Making a deeper, more persistent metagame - Page 3

Sledgecrushr · 2012-06-11, 07:35 PM

I think keeping score would be fun. Does this add a lot of depth to the game, no I dont think so.

OutlawDr · 2012-06-11, 10:04 PM

I think you are underrating the impact it could have. Perhaps "depth" isn't the right word, since it doesn't add complexity to gameplay...its has nothing to do with gameplay in fact. A better wording is probably 'meaning'. It will add more meaning to the game's metagame, and get you to care a bit more about whats happening short and long term. Maybe you don't care about score regardless. It won't affect you either way though. It only adds to the game, with negligible downsides.

mynameismud · 2012-06-11, 11:12 PM

Originally Posted by OutlawDr

They wouldn't count for scoring purposes, but how they leave the map for the next group will obviously have an impact. But I'd suggest playing in a server with a prime time during your main play times.

So you are suggesting i play on a laggy far away server because sometimes i like to play till the sun comes up. ya i call shenanigans. Night people are people too.

As for your idea it all just sounds like a giant E-Peen measuring contest. Let's fight for bases and resources, not superficial stats that add little.

Dloan · 2012-06-11, 11:42 PM

IMO, a PS metagame would involve channeling resources from the "normal" game into player built continents. Building structures and defenses and capturing and/or destroying those of the other factions. The defenses available would be formidable enough to require sustained attack for hours so the front lines, once established, take serious effort and resources to move. It would be possible to wipe a faction off these continents and erase everything they ever built. That should promote some serious rivalry!

OutlawDr · 2012-06-11, 11:52 PM

Originally Posted by mynameismud

So you are suggesting i play on a laggy far away server because sometimes i like to play till the sun comes up. ya i call shenanigans. Night people are people too.

As for your idea it all just sounds like a giant E-Peen measuring contest. Let's fight for bases and resources, not superficial stats that add little.

So... youre insulted that this metagame idea will not include you, but you don't want it anyway...even if it won't affect you in the slightest..BTW, I didn't mean to be an oppressor of the night people. Good news though, I've since changed my stance on how to handle off hours. Give it a read if you like.

Shade Millith · 2012-06-12, 05:58 AM

While this is true, PS1 vets know this is really only half the truth. How you leave the map for the night is not how its going to look the next day. All the gains you and your outfit made the night prior could be completely altered by the handful of people playing in the early morning and afternoon before prime time. Thats the nature of Planetside, and it is what it is. Not much you can do about that directly.

Amazing!

People playing the game off-peak take and loose bases. Just like people playing on-peak. It's almost like they're... playing the game!

You know what's really annoying to me? Is those damn on-peak players that move the map around while I'm not playing. Rude and inconsiderate!

I'm sorry, this entire idea of "On-Peak Master Race" is beyond absurd. It's almost like you think that 'Persistent World' means 'Persistent when I play'.

Mechzz · 2012-06-12, 06:01 AM

Originally Posted by Shade Millith

I'm sorry, this entire idea of "On-Peak Master Race" is beyond absurd. It's almost like you think that 'Persistent World' means 'Persistent when I play'.

If a base falls in the wee small hours and there's no-one there to hear it, does it still make a sound?

Synapse · 2012-06-12, 06:11 AM

Its a start, but I'd rather go much farther in search of a grander metagame.

What's needed are objectives to fight for over the course of weeks or months, with many outfits working together towards that end.

Traenor · 2012-06-12, 06:17 AM

Originally Posted by Mechzz

If a base falls in the wee small hours and there's no-one there to hear it, does it still make a sound?

Who made it fall in the first place then?

Anywho, making a scoring system has some pitfalls, but might work. This does however not add to the metagame that much, as metagame is defined as knowledge affecting gameplay without being part of gameplay. This is just a scoring mechanism to make people more interested, and i support that, since more ways to measure yourself = immersion and interest.

Miir · 2012-06-12, 09:32 AM

Originally Posted by Dloan

IMO, a PS metagame would involve channeling resources from the "normal" game into player built continents. Building structures and defenses and capturing and/or destroying those of the other factions. The defenses available would be formidable enough to require sustained attack for hours so the front lines, once established, take serious effort and resources to move. It would be possible to wipe a faction off these continents and erase everything they ever built. That should promote some serious rivalry!

This pretty much sums up my feelings exactly. Give the players the ability to make their own content and fun and you got a great metagame. It's that simple. If I can deploy a base in a certain location buy upgrades for it (ie turrets, shields, walls, towers, vehicle spawn points etc.) You bring a whole other level to the gameplay. You give the players some sense of ownership which makes them want to work harder to protect "their base".

I don't believe having a scoreboard will add much to the metagame

Actually if I remember correctly they had daily winners posted on which empire had the most land in the original game. At least while the Planetside stats were working. But thinking back it had little impact on me or my outfit personally.

Stats are important though. Just not for the primary metagame.

MrMorton · 2012-06-12, 09:47 AM

I would love to see weekly (or monthly) 'tournament' style stat keeping.

at the end of each week/month, the territory held by each faction would be measured, and the side with the highest percentage of land would get an xp/cert boost for the following 3 days/week (depending on whether the cycle was weekly or monthly).

This would be on top of the faction population bonuses, so if the lowest pop faction really pulls together and wins the map, they will have a very large xp boost for a while.

Then, to actually make people care in the long run, at the end of each year the faction with the most monthly wins would be crowned the champion for that year. Any players active in that faction during that time would get a badge/medal saying "2013 champions".

I would think that this would be very easy to implement (even by a third party system if soe doesn't like it) with all the data they say they will be releasing.

OutlawDr · 2012-06-12, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by Shade Millith

Amazing!

People playing the game off-peak take and loose bases. Just like people playing on-peak. It's almost like they're... playing the game!

You know what's really annoying to me? Is those damn on-peak players that move the map around while I'm not playing. Rude and inconsiderate!

I'm sorry, this entire idea of "On-Peak Master Race" is beyond absurd. It's almost like you think that 'Persistent World' means 'Persistent when I play'.

Ohh gosh, more flippant indignation. Issues of exploitation were why I initially posted peek only, it wasn't just to steal your cookies. However a good solution has come about since then, so we can all eat our cookies in harmony.

Baron · 2012-06-12, 10:20 AM

If you're so worried about the alternative scheduled players, why don't you start an outfit dedicated to off-peak playing to stop them?

You could name yourselves the "Midnight Runners" ...and get an outfit leader named Dixie.

OutlawDr · 2012-06-12, 10:30 AM

As much as I would love to play from 6pm to 6am every day. I can't ..D:

But really, I wasn't worried about off-peek players taking my stuff. Its part of the game. I love night people and think they are swell. My friend is a night people. The issue was that the meta would gravitate into who can stay up the longest to roll over the off-peek players and their lower numbers. Sure you can counter by staying up late all the time, but sleep then becomes an issue. I didn't want the meta to turn into grueling sleep deprivation. But with scoring modified by total faction population and relative faction population, there would no longer be a problem with this.