ID's are needed to vend out equipment, as well as giving load-out restrictions per ID.
Benefits:
This system solves alot of problems.
Since every marine is limited in the load out they can take per ID, a marine who wants to take multiple grenades, rifles, launchers, flares, ammo will still be able to carry multiple's of the item in question. But they are now going to have to sacrifice other options to do so, which might put them at an intense disadvantage.
This ID system also helps fix some greed problems, where a few marines might take all of a rare item and leave none for other teammates. This can be seen especially in the case of specialty ammo(AP). Everyone has a chance to get certain items at the cost to others.
The ID system also helps balance the number of items per player, which greatly helps balance for both Low and High pop rounds. Instead of having 30 rifles/pistols/armors/backpacks in the vendors for 12 low pop marines[or 50 hi-pop], it is now balanced to have only x amount per ID, available only to that marine's ID in question.
The game experience can be better balanced and finely tuned since Devs are no longer balancing the gear of multiple marines at a time, only a singular marine. This also helps reduce mod workload as first drops now definitly have *only* what is required for first drops. No more backpacks full of ammo and supplies, unless you sacrifice a part of your loadout to do so. [ back pack full of helmets? grenade launchers? well, you must be missing out on that spare ammo or flares then for your squad]
Squads are pressured into working closer together and sharing supplies. If you have some spare room in your loadout, maybe offer to take some rifle ammo, or lend out an unneeded shotgun.
The tension of resupply is increased, as well as overall value of each item in a marines inventory since replacement is much harder.
This also means that aliens can be better balanced as well. [hint hint, less need for hugger spam if theres less helmets overall by comparison]
Details:
an example of how the ID vendor system would work:
Urist McRine spawns in.
after eating some food, he goes into the locker room, and slides his ID on the vendor
The vendor now shows his loadout options
► Show Spoiler
1 mk2 rifle [ unloaded]
1 underslung grenade launcher [2 grenades]
1 combat knife
1 grenade
2x rifle rounds
2x more rifle rounds
1x grenade
1x AP ammo
1x AP ammo
and standard clothing
Thats the max that McRine can grab by himself.
Implementation:
Hopefully, scince each ID is a unique item, they can have maybe some extra data popped on. When the marine selects his load out, his options are saved into the ID, so when he slides it again in the vendor it knows already what options he had chosen. A,B,C 1,2,3 etc.
If he wants to change out his selection, all he has to do is get a similar item(say, an unloaded/unmodded mk2 rifle) and stick it back in, and the ID card will accept it as a returned item and reset the option selection. There would still be some exploits(find someones rifle, stick it in machine to get another underslung), but they should be alot less of a problem then the current system.
This is also able to be changed as suggestions flow in, maybe have it apply to other classes as well (mmm engineers now dont have to worry about stolen metal)
