actually making an ideas guy so i don’t have to spam morrow’s DMs and can type out what i’m thinking in long form
A little forewarning, I do not like Super FOB’s and long drawn out sieges, I’m more interested in taking less attention away from the direct defense of the FOB and putting it towards additional objectives in the map itself, such as Static Comms, to promote more use of the map and multiple fronts of combat. Linear gameplay is not really what CM is about.
I was inspired by these sprites left behind in the defenses folder. Back in the day, you used to be able to electrify grilles to create more complex FOB defenses, obviously it’s super janky but not too far off what I think can be accomplished. Currently, engineering buildings on the maps are rarely held, defended, or even repaired due to the abundance of flares and high capacity batteries that can be used to replace the lighting and APCs that could be powered by engineering. In order to make Engineering buildings a much more desirable objective, I’d like to add the above generators as ‘Power Supplies’ to the LZs where FOBs will be built.
Power supplies will function only when colony power is fully active, and can be used to directly power certain emplacements with the use of wire. Such emplacements could include electrified fences, omni-sentries, spotlights, thumpers (throwback idea I know), or any such similar defensive structures that might befit the USCM. The effect of these structures is to make the FOB very difficult to breach or otherwise be targetable by Xenomorphs while the power supply is active, forcing them to take action against engineering prior to launching an attack on the FOB directly. As a result, engineering will become a highly contested zone.
As a supplementary benefit, greater resource scarcity could be imparted on the Marines in regards to metal and plasteel, as less of an emphasis will be placed on spamming reinforced walls and barricade layers, and more on the utilization of specialized structures. Additionally, a safer FOB (when not under direct assault) will allow the players assigned to FOB to worry less about defending points and spend more time engaging in meaningful roleplay (not being capped by a burrower while AFK). All sorts of cool trickle down benefits here.
Also I think the suspenseful effect of the power clicking off and all the machinery powering down right before the siege would be really cool. 