Skip to the second post to see list of items we would like to be placeable in whatever future base implementation is made by Cryptic.

The best time to discuss the new features of the game unofficially is early enough so that the community can be heard when it comes to features desired. To that end, this thread! I realize that in practice the feature may be quite different than what we envision, but this is how I see it in my own head:

As a forward, I should say that I recognize that any base is going to be populated with Items of Tactical Value (ITVs) and that these items should be fairly defended or attacked as per super group goals.

First, bases should be entered using the same jets available for travel to various conflict zones. In addition to the list of normal destinations, you would also see your own super group's base, and any other bases you have access to.

Flying to the base would deposit you at the landing pad exterior to your base. This could be a warehouse, high tech lab, docked ship (or perhaps even one in open waters?), sea borne platform, old Victorian house, cave system, office building, townhouse, whatever. The floor plan for this part of the base would be static, only swappable one for another whole base entrance of a differing style. Furnishings could be placed here, but not walls and floors. Somewhere in this area would be an elevator or telepad (either technical or arcane) into the base proper.

Small super groups or ones not interested in much development of the base structure as a PVP or PVE conflict zone could make do with the base entrance structure and never need worry about invasions by hostile PC or NPC groups.

Now we have the more configurable parts of the base. Here we can place rooms, place walls, place floors. I would like something a little bit more customizable than <that other game>, as in perhaps in this part we could click and hold and drag floors around to make oddly shaped rooms rather than the rooms-of-specific-size-and-shape that we are familiar with. Also, multi level bases should be possible, although this would of course be subject to additional expense (perhaps scaling up of base costs as you add levels?).

Placing furnishings is also needed, much like <that other game>. To prevent people from placing furnishings as defensive barricades though, all furnishings would need to be destructible. However, recognition should be given to the existence and function of actual barricades, and somewhere in addition to the destructible interior wall and floor sections there should be defensive walls and doors. These would still be destructible, but one would have to beat on them a bit more to manage it. The amount of beating depending on the 'expense' of the wall or door. Regardless, to prevent the potentially thousands of destructible furnishings from clogging targeting, these should not be directly target-able, rather damaged by AOE powers.

Next, while in <that other game> some very creative things were done with decorative items to make walls and floors, we should not be forced to make do with that as the default. We should have the following items right out of the box, and while these items should be destructible like everything else, they should be able to take quite the beating so you don't destroy your floor by accident. The exception is security doors, which would be directly target-able.

Floors; One foot thick, defaults to a height of several inches above the max hight attainable with a player's character. Stacking these should result in multiple floors at appropriate height, and not several floor sections forming a block several feet high. I think, based on the standards set by <that other game> that these should be four feet square, and overlap-able horizontally rather than vertically for greater freedom in floor plans. These should be quite cheap, as very many of them might be necessary for a complete section of floor. Several textures should be allowed, much like <that other game>.

Walls and non-armored doors; These should be six inches thick, two feet long (to match up better with the above floor sections), and sufficient height to match up with the ground and the next level floor of the section above. Several permissible textures, but flimsy as any desk or chair. These, after all, are not the defensive sections of wall, but rather your standard wood and drywall, or at most brick and mortar. Nothing that will stand up to a super powered assault, and thus nothing that will provide a cheap indestructible barricade for ITVs. The doors should be built into suitable wall sections.

Defensive floors and walls; Same as above, but ones that will stand up to a sustained assault. Floors and wall units should never be directly target-able to prevent targeting clutter, but damageable via substantial AOE assault.

Armored Doors; Built in to a suitable section of wall, and placeable as any other defensive item. These should be target-able, and much less durable than defensive walls. In a base assault, you would want defenders and attackers contesting over doors, not sections of wall. Attacking the walls should be the last resort, used only if the defenders somehow managed to circumvent pathing requirements and completely hem in some ITV.

Defensive Turrets: These should retract into walls, floors or ceilings depending on placement when not activated. Normally all you would see is a hatch where the turret would extend from. As an added twist, these should be stationary pet items, and would target whatever the defender who last used it targeted. If not in use by a defender then they should have standard NPC threat AI; excepting possibly that they would use the threat list of whatever ITV was in range as a priority over their own threat list.

Other defensive weaponry: Mines and such should use hatches much like the turrets when not in use to prevent floor clutter. As an option, all defensive items should be configurable to remain extended at all times should the defenders want the 'armed to the teeth' look for their base.

Items of Tactical Value:

I like the use of energy and control in <that other game> but I think it should be a bit more decentralized here. Energy production should have a few tiers. The first tier should be external power. The initial assault of a base should kick off with cutting external power to the base. This should set off alarms and alert defenders that an attack is underway. Second tier should be the internal generators, but those should be well defensible. Third tier should be capacitors and batteries. For more options though, upon placing a power item the base builder should be able to select multiple rooms that these power items should cover.

As an example, destroying three outlaying gens could de-power a central room, thus exposing a fourth (and more critical) ITV.

I also like the concept of control for defensive ITVs, but not so much how it s implemented in <that other game>. Control for defensive items should be provided in a slightly more decentralized manner. The first tier is a control console. These should allow not more than 2 defensive items to be linked to it. The real kicker is that it should be staffed by an NPC security specialist, costumed up however that super-group prefers for its security NPCs. If the NPC is taken out, the console will have to be manned by a PC, thus reducing tactical flexibility. If then the console is destroyed the defensive items will have to be controlled directly at each turret, thus further reducing tactical flexibility. If attacked, the NPC would prioritize defending the console, and not wander off.

Repair; This is not present in <that other game> and would provide an additional element to base raids. NPCs (again, costumed to the preference of the SG), could be stationed in a damage control room. If an ITV is damaged, one of the NPCs could pick up a repair kit from a stockpile of them and carry it to the damaged ITV. Then they would use it until the item was repaired. They would not be able to attack with the kit in hand, or while repairing, so would need to be protected.

If all Technicians were killed during the raid then a PC would have to carry the repair kit and use it, thus removing them from combat. This mechanic would also provide incentive for SGs to not improperly barricade ITVs. If, during normal operations, the ITV required randomly timed upkeep by an NPC that could not reach it then the base would be easy prey come an actual base assault.

Epic items; In addition to items that give boosts or buffs to your super group, there should be WMDs and SV iconic trophies. These don't directly benefit your group, but they would need to be kept out of the hands of Supervillian groups. What does this mean? It means that your base may be attacked by an NPC faction in addition to other player groups depending on what WMD or SV iconic trophy you may have squirreled away.

This setup doesn't really allow for the traditional central computer that we see in iconic super group bases in the comics, so that specific iconic device should be present, but with a function other than base defense. It should be a mission computer.

All that is left is furnishings, and list of those will follow. Please do not post in this thread until I have two replies posted, so I can use the additional space for lists of furnishing items requested by the community. I will keep this thread maintained for this purpose, and with the moderator's approval I will recreate this thread on a monthly basis to keep the whole thing organized.

If you propose an item for the list of placeable decorative items, please list if you have seen this item in game and where you saw it so they can recycle the art asset.

If you propose an item for the list of placeable decorative items, please list if you have seen this item in game and where you saw it so they can recycle the art asset.

Decorative items to be placed on floors:

<Item Name> <Known In-game location> <Stackable upward yes/no>


Decorative items to be placed on walls:

<Item Name> <Known In-game location> <Stackable outward yes/no>


Decorative items to be placed on horizontal surfaces:

<Item Name> <Known In-game location> <Stackable upward yes/no>

If you propose an item for the list of placeable functional items, please list if you have seen this item in game and where you saw it so they can recycle the art asset.

Functional items to be placed on floors:

<Item Name> <Known In-game location> <Stackable upward yes/no>

Costume Mannequin / No known in-game location / Not stackable

Avatars of the heroes (Hologram?) / Champions Headquarters / Not Stackable (bonus points for it accepting a costume design and displaying that, and more bonus points for it having a interact; text box pop-up which is suer populated.)

Briefing table / No known in-game location / not stackable
(With holographic display with info on villain types that have been encountered by the super group before.)

Functional items to be placed on walls:

<Item Name> <Known In-game location> <Stackable outward yes/no>


Functional items to be placed on horizontal surfaces:

<Item Name> <Known In-game location> <Stackable upward yes/no>

Desired Base Themes, external (entry areas):

Warehouse
Office Building
Apartment Building
Penthouse
Military outpost (desert, jungle, arctic)
Military Base (Airfield)
Secluded fortress
High tech lab (Corporate?)
Sewer (Water treatment plant)
Suburban low class
Suburban middle class
Suburban Upper class
Private Mansion
Ship Docked
Ship in open water
Waterfall
Castle

Desired base themes, internal

Warehouse
Office Building
Apartment Building
Penthouse
Military crude
Military sophisticated
High tech lab (Corporate?)
Sewer
Suburban low class
Suburban middle class
Suburban Upper class
Private Mansion
Ship
Underwater habitat
Space station


Ported posts from previous thread:

Avatars of the heroes... like a "Hall of fame" with pictures of all the members (:

maybe their "story" when u click it.

Banner - with a guild logo, could be "uploaded" from the pc's pics... that'd be awesome :P

Able to make the place Retro/Modern ... so there's some features for all...

Other players being able to see it... like in AoC, Zones with Bases, they could be underground? still you'd have to zone to get "into" it...

Able to make screenshots, a picture on the wall... such as all the defeated enemies...

A most "wanted" list for each members Personal Nemesis :P

TP Rooms for the different zones.. not just like a portal, but a blured wall where you can see through and actually see some of the "zone" you're bout' to enter.

Guild bank ofc...

A hologram thingy, to when we discuss which boss... for new players etc :P

And then just lots and lots of items to place around the place... there's so many different things :b

Actually, I think that may be an interesting feature to include in a group meeting table. At the table's center, or in a space that the table is situated around if we're using the model shown in the Defense Control Room in the Champions' base, there would be a nice-sized holographic projector of some sort. It would vary in explanation based upon the type of furniture being used, for instance a classical tech projector would be fine in a modern, futuristic, steampunk, or so-forth style of setting. However, if you were to go with a mystic setting, or maybe something with a far-eastern or even native american vibe, then the projections would look out of place. For these, the characters forming out of vapors from a fire, or from a boiling cauldron, would look downright amazing.

Also, a pair of suggestions to add to my little list of base themes posted above.

Undersea Laboratory (Pretty straightforward. A nice-sized scientific laboratory at the floor of the ocean. Indoors, to avoid pruney fingers and being crushed.)
Steampunk Train (A large train that travels across the globe without bothering to worry about rails. Every room is in a line, inside of the traincars.)

I'm going to need to do a supervillain group list at some point. All of the really wild and awesome stuff would go in there.

Updated the topic.

If each hero were to have his or her own super-sized base, that would be fantastic! But, to connect with the Secret Identity idea, it would be awesome to be able to have a simple apartment. Land on top of your building, change into your civilian wear and go home.

Now the ultimate item for a base would be your own, customizable super-vehicle. Batman's got the Batmobile. Wonder Woman has an invisible jet. Tron had light cycles.
They could be display items, work as teleporters that automatically place you at a mission door, or even temporary travel powers.

Places for Bases:
Cyberspace
Center of the Earth
Under a junkyard
Inside/Atop A Giant Tree
Inside a Black Hole
Surface of a Star

Instead of having ten million secret bases for each player, why not a SG building with individual rooms for each member. Doors stay closed and locked to all. Once the SG leader recruits a member who deserves a room, they "unlock" a room. The SG could be set up with as many as 20 individual rooms of about 200 sq/ft.

It would be preferable to see SG buildings. Either in MC or even any of the zones, there are lots of empty mountain peaks and valleys in both desert and Canada away from the main quest areas.

Or player housing, you pick.

Batman had his batcave. Superman had his (was there a name?) Crystalline Structure in the north. Ironman had his lab. Many other Super Hero types had secret places where they stored their costumes, weapons, and vehicles.

Adding this to the game for starters can be pretty easy, the technology would be what goes in it that would make it harder. The rooms or lairs can just be the standard sewer, warehouse, tech base maps that are currently in use. Make them 1 small and 1 big room or just 1 big room. And the items that go in it can be purchasable through in game currency, Perk Point, Snake Gulch Bills, Nemesis Tokens, C Store, or even some drops.

Just a thought.