November Design Diary: The Serket

Nov.09.2020 BY WC:RA

Fresh from the Firebird #6

Hello Commanders,

If you grew up playing videogames like me, you’ll know the great importance healers can have in combat. Playing Age of Empires, I’d send my Heavy Cavalry into battle but keep a few Priests on my back line. After a skirmish, I’d send them in to heal my troops before the next encounter, allowing my army to keep growing as my empire expanded. Healing old units saved valuable resources that could be spent on new and improved troops. Units aren’t permanently destroyed in WC:RA if a battle is lost, so instead of patching up survivors after a fight, we wanted to create a unit that could be brought into the fray.

Combat Healing

Combat healing is something we’ve wanted to add to the WCRA arsenal for a long time, but it required special consideration. Oil cost balancing, huge DPS outputs, and possible exploits were just a few of the issues we needed to work through. After many rounds of experimentation, we landed on a mechanic that allows the units a small respite from the battle: units being healed cannot attack or take damage.

When you activate the Serket’s ability, all ground units within its range will gain back health in the form of a temporary health buffer that’s removed once battle ends. Healing doesn’t affect oil repair costs, but makes up for it in by offering class-specific healing boosts (+50% healing rate to Light Vehicles, etc), a second chance to get back into a fight while still in the battle, and to top it off, all status effects are removed when healing begins (DOT, stun, etc). With this functionality in place, we were confident that combat healing was ready to be brought into the limelight, which brings us to the Serket.

The Serket

The Serket is strictly a support unit and has no offensive firepower- a first in WCRA. With this special role, we wanted the Serket to be unlike anything else in the game. To achieve this unique look, we took inspiration from factory robots, industrial utility vehicles, and even new robotics from Boston Dynamics. In turn, we landed on a long, low, and unmanned frame complete with servo arms.

The Serket is meant to take some punishment and protect itself from long ranged fire thanks to a suite of Countermeasures (CMs), but it won’t last long if sent headlong into battle. Instead, it is meant to hang back, moving in when allied units need to be healed, then retreating back to a safe position until being called upon again. Variant tech options allow you to tailor the healing to fit your platoon and its slot 5 CMs will help protect the unit itself, which can still take damage while it lays down a protective field while healing allies.

Ground Unit Combos

The Serket can heal all ground units, and will fit well into your existing Heavy or Light Vehicle Platoons. It has acceleration and max speeds that match the Adder and Prowler, so you’ll be able to enjoy the health boost the Serket offers without slowing down- perfect for skirting lines of defense.

Since a new heal button requires strategy and micromanagement, we decided to simplify another unit by removing the Hurricane’s deploy timer. The Hurricane can now fire its massive missiles as soon as it stops moving, then move forward immediately after a volley without worrying about fortification times. Keep your Serket in the backlines, protecting your Hurricanes from Peacemaker Mortar fire and healing after a defensive rush, then rain down slow burning hell on the enemy before sending in some Mastodon squads to mop up.

The Future

The Serket will not be the last unit to grant healing, and we plan to add the ability to equipment in the future (think health packs), so there will be plenty of room for commanders to find the best fit for combat healing in their expanding arsenal.