Development Cycle Archive
Thread: AT-AT Test
Should we even have AT-AT? I mean it seems odd that a group of players, no matter how big, could take down a AT-AT. Unless you happen to be a Jedi, with a zip cord and thermal detonators(which aren't anything like the movies seemingly). I mean in ESB, the rebels were attacking the AT-AT with those plane things, and wraping their legs up. Not sending out some commandos with flame throwers. To burn metal? This is a heavily armored vehicle, not a little toy. Course, I think the AT-ST go down kinda easy (with or without elite Ewok technology)
The suggestion of having a downed AT-AT spawn pilots and Storm Troopers seemed to be a good idea though.
And finally, Dark Jedi Knight. HAM 318k-330k. While I won't bother bringing up why a PC Jedi won't be able to stand toe to toe stat wise with a NPC Jedi, why does a NPC have anywhere near that amount of HAM period. Nevermind when you make a WAR MACHINE have less HAM.
Wasn't there, but based on what people have said, let me agree with one point made earlier. These things should be basically invulnerable to small arms fire. If a weapon isn't blast-damage, armor-piercing, or both, it should do zero damage to this thing. I also think that droids and walkers shouldn't have three health bars, but people have been saying this forever. It should also absolutely have enough flame resistance that even if you can land a flame DoT on it, it would take forever for it to matter. I also want to agree with the people who said that it should be very hesitant to change targets.
I do have a suggestion that's well within the game's mechanics to deal with "things hiding underneath it" looking unrealistic, and to create the illusion of people, animals, and machines being stepped on. Give it a melee attack. A big one, like a one shot kill. With a very high rate of fire, so that if you step under this thing and you don't have tons of melee damage mitigation and melee defense, you get kicked into the middle of next week.
Please remember that anything worthwhile to kill in this game will be attacked by someone wearing a full set of 90% composite armor and a level 3 PSG, with full doctor and dancer buffs, with a full load of spice and/or food and/or drink in them, using a krayt-enhanced master-sliced weapon with a state-of-the-art powerup. How you're going to make something like that not soloable, while having anybody else able to damage it at all, I really don't know.
i think posture change, knockdown moves or dizzy/stun, etc.moves of any kind should NOT be allowed on any AT-AT or AT-ST.
can you imagine running up and punching an AT-AT in the leg? what do you think would happen, no matter how strong or how much of a Ninja you are? your hand would go thunk and the 5000 ton war machine wouldnt even budge.
If i can just make a comment here, but the issue with any larger mob spinning around really needs to be addressed since it not only looks silly but it really does kill the mood that your fighting a really big and tough mob. The animators put so much effort into making them move with such wieght but it's totally blown when they spin around 180 on a pennyin an instant. They need to have some kind of turning circle or an animation which more accurately shows them sidestepping and twisting around, however this would only work once the AI can learn to not bounce between attacking targets quite so much.
Biggest problem with any big mob in the game and why 250k Might not be enough is simply bleeds or flame dot's etc... Otherwise if none of that would take affect 150k HAM with heavy armor might well be enough.
Ya could put flamethrowers on it but boy would that hurt... or use missles with a possible flame effect.
It shouldn't turn at all really or Extremely slowly but then we can see where that would go... I guess ya might have to sacrifice this one for gameplay reasons.
Pex wrote:
If you were around for the AT-AT test, please post your comments here.
Was it tough enough?
Absolutely, at over 200k HAM this is arguably one tough cookie.
Should it attack differently?
I like the thought of an AE Blast, short range, pretty powerfull. Not enough to wipe out a group in one shot though. Maybe an AE blast that does 300 -400 dmg or there abouts.
How did it look?
B-e-a-utiful.... very nicely done.
Would it be a strong opponent for a typical group ( after all, we had about 60 ppl online fighting it).
Yes, a group of 6 won't be killing this at all unless they either get lucky, use exploits or are all commando's using a run and gun dot technique.
Should the Events Team wait for fixes before using it for live events, or does it still need a lot of work?
I would release this now, was tons of fun.... but I too agree, this turned wayyyyy too fast. Blasts effects need to be alot louder as does the entire AT-AT. Everything that the AT-AT does that makes noise should be alot loouder. Those battles against them in the movies were loud. I would go as far to say that you could maybe bump up the resists more to all > 75% or so, make the head swivel faster, but make it vulnerable to rear attacks. Very strong on the front, and sides but weak in the back.
Any other comments on how to make it better.
This shouldn't walk very fast either, if it's as fast or faster than a basic human running at normal speed, then it's going too fast. And it's no wonder the Imperials got owned last night fighting this, that's why they needed it, they suck. Rebels own!
Wasn't there for test, but a few thoughts.
- I agree with the slow rate of turning.
- Knockdown? Doesn't sound right. It took an avalanche of logs to get the chicken walker down in RotJ. And if some Master Gunner manages to blow out servos, hydraulics or whatever mechanics operate the legs of the AT-ST, it ain't getting up so fast -- if at all.
- Give its chin guna cone of targetting and let the head do the swivelling, and theflank guns do the attacking of rear targets.
- Do not allow it to attack things directly beneath its legs.
- Make its HAM higher.
- Make its chin gun shots more powerful.
- This one's nutty but as far as dreams go --- make downing one have a chance of spawning 1 or 2 AT-ST drivers of varying 'crash damage' and combat ability. This would add a bit of fun and uncertainty, don't you think?
- Take page from Combat Mission (an independent WWII video game); allow battle vehicles to have crews of varying experience. The vehicles remain the same, but more experienced crews can (a) recognize and indentify targets faster, (b) maneouvre faster, (c) fire faster, and (d) fire more accurately. You could name each AT-ST with a parenthetical crew description: Imperial AT-ST (regular crew) or Imperial AT-ST (veteran crew) or the dreaded Imperial AT-ST (elite crew). Or you could make that a facet of its examined description, and perhaps only available to characters with certain skills or factioned characters of a certain rank (to simulate war experience).
I reallize the fields of fire give it 3 blind spots (both flanks and direclty beneath it), but aside from realism, it allows for combatants to work a battle strategy at great risk to themselves. Afterall, what armour can you wear that would sustain a direct hit from dual chin-mounted heavy blaster cannons? And what if that AT-ST isn't alone?
Again, just a few thoughts.
Niix Starkyller [Intrepid Resident, Swoop Monkey and General Nuisance]
Like the AT-ST it was to easy simplybased on the amount of Faction it will consume. It would be more effective if these perks had lower costs..