Empire priority system

[Troika]

In AGN Planetside 2 interview with Matt Higby, Matt was explaining how the "Empire priority system" will work.

(I'm not a native english speaker, so this Isn't 100% exact quote, but it is as close as I could do.)

It lets you know what targets, and by targets I mean territories and bases to capture are considered the highest priority for your Empire and it is based on a lot of things like what resources you got to have or what resources you don't have, where strategically you could attack to deny resources to your enemy - that sort of stuff. The way I'm seeing it displayed - it's not done yet - is a kind of heat map - you guys have seen our map and you have seen the overlay for terroritory control - you can imagine seeing that as a kind of a heat map instead where each region is displayed red or yellow, orange, green and the red ones are the high priority targets that your Empire really wants you to capture. If you go to fight over those regions you get some bonus for the amount of resources you earn or the amount of experience you earn - that sort of push people out, keeping it being a repetitive fight and the other thing we do is insert on our own - if there is too much load in a particular area - we can create a high priority target somewhere else to shove people to fight in a different area and the you'll be able to have things like priority level targets based on your outfit . These are things we are talking of adding and we see which ones end up working out.

41:10 onwards.

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This basically sounds like a fully automated algorithm guiding the battle by generating these high priority targets for the Empires with the possibility for the devs to quickly intervene to releave stress for heavily contested regions.

How do you people feel about this system?

The way I see it developers interests aren't the same as Empires interests. Each Empire wants to conquer the land, Devs want to make sure that everybody is enjoying the game equally and to keep the game running stable. These Interests can be in conflict from time to time.

The Strategy element (logistics of war) is taken away from the players and is placed firmly in the hands of the devs. Sure - you and your outfit can atack any region you please at any time, but the masses will be running after the areas developers paint as being high priority targets for your Empire.
Now when we are given this cool iPad/Android app, shouldn't the Grand strategy element of Planetside be given to the player base? Armchair generals painting the targets for the Empires by clicking the regions at work etc. If no player is leading the Empire then sure, let the Algorithm take charge, but don't cut the players from the chance of playing the grand strategy game of Planetside.

What is your take on this? Did I misunderstood something from Matts explanation how the Empire priority system will work? And yes I know it's very much WIP at this stage.

EDIT: typo (I'm sure there are many left, no need to point them out )

[Ragnafrak]

I don't necessarily think it'll take away from the metagame of organized players.

Players who jump in just to get some quick FPS action wherever the mission system tells them to go will likely gravitate to these "priority" targets in order to receive the bonuses, but outfits and members of organized assaults that set their own objectives won't necessarily be forced to go there as well.

So long as the priority targets only give bonuses to rewards and not inflict penalties for avoiding them, I see no harm done.

Keeping the action spread throughout the continent makes for an interesting environment imo.

[Bravix]

I can see this causing issues with trying to lead the zerg...but wait for beta.

[Canaris]

I've no problem with a smart system intended to relieve heavy stress from server fights, I just wonder if it will work as well as they hope, a zerg is monster without the luxury of a hive mind master to control it.
As we've seen again and again in PS1, people will do the damnedest things contrary to what makes sense.
I've seen zergs attack planetary/continental capitals that still have their shields up

[ThGlump]

Those who will try to organize zerg will hate it. When you try to make all of them attack TR to make some breakthrough, and system will create high priority missions to attack NC, leaders wont be happy. Zerg wont care, but who want some progress and organization will hate it.
They promised missions as a way to lead zerg, and then they take that option away by giving contradict orders to them. Well it will back to outfits to do all work again.

[kaffis]

I'd kind of like to see something like this have some tentacles attached to the mission system... or rather, vice versa.

Hopefully, as the mission system gets more fully designed and implemented, missions will also play a part in the automated empire priority determinations. That way, empire commanders generating missions will contribute to the decision-making process of the algorithm.

[infected]

i'd guess that when the game realizes there are a massive amount of players in one area, then the game will reduce the bonus for fighting in that area down to 0 (100% normal rates). when massive battles like this happen the area becomes less fruitful, and other areas will pop up and become more fruitful.

he also said they want to add the ability for outfits (and maybe squad leaders?) to set objectives, which would grant a bonus to the rewards % for following.

[Sephirex]

Originally Posted by kaffis

I'd kind of like to see something like this have some tentacles attached to the mission system

Kinky.

[QuantumMechanic]

I don't think the point of this system is to keep players dispersed over various hexes rather than everybody bogging down the server in a single place.

As I recall this was the answer to "what are you going to do to make sure that most of the battles don't take place in the center of the map, to keep fights fresh?"

And as Higby mentioned, the algorithm is going to pick targets of strategic value to your empire: resources that you are currently lacking, or hexes that will deny needed resources to enemy empires.

So it sounds like it won't be an algorithm to simply distribute fights around the map. Although it could end up that way... we have to just wait and see. This system hasn't been implemented yet.

[EnderGraff]

The way I heard it was that the system will designate tiles that are most needed for your empire, i.e, resources that your empire is lacking or a foothold in a specific area.

[maradine]

Players with no external directive or internal initiative will now have something to consider. Players with either of the above will do what they want, whether it agrees with the system's assessment of the situation or not. Combined with the mission system, I see this as a pretty big win. Even without missions, I'd rather have this than not.

[Xyntech]

Originally Posted by infected

i'd guess that when the game realizes there are a massive amount of players in one area, then the game will reduce the bonus for fighting in that area down to 0 (100% normal rates). when massive battles like this happen the area becomes less fruitful, and other areas will pop up and become more fruitful.

he also said they want to add the ability for outfits (and maybe squad leaders?) to set objectives, which would grant a bonus to the rewards % for following.

An incentive system combined with the fact that game performance and player draw distances will start going down once a certain number of people are in an area, I think it will balance itself out pretty well.

One concern I have is with the KotH capture system and players wanting to spam as many people into the area to make the capture go quicker, but I think that will be pretty easy to solve. They just need to give each additional person on the capture point a diminished return on the increase of capture speed, with a clearly indicated maximum capacity. Let's say 50 players, with it clearly indicated to every noob in the game that the capture capacity limit is 50 and that there are already 50+ people on the point, or with a clear indicator of how many (45) are currently capping if there is still room.

The more I hear, the more I'm becoming convinced that proper battle lines with semi-spread out populations are going to form very naturally, thanks to incentives, territory influence affecting capture speed, SOI's making backhacking even more difficult, etc.

At this point, I think that any additional systems that they add will only compliment the front line dynamic, not be required to make it or break it.

I'd still like to see some sort of region system, for other reasons. As a replacement for the feeling of capturing a continent in the first game, if nothing else.

[Grognard]

Originally Posted by Troika

The way I see it developers interests aren't the same as Empires interests. Each Empire wants to conquer the land, Devs want to make sure that everybody is enjoying the game equally and to keep the game running stable. These Interests can be in conflict from time to time.

Sounds like Politicians and Generals to me... maybe it will be more life-like than we thought!