Favor System - Ghost Recon Breakpoint

Vehicles are an integral part of the game. Apart from providing transport, some vehicles can be used to provide effective and sometimes vital fire support for the team. Vehicles like the Trail series of dirt bikes and the Path Keeper are incredibly quick and nimble vehicles whereas ones like the Incursion APC and Opheis attack helicopter are amazing for providing devastating support. My personal favorite is the Coercion, it is small, armored and as a solo player I can quickly switch from driver to gunner seat without stepping outside the car.

Current system of acquiring vehicles

If the player wishes to unlock a new vehicle, this is what the process involves:

Maria's shop at Erewhon has all the vehicles in the game available for purchase. Alternatively, the player can also purchase vehicles from the bivouacs. Each vehicle is priced differently depending on performance and combat effectiveness.

The player can buy vehicles using Skell Credits, the standard currency of the game. Skell Credits are earned through missions, killing enemies and from crates lying all around Auroa.

Once a vehicle is purchased, it is now available to be summoned by a player from either Erewhon or any bivouac on the map. The player must enter the bivouac and then select their vehicle from their "garage", then when they leave the bivouac the vehicle will have spawned, waiting for them nearby.

And that is it! As long as the spawn area is clear, the player can summon this vehicle any number of times from anywhere in the world.

But what if there is a way to limit how often the player can summon vehicles, especially the armored ones? What if there is a way to add consequences to losing an attack helicopter?

Favor

This is a system inspired by Ghost Recon Wildlands and Arma 3. This system adds a new currency/resource in the game called Favor, though it can be named anything else like Resistance Tokens, Support Points, etc.

The points are earned through completing faction missions (green) and certain main missions too. Points earned differ depending on parameters like difficulty.

The points can then be traded when the player wants to call in favors from friendly factions, in this case have a vehicle delivered to their location. Other favors the player may call are resupply drops and fire support.

The cost for summoning a vehicle will differ based on the vehicle. Armed and armored vehicles will cost more Favors than unarmed ones. This makes powerful and deadly assets rarer, more valuable and the loss of such a vehicle early on will deal a heavy blow to the player's economy.

Instead of Skell Credits, vehicles can be unlocked by completing faction missions or by simply leveling up. For example, the player may unlock a powerful attack helicopter after helping the Outcasts capture a Sentinel airbase. These special faction missions become available after the player has reached certain milestones with the factions.

Much like Personal Vehicles in Grand Theft Auto V, once summoned, vehicles will remain persistent in the game world until they are either destroyed or recalled back to storage. Vehicles are recalled if the player summons a second vehicle while the first one in still out in the world. Therefore, one player can only call one vehicle at a time.

Alternative

An alternate method to lower the availability of vehicles is to simply charge the player every time they summon. Instead of using Skell Credits to unlock vehicles, the player instead unlocks them with experience or by leveling up and summons vehicles using Skell Credits. Cost varies depending on the vehicle. This encourages the player to consider their situation and their economy before calling for vehicles, which in turn makes the higher end vehicles that much special. From a development perspective, this method avoids having to introduce a entirely new resource/currency in the game and avoid the risk of offsetting the value of other currencies in the game.

Why this System?

As mentioned before, vehicles are a very powerful asset in the game capable of changing the odds of an engagement. Adding a system restraining access to vehicles also fits the theme of the game. The player, upon arriving on the island, is heavily disadvantaged after losing most of their team and equipment. To loosen the Sentinel's grip on Auroa, the player must collaborate with the locals for help. Therefore, if the player helps the local factions with their problems then they in turn will help the player with support and vehicles.

Earning the ability to call vehicles makes them feel like a special asset, one that is earned through the player's efforts and bought. It elevates their value, and encourages the player to use stronger vehicles for the more challenging missions. It is also befitting of their impact on the battlefield. Being able to call in vehicles shows that the player has put in the effort to build strong relations with the allies.

Example Missions

Steal APC

"Lookouts have spotted a large shipment of supplies has arrived at the XYZ port. We suspect that the Sentinel are bringing in APCs into Auroa to strengthen their position on the island. This is bad. If we can destroy them while they are still at the port we might be able to stop that. Better yet, if we can capture them, we can use it for ourselves."

This is a faction mission for the Outcasts. The player is tasked with infiltrating Liberty Port and capture some Incursion APCs for the Outcasts. Completing this mission will unlock the APC for the player to use. The mission flow is as follows:

1. Once the player arrives at Liberty Province, they are then instructed to meet with a group of Outcasts outside of Liberty Port.

2. Upon meeting with the Outcasts, they reveal the location of the APCs inside the port. They also mention a communications antenna that the player must disable in order to delay reinforcements.

3. The player will proceed to infiltrate the port. They can either do this silent or loud.

4. They must disable the communications antenna before they can proceed.

5. The player can now proceed to where the APCs are parked and clear the area.

6. Once the area is cleared, the player will have to defend the area while the Outcasts drive the APCs out of the area. When all the Outcasts have left, the player must take the last remaining APC and drive to Glenfield Farm (New Sterling).

Capture Ammunition Depot

"We know of an ammunition storage the Sentinels use to keep their heavy weaponry. We should capture the depot and take over the supplies."

This is a faction mission for the Homesteaders. The player is tasked with assaulting the Ammunition Depot in the Sinking Country province. Upon completion, the area will be henceforth be occupied by the Homesteaders and the player will unlock minigun variants for all light vehicles. The mission flow is as follows:

1. After speaking with Mads, the player must proceed to Ammunition Depot in the Sinking Country province.

2. The player must clear the place of all Sentinel forces. The player can do this either quite of loud. Reinforcements may be called.

3. Once the Depot is secured, Homesteaders will move in and the mission will be completed.

Closing

Ghost Recon Breakpoint is a pretty chill game. I had a lot of fun and spent a lot of time carefully planning my missions. I created this system because I genuinely feel this can add to the survival experience. Having to work for unlocking stronger vehicles makes the rewards that much more special and also helps justify their strength. When the player calls a powerful vehicle, they know how much effort they put into it and understand the consequences of it being destroyed.

Thanks for reading! Take Care.