84 replies to this topic

[Monkey Lover]

Im having a bad feeling about the upcoming 3 ceasefires. The last few nights we been getting out numbered 3 to 1. Even on some of our bigger nights im not sure if we would have matched this,

Now when it comes to 3 ceasefires are we going to have any coverage on these times?

[Kjudoon]

We're going to quickly learn which factions truly are largest, are the most organized, loaded with the most overseas players and competitive in a short period.

Since then a faction could now flip 3 planets a day on any front they have, I expect us to see changes in the map to where Kurita, Liao and Marik to get rolled up like scrolls.

[mp00]

Our non-NA time zone players are going to be super important now and we will need to rely on them a lot. Co-ordinating them to get together on a teamspeak will be huge.

I actually see this helping Liao and Kurita a bit more since they have a few good sized groups coordinating attacks. We will need 313th and BoS amongst others working together

At least we knew it was coming and it will be a needed change until we get more substance to CW and more maps.

[Mark Brandhauber]

European and Oceanic units will finally feel they are achieving something in CW and house's with a strong mix of nationalities will be stronger than ever, CW will no longer be a mark of how good a house'es north American pilots are. I do not see a problem with this, I do see a trend developing in larger units scrambling to hire European and Oceanic pilots where before they concentrated on north american pilots, over doing this may actually dilute the strength of units in the European and Oceanic timezones with drops in cw being unit limited currently.
As a member of a European unit i welcome the changes.

Edited by Mark Brandhauber, 18 January 2015 - 09:30 AM.

[Mycrus]

Ahem.

[Mark Brandhauber]

and of course the Forgotten 8th will have to co-ordinate with other oceanic units

[Kjudoon]

Y'all ain't gonna 'feel' important... you're going to be VERY important. Plus, for those of us who do not live on normal 9-5 schedules here in the NA zones, this will open up something new for us too.

My only worry on this is how fast a front can change since we have no ability to control how it changes

[Monkey Lover]

Mark Brandhauber, on 18 January 2015 - 09:27 AM, said:

European and Oceanic units will finally feel they are achieving something in CW and house's with a strong mix of nationalities will be stronger than ever, CW will no longer be a mark of how good a house'es north American pilots are. I do not see a problem with this, I do see a trend developing in larger units scrambling to hire European and Oceanic pilots where before they concentrated on north american pilots, over doing this may actually dilute the strength of units in the European and Oceanic timezones with drops in cw being unit limited currently.
As a member of a European unit i welcome the changes.

It sounds really good i hope we have as much or more Oceanic and Euro players than U.S. If not i feel its going to be hard to even ghost drop a planet to 50%.

[Mark Brandhauber]

most of our european units don't drop very much in cw now because of the fact we cannot influence the results our actual numbers may suprize you

[mp00]

I hope so and you guys run all over spreading your names (and mariks) throughout the inner sphere

[Kjudoon]

Mark Brandhauber, on 18 January 2015 - 09:45 AM, said:

most of our european units don't drop very much in cw now because of the fact we cannot influence the results our actual numbers may suprize you

I seriously look forward to being surprised and having people to play with at odd hours. Well odd over here.

[Monkey Lover]

Kjudoon, on 18 January 2015 - 10:34 AM, said:

I seriously look forward to being surprised and having people to play with at odd hours. Well odd over here.

Me too but im still worried I used to work graveyard 6 months ago and pug land was a ghost town during the oceanic hours when I was up.

[Alexander Steel]

Personally I think CW changes too quickly with 1 planet on each front each day. I think 3 a day will be insane and pretty much force map resets every month or so.

[Mark of Caine]

Well this is Beta, and PGI is trying new things. It's up to us to test this and see what works and what doesn't work.

[Molossian Dog]

A ) I think we are going to profit from the new ceasefires. While I would have prefered some other mechanics (adding up total victories, no victory cap) we will have to see how it plays out. I can confirm that we european players weren´t playing CW as much as we could. Knowing you will have no impact at all is kind of demotivating. And even the diehards were quickly frustrated when they could find no enemies.
Considering of what I know about the Marik community and what I have perceived during the last 2 years, there are quite a few european Mariks. It could be that due to the nature of the EU timezone most of the fighting will take place at the Steiner border, instead of the Davion one. But in general I expect the Free Worlds to improve its position due to the new system.

B ) The success and playability of this change will depend on the algorithm (spelling?) that chooses target planets. Will planets that have been conquered in the EU cycle get marked for counterattacks in the NA cycle? Will freshly conquered planets serve as staging ground for further attacks, so offensives concentrate on relatively narrow corridors or will they be spread out nilly willy? Did PGI take into account average activity among the factions to decide if any given faction can or can not attack each of its neigbours?
I am not sure how far they were thinking when they made their algorithm. I do not know if they took all of these questions into account.
In fact I am not even sure what they consider as "ideal CW behaviour". Or if they even have more than a hazy imagination of how it "should be".

C ) Ghost Drops have to go. It is the worst case of CW. There might be people feeling great when they can flip planets and brand them, but I suspect most players expect to actual play. I understand what increasing waiting times before ghost drops was meant to achieve, but this is definately the wrong direction.
"An ingame option doesn´t work as intended? Frustrate the players until they stop participating."...yeah, great idea.

If PGI wants a populated CW queue (and I heavily guess they do) they should abstain from making people waste their time and bore them to hell.

There are tons of options. Just some random thoughts. Yes, some exclude each other. Mere examples, instead of fleshed-out proposals, mind you:

- restrict fronts per cycle as per activity behaviour in that timezone. Basically: don´t assign targets in inactive factions.
- only one faction is on the offensive on any given front until it is stopped cold (doesn´t flip target in a cycle)
- assign people in the queue instead of letting them choose the planet
- or offer them another game, when they can find no match, but enemies somewhere else would fit
- allow matches between teams that are equal in number but less than 12 (8vs8, 10vs10 etc)

and so on. Whatever it takes. Because ghost drops suck. They make people avoid CW. I consider this self-evident.

Edited by Molossian Dog, 18 January 2015 - 05:41 PM.

[Klappspaten]

In the FRR we are looking forward to the 3 attack phases. We have a lot of european players that finally will be able to actually take worlds. It will be better than it is now, but it won´t be the best solution, planets turn too fast allready.
What I would like to see is planets that are divided in different zones, continents, hemispheres, regions, whatever. It would be neccessary to fight long campaigns over a planet. You can split up these zones with seperate ceasifre times, so you always would have multiple choices where to attack.
In my view that would fit a lot better in the scheme with one day in real life is one day in the game.

Imagine a planet with 7 zones. On each day the two sides can fight over several of them and the planet only flips if one faction actually controls all of the zones.
You could give each of the zones an asset, for example an spaceport, and units could only use airstrikes if their faction holds an spaceport on that planet. Or if you hold an orbital gun that could expand the time between dropships arriving to drop reinforcements.
It would give CW more strategic depth. And the faction that holds more zones, or the more valuable assets would have the advantage in the fight over that planet.
Also you would have the background for more diverse missions on contested planets.

Steiner and the FRR almost pushed Clan Wolf out of the inner sphere in one and a half weeks, and that is just too quick. That needs to take longer.

Apart from that its good to see that Marik, actually all the smaller factions, do relatively well in CW.

Edited by Klappspaten, 18 January 2015 - 05:59 PM.

[Mycrus]

Mark Brandhauber, on 18 January 2015 - 09:31 AM, said:

and of course the Forgotten 8th will have to co-ordinate with other oceanic units

F8L is small, we have about only a lance strength at most any given night... we do know most of the oceanic groups.. ill see what we can whip up.. no promises though... if we do cw drops we will coordinate from marik ts.

That said, we did place 2nd in the High Pingers League Season 1 (OMC took the cake)

Edited by Mycrus, 19 January 2015 - 03:33 AM.

[Monkey Lover]

Caine2112, on 18 January 2015 - 05:08 PM, said:

Well this is Beta, and PGI is trying new things. It's up to us to test this and see what works and what doesn't work.

Ya but people are still playing and investing time into this. They need to be careful on what they do. In my view its only being called beta because they didn't spend time for years doing anything.

[LennStar]

Kjudoon, on 18 January 2015 - 09:36 AM, said:

Y'all ain't gonna 'feel' important... you're going to be VERY important. Plus, for those of us who do not live on normal 9-5 schedules here in the NA zones, this will open up something new for us too.

My only worry on this is how fast a front can change since we have no ability to control how it changes

Quote

Personally I think CW changes too quickly with 1 planet on each front each day. I think 3 a day will be insane and pretty much force map resets every month or so.

I wouldnt worry about this.
Its a test.
Its easy to change. You coudl always add more points that need to be taken or you split it to "battlefields" - every ceasefire-timezone has one and attackers need to win on 2 of 3 and fronts still change once a day.
Or in the end it will be a 40day rolling time.
Or...

Dont forget that there will be more maps and modes, too. Eventually
Perhaps there will be a "fortress attack" like now, then open field battle then routing of bases.
In one ceasefire period can only be one mode. So the attack starts
1) with destroying cannons (the hardest part, prime missions for units).
2) Then there is the open field battle - could be just like the open game modes now. Attackign supply lines etc.
3) And then to get the planet the attacker has to attack a base fortification (not cannon).

If the attacker doesnt get the points needed, the modus falls back one level.
That would make sure a planet change takes at least 24 hours and would provide different type of misions and make everyone useful.



I acutally really like what I have just pressed out of my brain. It would also make it easier for PGI to add content like maps and modes step by step and coudl include PUGs/small groups easier in an appropriate support role (where they have advantage or everyone starts the same) while allowing units to fight uphill.
But to implement that it needs at least a year, likely 2.

Edited by LennStar, 19 January 2015 - 09:52 AM.

[White Bear 84]

Alexander Steel, on 18 January 2015 - 11:48 AM, said:

Personally I think CW changes too quickly with 1 planet on each front each day. I think 3 a day will be insane and pretty much force map resets every month or so.

Have three phases for each planet?

1. First timezone coordinates attacks
2. Second time zone coordinates defense
3. Third time zone coordinates counter attack on neighbouring planet.

Cycle these phases between time zones to mix it up..