Gameplay: Player Generated Missions: The Three Kingdoms of Command

[ApolloAbove]

The Three Kingdoms of Command

In my overall experience with Planetside, organization is encouraged, and a single organized outfit can make or break a battle. Unfortunately, even with massive outfits on Mattherson, such as The Enclave or TEST, this doesn't mean that you can take on a Continent. Locking a Continent when the numbers are even requires organization beyond an outfit level. It requires AOD and BWC, TE and BONK to push together with healthy zergs to make the land run Red. With the current state of things, it’s possible, but the introduction of Player Generated Missions gives these outfits, and the entire faction, a way forward.
When looking over the popular suggestions already posted, I noted a few distinct categories of ideas. One, that missions should be basic and available to all. Two, that missions should be designed by those who already lead. Finally, that those missions be more, or less strategic then they currently are. Looking at this, I decided that they would fall into three categories: Grand Strategy, Battle Strategy, and Regional Strategy; The Three Kingdoms of command.

The first “Kingdom” would be ideally based on what we have currently. A single direction of movement on a continent, available to anyone, these missions would be entirely strategic, and would only provide the region with an xp increase. However, unlike the current state of things, I would suggest that this could be expanded into a more subtle way of prioritizing deployment, and giving everyone a way to read faction movements on the map. Replacing the small symbols with directional arrows between hexes would be ideal! Entry into this would only be a small amount of certs, and any successful attack or defend would come with a very small reward in xp. Yes, it will clutter up the map, but that’s the point! More info for those who take the time to read the map!

The second “Kingdom” of command would be the career planners. These men are the gamblers, and rightly so, since the level of detail in their missions would cluttered throughout the map. This is the more detailed system, which sets up a series of waypoints from base to base, with the obvious intent of giving players direction in their movement. The initial cost for putting down these markers would be heavy, as they would put up their own amount of certs to start planning. These missions would be marked on the map with their own symbols, and would automatically be undertaken as soon as players enter the base. The mission itself would give a good flat xp bonus, depending on the size of the base, and if successfully completed, would point the players inside the mission area to the next waypoint, encouraging a designed progression. The reward of the mission planner however, is a large sum of XP, based on the bases targeted, and within the first or second stage of the mission, a refund for their certs. This causes successful planners to direct the flow of troop movements, continue planning, as well as deter unsuccessful plans to be ignored.

Finally, the Third Kingdom of command, the Squad/Platoon Commander, these men would have access to specific missions, Air Strikes, Point defense and capture. Sunderer spawns and the like. They control the smaller, more specific planning of missions, and work to make things happen. Any mission they put down will benefit everyone in the Region, giving flat xp rewards to everyone in the region, and giving control over the direct battle to those in it.

Now, I’ve explained what the Three Kingdoms are, but I would like to point out what connects them, and why they would benefit an empire, its outfits, and the overall flow of the game. With the Continental Command, every man gets input into where they are going, what they are doing, and encourages everyone to look at the map for a few seconds when there is a lull in the fighting. It would encourage them to fight on their own terms, whether they favor defense or offense, and would show even the most basic of details, such as weakness in an attackers advance. Keeping it basic is key to making sure to not overwhelm a person, and make them take too long with putting info down. This is meant to be a quick and painless process, allowing them to find and get to fights faster. The simplistic movements and markings however, tie into the next Kingdom, the planner. His or Her interpretation of the overall movement of the battlefield would give him a snapshot idea of how he can plot a course for the future. In turn, his basic planning and waypoints would give the last Kingdom a better direction of which way to go, and they would accomplish the task.

To sum it all up, Mission Generation isn't a single tool, but a whole kit for every person involved. It doesn't require numbers, but rewards the masses when it’s accomplished, and gets everyone involved in the process to better organize a faction, rather than alienate each other. I ask you guys however, to help me refine this a bit, give me feedback, and ask questions.