Needless to say, two of Red Eclipse's huge selling points are 1) the real-time [multiplayer] editor, as has been the case in all Cube Engine 1/2 games, and 2) the variable system (world and weapon). Taking these two "pillars" of the game and further incorporating them could take the project to whole new dimensions.
I do understand there may be substantial need of rewrite should we actually wish to pursue them -- and so on that front they may be too unrealistic -- but it never hurts to daydream. As the community, it's our job to hit Quin over the head with ideas... right, Quin??
Idea #1) Some mutator that allows an individual or a team to purchase upgrades during the fight at a cost of points. During the interlude period of a match of team survivor, for example, the team could vote to collectively change the specs of their loadout. When I say upgrades, think clip size, projectile speed or behavior, explosion radii, reload times, etc.. The same could be applied to the player (hit points, speed, impulse costs, etc.). Think One Must Fall: 2097's tournament mode or the weapon upgrade system in Konami's Coded Arms.
#1a) This is sort of subsidiary to idea #1, and is much more... involving, from the coder's point of view, but I'll bring it up anyway. Expanding on #1, there could be an entire mode dedicated to this upgrade system. While in #1 these upgrades were temporary, only lasting until the end of the match (almost Rogue-like-esque in that way -- you play many times over from scratch, but there is progression despite of that within those play sessions), #1a would entail lasting stats. You'd join a "tournament" mode server and play with your leveled up guy, with his own specs (involving him and his guns). This really would be like Coded Arms then. I know we have sort of a quasi-account system... I'd imagine this to be some extension of that.
#2) Again similar to #1, but on a different front. A new style of maps would emerge that'd be a mix between a new, empty editing map in Red Eclipse, a new world in Minecraft, and Starsiege: Tribes in that it's a largely empty, outdoor arena. This mode would take place in phases, much like the games in the Tower Defense genre. A match would consist of two: "construction" and "play" . The former would let the players fly around and make rudimentary changes to the geometry. You'd, in effect, be building your own bases. When the construction phase ends, the play one would begin (which would be the pursuit of some objective, like normal: CTF, team deathmatch, Bomberball, etc.).
Again, these ideas are much larger in scope from a coding point of view, but I thought it'd be a fun conversation to have, and one that might be conducive to some good ideas. What do you guys think?