Idea: Character Perks

[Randomystick]

Background:

Every character is different from one another and have vastly different background experiences, physique etc. Despite this, all of them perform tasks at the same rate. Pouring gas cans, starting generators, healing others, helping up others etc.
Eg. Coach never used a first aid kit before ("Hell no, I ain't never done this before") and yet heals himself/others as fast as Nick who has done it before ("Hold up, I've done this before.")

So if it wasn't obvious enough: Character-specific perks!

Each character has one personal skill and one team skill. The personal skill gives himself (and himself only) an advantage, while the team skill makes himself better at doing teamwork stuff like helping others/objectives etc. Here's some that I've thought of:

Nick:

+5% accuracy with primaries [Personal]
+30% faster at healing others [Team]
Probably used first aid kits and fired guns many times in his life

Coach:

+10% max health [Personal]
+40% faster at helping others up [Team]
Given his physique he can supposedly endure more pain + has more strength to help others up faster

Ellis:

+5% movement speed [Personal]
+20% faster at completing objectives (pouring gas cans, starting generators etc) [Team]
He works as a mechanic at a garage, so he's naturally faster at doing these mechanical work like pouring gas cans.



Can't think of any for Rochelle or the L4D1 survivors. If you have one, do post it below ^^ Constructive comments welcome.

[LilG]

They're not bad ideas but this game doesn't need character perks.

I'd say for Nick given his criminal background perhaps he's more skilled with firearms or melee weapons.

Rochelle I can't think of a perk for her either.

[Randomystick]

Originally posted by LilG:

They're not bad ideas but this game doesn't need character perks.

I'd say for Nick given his criminal background perhaps he's more skilled with firearms or melee weapons.

Rochelle I can't think of a perk for her either.

It increases the teamwork aspects of the game (supposedly). Doing what your character is best at in intense moments can mean the difference between an incapped team and one that survives.

Eg you have two teammates incapped in a tank battle and only Coach and Ellis are up. The player as Coach should be the one helping his teammates up while Ellis distracts the tank, since Coach can help them up faster. In Versus, that difference can decide which team wins and which loses.

[LilG]

There already are teamwork aspects in this game, it doesn't need perks to improve it, if anything it'll make it easier for some people. I'm not that familiar with VS but I'm pretty sure teamwork is essential there as with any of the modes in L4D2.

Adding perks would make the game unbalanced , making each character have the same rate of healing/pouring gas cans etc makes it balanced, no character has an advantage over anyone else.

Your example about the tank is just what a good team would do if they were in that situation having character perks wouldn't really change it. Players have been doing fine without perks for years.

My only idea would be to improve the AI of the bots since they do stupid things sometimes which can mess up a run.

[bear]

This crap doesnt belong in this zombie racing sim.

[Randomystick]

Originally posted by ᗷᗴᗩᖇ:

This crap doesnt belong in this zombie racing sim.

Originally posted by 28th GEA Sames:

Constructive comments welcome.

[вαтαк]

NO

[Randomystick]

Originally posted by Lone Marine:

NO

yea i hate teamwork too

[bear]

Fine this crap doesnt belong in this zombie racing sim because survivors are already over powered in vanilla and dont need any other individual buffs unless they come coupled with glaring weaknesses. Even then its a stupid addition that could be fine in another game but has no place in this one.

[⛧]

These are really solid and appear thought out. Myself, I have found it quite unbelievable that four vastly different people possess the same potential of accuracy, execution and mobility. That all which is really different is their personalities somewhat breaks the immersion of the game.

It is noted that the survivors themselves are carriers, mobile spreaders of the infectious zombie pathogen. If the posssession of this disease contorts and conditions certain victims into their own unique skill-set [hunter/spitter/chargeretc], then it is very plausible that the survivors would eventually develop their own set of unique skills.

However, this game is not balanced towards perks in any manner whatsoever. To impose perks would create an entirely different meta game. Even more unfortunate, bot AI is too badly coded to fully take advantage of said perks. Perks would require the launch of l4d3, where AI wouldn't [presumably] have such faulty behavior.

[Panlew]

Originally posted by 28th GEA Sames:

EPIC TL/DR

First of all the game is no longer being updated, ever.
Second of all there is basically no mods being released for this game unless you're willing to pay for it.
Third character perks is a stupid idea and will almost always be unbalanced.
Fourth if you actually took like five seconds to look around the internet you would have already found a perk mod, all you have to learn is scripting and you can patch it up to work better..

[Randomystick]

Originally posted by GhostOverride:

Originally posted by 28th GEA Sames:

EPIC TL/DR

First of all the game is no longer being updated, ever.
Second of all there is basically no mods being released for this game unless you're willing to pay for it.
Third character perks is a stupid idea and will almost always be unbalanced.
Fourth if you actually took like five seconds to look around the internet you would have already found a perk mod, all you have to learn is scripting and you can patch it up to work better..

Firstly, secondly and fourthly, I'm asking for opinions on the idea itself, not obvious ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ people already know. That makes only point three relevant.

So elaborate please. How are character perks "a stupid idea"? Also, please come up with a logial counter to the argument that it will increase teamwork between characters by "assigning" each person in the team a role to play.

[Randomystick]

Originally posted by ᗷᗴᗩᖇ:

survivors are already over powered in vanilla

Have you played a legitimate game of versus before?

Besides, this is primarily meant to increase the teamwork aspect of the game.
If you read through the entire post (which you obviously didn't), you'll see that the individual buffs are pretty minor. It's the team buffs that will really make a noticeable difference in the game and set a team with well-defined/acknowledged roles apart from a team with none of those.

[Lucious]

I like your ideas, but I enjoy the simplicity of this game. Maybe there could a sub-game mode incorporating your ideas? A mutation possibly.

[Panlew]

Originally posted by 28th GEA Sames:

no u

Please tell me how a 5% movement buff is gonna improve teamwork :)
No matter what a GOOD player will always go with the perk that helps him actually win the game instead of helping the noobs lagging behind.

[Randomystick]

Originally posted by GhostOverride:

Originally posted by 28th GEA Sames:

no u

Please tell me how a 5% movement buff is gonna improve teamwork :)
No matter what a GOOD player will always go with the perk that helps him actually win the game instead of helping the noobs lagging behind.

Originally posted by 28th GEA Sames:

Besides, this is primarily meant to increase the teamwork aspect of the game.
If you read through the entire post (which you obviously didn't), you'll see that the individual buffs are pretty minor. It's the team buffs that will really make a noticeable difference in the game and set a team with well-defined/acknowledged roles apart from a team with none of those.