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Future MV... |
Enterprise Chief Marshal Raven Warriors
Joined: May 19, 2002 Posts: 2576 From: Hawthorne, Nevada
| Posted: 2005-06-13 23:26  
...size.
Something that has inherantly bugged me since the second I saw the current MV as it is in release, I wondered forever why it was made so large, when there was so few people to navigate it?
So...
I have logical reason, to suggest or propose that was lessen the size of the MV, by more than half, until we recieve more players to fill it.
That means, that we would have an MV similar to 1.480, which is what I'd love to aim for.
Why?
A few reasons such as...
- - The size of the MV is much too large for the current player base. There are so few people, with so many spred out and numerous systems, that good battles rarely take place.
- - The current size of the MV spreads out people, causing less coordination, and more time to get to enemy territory, some of which is inaccessable without a WH, which not everyone has access to.
- - The current size of the MV, is simply less fun, unlike the older MV in which battles were constantly fought in regions that were almost always turning sides, it meant almost a guaranteed consistent battle, rather than now, where battles are few and far between, and multiple systems can be captured with ease with little or no battle at all.
So...
With that in mind, we know how it can be less fun, simply because its too large for as many players as we currently have
So, what I would like to propose is this.
Bring back the old MV, but with changes, such as having them distanced much farther apart, and much more open space that only the smallest of ships could long jump. This encourages gate usage when there are no WHs available to take (hence it be extremely risky).
But by reducing the number of systems, this also reduces the number of objects that the server has to handle, this also means less lag, as well as less FPS drops, for everyone, especially those with low end computers.
-Ent
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Beast Cadet Sundered Weimeriners
Joined: May 27, 2002 Posts: 345 From: Wouldnt you like to know
| Posted: 2005-06-14 03:18  
I fully agree the current MV is to big.
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Faustus Marshal Palestar
Joined: May 29, 2001 Posts: 2748 From: Austin, Texas
| Posted: 2005-06-14 10:44  
Actually, I agree.... in fact, if it were smaller, we would have less lag problems as well FYI.
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Shigernafy Admiral
Joined: May 29, 2001 Posts: 5726 From: The Land of Taxation without Representation
| Posted: 2005-06-14 12:19  
It might even be worthwile to have the systems really far apart - like two WH's worth.. then have gates that go between most all of them. This would make Wormholes more of an inner-system travel method, rather than between systems, giving back strategic value to jumpgates. I rather liked the importance of guarding the jumpgates, and doing blockades in that way, in the past. Granted, shipyards reduce that a bit now - but not too much, and not as much as shipyards AND WHs do.
Granted, you could still circumvent the gates with either a few WH-capable ships, or one and some patience. But it would hopefully be less common.
And we've giving stations the option for a jump drive, so its not like any ships will be stranded or neutered by such a change, necessarily.
(Or, just reduce the distance wormholes can travel..)
But that's just my opinion.
_________________ * [S.W]AdmBito @55321 Sent \"I dunno; the French had a few missteps. But they're on the right track, one headbutt at a time.\"
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Thugomatic Chief Marshal
Joined: August 11, 2003 Posts: 166 From: Missoula Montana
| Posted: 2005-06-15 01:42  
This is a good idea, along with Shigernafies idea of lessening the WH or perhaps spreading the systems farther out.
The only downside i can see is if the 1480 map is left the same i can see the MV being pwned in a short amount of time. But at this point it would seem a win win for now till the numbers rise again, and if need be i think u have an even bigger MV map too fall on if peeples overrun the current one if i remember right that is. But for now a smaller MV would put us in closer biting distance, and as we all know biting is good.
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Shigernafy Admiral
Joined: May 29, 2001 Posts: 5726 From: The Land of Taxation without Representation
| Posted: 2005-06-15 02:40  
There some way to limit that? I would say with greater spacing, but then its frustratingly slow getting anywhere... so that's a no-go (without gates, anyway).
Anyone want to post some simple ideas for how to lay it out? Just draw in Paint for all I care.
Do we want something like the 1480 map - three sections, with a network of "conflict" systems in the middle? Do we want an open space in the middle, used only for travel? Do we want it to be circular, triangular, linear? What are your thoughts?
_________________ * [S.W]AdmBito @55321 Sent \"I dunno; the French had a few missteps. But they're on the right track, one headbutt at a time.\"
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Beast Cadet Sundered Weimeriners
Joined: May 27, 2002 Posts: 345 From: Wouldnt you like to know
| Posted: 2005-06-15 06:00  
there was nothing wrong with 1.480 at all why the MV changed tobegin with is beyond me. I would go with about the same map style. As far as the Whs would there be a way to limit how close you could open a wh??
If so I beleive this would help bring back the use of JDs once again.
secondly would it be possible to limit each faction to the amount of Shipyards active at any given time?? A way to have this if possible would be a once you activate a SY you couldnt deactivate another until the timer is up on the previouse one. 3 Shipyards per faction is a decent round number.
You could Build as many Shipyards as you want but only so many maybe active at any given time. If one of those active shipyards was to get destroyed or the planet capped another would either be automatically activated,or the players could just doit manualy.
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Fattierob Vice Admiral
Joined: April 25, 2003 Posts: 4059
| Posted: 2005-06-15 06:09  
the 1480 map was good, but it usually broke down into certain areas of conflict...either lala, or the ICC equivelent...
if your going to bring back the 1480 map, make it so the quickest way to get from homesystem to homesystem has no gates..forcing people to go into the middle system, where it's like a giant battle.
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Doran Chief Marshal Galactic Navy
Joined: March 29, 2003 Posts: 4032 From: The Gideon Unit
| Posted: 2005-06-15 10:03  
kinda like to see systems layed out resembling acutal constelations.. .481 had a nice big dipper going
also think home systems should have one system behind it, a backwater system, struve, lacaille and kapteyns or caranie, and one system in front of it, alpha cent, tau or ind, and groomb or proc, that you would need to go through first to get to the home system.
fairly linear, like a trade spine linking the systems, and keeping the triangular layout moving inward, with the systems in the central core linked with gates all over the place ala .480, though possibly not linked to the outer rim systems, a buffer zone of space that needs a wh or long jump to cross
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Smith Fleet Admiral
Joined: October 13, 2002 Posts: 320 From: Pittsburgh
| Posted: 2005-06-15 10:44  
this is totally off the wall idea but in some previous space sims i played why not have some gate guard mechanisms. make the engy ships the one that will eventually be able to bulid platforms be able to add things to the gates like automated cannons for protection of system gates. and im not talkin the cannons we have on ships im talkin heavy cannons that do major damage. this would also bring in the possibility to bring in the idea of destructible gates and player built gates. just a thought.
Smith
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c0ld Midshipman
Joined: June 24, 2003 Posts: 342 From: UK
| Posted: 2005-06-15 15:15  
Quote:
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kinda like to see systems layed out resembling acutal constelations..
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You could only take that so far before the 2D constrants make it impossible. Although there's no reason why you couldn't have a 3D metaverse whilst retaining 2D systems, just so long as they were far enough apart to only allow travel via wormholes an jump gate.
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Drafell Grand Admiral Mythica
Joined: May 30, 2003 Posts: 2449 From: United Kingdom
| Posted: 2005-06-15 15:42  
As for the wormhole idea... the current wormhole range when combined with shipyards means they are virtually no front lines in the metaverse. You can skip past systems with a single jump, which I dont believe was the original intention when the wormhole drive was introduced.
I would recommend to drastically decreasing the range of the Station wormhole to about 1 million GU.
this would still mean it is a good inter-system method of travel for large fleets. But it does mean that deeper raids on enemy territory will need more advanced planning and organisation.
You could also reduce the Cruiser WH to about 400-500k gu. The current recharge rate would still be sufficient.
Along with some changesges to the MV layout. (IE. Rework Nicea and remove a couple of systems like Ross 448, Criticum and Williams 22).
Also remove the Lalande to Ross 148 JG.
_________________ It's gone now, no longer here...Yet still I see, and still I fear.rnrn
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Mithrandir Chief Marshal
Joined: October 22, 2001 Posts: 1276
| Posted: 2005-06-15 16:53  
Ok, ignoring names and whatever..
Here's an idea, sorta like the old MV. I don't intend for this to be anything even approaching final; its supposed to be a starting block - so take this and edit it, or use it as inspiration for your own version. I'm looking for something visual, not descriptive, because I feel like the sitaution warrants it.
Use paint; that's what I did, and then use imageshack.us to host. Its a quick and painless process.
MV Idea, Draft 1 - The bigger blobs are the home systems,
Benefits:
fair-ish for everyone, as its pretty consistient between factions
everyone has a fall-back system
I set it so it took a certain number of gates to get to any home system, and the distances (with WH reworking) would be prohibitive to avoid the jumpgates (ie, it'd take 30 minutes)
funnels everyone through a few systems, to facilitate combat
choke points to facilitate combat
Bad things:
It doesn't funnel everyone through the same system, if that's a problem
the bottom right system in the center is rather isolated from the rest of the center; getting to it from above (if combat is there, for example) would unfairly disadvantage the top faction. That could likely be fixed though
have to take a few gates to get anywhere
Its kinda ugly - well, the center is really ugly (maybe we can get a pinwheel look more or something; my thinger is fugly)
its fairly symmetrical, though this isn't necessarily bad
Anyway, take that and run with it.
We'll worry about what systems go where (down with Nicea!) later on; lets just get the number of systems and layout down now. Fewer in the middle? More? Hell, one center system? What do you guys think?
[edit - resized the image; forgot that with 1600x1200 even images that are only half the screen are still quite large..]
[ This Message was edited by: Mithrandir on 2005-06-15 16:57 ]
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Fattierob Vice Admiral
Joined: April 25, 2003 Posts: 4059
| Posted: 2005-06-15 19:39  
Took Shig's picture, and edited it a bit. Looks less ugly, and it funnels most combat through the middle...
and in case your wondering why the bottom race has a jumpline between their systems...if you notice, they have no balwark system before their two systems that defend the homesystem. Easier attack, but Easier defense. just an idea, since their so far spaced apart.
edit: what the heck am I on, drugs? forgot to link the pic in.
[ This Message was edited by: Fattierob (x2 Pistolet Makarov) on 2005-06-15 19:39 ]
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Enterprise Chief Marshal Raven Warriors
Joined: May 19, 2002 Posts: 2576 From: Hawthorne, Nevada
| Posted: 2005-06-15 20:33  
Taking Fatties Idea, I edited it slightly, and added comments.
Self Explanitory.
-Ent
[ This Message was edited by: Enterprise on 2005-06-15 20:36 ]
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