Inspiration
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Posted - 2007.03.03 17:54:00 -
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Edited by: Inspiration on 03/03/2007 18:00:15 Given I can post just 1 Ieas, I gona make it count and tackle various issues in one fell sweep!
THE IDEA:
Make NPC groups behave smarter and stronger at the same time, so they become a challenge to fight again (regardless of level). I know a full fledged AI is out of the question given the drain that would give even with "less, but bigger/stronger NPC". But there are ways around that!
The current situation:
Currenly NPC's have one set of hardcoded heuristics that define how to react with the player. These include agro activation range, optimal 'orbit' range and rules like target the closest ship! This makes NPC very predictable and thus easy to counter. The past CCP solution was to blob the player with NPC, but given the lag it generates it is not sustainable anymore.
New solution:
Have multiple sets of heuristics to let NPC behave differently to different player ships and even use different random 'strategies' at times. When NPC do not behave the same way every time, any encounter will be kind of new and the mission will remain challenging far longer.
Things that could be done:
* NPC probe your weakness. In the case of caldari, let them try different missile types and once they find a weakspot, they switch over to exploit it and hurt you the most.
* Like with missiles, let NPC switch ammo types like a user would do. This means that when the strategy of a player is to go far out of range, they switch to long range ammo and/or change their currently predetermined orbit range!
* If a player uses smartbombs, tacklers should try to stay out of that range even if that means they dont't tackle you all of the time. Alternativly they should go in one at a time, do their job for as long as they can and then have another tackler take over while they repair.
* Let non-aggro'ed long range capable NPC be able to assist their buddies in combat from their current non-aggro position. Basily they behave as protecting their own sector but since they got that covered and are not in any action they can assist their buddies at range. So no swarming with of a zillion tacklers, but vastly increased DPS non the less.
This is by no means all CCP can do. Higher level 'changing' of an NPC fleet's objectives is another.
This basicly repositions NPC groups as priorities change. Take a situation where in an encounter there are three structures defended by three different NPC groups. One group is engaged and is loosing the battle. An heuristic can then decide based on structure importance (mission objective for example) that the other groups have to close in and engage too. Effectvly a player has to make sound tactical choices in order to minimize the DPS trown at him. This goes furter then what we have now, namely hardcoded chains of group aggroing (shoot group A, triggers group B).
This won't turn NPC into smart opposition instantly, but it will greatly increase difficulty. Any mission today has been analyzed and optimised for in a matter of days and everyone will use more or less the same tactic and fitting. Hell even across missions tactics vary very little as it is now.
More and more flexible heuristics paired with adaptive NPC ammo and missile choices will make missions more fun. If CCP decides this idea has merrit, I suggest opening a seperate threat for it as many more people can contribute to this idea!
It might even solve your Inflation and mission level issues! And BTW, grats for asking US!
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