Matchmaking Campaign Mode

[Adair]

Since Game Labs is developing Naval Action slice by slice, once they're done with the ship combat system, a solid intermediate stage between direct combat and open world could be a campaign mode.

 

Now, I've talked about this before, but let me reiterate it here. I'm thinking about a meta-map for matchmaking:

 

Let’s say the current campaign is a European map during the 1800’s. France vs Britain. France owns Toulon, but on the big map, Britain is pushing that way from Spain, so adding conquest points to Toulon is a top priority.

 

Toulon has the following missions available: Blockade. Blockade Running/Smuggling. Cruising. (Just to name a few).

 

I load up my captain and select Toulon as my destination. I only have about an hour to play today, so I select Minorca as my origin (not far at all). The route appears on the map, and I’m told it’ll give me two encounters and be worth X Cash/Conquest (both?) for successful navigation of one and Y Cash/Conquest for navigation of both. To have an impact on the overall campaign, I have to complete both, of course, but I need not necessarily win. It’s just that the encounter’s winner will have a much higher score.

 

I select my ship type. This is where I put up my stakes. I have to 'buy' my ship. Essentially I'm purchasing the right to run this mission. Borrowing from Hearthstone, I can spend either in-game currency, premium currency, or real cash (In Hearthstone it's $2.99 for a go in the arena). If I lose, I lose. If I win half my encounters, I'll probably break even. If I win all my encounters, it'll open new options for equipment, crew, and possibly ship types.

 

I decide on a smuggling run. I select a sloop for my ship and load it up with cargo that has been convoyed/escorted to Minorca from Britain by other players (or made locally through econ, or whatever). I want the maximum effect from this run, so I select PVP as the mission type.

 

The computer puts me in the queue. It’ll match me against French players on a Blockade mission or a Cruise. Note that my mission isn’t necessarily to fight the French ship. If I get away, good. If he damages me badly or sinks me or whatever, then he succeeds. And I could be matched against a frigate, against which I have no chance in a fight with my sloop (or very slim), in which case I absolutely MUST get away. That’s leading back to the Core Gameplay, where wind and weather make such a difference, and how we sail and maneuver is of paramount importance. In such an encounter, we could both be deposited on a very large map, and it’s my job (as the runner) to get across the map, while it’s his job (as the blocker) to stop me. There could even be a time limit on it. I have a long way to go, but if he gauges the weather right, figures out my route, or is otherwise just plain lucky, I’ve got a real fight on my hands.

 

And, don't forget, I asked for it by selecting a Sloop. It was cheaper in terms of stakes, but my chances of success against certain types of opponents have gone down. Also, I selected PVP, because I wanted to maximize my reward. This is key. Everything that put me in that encounter with these odds was my decision.

 

Anyway, let’s say I’ve done my run to Toulon, did two PVP encounters, and because it was a PVP run, I contributed triple my score to a British takeover of that port and aided the land war. Note that a PVE run should always be worth less than PVP.

 

If I wanted a greater impact, I could’ve taken a larger ship, but run the greater risk in resources. Or I could have taken a longer route, but had more encounters to deal with. Ultimately, I could have grouped with other players for more complicated battles (but this makes the matchmaking more difficult).

 

The key being, I had no idea what I might run into, and the matchmaking algorithm picked opponents in my range. In the end, I got my fights. Heck, the French I was up against may not even have been Cruising or Blockading for Toulon specifically. It doesn’t matter so long as the port they were representing or stationed at got the benefit of their actions for good or ill. All they knew was that a sloop was trying to smuggle goods, and it was their job to stop them. 

 

Basically, I’m suggesting making the ‘Open Sea’ map more meta than what you find in POTBS. Over there, I could be in the red zone at Turtling Bay eager for a fight and another solo player is up by Matthew Town just waiting and we’ll never find each other. That’s crazy. And for what? ‘Realism’? What-the-hell-ever, you know? I’m sitting in front of my computer in my office, not actually on the deck of a 40 gun frigate. What’s going to give me that sense of ‘being there’ more? Finding him at Matthew Town, or actually shooting cannons at each other, regardless of HOW we got together? I think the answer is plain: going towards Core Gameplay at all times is key, and letting us decide just how much we're willing to gamble is even more vital.

 

This has a lot going for it. I get fair fights in a timely fashion, and if I risk everything and lose, then that was my decision. And, from a development standpoint, the investment of resources is much lower than for an open sea sort of map.

[admin]

very interesting idea for the convoy oriented missions and adventuring traders. 

[Johny Reb]

I actually like this idea. I don't know if I like the 2.99 price tag unless the game also had a monthly payment option that unlocked everything. I just feel nickel and dimed when I have to pay something for every little thing. Then I do the math and realize I'm paying more per month to enjoy the game then the 15 dollars a month to play WoW(and that was one of the reasons I stopped playing it, though im financially more stable now)

I also wouldn't want it to be the only way that pvp was joined. I need the spontaneous adrenaline rush of a surprise encounter. But I do like the idea.

[Adair]

It's true, Johny Reb. I feel the same way with some games. The notion here is that you can either pay $2.99 or an in-game currency earned for completing a convoy/tour. Call it Commendation Points or something. Your navy recognizes you as someone who can get things done, so you've got the influence to go do more missions, next time with better outfittings, more materiel, or things like that. 

[Adair]

Another notion for this is that you'd set up your ship for the cruise/escort/blockade etc at the start of the voyage, and that's all you've got to work with, except what you might scavenge from any defeated enemies. So if I want a long cruise along the Mediterranean that has like ten encounters or something, the payout would be huge, but only IF I succeed. A bad mission or a stroke of ill luck might use up more stores than I've got on hand, and we'd have to abort.

 

Mind you, aborting wouldn't be nearly as bad as sinking, to my mind. But still, that'd be a significant penalty. 

[Exiffa]

What would you propose happens if the matchmaker does not find an opponent for the smuggler? Is the smuggler to sit there waiting until a French player starts a blockade/cruise in/near Toulon?

If the smuggler is aloud the complete his mission(pvp?) unopposed then what should he be rewarded with? Bearing in mind that to complete his mission unopposed is the most desirable outcome for the smuggler.

 

I do like the idea of only being rewarded upon successfully completing a cruise. I don't think whoever is commanding you would reward captains who fail to complete what they were sent to do.

[Adair]

In theory, if there are enough players in the pool, you'd find a match relatively quick. But, on the off chance there are no other players, the system should tell you so, and give you the option to battle an NPC or wait.

[SerrialKiller]

I have been reading the things you wrote all up there but you mean that you are limiting an player whit an map based campaign as far as i can see. People want to sail their ships and not be getting stuck in an map like RISK and other games are. An open sailing map of the world would be really awsome as for the misions you should be able to do them in groups of more then 1 player and things.

 

The map should be devided in atlantic Caribieen and east india so an player can sail in every part for trade and things. 

 

If you make an haroubr thing and just an battle arena i might go play wind of bad luck that wrecked my videocard an couple weeks ago because the game can't run in full screen mode....