New PVP Mode Idea: "Bastion"

The Idea of Bastion
So another idea that came to mind when thinking of "Conquest" in this game, but a game mode I'm calling "Bastion" The idea is that the 3 Grand Companies are doing a training exercise and each gets a fortress. Now these fortresses start off small with wood constructed walls etc. But the idea is that you want to defend your Fortress while also destroying the other Grand Company Fortresses. Also to give this more of a grand scale, you will have NPC's added to your brigade to aid you (which are notably weaker then Players of course).

The Role of the Disciple of Hand
This is how the mode differs from all PVP before it. The idea as a Hand is that you are to maintain the structure, when a barricade, wall, etc. goes down. It is your job to grab the tools and items required to repair it and "Get to work." You need to maintain the base so that the team can run and win. But not just that but you also upgrade structures, like changing walls from Wood to Stone, to Metal, etc. Also adding cannons and different types of NPC offensive structures, as well as creating upgrades to armor and weapons for NPCs (no not crafting each NPCs outfit, but in a general sense, you craft metal armor and now all NPCs will have metal armor).


The Role of the Disciple of Land
Your job is to gather like it's going out of style and provide resources for the Hands to be able to repair and upgrade items for your fortress. You will be located behind your base so it is not easy to get to, but you are still open to being attacked which is why the role of NPC and War/Magic defending you is vital for success. The items you harvest, are turned into an NPC vendor and it is immediately sent to the fortress as resources.

The Role of the Disciple of War/Magic
Your job is to protect your Fortress/Hands, protect your Land Harvesters to keep resources generated, but to also siege enemy bases or interfere with enemy base resource generation by eliminating land harvesters. It's all about tactics and what you want to bring to the team.


Why do this?
Currently there isn't a real objective based mode in this game that brings all types of players into it and make them all feel viable and useful. This game mode makes everyone work hard and together to win, but also making hand/land players have something they can do with their war/magic friends and actually contribute in a big way. Also feeling like you're taking on something grand in scale just makes it feel far more exciting and interesting.

Also unlike some of the other PVP game modes there are many ways you can choose to play, either you can go: impenetrable defense and bleed out the enemy's resources to win, you can go conquerer and dominate all enemy bases for a speedy win, you can go heavy on land/hand classes and build up your defenses and NPCs to out buy the enemy teams, or you can employ assassination tactics by sending in people to kill hand/land players (Ninja Stealth has never been a scarier ability haha). It just opens up for a wealth of tactics and play, Ebb and Flow that would be so great to see.

I like it, +1 ;)

while ive been against other modes being added until queues are fixed this sounds decent and fun

Now this is a cool PvP concept!

One small idea though; instead of supply nodes spawning behind the base, they randomly spawn in an area between the 3 GCs; making protecting your DoL members and fighting off other teams more of a main objective, a la age of empires 2. Then when resources become scarce, the objective shifts to attacking and defending whatever level of bastion you were able to build.

I love the idea of having a sort of fortress PvP mode, this sounds awesome.

I would be thrilled to see something like this in the game. I worry it would be very difficult to balance though. I very much enjoy PvP in FFXIV and want it to be expanded, but I don't wonder if this sort of concept is better off as as PvE. Still, if it can be balanced well enough I would be more than happy to see it in PvP.

I'm not seeing how this could work with DoL. Where does the skill come in? It sounds nice on paper, but it sounds like it would be something really boring in practice, just walk from A to B back to A, etc. Maybe just DoH if they make it so they can make and use catapults and stone throwers like in the fort condor mini game in VII. Fortress is also a nice idea, but it sounds like once someone sprints to your base you lose since you aren't a combat class (and combat classes will be at other bases attacking). It since crafting isn't really something you do with speed, I think the whole crafter interface wouldn't work in a realtime pvp type of mode. Maybe just separate the alliance into combatants and non-combatants, where non combats just make and control stationary combat items, like watch towers, ranged weapons, and traps.

Playing off of your idea (it was pretty good in it self) assuming we are using 72 man (3 alliances) fights:

• Assign 18 combatants and 6 non-combatants.
• The combatants will serve as attackers, and non-combatants will serve as defenders.

The ideal setup is to have a vanguard unit (maybe 6 players), a main unit (12 players), and a rearguard unit for when the units need to retreat to defend.

• The arena should not be a flat triangle (ala frontlines) but a multi-level maps with 9-12 end points, where 3 are chosen randomly for the starting point of the alliances.
• Combat units should send scouts to find the location of enemy bases (and there shouldn't be any indications on the mini-map where the other bases are). Map markers (IMO) should be disabled in this mode.
• Once sufficient information on enemy base locations and enemy unit locations are known, the your main units should focus on launching an attack on an enemy base.
• Your non-combatant's job is to set-up defense for the base and to request back up if they are overwhelmed.
• The objective should be to retrieve a special item from the enemy base and bring it back to yours, while your item is still there (i.e. exactly like capture the flag).
• Flags should be visible items that are carried by players and are dropped when a carrier dies. An indicator with who has your flag should be in the map.
• First alliance to capture a flag and bring it back to their own base while their flag is not stolen wins the match, with the other two teams losing.

Obviously, this means an all offensive strategy will fail since your flag will easily be stolen. Balanced teams will tend to win. This also discourages long drawn out fights in the center of the arena, because the third team will be free to pillage the other 2 flags.

As for the non-combatants, rather than making items, non combats should have a personal cost limit (think Lord of Verminion with its cost system, with 60 points usable before the match and 240 for the total). Items can be destroyed by attacking them. Examples of items below (for simplicity, let's use 100 as the cost limit):

• Watch Tower: An elevated tower; cost 10, 20,000 HP
• Sniper Rifle: A long range weapon (equipable to main hand), capable of firing 100 potency shots from 100 yalms away. Must be player controlled, usable from the ground outside base or Watch Tower inside base; cost 5, destroyed upon switching main hand
• Sonar: Sends out a signal every 10 seconds, indicating player in a 50 yalm range, at an angle of 90 degrees. Only deployable in Watch Towers; cost 5, 500 HP
• Scope: A telescope (equipable to main hand), capable of zooming camera in first person up to 200 yalms away. Must be player controlled; cost 2, destroyed upon switching main hand
• Land Mine: A land based proximity bomb. Deals 1000 potency in a 5 yalm radius. Detectable by certain PvP skills; cost 2, HP 1, destroyed upon detonation
• C4: A remote detonation bomb. Deals 1000 potency in a 5 yalm radius. Multiple detonators equipable to secondary hand (you get an icon on your hotbar for detonating each one). Must be player controlled. Detectable by certain PvP skills; cost 5, HP 1, destroyed upon detonation
• Sentry Gun: A remote sentry gun, firing 50 potency shots at a range of 25 yalms. Can be set to autonomous mode, firing at a rate of 1 shot per second in line of sight, rotating periodically 90 degrees. Manual mode equips monitor to main hand. Set to autonomous mode upon switching main hand; cost 5, HP 5000
• Ballista: Catapult capable of sending mortar strikes at targeted location. Range from 5-30 yalms, 500 potency AoE damage, radius 5 yalms. Must be deployed outside base. Must be player controlled. Controller equipable in main hand; cost 10, HP 5000, ceases control upon switching main hand
• Grenade: A thrown bomb capable of friendly fire. Must be player controlled. 500 potency AoE damage at a targeted location in range of 0-15 yalms in a radius of 5 yalms. Detonates in 3 seconds of pulling pin. Equipable to secondary hand; cost 2, destroyed upon use
• Gate: A wall, passable by allies; HP 5000, cost 5
• Fortified wall: An impassable wall; HP 40,000, cost 10
• Replica Flag: A replica of the flag; cost 2, destroyed upon inspection
• Missile: A ranged nuclear warhead, capable of friendly fire. Deals 5000 potency at a targeted location in range of 0-100 yalms in a radius of 15 yalms. Must be player controlled. Controller equipable by main hand. Usable only from inside base or in a watch tower. Takes 10 seconds to detonate at location; cost 98, destroyed upon use or change in main hand

General defender strategy would be build walls to lure enemies into narrow chokepoints and deployed bombs at range, while having radars and weapons active in watch towers.
Of course, this can be improved for balance.

hope the devs read this and have a plan to implement it lol alot of good ideas :3

I think Uberhaxed solved the issue with the "where does DoL fit in?".

The DoL can collect said " building points" by gathering items. (Different items awarding more/less points scaled by risk) and effectivly be guarded by a scout regement. (Ninjas, Mechenists, and Bards in my head)

And then the DoH can buy needed materials with said points. Resorce management being the big key.

The the DoW/DoM having the goal of siege and infiltration with taking the command towers being objectives. (The DoH will repair them to stay in the fight) and upon both enemy fortresses falling (or timeing out at which highest points win per usual) then victory is declared.

This mode would only work with full 72 player combat.

ESO has a pvp mode really similar to this think it lasts 1 week then resets ?? or longer not sure problem with thiers is the map is massive and so spread out dont often see opponents even making it to your castles lol

The only problem I can see (besides SE not being willing to put in the time and effort in would take to actually make the game mode) would be Q's. PvP is a relatively small community, and this game mode would really only work with 24-72 man matches. Worse still, this game mode requires actual specified jobs, unlike Front Lines which will Q people regardless or w job they are. People would have to Q as a DoL or DoH, and not nearly as many people will want to do that (or even can do that. I myself have no DoL or DoH jobs at level cap) over Q'ing as a combative job. That means we'll run into the same problem that PvE Q's run into:

-PvE Q: The Dps slots fill up super fast, but the Tank and Healer slots take forever.

-PvP Bastion Q: Dps/Tank/Healer slots fill up ASAP. but the DoL and DoH slots take forever.

The Q restriction alone would make the game mode unplayable.

@Uberhaxed's idea of assigning combatant and non-combatant teams would probably work better, though there would still be the problem of dividing the players into teams. Front Lines players already get into spats over aggressive versus passive strategies, and a lot of players will either sit on nodes or go full attack. This kind of game mode would only divide those players further and encourage them to fight over who does what role. That being said, at least it would be playable this way.

Another idea (that Op's idea gave me) is to change the playing field a little. The OP's suggestion shows everyone starting on equal footing, the same way FL is played. This is cool in itself, but I think it would also be cool to change it up and force players into a specific role (not specific job role, mind you) when they play.

Basically, the game mode divided into 2-3 rounds (depending on if there is 2 or 3 GC's involved in the match). In every round, 2 of the GC's are assigned to be "attackers." Their role is to attack the fortress. The 3rd GC is assigned to be "Defenders." This GC defends the fortress. 2 v 1 (seems unfair, but just wait).

Defenders can re-spawn, but re-spawns are limited by an extended re-spawn timer that continues to extend indefinitely with each death. Attackers cannot re-spawn, but can be rez'd a limited number of times (3 strike rule, maybe). Basically, defenders have the advantage in the start of the round, but their advantage goes away the longer the assault lasts or if they die a lot. Defenders are also given a positional advantage and are provided with limited tools to aid their defense (Snares, Heavies, Poison or Paralysis bombs, etc.). These tools are fixed in place and can only be used in defense of the base. They cannot be used to assault (Ie: cheaky defenders could not use ninja's to sneak snare traps into Attacker spawn points, cuz I know some troll out there would try it). Defenders win if they successfully defend the base for the duration of the round or kill all of the attackers, allowing for different tactics.

Attackers, on the other hand, win the game if they conquer the base. This requires an attacker to attune to an aetherite at the centre of the base (the most heavily defended location). Obviously, in this game mode, it would be most beneficial for the attackers to co-operate until the base is breached, however, only one attacking team can attune to the aetherite. So, sooner or later, someone has to stab the other in the back. Attackers would have to chose theri tactic. They can either try and wipe each other out right off the bat to eliminate a rival and create battle highs/fevers, or divide and conquer.

The game matches are decided on who win's the most rounds. In 1v1 rounds, it's best of 2 or a draw. In 2 v 1 rounds it's a best of 3 or a draw. It would take some major tweaking to make sure that the game mode wasn't totally unbalanced in favour of attackers or defenders, but I think it would be fun. The tactical possibilities would be pretty cool too, since you'd be torn as an attacker as to whether or not it is smart to cooperate with your rivals or try and build battle highs off of them before going after the defenders.

Reminds of Ragnarok Online's War of Emperium. Which is good btw.

If the DoLs and DoHs got exp with what they can contribute being scaled (low levels getting basic mats like wood and iron while higher levels can get special gems and "artifacts" wkth the same applying to DoH's craft abities)

This could encourage DoL and DoH leveling from players who otherwise wouldn't bother.

Also, having g the fortress as an "on the fly" zone where the Crafters and Gatherers could immediately switch to combat with full cooldowns would make bumb rushing the fro t gate a VERY bad idea with out solid back up.