Balance at higher levels: squad vs. solo play

[BrandNoob]

To the game devs: I like this game a lot! There's one thing frustrating me though.

It seems that while the game mechanics are built around "squad" play, as you progress into levels 40-55, your teammates become less and less useful. The extra enemy firepower demands more avoidance, which the AI simply doesn't do. Therefore the cool new bots you acquire tend to become a momentary distraction at best before running into a huge mob and dying. (Side note: frantic levels make friendly fire another factor in their uselessness - too easy to kill them with a few misplaced/bounced shots.)

While your main bot can last much longer if you're careful while controlling it, despite good reflexes you're often put into situations where damage is unavoidable (starting out surrounded, "extreme danger" situations, etc.) So you can't go completely solo since your main bot will slowly get whittled down. While you can hop to a new one, you still lose all the upgrades, which are at this point the difference between survival and death.

(Ex: I'm using a maxed out K999 Assassin but still get surrounded and destroyed on level 55 where I have no cover.)

So in short, it'd be nice for the allies to be more useful later in the game -- as extra lives and helpful teammates, not only 30-second suicide drones.

Idea 1: give them offensive/defensive mode. If parked in defensive mode, they will shoot at enemies in range but not pursue. Consider that the level1 bots were in "friendly" mode until you infected your first bot, so it still fits the lore.

Idea 2: alternatively, let us keep one or more bot in reserve (off the field of play) and swap it ala "Tekken Tag Tournament". Extra life + fun tactics, and they don't get shot up in the first 10 seconds.

Idea 3: turn off friendly fire so we can stick closer to them and support them to keep them alive longer.

Great game, and thanks for reading.

[cprince]

Idea 3 I like the most, though it is kinda fun when they accidentally get blown up :)

[Neo-revo]

i have to say i feel the same way, i cant count the number of times i capture a new bot and then move around the map with my k999 again only to see a flash of movement witha red circle so i got tokill and a friendly moves infront to and i end up killing both.. but if i had left my friendly on it own it would have just died any ways leaving me to finish the enemy off.