[904][Gen] CTF gamemode - feedback

This thread is for general feedback regarding the Capture the Flag gamemode or CTF for short. Feel free to discuss the topics in the OP or other topics relating to CTF that have not already been covered.

Catapult cost effectiveness

The problem

The Catapult is arguably the most destructive weapon in the game. It can be quickly packed, unpacked, fired and moved, all the while tearing down even the best fortified walls with ease. At 50 gold the Catapult is so wildly cost effective that it can be spammed and continually brought to the front lines without care or thought about placement.​

Possible solutions

1 - Increase the base cost of the catapult to at least 120 coins to counteract spam and increase thought required for placement. This would also put it closer in line to the cost vs destructive power of other weapons.

2 - Catapults come loaded with heavy grapeshot, packing and unpacking does not rearm the weapons ammunition. Instead your builders can load it with gathered stone OR you can purchase additional heavy grapeshot from the siege shop.
*solution 2 includes solution 1​

Siege shop and lack of ammunition

The problem

The siege shop is willing to sell you the vehicles but not the ammunition. As it stands it's impossible to rearm a Ballista without purchasing a fresh siege weapon or destroying one already deployed and stealing the unused ammunition. Not to mention it is currently impossible for the player to acquire explosive bolts that are so widely used in the WAR gamemode.
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Suggested changes

Add siege weapon ammunition to the siege shop.

- Heavy grapeshot for the Catapult @ 20 coins per shot
- Bolts for the Ballista @ 10 coins ea.
- Explosive bolts for the Ballista @ 60 coins ea.​

Resource decay and the lack of storage

The problem

The lack of tent based storage or even a craft able crate based storage leads to unnecessary resource decay and the removal of gained strategic advantage for securing territory and the resources in it. This resource decay along with the limited availability of the resources on the map leave both teams struggling to defend or mount an offensive as the game wears on.
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Possible solutions

1 - Add a storage compartment to the tent to allow gathered resources to be stockpiled for later use.

2 - Add purchasable crates to the Builder shop @ 30 wood ea.
* solution 2 includes solution 1

3 - Add an upgrade able storage cache from the build able workshop. This storage cache would allow players to store items like bombs, kegs, resources and etc semi securely. The cache can be destroyed and the stored items will fall to the ground where you can retrieve them or enemy players can steal them.
*solution 3 includes solution 2
​

Stolen team crates and its ridiculous requirement

The problem

When you manage to steal a siege weapon crate, boat crate, or other deploy able from a crate that is team based. The game forces you after "stealing" AND unpacking the crate to capture the contents that you had previously stolen. This allows for unintuitive interaction with stolen crates and the deploy able's from them such as stolen catapults and ballistas killing you after being deployed, team mates destroying stolen crates and even the requirement of capturing the siege weapon or boat you just deployed from a stolen crate.
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Suggested changes

Team based crates change teams depending on the carrier.
*example: An unguarded Blue Catapult crate is sitting in an open field, you playing as a Red Knight manage to steal that crate. When you steal it (pick it up) it becomes a Red Catapult crate which can then be deployed as a Red Catapult.
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Poor user experience with purchasing items from shops

The problem

When you open the buy menu from any shop after purchasing a single item it closes and forces you to open it again to purchase another item. This can be especially annoying playing as a knight or archer and purchasing multiple items after every respawn. As a knight specifically it is even more irritating purchasing items, when you make a selection your character peforms a jab damaging or destroying a nearby ladder, wood block, keg, etc.​

Suggested changes

After opening the buy menu, your selections no longer close the shop. Instead you can manually close the window by either clicking the X button at the top right of the menu or clicking outside of its bounds. The menu can also be automatically closed be leaving the immediate area or taking damage.

The knight no longer performs jabs while the buy menu is open.
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Coins carrying over from map to map

The Problem

Every consecutive map does not feel fresh, especially when players are rolling out of their base at the 1 second mark loaded to the brim with kegs, catapults and god knows what else. This initial rush cascades over the quickly constructed defenses and usually makes for a one sided game that lasts for at most five minutes.
​

Suggested Changes

After every round coins are reduced to zero. This change would give a much needed incentive to the entire team to contribute in the construction of your base at the start of a round considering built blocks grant coins. It would also allow for a more gradual progression of weapon buildup. In rare cases a team might start with a single Catapult, Ballista or Keg but you would not see a torrent of Knights strapped to the brim with explosives running at your pitiful castle.​

General item balance and cost

In this section I will talk about items that I feel are priced incorrectly and their functionality.

Bomb Arrows

It is hard to get a good feel for these especially when they are so riddled with bugs that make them behave strangely or just downright disappear, vanishing without a trace. With that said they do fill a unique role of precision block removal from range, allowing players to quickly invade unfortified structures or toppling carelessly built ones.

Suggested changes

1 - Price change from 50 coins to 40 coins
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More to come, stay tuned​

 

Interesting idea however it seems over complicated, requiring players to build the storage cache then fill it with crates then fill those crates with items. And then when you want to access it having to dig through multiple crates to find the items you need sounds tedious.

I think if the "storage cache" had a single large storage that would distribute its contents automatically (similar to how the hall storage works in the WAR gamemode) to spawning players or could be pulled from manually would be perfect. You could even add sprite layers to the storage cache to visually show what's generally available inside of it (an empty storage cache would show empty shelves/crates, where one that's stocked full will have items displayed prominently on shelves and crates brimming with resources.

Additional feedback added to the OP
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Coins carrying over from map to map

The Problem

Every consecutive map does not feel fresh, especially when players are rolling out of their base at the 1 second mark loaded to the brim with kegs, catapults and god knows what else. This initial rush cascades over the quickly constructed defenses and usually makes for a one sided game that lasts for at most five minutes.
​

Suggested Changes

After every round coins are reduced to zero. This change would give a much needed incentive to the entire team to contribute in the construction of your base at the start of a round considering built blocks grant coins. It would also allow for a more gradual progression of weapon buildup. In rare cases a team might start with a single Catapult, Ballista or Keg but you would not see a torrent of Knights strapped to the brim with explosives running at your pitiful castle.​

 

I agree to a certain extent that fire arrows are under priced, I also think they are under used. The following changes I believe will make fire arrows mildly more attractive with some added utility. I have also taken the liberty of slightly modifying Water arrows to be mildly more attractive and slightly less expensive.

2x Fire Arrows: 15 coins ea.

Suggested changes

1 - Price changed up to 30 coins.
2 - Larger light radius (slightly smaller than a lantern).
3 - Direct hits ignite kegs, kegs ignited this way have a shorter fuse than if they were lit normally.
​

Water Arrows: 25 coins ea.

Suggested changes

1 - Price changed down to 20 coins.
2 - Stack size increased to 2.
3 - Stun only on direct hits.
4 - Stunned players take double falling damage.​