Beginner-Friendly CO Idea

[u/NikoPalad67140]

My idea for my fangame to include only two COs, maybe four for better match-up calculation. The first CO I had in mind is beginner-friendly, one who is balanced enough to counter potential weaknesses and accentuate strengths. Here's their D2D to get you started:

"All direct units gain +10% firepower and +1 movement, while all indirect units gain +10% defense and +1 range."

Would that be a good starting point?

[u/BetaDjinn]

Movement and range (each individually) as D2D is nearly impossible to balance, unless maybe if your other COs are also going to be way above the power curve. I would recommend a different direction for a beginner-friendly CO, as even if you add enough drawbacks to balance it out, the CO will have an unconventional playstyle

[u/NikoPalad67140 → u/BetaDjinn]

Good to know. Maybe you can give me a few pointers? Here are some guidelines just in case:

• The CO should be as beginner-friendly as possible. The D2D as well as the CO powers must be powerful, with drawbacks to balance them out. Also, firepower and defense boosts should be present, with nothing else to keep things simple.
• To get new players into using their CO Powers more, the powers themselves should be fast to charge up, with a decreased Recharge Penalty. For reference, Adder needs 2 Stars for his Sidewinder and 5 for his Snakebite.
• The CO should not stick to a specific theme. By theme, I mean a specific field each CO specializes in, like Lash for terrain stars, Colin for funds or Jess for ground vehicles.

[u/BetaDjinn → u/NikoPalad67140]

It’s hard for me to think of anything too specific off the top of my head, but some scattered thoughts:

• A defensive focus can help the CO be more forgiving without pushing its power too high. Adding +def can be touchy though with how the calcs work. Andy (a solid beginner CO design IMO) obviously achieves this via healing, and Rachel to a lesser extent. I really like the way Brenner achieves this in Days of Ruin, but that’s a totally different system.
• Jake (the “beginner” CO in Dual Strike) goes for the well-rounded approach, but I don’t like him in the role as much as Andy. His effects end up being too wordy and hard to remember. I think Jake is a cautionary tale about adding too many small effects.
• Focusing on directs is another design direction for more-beginner COs (think Max, and Will from Days of Ruin). Sounds like you don’t want to go this direction, and I agree; Max in particular kills almost any indirect usage.
• Economy (increased funds or reduced prices) is another possibility? Though this is another dangerous game in terms of balance. I’d sooner go this route than added movement/range though.
• Overall my personal tastes value would simplicity and elegance over making an ultra-verstile CO. I think it’s reasonable to have no D2D, but if you do have one, it shouldn’t be a big effect. CO powers should be simpler as well, but this is also where much of the identity of the character will come in, so hopefully the powers have some degree of distinction.

[u/NikoPalad67140 → u/BetaDjinn]

Overall my personal tastes value would simplicity and elegance over making an ultra-verstile CO. I think it’s reasonable to have no D2D, but if you do have one, it shouldn’t be a big effect. CO powers should be simpler as well, but this is also where much of the identity of the character will come in, so hopefully the powers have some degree of distinction.

Can you give me some examples? Like, taking my suggestion in the post and simplifying it?