Game Mechanics - Org Cities
Game Mechanics - Org Cities
There have been some incidents of late with non-invited people interrupting and spoiling Alien City Raids. Several Orgs have been impacted with this. While the community in general agrees that the behaviour of these people is wrong, FC policies do not prohibit or prevent this occurring. Additionally, FC does not allow the public discussion of its policies on any official AO Forums. This leaves us with the option of changing Game Mechanics.
Therefore, this thread is here to canvas ideas and options for changes to the Mechanics and Operation of Org Cities with a view to improving game play.
NOTE CAREFULLY: This is NOT about any specific incidents that people have had. It is also NOT about individuals involved in those incidents (that is dealt with elsewhere). Any comments of this nature and I will ask the Moderators to delete the posts concerned!
Therefore, this thread is here to canvas ideas and options for changes to the Mechanics and Operation of Org Cities with a view to improving game play.
NOTE CAREFULLY: This is NOT about any specific incidents that people have had. It is also NOT about individuals involved in those incidents (that is dealt with elsewhere). Any comments of this nature and I will ask the Moderators to delete the posts concerned!
OK, the problem is :
- We want to run an Alien Raid at a city
- We want to invite people to assist in the raid
- Once the raid is started, we do not want uninvited people to join the raid
- If someone dies during the raid, we would like them to be able to return to the raid
- The Org has a Market
- Terminals in that market need to be owned by org members only
- All people need to be able to gain access to the market to buy the items placed there by the Org's members
Someone raised the idea earlier of city shields of sorts which only org members and aliens can penetrate during a raid? Perhaps refining that idea so that people in a team that has one of the org's people can also enter the city.
As for the market, well, that may very well be the cost of "doing business" with regards to alien raids. Can't have everything.
As for the market, well, that may very well be the cost of "doing business" with regards to alien raids. Can't have everything.
All incidents up to date have been about ninja looting alien gens
This could be solved very easily with the addition of a portal that leads to
an instanced playfield (much like the zone portal in apfs) where all who
participated in killing the waves of aliens can kill the general.
The proposed portal is spawned only if the waves of aliens have been successfully killed.
If teams are only allowed in, if they have an org member in them (of the city the raid took place) problem is solved and city structure and functions, remain as they are today.
This could be solved very easily with the addition of a portal that leads to
an instanced playfield (much like the zone portal in apfs) where all who
participated in killing the waves of aliens can kill the general.
The proposed portal is spawned only if the waves of aliens have been successfully killed.
If teams are only allowed in, if they have an org member in them (of the city the raid took place) problem is solved and city structure and functions, remain as they are today.
Last edited by core on Sun Apr 30, 2006 11:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
Implementing should require as little effort as possible on FC's part.Derkiet wrote:What if Alien Raids were moved indoors? One of the buildings only org people can enter? Or you need to be in a team with an org member inside already?
Don't see why an alien ship can't knock a hole in the roof and aliens pour in through there or something...just an idea.
The kind of solution you propose requires new code.
well what I m proposing needs the addition of a spawning portal next to the CC (code exists and is being used in apfs and required graphics are also there)
and an area like the last apf part in zone 28 or 13 with a general in it
(code also exists and no graphics alterations needed)
lets take your solution : holes in buildings with aliens coming through them
now where have you seen that happening ?
and an area like the last apf part in zone 28 or 13 with a general in it
(code also exists and no graphics alterations needed)
lets take your solution : holes in buildings with aliens coming through them
now where have you seen that happening ?
Well, the answer to that question is two fold. Am I a coder? No. I dislike programming. Can I program? Yes. I did Software Engineering at Uni.
However, let's keep this as an open ended brainstorming thread, hrmm? Let's not get too bogged down in shooting down ideas and potentially discouraging other people from suggesting things.
However, let's keep this as an open ended brainstorming thread, hrmm? Let's not get too bogged down in shooting down ideas and potentially discouraging other people from suggesting things.
@derkiet : had to comment on a more technical aspect (not really but tech based rather) of things, so some of the limitations of what should be proposed be known to less tech oriented people in these forums.
Imho, it’s better to get turned down getting an answer about why, than being ignored by FC as you would be if you posted in the official forums.
Not so long ago there was a discussion with some GMs that really helped this
game, on a subject that was long buried by them as "not solvable", so they are listening but they really can’t do much atm, due to very busy schedules with other work engagements.
However ignore me and come forth with ground breaking ideas, by all means
Imho, it’s better to get turned down getting an answer about why, than being ignored by FC as you would be if you posted in the official forums.
Not so long ago there was a discussion with some GMs that really helped this
game, on a subject that was long buried by them as "not solvable", so they are listening but they really can’t do much atm, due to very busy schedules with other work engagements.
However ignore me and come forth with ground breaking ideas, by all means
All "Constructive" critisim is always welcome! It is not going to help us to put forward an "unworkable" solution. I expect that a solution requiring minimal changes will help get a higher priority. BUT, that is no reason not to suggest as many ideas and options as possible. From my very limited coding experience I know it is very hard for an outsider to determine what is and is not difficult to code.
So back to the ideas:
So back to the ideas:
- * I think Derkiet's idea involves the city putting up a shield as the aliens begin their attack. The shield is not able to be penetrated by players, but Aliens seem to have found a limited way to break through. Players that die can return via a City Grid Terminal (so limited to org members only).
The Role-Play aspect would be a change to the current "shield" generator to make it a combination City Camouflage and Shield device. We turn off the Camouflage that hides the city from the aliens, but if they attack it generates the shield around the boundries of the City. As all the cities currently have defined boundries, the only changes would be to make that boundry impermeable from when the "Aliens have targeted your city" message is received, till the General is dead or the raid leaves.
- * I think Core's idea is to "instance" the General with players teleporting to its location. Only those people involved in the killing of the waves could use the teleport, though how this is determined I do not know. Maybe key aliens (ie Hackers) start dropping teleport activation devices? Making the raid force to move to the General does help protect the raid from outside influence and (depending on implementation) still allow outsiders to legitimately join the raid.
I would suggest a slight variation to promote Role-Play aspects. This would be that the "ground General" dissappears to become an easily accessable General on the ship (1 room and 1 lift to the boss room). When this ship general is killed, we gain access to an instanced portal (discover/decode the location of the ship's base) that allows us to go to an instanced playfield of an alien base (the replacement for the current ship and hopefully not so laggy). All the "coding" to do this already exists, which is a great advantage. What is left to do is to set up surfaces and "design" the instanced area. I have no idea of the work involved in that part. [BTW Core, I would love to see a Role-Play view of your original idea]