Forums » Suggestions
live combat matchmaking mission (instead of magical duel sectors)
[Context: There have been a number of threads lately asking for magical duel buttons that bring you to an arena/locked sector with an opponent to fight it out. Although I can understand the desire for action in a sometimes empty verse, I (and others) are against this because (1) it breaks immersion and realism to add magical jumps and locked sectors, and (2) it takes people looking for a fight away from the actual systems, so it compounds the loneliness. If I look for a fight I hang out at the usual wormholes or plot a loop through gray/UIT in the hopes of meeting someone killable, and if people stop doing that it would reduce the chance of encounters.]
My alternative suggestion: have a military training mission "live combat" at capital stations that gives two options [1] fight an NPC [2] wait for another PC to take the mission (with an option to not accept the duel). Mission locks you into a duel with that player and sets a waypoint to an empty sector. For the rest, nothing changes, so you can potentially run into other players, other players can chase you, etc.
This can help people satisfy their combat itch and get quick practice fights if they don't have a group of friends or guild mates online. It also allows you to test loadouts / tactics against NPC fighters in various ships.
Hopefully, the "training" nature and the fact that you fight people of the same nationality [or at least, people docked in the same capital system] will make it feel less like the real thing, so people will still troll grey when they're done practicing, just like how organised training sessions in guilds improve rather than detract from gameplay.
Optionally cater for group fights as well. so you can e.g. train your tactics against a group of PC or AI fighters.
* e.g. choose from a short list of ships/loadouts: "the following players are intersted in a duel: John Hasaship, flying a vulture MkIV with energy weapons, Pete Shootsback, flying an undisclosed ship, ..."; AI equipment and/or skill based on duel standing/level if possible.
My alternative suggestion: have a military training mission "live combat" at capital stations that gives two options [1] fight an NPC [2] wait for another PC to take the mission (with an option to not accept the duel). Mission locks you into a duel with that player and sets a waypoint to an empty sector. For the rest, nothing changes, so you can potentially run into other players, other players can chase you, etc.
This can help people satisfy their combat itch and get quick practice fights if they don't have a group of friends or guild mates online. It also allows you to test loadouts / tactics against NPC fighters in various ships.
Hopefully, the "training" nature and the fact that you fight people of the same nationality [or at least, people docked in the same capital system] will make it feel less like the real thing, so people will still troll grey when they're done practicing, just like how organised training sessions in guilds improve rather than detract from gameplay.
Optionally cater for group fights as well. so you can e.g. train your tactics against a group of PC or AI fighters.
* e.g. choose from a short list of ships/loadouts: "the following players are intersted in a duel: John Hasaship, flying a vulture MkIV with energy weapons, Pete Shootsback, flying an undisclosed ship, ..."; AI equipment and/or skill based on duel standing/level if possible.
Waiting for another PC is something nobody is going to go for.
It's something people do every day.
+1 good idea. There needs to be some multiplayer content available to newbies that doesn't involve finding out how standing works the hard way.
+1 good idea. There needs to be some multiplayer content available to newbies that doesn't involve finding out how standing works the hard way.
+1 I like the first part about simple matching for NPC or player duels.
It's something people do every day.
Waiting in well traveled sectors is quite different from waiting around in capitol systems for newbs to take a mission.
If anything it will show newbs even earlier on that there really aren't many people playing this game. That's my prediction, anyway.
I think it might be more effective if it was capped at a lower combat level and cross-marketed in the tutorial missions and combat training missions. Leaving it as one of many many missions to be discovered is self defeating.
Waiting in well traveled sectors is quite different from waiting around in capitol systems for newbs to take a mission.
If anything it will show newbs even earlier on that there really aren't many people playing this game. That's my prediction, anyway.
I think it might be more effective if it was capped at a lower combat level and cross-marketed in the tutorial missions and combat training missions. Leaving it as one of many many missions to be discovered is self defeating.
there really aren't many people playing this game
Since when? OK, compared to some other space games VO may have a lower count, but I log in during off peak times mostly, and still find folks to talk to, fight with and help or hinder. From what I have seen the VO player base is growing constantly.
Since when? OK, compared to some other space games VO may have a lower count, but I log in during off peak times mostly, and still find folks to talk to, fight with and help or hinder. From what I have seen the VO player base is growing constantly.