Mon Mar 24, 2003 5:13 am
The server setup I''d like to see
Requires a patch of course (or expansion perhaps).
Right now FL MP is just a slightly more involved version of quake (SP isn't that far from it either). Killing or being killed doesn't really matter all that much. No matter what you do, you cannot affect the universe.
For MP. I'd like to see the Territories evened up in strength and available weapons/ships. When someone starts playing they should be able to choose thier home territory. Starting off at the capitol of that territory instead of just New York. Pirates would have the Omicron systems. Considering how few people you can actually have on a server, let the admin set which territories can be joined. Small servers may only want 2.
Police/Military should be equal strengths among the different territories as well. Strongest/most numerous in the center systems and becoming less and less numberous as you reach the bordering systems between territories. Probably more systems like Tau/Omicron should be added between Liberty and Rhineland. These would be un-patrolled of course.
All ships, including battleships, should be purchasable and flyable (at ungodly prices and with appropriate performance/power/drawbacks). Flying a battleship solo into enemy territory should be suicide. Just like an aircraft carrier without its CAP and picket of cruisers and destroyers, you'd be too vulnerable all by yourself. You'd haul in a battleship if you wanted to attack the largest installations and even then only if you had fighters for cover. The richest players should be able to afford Cruisers but, only countries should be able to afford battleships (see taxes).
Cruisers could do decently solo but should get beaten up pretty bad if they attack larger stations and slaughtered if they attack planets.
Players should be able to dock with cruisers and battleships. Players should NOT be able to respawn from them - only planets and stations. These should NOT have infinite/instant repair/re-arm abilities though. They should have finite storage space for ammo/weapons and take time to make repairs. The more damage you have, the longer it takes. No more than 2-3 minutes at the very most though (Perhaps even less, 2-3 minutes is a LONG time in FL battles).
Capital ships could be re-supplied by players unloading ammo once they've docked with them. Ammo should be changed so it can be a cargo item (not transferrable to your own magazines in flight).
Planets and stations outside the core system should be conquerable. Take it over and it becomes a member of your territory. This shouldn't be easy and the closer to a core system you get, the harder it should be. AI Patrols in the system should alter so that they only rarely go into enemy held territory.
Conquered areas should have a rebuilding time. Light turrets appear first, heavier ones take much longer. If you're going to take one over, you better be prepared to defend it for a while.
AI Military forces in a system should automatically rush to a station's/planet's defense once an attack begins. All players should receive notification of an attack as well. Police forces and bounty hunters would not respond to attacks, only military.
One player in each territory should be electable as President, Prime Minister, Chancelor, whatever. They would have the ability to set relations with other territories. War, Neutrality, Allied, that sort of thing. Pirates would always be at war with everyone of course
Perhaps a taxation system could be good, certain percentage of all profits would go to the state for the benefit of all (more later).
A second PK setting would be required - fratricide - whether or not you can harm folks from your own territory or its allies. Add in a bounty system where fratricide automatically puts a price on the killer's head.
Killing people from neutral territories would put a price on your head in the neutral territory, but not in your own. Killing folks you're at war with would be encouraged of course
It probably doesn't need to be said but, guns need to be toned down a little and missiles improved.
Making money has to be re-worked. Without cheating I can get 2 million in a couple of hours, starting with nothing. Changing the police forces and the fratricide rules would take care of the "legitimate" methods for making quick millions but the cheats need fixing. There should be mission requirements for each level as well, to slow folks down a little.
The last point (and the one that'll get folks screaming) is the death penalty. Server operators should be able to choose the death penalty they like. Anything from lose nothing at all to If your ship is destroyed, you lose the ship - its gone, finito.
Personally I'd like to see the latter. Sure you lose a whack of cash etc but, your territory needs you. Everyone else in your country needs YOU to be flying the biggest baddest boat your level will allow. Perhaps the President would lay out the cash for a new boat (you paid your taxes right?). Perhaps the other players would chip in and spring for the new boat. This should be under human, not AI, control though. Otherwise griefers would just keep getting ships and flying them into planets.
I think this would foster a great PvP game. If you want to succeed, you have to be good to your countrymen. You can't just make enough cash to get your level, you'll also want to be contributing to the federal budget - to pay for battleships, player ship replacements, and all that ammo on deep strike missions.
Anyway, thats about all the points I can remember at the moment. Thoughts?
Right now FL MP is just a slightly more involved version of quake (SP isn't that far from it either). Killing or being killed doesn't really matter all that much. No matter what you do, you cannot affect the universe.
For MP. I'd like to see the Territories evened up in strength and available weapons/ships. When someone starts playing they should be able to choose thier home territory. Starting off at the capitol of that territory instead of just New York. Pirates would have the Omicron systems. Considering how few people you can actually have on a server, let the admin set which territories can be joined. Small servers may only want 2.
Police/Military should be equal strengths among the different territories as well. Strongest/most numerous in the center systems and becoming less and less numberous as you reach the bordering systems between territories. Probably more systems like Tau/Omicron should be added between Liberty and Rhineland. These would be un-patrolled of course.
All ships, including battleships, should be purchasable and flyable (at ungodly prices and with appropriate performance/power/drawbacks). Flying a battleship solo into enemy territory should be suicide. Just like an aircraft carrier without its CAP and picket of cruisers and destroyers, you'd be too vulnerable all by yourself. You'd haul in a battleship if you wanted to attack the largest installations and even then only if you had fighters for cover. The richest players should be able to afford Cruisers but, only countries should be able to afford battleships (see taxes).
Cruisers could do decently solo but should get beaten up pretty bad if they attack larger stations and slaughtered if they attack planets.
Players should be able to dock with cruisers and battleships. Players should NOT be able to respawn from them - only planets and stations. These should NOT have infinite/instant repair/re-arm abilities though. They should have finite storage space for ammo/weapons and take time to make repairs. The more damage you have, the longer it takes. No more than 2-3 minutes at the very most though (Perhaps even less, 2-3 minutes is a LONG time in FL battles).
Capital ships could be re-supplied by players unloading ammo once they've docked with them. Ammo should be changed so it can be a cargo item (not transferrable to your own magazines in flight).
Planets and stations outside the core system should be conquerable. Take it over and it becomes a member of your territory. This shouldn't be easy and the closer to a core system you get, the harder it should be. AI Patrols in the system should alter so that they only rarely go into enemy held territory.
Conquered areas should have a rebuilding time. Light turrets appear first, heavier ones take much longer. If you're going to take one over, you better be prepared to defend it for a while.
AI Military forces in a system should automatically rush to a station's/planet's defense once an attack begins. All players should receive notification of an attack as well. Police forces and bounty hunters would not respond to attacks, only military.
One player in each territory should be electable as President, Prime Minister, Chancelor, whatever. They would have the ability to set relations with other territories. War, Neutrality, Allied, that sort of thing. Pirates would always be at war with everyone of course
Perhaps a taxation system could be good, certain percentage of all profits would go to the state for the benefit of all (more later).
A second PK setting would be required - fratricide - whether or not you can harm folks from your own territory or its allies. Add in a bounty system where fratricide automatically puts a price on the killer's head.
Killing people from neutral territories would put a price on your head in the neutral territory, but not in your own. Killing folks you're at war with would be encouraged of course
It probably doesn't need to be said but, guns need to be toned down a little and missiles improved.
Making money has to be re-worked. Without cheating I can get 2 million in a couple of hours, starting with nothing. Changing the police forces and the fratricide rules would take care of the "legitimate" methods for making quick millions but the cheats need fixing. There should be mission requirements for each level as well, to slow folks down a little.
The last point (and the one that'll get folks screaming) is the death penalty. Server operators should be able to choose the death penalty they like. Anything from lose nothing at all to If your ship is destroyed, you lose the ship - its gone, finito.
Personally I'd like to see the latter. Sure you lose a whack of cash etc but, your territory needs you. Everyone else in your country needs YOU to be flying the biggest baddest boat your level will allow. Perhaps the President would lay out the cash for a new boat (you paid your taxes right?). Perhaps the other players would chip in and spring for the new boat. This should be under human, not AI, control though. Otherwise griefers would just keep getting ships and flying them into planets.
I think this would foster a great PvP game. If you want to succeed, you have to be good to your countrymen. You can't just make enough cash to get your level, you'll also want to be contributing to the federal budget - to pay for battleships, player ship replacements, and all that ammo on deep strike missions.
Anyway, thats about all the points I can remember at the moment. Thoughts?