Gameplay: Periodic Randomization of the Uncaps

**Malorn** · 2011-07-23, 04:19 PM

This is a simple idea based on one I had before about randomizing continental connections.

Essentially one problem in Planetside is staleness - fighting the same enemy from the same direction at the same base every night. After a while we get really sick of seeing the same situation over and over. To provide an example, in PS1 in the early days, the VS always attacked on Cyssor from Orisha, and the NC always attacked from Ekera (TR had Wele). It was always this same attack pattern over and over again. It wans't until they mixed up the continents and introduced broadcast gates that we got to see what it was like to fight on some of the other continents from different perspectives.

Since we have uncap bases on every continent for all 3 empires I can see this same behavior happening if the uncaps are static for each empire. The fronts will always draw the same way, there will be bases we rarely see and we'll always be fighting from the same direction.

This idea is simple - mix it up periodically, such as once every couple weeks or once a month! Just go through each continent and randomly swap two of the empire uncaps, or rotate all 3 empires (should do both since rotating can also ret repetitive. This gives us different perspectives on invading the continent and exposes us to new tactics and gamplay which we would not have seen had we not been attacking from that new different direction.

The benefits are more varied gameplay and keeping things fresh so we don't get the same battles.

Lartnev · 2011-07-24, 05:31 AM

Excellent points.

Since we don't know how the uncaps will work randomisation might already be built in.

headcrab13 · 2011-07-24, 08:21 AM

@Malorn - Great idea man, it would be awesome to see a system like this that constantly keeps things fresh. Maybe a quick notification that pops up when you log in so that you're aware of the new continent orientation. They could even switch one continent a week, for example, so changes could be made more often but to a single area at a time.

-HC13

Coreldan · 2011-07-24, 08:28 AM

I like the idea, at least if it can be implemented so that it rules out any totally stupid randomizations, if those even can exist.

**Malorn** · 2011-07-24, 01:27 PM

If you guys like the ideas please use the vote button at the top of the thread

This forum is sorted by those votes so the ideas people like float to the top and get noticed/discussed more and refined.

Also it may already be in, but support for it never hurts even if it is. The devs use this forum for feedback so let 'em see it.

I suspect that the giant ships we saw in some of the art might be the uncaps. If that's the case then the uncaps moving over differnet warpgates randomly every few weeks just sort of makes sense. They might even be constantly moving around the outside edges of the continents. Though ships make it harder to deploy tanks from them, but there's ways around that.

The randomization itself is very simple if there's 3 static points where uncaps could possibly exist. Given 3 static locations there's 6 permutations of configuration. Simply randomly generate 1-6 and pick one (can re-run it if the same configuratinon comes up).

Drentz · 2011-07-24, 09:48 PM

Another good point Malorn. Anything to add to the variety of gameplay environments you encounter seems like a good deal to me.
I think it would be cool if the layouts of the uncaps were diff on each continent too.

headcrab13 · 2011-07-25, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by Malorn

I suspect that the giant ships we saw in some of the art might be the uncaps.

Just the concept blows my mind, and I'll be psyched if those ships, in some form or another, make it into PS2. You're right that it seems like the perfect system for uncaps.

I think why I like those ships so much is that they remind me of the floating bases from Tribes. And seeing as how Tribes shares so many things with PlanetSide (devs, concepts, vehicles), I'm pretty pumped up about this

-HC13

Raymac · 2011-07-25, 04:04 AM

EDIT: I misunderstood what you meant at first. Glad I realized it before I voted lol The following is whats left of my comment that would still apply.

We may have gotten a hint at what the devs have in store to address the fundamental issue you bring up, the staleness of ending up fighting over the same base day after day. They mentioned that we will be fighting over resources in open terrain (partially in enhance the outdoor gameplay). And with those resources, they can spawn and despawn them when and where they want. I forget if I heard this in a panel or read it somewhere, but that would help shift the front lines if we get into a stalemate...which happens.

Traak · 2011-07-25, 06:49 AM

How about if the bases themselves move? Nothing like constantly-shifting base locations to REALLY change up the game?

A base that is in a valley surrounded by trees one day, then moves slowly over time to on top of one of the surrounding cliffs... how's THAT for non-static.

If we can deploy towers, why can't we move or, better, DEPLOY bases?

Coreldan · 2011-07-25, 06:54 AM

Originally Posted by Traak

How about if the bases themselves move? Nothing like constantly-shifting base locations to REALLY change up the game?

A base that is in a valley surrounded by trees one day, then moves slowly over time to on top of one of the surrounding cliffs... how's THAT for non-static.

If we can deploy towers, why can't we move or, better, DEPLOY bases?

They did mention they are handcrafting all the maps to ensure that every place gives a good, balanced battle. Bases randomizing their locations might sorta fight against that ideology

**Malorn** · 2011-07-25, 07:47 AM

Heh don't need to go overhboard here, just make it so we get to see what its like to fight / defend all sides of a continent over time, with different enemies in the other parts. Even with resources spawning and despawning if the uncaps are static then it'll still be the same faction vs faction fight over certain areas over and over again. This idea just mixes that up so we get more variety.

The mixup doesn't need to happen frequently, it just needs to happen. Some stability is good, changing day-to-day is bad. Something around once every 2 weeks to once every month. It could be weekly if they take the servers down weekly to do maintenace. That'd be a good time to do it. Though I think once a week is probably too frequent.

Coreldan · 2011-07-25, 08:22 AM

Originally Posted by Malorn

Heh don't need to go overhboard here, just make it so we get to see what its like to fight / defend all sides of a continent over time, with different enemies in the other parts. Even with resources spawning and despawning if the uncaps are static then it'll still be the same faction vs faction fight over certain areas over and over again. This idea just mixes that up so we get more variety.

The mixup doesn't need to happen frequently, it just needs to happen. Some stability is good, changing day-to-day is bad. Something around once every 2 weeks to once every month. It could be weekly if they take the servers down weekly to do maintenace. That'd be a good time to do it. Though I think once a week is probably too frequent.

Perhaps, and if it's done seldom enough, they could actually "handcraft" what actually is cappable and what not, to avoid some stupid randomizations where like one would have to travel all the way to the other end of the continent for the next cappable thing or something. Something like from Ikanam to Tumas

**Malorn** · 2011-07-25, 02:24 PM

I think the general impression so far is that the warpgates are where the uncaps are since those were invulnerable in PS1 and we've seen some concept art of stuff around the warpgate. They're also on the outskirts of the continent and make sense if a player is traveling from cont to cont they are right there at the gate.

So at the most basic level it'd basically be randomly swapping which empire is at which warpgate. The territory control system would take over from there. The new location gives you access to attack different territory and will likely re-shape the landscape on that continent, but you'd be attacking it from a different angle and opponent positions have changed so while you may end up fighting over the exact same territory, this next time you'll be on the other side of the ridge, and your opponent may be TR instead of VS. That's pretty much what I'm going for here.

NapalmEnima · 2011-08-02, 05:11 AM

Originally Posted by Malorn

This idea is simple - mix it up periodically, such as once every couple weeks or once a month! Just go through each continent and randomly swap two of the empire uncaps, or rotate all 3 empires (should do both since rotating can also ret repetitive. This gives us different perspectives on invading the continent and exposes us to new tactics and gamplay which we would not have seen had we not been attacking from that new different direction.

In one of the video interviews linked elsewhere from this site, Higby mentions that resources might migrate, spawn/despawn, specifically to Keep Things Fresh.

**Malorn** · 2011-08-02, 12:01 PM

Resource randomization is good, but incomplete. Without the uncap randomization also you'll have the same enemy in the same hex fighting in the same direction. The only difference is the value of the hex will change. To keep the fights interesting the location and direction from which each empire pushes out from must change on the continent or we still arrive at stale situations. But if its mixed up periodically then we get to see new sides of old continents and see what it's like to be defending that nasty ridge instead of attacking it, etc.