Part 4: The Class-Based Mod

Before we start, have a few strategies thought out for the game:

  • Intuition
  • Speed
  • Balance

These are the three things that utterly DESTROY a class based mod! What the hell is the point in picking a class which is only as good as the next one? Where's the fun in having people move fast so you can't hit them? Who wants a game with a simple HUD which makes it easy to switch classes and perform special abilities? Isn't that half the challenge?

For these reason, pick just one class and give them constant Quad Damage. Make sure every class (except the one fast class) is slow as hell so it's fair for people who haven't got good aim because they have a drug addiction / brain damage / lack arms. Make sure that you make SEPARATE menus for different classes' special abilities. No key should go unbound, my friends.

The classes are rather straight forward. You may have 10 classes, but they MUST include:

  • A medic,
  • A fast class,
  • A heavy weapons guy,
  • A fat guy who shoots fire,
  • A super secret Tenchu Stealth Ninja / Assassin / Spy / James Bond 007 (Sean Connery, not Timothy Dalton -- he sucks),
  • An old guy who builds automatic turrets to mask his lack of skill,
  • And of course the all dominating sniper (all his shots must be one hit kills - especially the machine gun)

Make sure you don't copy other class based mods' class names or they'll accuse you of plagiarism!

It's important that each class' strengths and weaknesses are entirely situational. That way, no possible form of skill can be shown during combat (this helps balance out veterans against the newbies). It's like the Rock, Paper, Scissors game: Flamer beats medic, HW Guy beats Flamer, Spy beats HW guy, medic beats spy. Sniper beats them all. It's often best to give the sniper all weapons and unlimited ammo to ensure he is the best class. Like I said before, what's the point of playing if you decide who wins the match dependent on skill? That's just silly! This is teamplay! You have to play as a team and depend on your teammates to win!

Because of the situational strengths and weaknesses of the classes (except the sniper), many players will want to change class so that they may stand more of a chance in a defensive or offensive role, but this defeats the whole point of the game! You MUST play your role. It's TEAMPLAY! You MAY NOT dynamically assign yourself to offense or defense because your class dictates the way you must play. Because of this, it's important that you make sure someone has to reconnect to a server in order to change class. No namby pamby teamplay ruining "class change" binding for you, Smarty Pants.

The single best way to make people play in a team is to make their objective very very difficult, nearly impossible. The team will have to use the only teamplay strategy available to them: grouping together and running head-on into the enemy base. Strength in numbers = teamplay, kids! As long as you have enough people rushing a base, you're sure to make it to your objective before all your team is wasted by the opposition who respawns next to you as soon as they are blasted to death. But hey, everyone likes strategy because it is for the clever folk! And who are you to argue with the general "clever" public? They KNOW what they like and thus what makes something "quality". Oh yes.

Final note: Make sure than when the objective is completed, everyone on the level dies, including the team that won, and an e-mail is sent to all the players and their families saying "(PLAYER) just died. Now it's YOUR turn. Bwahahah!"

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