM, RPK, RPG, and the Artillery IED kit. The pickup kits are available at weapons caches on Insurgency maps, and in main bases on some other map layers.
This setup presents some inherent problems as outlined below. This suggestion attempts to address these problems.
Problems
Skirmish
As it stands now, the Insurgent faction is completely handicapped in the Skirmish game mode, due to the lack of a kit request system, and due to the lack of a Combat Medic. The Collaborator, while useful in Insurgency, is only a liability in other game modes. Many (if not all) of the Skirmish layer maps featuring the Insurgent faction do not have pickup kits available in the Insurgent main base area, meaning that the Insurgent faction is required to fight using the seven spawn kits only. Additionally, if a player on the Insurgent team wants to change kits that player is required to either suicide or find a kit on the ground. There are no other options.
Teamwork
The Insurgent faction is inconsistent with all other factions in Project Reality in that the faction's design promotes a lack of teamwork. In every other faction, a lone player is restricted to the Rifleman kit. On the Insurgent faction, a lone player can be a Sniper, RPG gunner, Arty IED sapper, or use any of the other kits available to the faction. This not only requires no teamwork, but promotes lone wolf game play. I believe that this goes against the core philosophy of Project Reality, and accordingly, should be changed.
Collaborators
The Collaborator kit is being addressed elsewhere, however there are a couple of key points that are relevant to this topic. Collaborators are the only option for medical support in combat. While this can be made use of, to an extent, on Insurgency maps, due to the Intelligence point penalty for their death, on Skirmish and AAS layer maps featuring this faction, this is a major hindrance. Additionally, the Collaborator is the Insurgent faction's only source of a grappling hook, a tool reserved for the Specialist or Scout role in every other faction.
Proposed Solution
I propose that the Insurgent faction be changed to a kit request faction to bring it in line with all other factions within Project Reality. The current kits should be used, with very few modifications, as outlined below.
Proposed Classes and Kits
Officer - Cell Leader Spawn Kit
Antitank - Standard iron sights RPG kit with tandem warhead (New Kit)
Antiaircraft Primary - AA Pickup kit
Combat Engineer - Arty IED Pickup Kit
Sniper Primary - Optics Sniper Pickup Kit
Sniper Alt - Iron Sights Sniper Pickup Kit
Rifleman Primary - Warrior AK-74 Spawn Kit
Rifleman Alt - Warrior AK-47 Spawn Kit
Automatic Rifleman Primary - PKM Pickup kit
Automatic Rifleman Alt - RPK Pickup Kit
Rifleman AT - RPG Pickup kit
Rifleman AP - Sapper Spawn kit
Medic Primary - Combat Medic (New Kit, Equipped like Taliban Combat Medic Primary)
Medic Alternate - Collaborator Spawn Kit
Rifleman Specialist - Insurgent Shotgun Spawn Kit (Suggest adding Grappling Hook)
Grenadier - Insurgent AKS-74u Spawn Kit
Marksman - Marksman Pickup Kit
Crewman - Not Needed
Pilot - Not Needed
Benefits
Increased Teamwork
By changing to a kit request faction, players will actually have an incentive to, at a minimum, be a part of a squad. Being without a squad would limit a player to the Rifleman/Warrior kit, rather than the current system which allows lone wolves to have the most powerful kits available.
Improved Game Play
On maps other than Insurgency especially, such as Skirmish and AAS layer maps, the Insurgent team will actually have access to their more powerful kits, thus making for more interesting battles for both sides. As it stands currently, these maps are badly imbalanced due to the kit issue. On Insurgency layer maps, rather than constantly losing team assets, such as Sniper and Arty IED kits to lone wolf players, those kits will go to players in squads at a minimum, and hopefully to more teamwork oriented players.
As always, I am open to feedback, constructive criticism, etc.
