Nimnul, on 09 October 2018 - 02:40 PM, said:
50 50
The wrong actions of the developers made people go away. And now you say that you do not need to change anything.
Hi Nimnul,
Won't disagree with you re the decline in player base but I am not saying we do not need to change anything. The mode desperately needs significant and meaningful changes.
What I meant about the addition of new features to the mode is that they should build depth into it by creating interactions with other aspects of the game and adding some element of risk vs reward.
I understand the reason for wanting to add a vote option to provide some choice and using the combined map+mode is a different way to do it, but like quick play, the feature more often prevents players from getting a map+mode and functions more like a delaying action than an actual significant choice. ie. It's more of a lottery. Click to play but you may not get your choice anyway.
If there was no vote and it returned to the random map and mode selection it would be faster and achieve the same result.
The point I am making is that there should be a reason, a need, behind selecting a particular mission other than it just being a favourite (a want).
I will state that I don't believe we need a map selection and it may even work better if for each attack phase the maps are all based on a particular biome. (Desert, Forest, Snow etc)
This would create another point of difference compared to Quick Play and adds more to the planning aspect of the mode in preparing drop decks. It would also be worth considering extending the attack phase duration to reduce needing to edit the drop decks every day and in creating more of a campaign feel to the mode which can also be marketed. ie. This week it's an arctic environment: Sale on snow colours and camo.
However, to give the voting a real purpose we have to ask:
What is the reason to take on a Siege mission?
What is the reason to take on a Conquestion mission?
Currently there is no reward specific to that mission and no risk to us should we fail that mission or not be able to select it.
This is because there is no depth in the mode at the player level beyond earning c-bills and reputation/loyalty points.
I'll try and use a repair feature as an example:
Say for Faction Play we had a set number of 'Supply Points' which are recorded on our drop deck.
These points are added at the start of an attack phase and removed at the end of it, they are provided by our faction.
Whenever a mech is damaged or destroyed in battle we can spend supply points to repair it and drop again with that mech, or pick a different mech in the drop deck for the next drop.
At some point we are going to run out of supply points.
Now if a Conquest mission provided supply points back to the drop deck you were using when you were successful in that mission, you create a purpose, a need to select that mission so you can keep using that drop deck.
Voting for a mission then has a deeper purpose but can incorporate other elements in it's design to further integrate with the missions.
This is where I see Scouting and the collection of 'Intel Points' to provide something to the players personally.
As above:
Say for Faction Play we can accumulate 'Intel Points' on our drop deck.
We collect these points by completing scouting missions and then use the Intel Points to 'vote' for missions. Voting isn't quite the right term, it's more like 'Bid' for a mission. Bid more Intel Points to assure you get the mission you want at the risk of spending too many and having to scout sooner, or not enough and be out bid by the enemy who may want to intercept your force in a skirmish in an attempt to burn through supply points.
We start to get this purpose and integration of different features in the mode.
The problem is that to build in even some pretty simple features that could add a bit more depth to the mode it needs PGI to devote resources to the development of them. Unfortunately, despite how much you or I might feel it would help or how much the mode actually needs significant enhancement, the chance of getting new features is slim to none.
Anyway, I hope that helps explain my line of thought as I truely would like to see Faction Play evolve towards the original goals outlined years ago in some shape or form.
Edited by 50 50, 11 October 2018 - 07:59 PM.