Mission and gameplay system. Part 2.
3. Meaning of what's going on. In our star cluster, there is a big war going on involving many races. The outcome of all missions is taken into account in the global economy and the military balance not only of earthlings, but also of everyone else. For example, the player lost all the ships and lost the mission, after which he received new ones. However, they are not just “issued” in accordance with skills, progression, etc. The race whose mission the player performed produced them. Spent resources, time and production capacity. It all happens behind the scenes, but it can and will affect the player. For example, with a shortage of powerful ships, priority in equipment will go towards players with high ratings. In fact, this priority works constantly, but in the normal state of the economy, it is not very noticeable. And of course, with a very low rating, the player may not get the ship at all, or get it later, and it may take considerable time to form a squadron.
4. Content and variability.
Even if high-ranking players can give missions to other players, some of the missions are still generated by an algorithm. However, despite some similarity of tasks, it is unlikely that two identical ones will happen. The fact is that “mission” is not a script with variations in a separate room. This is a task that must be performed in a changing environment and in different places. Even routines like patrol can be interesting. For some, ease of execution, especially given the high automation of the process. For others, an opportunity to spot the enemy and receive substantial bonuses. Will the enemy be there? Nobody knows. It depends on the opponent’s players. Or from the AI campaigning. Will they accept the mission of attacking the plant, or choose another? The composition and strength of the enemy can be assumed, but it is also impossible to know exactly. Whether it's a rookie or a veteran, whether it's an AI or a live player, there will be additional trophy or personal ships - unknown factors. So we come to a situation where every mission can be very different. And the variety of ship layout and, accordingly, the tactics of their use turns each collision into a unique chess game.
5. Evaluation of results.
How to evaluate the work of the rearguard, who was defeated, but detained the enemy for the right amount of time? Or delayed, but less? How to evaluate a patrol that did not find the enemy? Does a lost battle mean a lost war? Of course not. And the patrol did not find the enemy brought information that he was not there, and therefore completed the task. The following factors will be taken into account in the mission assessment. First of all, the degree of fulfillment of the tasks set, and in the second number of losses of the enemy and their own. Thus, the Pyrrhic victory will not be the desired outcome, and the failure of the mission, but excellent combat results, will not be a sad loss. Multipliers on points and ratings will be formed directly during the mission, and the team of formally losers can earn more winners. Formation of multipliers will be based on the balance values of participating combat units, taking into account their modifications, but without taking into account the rating of the player and the progression of crews. A simplified example. Two ships against each other. The task is to completely destroy the enemy. The winner will receive 75 percent of the total reward pool, the loser 25 if he caused damage. Ships are conditionally equal. 100-0 if the winner is not injured. Let's assume the price of each ship is 50, total pool - 100 points. But if the fight is unequal? One ship 10 and the other 50? Total pool is 60. However, for a small ship it will be (50/10)*60=300, while for a large ship (10/50)*60=12. 75 percent from 12 to 9. And if the small one hurt the big one, but lost, then 25% of 300 - 75. Yes, the small lost, but brought much more benefit, which is expressed in the size of the reward. A large ship will retreat for a long time to perform repairs, and a cheap small one will be built and not one. We do not want to say that this formula will work, but this is the trend. Losing a mission by small forces while inflicting heavy damage to a superior opponent will bring players more rewards than winners. However, do not forget that every ship counts!
6. Hangar and management. The player for each race has a separate hangar, where are issued to him naval ships, captured ships, personal. In the hangar, there is an order for repair work, ammunition management, modification of ships, crew management, development of skills for points, transfer of points to the colony, etc. Repairs take time, and less time if for points. The larger and more complex the ship, the more damage it is, the longer and more expensive the repairs. For a figurative example, compare a torpedo boat and an aircraft carrier, which can significantly damage the light boat.
7. What is the difference between a paid and free account within a mission?
When applied to missions, almost nothing. But we will. A player with a free account cannot transfer points to the colony. Can't put a personal ship in the hangar. Can't get a trophy ship out of the hangar. He cannot assign officers from the colony to the ships, but he can do his own.
In fact, the player is tied to the hangar and being offline does not exist for the game. In the space of the game, he can fly only on assignment. Session style of play.
8. Possible improvements.
The possibility of police/border service missions with a hangar is being considered. The possibility of missions for the criminal world within the space of earthlings is also being considered.