Too easy for small group to dominate game

[Brok Ironfist]

Okay.  One of the things that has been bugging me lately is the ability for one group to really dominate "Search & Destroy" missions. 

For being a MMO, a group of four people can dominate all the faction missions rather easily.  Only when they get bored, or have something come up in real life does it allow someone else to try and step in.  That and the ability to work on all missions at once doesn't help either.

Even delete missions are pretty much handled by a couple of people.  With some coordination they could totally dominate them as well.


I'm thinking that missions really must be changed around a bit; to level the playing Field and make it easier for the newer players to stick around.  As it is, it is hard for new players to break into the game.  Even now, with only a few weeks already into it new players are at an extreme disadvantage against bigger players when it comes to completing Search and Destroy, code recovery and even delete missions.

So I am proposing something a bit more radical...

The number of missions available from each faction is increased by a certain amount...  double?
A central mission repository is created where everyone can see all missions.  Even missions of the other factions.  In addition, all missions become faction missions.  No more public missions (especially those that can result in you tagging your own faction).

Each player is only allowed to accept for starters something like five missions. 
For each level they have attained within their faction they are allowed to accept one more mission (encourages hackers to stick with a specific faction and penalize them more for switching). 

In addition, I would like to see all factions have the ability to increase their ability in all areas.  For the faction's specialty area though they would get a discounted purchase rate of something like 25%.  This allows players (groups) to choose a favored faction and continue to stay with them throughout the game.  The chosen specialty would still give them their current bonuses (10%) but would now also have a discounted purchase rate.  All other rates would remain the same.

Once a player has accepted a mission, that mission is tagged as already being accepted and no other player is allowed to accept that mission.  In addition, the player who has accepted that mission is listed as being the person who accepted it.

Now.  Since missions are targeting another faction that faction may or may not decide to create a mission of its own to target the mission created.  The goal would be that once the attack (i.e. delete files, search and destroy) has begun the hacker would need to stop that process.  If they are successful at stopping the mission (i.e. stopping the process) they get paid.  The other hacker would be considered to have failed that mission.  That mission is now marked failed and unable to be accepted again.

This would give players the ability to see who is attempting to attack their faction and the option of trying to defend their faction.  This could coincide with the proposed stocked market as well.


Thoughts?

[bontrose]

couple it with this
http://www.hacker-project.com/forum/index.php?topic=2042.15

[Brok Ironfist]

Even more radical...

Adware, Fileshare, Robber...

Do not pay players at all, but are missions created by the faction to install and players are paid from the install missions...  Money is funneled to faction.

This would directly fuel the Factions ability to rise up in the stock market 

[ivandrago]

I was actually thinking in the same direction when I did a few 'kill process' missions early in this round. I wonder why these missions are even around, they are scarce and meaningless in terms of HPD.

If these missions were more common and more lucrative then people will actually do these missions, which could automatically hold back both virii uploaders and mission grinders.

Why don't we reform the 'kill process' mission to a new faction mission ? The added ability point reward might even attract more people to these missions.

The idea about stocks is also good but won't it make things to complicated (escpecially for new players you are standing up for) ?

[Triadian]

I was actually thinking in the same direction when I did a few 'kill process' missions early in this round. I wonder why these missions are even around, they are scarce and meaningless in terms of HPD.

If these missions were more common and more lucrative then people will actually do these missions, which could automatically hold back both virii uploaders and mission grinders.

Why don't we reform the 'kill process' mission to a new faction mission ? The added ability point reward might even attract more people to these missions.

The idea about stocks is also good but won't it make things to complicated (escpecially for new players you are standing up for) ?

the kill processes need a update anyways - they complete even when the file completes doing what it was doing - ie a virii gets installed you go claim the 250 cash cause the process has been killed and a new one created in its place :P

no sweat no tears just easy cash.

[ãłþħά-∆9]

Okay.  One of the things that has been bugging me lately is the ability for one group to really dominate "Search & Destroy" missions. 

For being a MMO, a group of four people can dominate all the faction missions rather easily.  Only when they get bored, or have something come up in real life does it allow someone else to try and step in.  That and the ability to work on all missions at once doesn't help either.

Even delete missions are pretty much handled by a couple of people.  With some coordination they could totally dominate them as well.


I'm thinking that missions really must be changed around a bit; to level the playing Field and make it easier for the newer players to stick around.  As it is, it is hard for new players to break into the game.  Even now, with only a few weeks already into it new players are at an extreme disadvantage against bigger players when it comes to completing Search and Destroy, code recovery and even delete missions.

So I am proposing something a bit more radical...

The number of missions available from each faction is increased by a certain amount...  double?
A central mission repository is created where everyone can see all missions.  Even missions of the other factions.  In addition, all missions become faction missions.  No more public missions (especially those that can result in you tagging your own faction).

Each player is only allowed to accept for starters something like five missions. 
For each level they have attained within their faction they are allowed to accept one more mission (encourages hackers to stick with a specific faction and penalize them more for switching). 

In addition, I would like to see all factions have the ability to increase their ability in all areas.  For the faction's specialty area though they would get a discounted purchase rate of something like 25%.  This allows players (groups) to choose a favored faction and continue to stay with them throughout the game.  The chosen specialty would still give them their current bonuses (10%) but would now also have a discounted purchase rate.  All other rates would remain the same.

Once a player has accepted a mission, that mission is tagged as already being accepted and no other player is allowed to accept that mission.  In addition, the player who has accepted that mission is listed as being the person who accepted it.

Now.  Since missions are targeting another faction that faction may or may not decide to create a mission of its own to target the mission created.  The goal would be that once the attack (i.e. delete files, search and destroy) has begun the hacker would need to stop that process.  If they are successful at stopping the mission (i.e. stopping the process) they get paid.  The other hacker would be considered to have failed that mission.  That mission is now marked failed and unable to be accepted again.

This would give players the ability to see who is attempting to attack their faction and the option of trying to defend their faction.  This could coincide with the proposed stocked market as well.


Thoughts?

I'll reply to these COLOUR coded ftw
If the missions are doubled, people will just accept ALL the missions still, so maybe a max amount of missions in your Mission Data? (Recover codes are mostly instant so there's an advantage)

Hm i see what you're saying, because right now you can just do a bunch of faction missions, ramp up some ability points then rofl off into another faction and get some permanent point in those abilities too, so maybe make it so you LOSE your abilities that arent for the faction you're in, you dig? As for the purchase rate, i think thats pretty pointless as buying software is pretty lucrative until very late stages in the rounf, so maybe a consstant 25% research speed bonus yes yes?

Tasty, but wont it make it even easier? (Well yes on its own i guess but combined with other ideas thatll be great

It's a balance issue majorly, I mean go to icarus, do a few decrypts, get some decrypt points bonus, dominate any factions missions you please with speedy decrypt times, I mean recently I tried doing some S&Ds because someone else was doing the recover codes and i could NEVER get any, I made 100k in a day easy, but it was dulldulldulldulldulldulldull just like all the missions really, a grind

Hopefully PVP missions will take the edge off of faction missions and change the flow
If the missions available were different for everyone it'd level the playing field as anyone could do them without some high player whos constantly online takinf every single one, but then there'd have to be like 1000000000000 unlisted servers and logs spammed out with codes (put the codes on unlisted servers maybe?)

Theres my thoughts anyway, i'm tired 

[Triadian]

I mean recently I tried doing some S&Ds because someone else was doing the recover codes and i could NEVER get any, I made 100k in a day easy,<snip> just like all the missions really, a grind

Hopefully PVP missions will take the edge off of faction missions and change the flow
If the missions available were different for everyone it'd level the playing field as anyone could do them without some high player whos constantly online takinf every single one,

hmmm i think thats directed at me.

i do recover missions once or maybe twice a day - i start at about 20 past giving people ample time to do them in the first 40 mins i then speed through them before the rollover at 40 i then collect all of the 40 ones and clear them up by 60 - so whoever it is thats running the recovers - aint me.

same with decrypts i load up all the decrypts at a certain time of the day - the clock em off whenever they popup to be completed - again anybody who collects decrypts that are new the hour after should find no hassle in doing them.

in short place the blame on the right people. dont just accuse the one who you think it is based on the fact he uses a refresher.

[ãłþħά-∆9]

I mean recently I tried doing some S&Ds because someone else was doing the recover codes and i could NEVER get any, I made 100k in a day easy,<snip> just like all the missions really, a grind

Hopefully PVP missions will take the edge off of faction missions and change the flow
If the missions available were different for everyone it'd level the playing field as anyone could do them without some high player whos constantly online takinf every single one,

hmmm i think thats directed at me.

i do recover missions once or maybe twice a day - i start at about 20 past giving people ample time to do them in the first 40 mins i then speed through them before the rollover at 40 i then collect all of the 40 ones and clear them up by 60 - so whoever it is thats running the recovers - aint me.

same with decrypts i load up all the decrypts at a certain time of the day - the clock em off whenever they popup to be completed - again anybody who collects decrypts that are new the hour after should find no hassle in doing them.

in short place the blame on the right people. dont just accuse the one who you think it is based on the fact he uses a refresher.

I know it's you who and iwillbeking who does recover codes in icarus, I caught your IP when you were doing the same ones as me before you deleted it ^^
But yeah, theres a bunch of gaps where I have been able to do them, but they're stil overpowered compared to regular missions, 50 recover codes is like 30000HPD and considering theres meant to be 50 faction servers with 2 recover code son each thats 100 so you can make 60k every hour...rather than deleting files for like 1000HPD in 12 hours, which most the time someone is already doing

It wasnt really aimed at anyone, but I know emi wants to make it fairer for new players, but us experienced players know where the moneys at, and they dont stand a chance when theres 3 or 4 people constantly doing the faction missions

[Triadian]

It wasnt really aimed at anyone, but I know emi wants to make it fairer for new players, but us experienced players know where the moneys at, and they dont stand a chance when theres 3 or 4 people constantly doing the faction missions

thats kinda the point - they stand as much chance as those other 3 or 4 all battling it out - its called pvp - the best tactics win - wether that be you start at the first mission and lose because someone else did it first or you start at the back and work backwards because you assume the others are starting at the front - or wether you just hit em randomly and win because someone is going forwards and backwards - with 100 servers you should be able to at least hit 20+ if you use the right tactics

i dunno people claim this game needs more pvp but hate the pvp they have because other people are using better tactics than them - lol

[bontrose]

there are always cracks to slip through because people sleep,eat, take breaks ect.

[siremi]

I think once we get some other mission types with different tactics, there will be more options and more opportunity.

Like Tri says, in the case of Recover Code, it's a first come / first serve basis. You can do them if you're fast, you can adapt if someone is trying to farm them. Getting them in a random order is a sure way to do them.

We'll have more missions with more tactics, some with waiting time, some without, that will create diversity and make it difficult for only a few to control them.

[ãłþħά-∆9]

I think once we get some other mission types with different tactics, there will be more options and more opportunity.

Like Tri says, in the case of Recover Code, it's a first come / first serve basis. You can do them if you're fast, you can adapt if someone is trying to farm them. Getting them in a random order is a sure way to do them.

We'll have more missions with more tactics, some with waiting time, some without, that will create diversity and make it difficult for only a few to control them.

That's what I thought, new missions will change everything, emi what do you think about my idea from this other thread

Any process started by remotehost on your own gateway can't be killed local side, so you have to trace and hack the hacker to cancel his processes. You can change IP in that time but instead of cutting them off entirely, the attacker can then trace his own processes (on his own gateway side) in order to locate the defenders new IP, so now what we have is tracing, counterhacking and actively HAVING to hack others to stop them getting back in your gateway, instead of say, changing IP, killing all foreign processes and forgetting about it, you dig?

[bontrose]

dig it +1