Could weird player placement make games more interesting?

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Could weird player placement make games more interesting?

Postby bigcrap757 » 28 Mar 2017, 02:06

I'm thinking of starting a group for players that want to play games on maps like setons with unusual player placement. For example, instead of having all players on the same team inhabit one side of the map on setons, maybe have it so that the air or beach spots are replaced with a member of the enemy team. so each side of the map would have three team one players and one team two player. This would make the game more fun by forcing players to make units they usually wouldn't. Currently, the only player on setons that builds land units is the guy at the front because thats the only spot where their enemy is close enough for land units to be viable. This is bad for gameplay because it limits the choices non-front players have, as building land units is almost always a stupid decision. Another advantage of forcing players to pay attention to new areas is that it encourages them to consider where to put there resources and where to build defences. Do you want to reinforce the front player or push back the pesky enemy in the air spot? What areas are vulnerable to attack?

One criticism people might have of this is that the isolated player will be at a disadvantage. My response is that this is actually a good thing, as it creates a sense of urgency and promotes unusual play. Many players would not like the stress of being all alone, but I think me and many others would. It would create desperate last stands where one team sends over a horde of gunships to prevent their allies base from being overrun, or where a player frantically builds a t2 transport to get their com to friendly territory. I want to make a group for games like this because I dont think regular players will be too happy with the change. So if anyone wants to help me start it, please contact me.
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Re: Could weird player placement make games more interesting

Postby Farmsletje » 28 Mar 2017, 02:18

bigcrap757 wrote:This is bad for gameplay because it limits the choices non-front players have, as building land units is almost always a stupid decision.

So water is bad because it limits the choices Kappa
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Re: Could weird player placement make games more interesting

Postby bigcrap757 » 28 Mar 2017, 02:26

Farmsletje wrote:
bigcrap757 wrote:This is bad for gameplay because it limits the choices non-front players have, as building land units is almost always a stupid decision.

So water is bad because it limits the choices Kappa


No, water is not the problem. The problem is that the players in the naval and air positions are highly discouraged from making land units because they are useless there.
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Re: Could weird player placement make games more interesting

Postby FtXCommando » 28 Mar 2017, 02:39

Your game mode would just end in the person alone being crushed. The game would literally be no fun for them as they will be dead in 10 min. The adaptive maps let you play around with player spawns and can lead to some interesting games. Perhaps work with those instead.
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Re: Could weird player placement make games more interesting

Postby Farmsletje » 28 Mar 2017, 04:25

bigcrap757 wrote:
Farmsletje wrote:
bigcrap757 wrote:This is bad for gameplay because it limits the choices non-front players have, as building land units is almost always a stupid decision.

So water is bad because it limits the choices Kappa


No, water is not the problem. The problem is that the players in the naval and air positions are highly discouraged from making land units because they are useless there.

That's.... why they are called navy and air positions? You find these dedicated slots in every supcom teamgame.

And it's a water map. Ofcourse making land units it typically worse than making navy (ignoring hover).
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Re: Could weird player placement make games more interesting

Postby MrSprengmeister » 28 Mar 2017, 07:06

I think he wants to tell us to play pritty much left vs. right on Setons instead of the usual top vs bottom, Right?

This resaults in very differt gameplay and is worth a try...
it works on other maps too, for example on Gap of Rohan, play top vs bottom and you change the gameplay drastically.
I watched a couple of these unusual games, and they where very interesting.
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Re: Could weird player placement make games more interesting

Postby CookieNoob » 28 Mar 2017, 09:29

First of all: the answer to the question in the topic is definetely yes. However it will take a few games for the players that usually only do the same (i.e. gap/...) to adapt to the new situation and play properly. So it could happen that the first games of this type are really one-sided (Anyway, you should try it!).

MrSprengmeister wrote:I think he wants to tell us to play pritty much left vs. right on Setons instead of the usual top vs bottom, Right?
Left vs Right and Top vs Bottom is exactly the same on Setons.

As FtXCommando already suggested:
FtXCommando wrote:The adaptive maps let you play around with player spawns and can lead to some interesting games. Perhaps work with those instead.

I created the adaptive maps ( http://wiki.faforever.com/index.php?title=Adaptive_Maps ) and added as many spawn points as the lobby can support to allow for the possibility to play the map from different angles/directions. If it has to be setons, have a look at Adaptive Setons Clutch, you will have way more spawn locations to choose from, leading to interesting games.

You can also have a look at the map pool (with configurations) of the last touneys I hosted. I created a lot of interesting and unusual configurations for the adaptive maps. If you want to, you can also join the next tourney (Saturday in 1.5 weeks) viewtopic.php?f=26&t=14255 where these configurations will be used.

Here is the list:
Spoiler: show
New Canis: 1+13+11x2+14+12(reclaim starting ress. = more reclaim, reclaim - middle = some reclaim, civilians = base t1 defences)
New Canis: 10+8+11x12+9+7 (dynamic spawn = all mexes, civilians = base no defences, reclaim - middle = more reclaim)
Setons: 1+13+3x14+4+2 (number middlemex = disabed, number sidemex = disabled, additional underwatermex = enabled, reclaim - back = one t2 pgen)
Setons: 15+3+11x16+4+12 (additional underwatermex = more mex, reclaim - middle = some reclaim, Civilian Base = t3, reclaim - back = two t2 pgen, expand 10min, Hard FFA)
Neptune: 7+9+10x8+12+11 (number middlemex = disabed, reclaim = fleet+ bomber)
Neptune: 13+1+9x14+2+12 (dynamic spawn = 1 mex CRAZYRUSH, underwater mexes = disabled, number middlemex = disabed)
Hilly: 16+14+12x15+13+11 (additional reclaim = megabot, number side mex (middle) = enabled, additional mex = enabled, close spawn mex 7+8, civ. base middle = t2 defences, heavy defences middle = walls + shields)
Hilly: 1+3+16x2+4+15 (dynamic spawn = hilly 4v4 mexes, number side mex(middle) = more mex, additional reclaim = some reclaim, civ base side = t1 defences)
Flooded Tabula: 8+10+1x2+9+7 (additional hydros = enabled, reclaim = more reclaim, reclaim (side) = battleship, Civilians = t1 def)
Flooded Tabula: 10+14+2x9+13+1 (civilians = base - t3 defences, additional reclaim = destroyer+frigates, additional sidemex = disabled, additional middlemex = enabled)
Canis: 10+4+2x1+3+9 (civilians = base - t2 defences, reclaim - side = stratbomber, reclaim - middle = lot of reclaim, change natural reclaim = 0.4 times lower, close spawn mex 11+12)
Canis: 14+12+2x1+13+11 (dynamic spawn = CRAZYRUSH mexes)
Wonder Open: 2+4+6x1+3+5 (dynamic spawn = all mexes, number middle mex = disabled, number side mex top = disabled, number side mex bottom = disabled, Hard FFA)
Wonder Open: 9+16+4x3+15+10 (number middle mex = even more mass, reclaim - middle = more reclaim, civilian base = t1 defences, close spawn mex 13+14)
Point of Reach: 5+9+8x6+10+7 (reclaim = ships+air+island, Civilian Base = enabled - t1 defences, reclaim - middle = very large fleet, close spawn mex 3+4)
Point of Reach: 13+11+15x14+12+16 (FORWARD CRAZYRUSH mex = enabled)
Point of Reason: 5+9+8x6+10+7 (reclaim = ships+air+island, Civilian Base = enabled - t2 defences, reclaim - middle = small fleet, close spawn mex 1-4)
Point of Reason: 13+11+15x14+12+16 (FORWARD CRAZYRUSH mex = enabled, close spawn mex = 7+8)
Ians Cross: 5+12+9x6+11+10 (additional middlemex = more mex, additional sidemex = more mex)
Ians Cross: 1+5+8x2+6+7 (reclaim - middle = aeon patrol, additional sidemex = more side mexes, close spawn mex 11+12)
Ians Cross: 2+4+10+x1+3+9 (claustrophobia, preset = custom, startuptime = 10 min, shrink interval = 30 sec, shrink count = 25, end size = not small, close spawn mex 15+16)
Hungdaks Cayon: 15+7+11x16+12+8 (jamming = enabled, additional reclaim = more reclaim, civilian base = t1 defences, number sidemex = more mex)
Hungdaks Cayon: 3+13+11x12+4+14 (dynamic spawn = all mexes, civilian base = t2 defences+shields, FORWARD CRAZYRUSH MEX)
Argon: 12+14+16x11+13+15 (civ. base side = t1 defences, civ. base middle = t1 defences, number middlemex = more mex, number sidemex = more mex, claustrophobia, close spawn mex 5-8)
Argon: 4+10+2x1+3+9 (FORWARD CRAZYRUSH mex = enabled, t1 civ base mid + extreme shields, close spawn mex 11+12, Hard FFA)
Flooded Argon: 14+16+8x13+15+7 (dynamic spawn = all mexes, more reclaim, civ. base side = t3 civs, civ. base side shield = more shields)
Flooded Argon: 1+4+15x16+3+2 (reclaim = much more reclaim, number sidemex = more mex, civ. base side = t2 defences, civ. base side shield = some shields, close spawn mex 5-8)
Twin Rivers: 14+16+2x15+13+1 (t2 wrecks, more mid mexes, enabled more hydros, close spawn mex 3+4)
Twin Rivers: 9+11+13x14+10+12 (dynamic spawn = all mex, Hard FFA)
Fields of Great Phoenix: 6+8+10x9+7+5 (dynamic spawn = 1 CRAZYRUSH mex, reclaim = ahwassa)
Fields of Great Phoenix: 15+7+6x16+8+5 (t1/t2 navy+strat, t1 civs on the mid, t1 civs on sides, more underwater mexes, more sidemexes, additional mexes enabled)
Fields of the Great Phoenix: 14+8+6x13+5+7 (reclaim = t1/t2 navy+ stratbomber, additional mex = enabled, additional underwater mex = enabled, number middlemex = more mex, claustrophobia)
Flooded Corona: 10+5+11x12+6+9 (FORWARD CRAZYRUSH mex = enabled, additional hydros = enabled)
Flooded Corona: 16+14+12x15+13+11 (dynamic spawn = 4v4 mexes, civilians = no def, reclaim = much more reclaim)
Flooded Corona: 16+9+8x7+10+15 (number plateaumex = enabled, civ base side = t1 defences, civ base side shields = some shields, natural reclaim 0.8 times lower)
Regor: 10+6+4x9+3+5 (reclaim = no additional reclaim, dynamic spawn = CRAZYRUSH 1 mex)
Regor: 1+5+11x2+6+12 (additional middlemex = more mex)
Regor: 2+8+9x10+7+1 (number middlemex = more mex, number underwater mex = fewer mexes, number backmex = fewer mex, reclaim middle = no relcaim, reclaim side = small t2 army, change natural reclaim = 2 times higher)
New Zeta Wonder: 14+4+16x13+15+4 (number middlemex = more mexes, number sidemex = more mex, reclaim side = medium t3 force)
New Zeta Wonder: 1+3+11x2+12+4 (civilian base = t3+shields, Hard FFA BEWARE THE CIVILIANS!!!)
Diversity: 3+7+5x4+8+6 (additional mex = enabled, reclaim = more reclaim, additional hydro = enabled, civilian base = t2 defences, civilian shields = some shields, close spawn mex 9+10, claustrophobia)
Diversity: 7+9+12x8+10+11 (forward crazyrushmex = enabled, underwatermex = much more mex, additional mex = enabled, reclaim = much more reclaim, additional hydro = enabled, civilian base = t1 defences, civilian shields = more shields, close spawn mex 1+2+5+6)
Syrtis Major: 1+9+3x2+10+4 (civilian base = large base-t2 defences, change neutral reclaim = 0.6 times lower, Hard FFA, close spawn mex 15+16)
Syrtis Major: 13+3+15x14+4+16 (civilian base = large base-no defences, change neutral reclaim = 3 times higher, number plateaumex = disabled)
Syrtis Major: 4+10+2x3+9+1 (dynamic spawn of mexes = enabled crazyrush 1 mex, civilian base = disabled, change neutral reclaim = 0.2 times lower, number plateaumex = disabled, number middlemex = disabled, number sidemex = disabled)
Check out the next level of maps: viewtopic.php?f=53&t=13014
For adaptivity, customizability and less clutter in the vault.
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Re: Could weird player placement make games more interesting

Postby JoonasTo » 29 Mar 2017, 18:51

Having played quite a few "funky" spawns games or just maps with flopsided starting positions I feel like I can shed some light on this.

Is it interesting? Yes.
Is it balanced? No.

The problem is that most people who play this game, simply aren't teamplayers. That's why most successful maps also tend to be quite isolated, eg. Open Wonder and Setons.
If you have two players on one side that do work together it's GG six minutes into the game and unorthodox spawns escalate this even further. Even if no one works together, it's still most likely decided very early, and, more importantly, quite passively, for the most players. You get to come into a game to only host a new one five minutes into the game that you only set up your base in, is not fun.

Another issue is that if you lose a teammate in an orthodox map setup, it's bad, but not game ending as you can more often than not secure his base or at least deny it to the enemy. Not so in uneven setups. The overpowering force on the other side having no distance to travel can easily take it for themselves ending up, not in 4:3, but 5:3 scenario.

Then there's the fact that survival of players, is really not all that useful if they lose all their resources. Imagine someone flying over from the other side of setons, to his team's side. What will he do next? Build t2 massfabs for 30 minutes?


That said, they can still be interesting once in a while but having to blind counter double ACU-rush at the start is frustrating more than anything.
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Re: Could weird player placement make games more interesting

Postby nine2 » 30 Mar 2017, 07:58

I think it's not a bad idea just not on Setons, where one player would just get annihilated.

What the world needs more of is 2v2 games played on 6v6 maps. Like open wonder or some such. The idea being that map control is important, which it is not when slots are full.
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