Let's do this.
CA99 wrote:
I'd say the ideal solution to giving output more advantage would be agreed upon water amounts to determine a hit. It's still very subjective, but it's better to say, roughly, that a few droplets does not count while a high droplet count or solid stream does, than to add odd rules that are even more difficult to optimize and execute. The end result is that high range streams need to be shot from closer to a target, and higher output, shorter ranged streams are just as potent from the same effective/killing range.
So you're suggesting a minimum-sized hit type approach (like DX's system)? The main problem I see with that is, while it does encourage higher output, it doesn't necessarily encourage other qualities that soakfests allow for, and it makes any lower output stream obsolete. How often have you seen DX say something like "you won't score many kills with a 4x"? Because I remember him saying that kind of thing many times, and I want to avoid the favouritism toward a certain type of soaker as much as possible (for example, in the 'hit of a certain size kills/scores/etc' system, riot blasts are rather pointless, and low-output but high-range streams aren't great). Having tried it a few times, it's challenging enough to use a mid-sized XP against a CPS, there's no need to handicap the XP user further with a minimum hit size.
However, the flip side is that you could get 'hits' from leaks in the soaker or mist, so there has to be a fine line. I do like the "solid stream" part of what you said though, a direct or almost direct hit from a stream would count. But again, that's getting into definitions before agreeing on a playing system.
Just for some perspective, I want to point out how different the definition of a good soaker becomes as you change the game type. I think we can all agree that a CPS12k is one of the better soakers for a 1HK game, good range, fast stream, etc. Well, last night, my friends and I decided to have a soakfest (at 4:00am
), so we got my 2700, 12k, (Bl)Orca, and Gorgon. The 12k might have actually been the worst performer, and dare I say it, the Gorgon was possibly the best of the night. Although I'm usually a tap-pump guy, which means I tend to ignore shot time, I found myself holding the trigger down more often than I generally do, and my friends were all hosing each other down (though still somewhat trying to conserve). Whoever had the 12k had to repump too often, while the Gorgon had the best mix of output, range, shot time, and general power. While the CPSs are more powerful, it was too easy to get them while they were repumping. You don't get that kind of scenario in a 1HK game very often, the 12k user would reign supreme more often than not. The tactical diversity of a system where range+output+shot time are all key is fantastic.
So, going over the actual system again, we have as options:
-Scoring: I think the inconvenience comes down to high scores, not just scores. If it was a standard 1HS game, the scores would be manageable, but once you get into a scoreline like 57-43, it becomes easier to lose track.
-Elimination: I like the idea, best one yet I think, although a part of me wants a bit more to be done with the 1-hit part of the game, because it might lose the urgency if people decide that getting hit once isn't too big a deal.
-Special Objective: Something like CTF, protect the president, siege, etc. though those tend to get too anarchic in big games (siege is an exception, it only works in large groups).
-Other?
What I meant about elimination is that the 1-hit part might lose importance. In other games, like 1HK, you refuse to get hit because you're out of the game if you do, in 1HS a hit costs your team, but in soaked elimination all a hit does is take you out to refill. With that in mind, I might now be leaning toward a simple special objective, some kind of invasion game (each team starts in their camp, and if at any point your opponent has more players than you do in your camp, you lose). There is potentially large-scale counting involved, which might deter a new player, it's definitely not perfect yet (I'm counting on you guys to help me fix that), and it runs a very high risk of both teams being too afraid of attacking. On the other hand, this is a proven gametype for other hobbies (stole the idea from Warhammer
), it can call for a number of different qualities other than general skill with one's soaker, and it seems like it would retain the urgency and intensity I was missing.
So, there we have it, my third opinion change in 3 days. As usual, feedback is welcome.
If anyone's wondering, yes, I wrote this over a long while, hence the change in tone every now and again.