Forums » Suggestions
Bots, and the dullness of travel.
Part of the reason travel is so dull is because its *ridiculously* easy to avoid any hive presence at all. Ion storms just get in the way, they don't add any gameplay or risk to the situation unless you're in a pathetic ship.
I think it'd be a good idea to populate wormhole sectors with a limited hive presence, on top of the planned NPC pirates. As well as that, with the whole bastion mentality and all, lets see actual bot convoys head out from the stronghold to the destination- instead of the random "just-warp-in" feature we have currently- which should be reserved for nation-space training spots.
You all know how cool it'd be to encounter a queen + entourage flying out from sedina to populate a new bastion in edras. You know how awesome getting a party of 6-8 players trying to whittle down the escort bots while a lone pair of heavies try to scratch out the queen would be.
Now if wormholes were *not* eligible for bastion status (due to wormholes interfering with the queen's in-belly construction systems, or something) but could instead be home to some sped-up assault bots near the sedina-bractus area, or a couple guardians further out, or just... well, anything besides the crappy ion storms. Fortifications which get tougher and tougher to run through the closer you get to the 3 strongholds. I can't see the hive just letting you waltz through to their home base, and have no idea why they're forbidden from wormhole areas.
I think it'd be a good idea to populate wormhole sectors with a limited hive presence, on top of the planned NPC pirates. As well as that, with the whole bastion mentality and all, lets see actual bot convoys head out from the stronghold to the destination- instead of the random "just-warp-in" feature we have currently- which should be reserved for nation-space training spots.
You all know how cool it'd be to encounter a queen + entourage flying out from sedina to populate a new bastion in edras. You know how awesome getting a party of 6-8 players trying to whittle down the escort bots while a lone pair of heavies try to scratch out the queen would be.
Now if wormholes were *not* eligible for bastion status (due to wormholes interfering with the queen's in-belly construction systems, or something) but could instead be home to some sped-up assault bots near the sedina-bractus area, or a couple guardians further out, or just... well, anything besides the crappy ion storms. Fortifications which get tougher and tougher to run through the closer you get to the 3 strongholds. I can't see the hive just letting you waltz through to their home base, and have no idea why they're forbidden from wormhole areas.
Yes! I love that 'Hive sending out a convoy to build a new bastion' concept. Also, we could make interstellar travel more interesting (involved):
http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/3/11369
http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/3/11369
Boring.
If you put the hive next to a wormhole, you essentially have just another stormed sector.
If you put the hive next to a wormhole, you essentially have just another stormed sector.
the reason why travel is boring is because it delays you in what you are planning to do. make travel instant and it won't be boring, but thats impossible anyway.
But the point i was trying to make was that it has nothing to do with the content present, but because it slows us down in the objectives we set for ourselves.
But the point i was trying to make was that it has nothing to do with the content present, but because it slows us down in the objectives we set for ourselves.
no no no, make it more challenging, not instant. if you want instant gratification go play galaga:
http://www.tripletsandus.com/80s/80s_games/galaga.htm
http://www.tripletsandus.com/80s/80s_games/galaga.htm
well why do you think that in practically all the movies you don't see people travel from point x to point y but see max a couple indications of them undertaking the journey.
Since travelling is boing... and encountering some hive or pirates won't change that...
Since travelling is boing... and encountering some hive or pirates won't change that...
Encountering pirates and hive at a WH point is functionally equivalent of hitting a storm. You have one exit point, and pseudo-nasty bots between you and the exit point.
As soon as one reaches either a FC or an infini-boot ship, there's no challenge. It's just a waiting time.
When I was a noob, I was scared s* about storms. That feeling passed away when I reached 2/-/-/-/-.
So, putting bots 'n pirates at WH points changes nothing. it doesn't add any challenge.
As soon as one reaches either a FC or an infini-boot ship, there's no challenge. It's just a waiting time.
When I was a noob, I was scared s* about storms. That feeling passed away when I reached 2/-/-/-/-.
So, putting bots 'n pirates at WH points changes nothing. it doesn't add any challenge.
Hive should Hang out in Station sectors... and then follow players...
Yesh... that would be interesting...
Yesh... that would be interesting...
no, they send attack squads in...a good chance for the Sf to do some fighting :D
Like the station A.I. that I keep harping about, I think the bots should have a kind of overseeing "Bot A.I." Call it the void, or the leviathan, or whatever, there should be a strategic mind behind what sectors the hive attempts to control.
For example, if *I* controlled the hive, I would have queens stationed outside of every station in Sedina, along with many, many bots. Valent assaults and Arklan guardians would camp the station exits, and the queen would mop up the SF that came around. WH sectors would be guarded by MANY of some new kind of swarm-spamming bot that would camp the WH and shoot at anything and everything that attempted to come thru. That would leave my collectors to go get the best ores in the system, and eliminate the only competition for ores in the galaxy - humanity. I mean, the Hive needs to be a bit smarter.
As long as this stuff only occurs in grayspace, then I think this would be OK. It's no good to have newbies slaughtered by advanced hive bots at the home stations of their nation.
I'd love to see a mission where a Queen is spawned in Sedina's Levi sector, it heads out to Edras and it's OUR job to stop it before it gets there, otherwise let's say a new levi spawns THERE. There needs to be some kind of penalty for ALL of us if that kind of thing succeeds for the Hive. (new topic I think)
But yeah, travel is dull.
For example, if *I* controlled the hive, I would have queens stationed outside of every station in Sedina, along with many, many bots. Valent assaults and Arklan guardians would camp the station exits, and the queen would mop up the SF that came around. WH sectors would be guarded by MANY of some new kind of swarm-spamming bot that would camp the WH and shoot at anything and everything that attempted to come thru. That would leave my collectors to go get the best ores in the system, and eliminate the only competition for ores in the galaxy - humanity. I mean, the Hive needs to be a bit smarter.
As long as this stuff only occurs in grayspace, then I think this would be OK. It's no good to have newbies slaughtered by advanced hive bots at the home stations of their nation.
I'd love to see a mission where a Queen is spawned in Sedina's Levi sector, it heads out to Edras and it's OUR job to stop it before it gets there, otherwise let's say a new levi spawns THERE. There needs to be some kind of penalty for ALL of us if that kind of thing succeeds for the Hive. (new topic I think)
But yeah, travel is dull.
As soon as one reaches either a FC or an infini-boot ship, there's no challenge. It's just a waiting time.
and therein lies the reason that infiniboost should be capped at 160ish, and anything with a speed of better than 200 should have minimum 60 drain.
Make running more dificult and space becomes interesting again because the challenge returns.
and therein lies the reason that infiniboost should be capped at 160ish, and anything with a speed of better than 200 should have minimum 60 drain.
Make running more dificult and space becomes interesting again because the challenge returns.
*agrees with Spellcast*
Spellcast don't make this a thread about runners and infiboost being the root of all evil in VO, it's NOT. It's the lack of content and that nothing ever comes after you when your flying around. That hopefully will soon change with the new mission editor. I agree with LeberMac that the hive does need to be a bit smarter, but time will tell if the devs are going to improve it or not. Still waiting to see the Hive move out of sedina, that would be a nice change!! Perhaps when the new UI makes its way to the production server permanently the devs can throw a big event or something.
Have different sectors/ion storms have conditions, DoT, and hull damage with varying degree, have the ships computer calculate how long it can hold in this particular storm and have storms do heavier and heavier radiation starting with harmless in newb areas scaling down to a 1min timer in the deadly greyspace.
As to bots, many good suggestions have been made, and the bot IA needs a tweak or two, make make more bots aggro within different ranges based on bot type.
I like the HIve convoy to new systems, make strikeforces defeat or thin them down if no player respond
And for bots, make players report for hive-duty, a Hive-watch, an intelligence feed would be available, with more or less details about hive activities in the system. The information come sfrom decrypted information obtained by hacking hive comchannels (its not like its uber advanced) if no player respond to new intel on the hive, and accept the mission, strikeforce will attemt to intercept and destroy. The possibilities for the hive to spread can lie in players forgetting or failing their missions. think of it as a hive bounties
As to bots, many good suggestions have been made, and the bot IA needs a tweak or two, make make more bots aggro within different ranges based on bot type.
I like the HIve convoy to new systems, make strikeforces defeat or thin them down if no player respond
And for bots, make players report for hive-duty, a Hive-watch, an intelligence feed would be available, with more or less details about hive activities in the system. The information come sfrom decrypted information obtained by hacking hive comchannels (its not like its uber advanced) if no player respond to new intel on the hive, and accept the mission, strikeforce will attemt to intercept and destroy. The possibilities for the hive to spread can lie in players forgetting or failing their missions. think of it as a hive bounties
ok then john, want to make ion storms dangerous and interesting, GIVE EVERYONE THE SAME EXIT POINT. I can almost gaurnetee that PC pirates will take up residence and NPC pirates will be easier to add at a later date.
Of course that wont make any difference because people will still just turbo away and it will still only be an inconvinience. It's not running per-say that makes the game dull, its the lack of concequences for choices that we make.
Trading in grey space is a choice, the game should provide a risk for choosing to do so, (slower ship speed on trade vessels is a good way to add that risk, as it makes you more likely to be attacked)
On the same token however the game also needs to provide larger rewards to balance out that risk. (economy rebalance so that grey space has some rare items that are in high demand.. and so that certain... 'luxury' items are demanded by grey space)
How about a new random mission that you can only get if you are caught in an ion storm. The game occasionally spawns a trader or such that gets caught in a storm and /msg's the next person into the storm with good standing with his faction for assistance.
as for the idea of populating wormholes with a hive presence, why not. That sounds like a good idea to me. once a hive has reached a certain 'critical mass' it moves to secure the entire system:
Sends an overseer and a pair of queens and thier courts to each station(strike forces and station defenders need to be limited in some manner, a delay between launches and a max number of SF's each station can launch would be a good start)... dispatches 2 overseers and 3 queens to each wormhole, etc etc.
Such actions should be possible in nation space, but much more unlikely because military and bounty hunter NPC's should be taking the hive hunt missions inside nation systems far more often then they take them in unmonitored space.
Of course that wont make any difference because people will still just turbo away and it will still only be an inconvinience. It's not running per-say that makes the game dull, its the lack of concequences for choices that we make.
Trading in grey space is a choice, the game should provide a risk for choosing to do so, (slower ship speed on trade vessels is a good way to add that risk, as it makes you more likely to be attacked)
On the same token however the game also needs to provide larger rewards to balance out that risk. (economy rebalance so that grey space has some rare items that are in high demand.. and so that certain... 'luxury' items are demanded by grey space)
How about a new random mission that you can only get if you are caught in an ion storm. The game occasionally spawns a trader or such that gets caught in a storm and /msg's the next person into the storm with good standing with his faction for assistance.
as for the idea of populating wormholes with a hive presence, why not. That sounds like a good idea to me. once a hive has reached a certain 'critical mass' it moves to secure the entire system:
Sends an overseer and a pair of queens and thier courts to each station(strike forces and station defenders need to be limited in some manner, a delay between launches and a max number of SF's each station can launch would be a good start)... dispatches 2 overseers and 3 queens to each wormhole, etc etc.
Such actions should be possible in nation space, but much more unlikely because military and bounty hunter NPC's should be taking the hive hunt missions inside nation systems far more often then they take them in unmonitored space.