Discussion: Buffer Zone

zdoofop

Firstclaimer
Jul 26, 2016
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Noneofyourbeeswaxistan
#1
forgive me if I'm not fmiliar with the proper term.

The thing I like about Warframe is that I can log into the game and just afk in my dropship forever without having to worry about afk kickers. I presume this is because that data is stored mostly locally so I'm not taking up server space. Whether tht is the case or not, I think it would be very nice to have in em8er.

Here is what I am thinking: Even if you can't put uus in the interior like in Warframe, then a screen like the one in Destiny 2 should be possible, and you could have drop zones at each of the player-owned bases, and it just drops you there until you're ready to head on out.

What are your thoughts?
 

Pandagnome

Kaiju Slayer
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#5
There is a particular part that stood out and it was this part.

"The Internet was not so extensive or pervasive back then, so if you wanted to learn more about the game, you had to spend time talking to other players.

MMOs today are a blur of quest hopping. Combat is fast, leveling is fast, healing is near instant and so is mana regen. There is simply no time to talk to anyone"


This makes a lot of sense to me, have learned more by engaging with players who are willing to help ingame than anywhere else.

Reading things or watching tutorials helped, but the most helpful was when another player would show or explain and that was really the best in my experience.

I like the idea of helpers with a special area in the sky city e.g. the social/info and help central area.
When you are a helper and a notice or message appears blinking on your screen any helpers who are available could pop down to visit to help and greet the player(s).

Social events could be encouraged (optional) even though it doesn't fit with the theme of war and such but it is a way to unwind when you would rather catch up with others or meet new folks who you might of never met.

E.g.

The Consumer event

The sky city is in complete darkness and the faint hint of the siren slowly dies!!!!!!

A small light source appears in the room momentarily and vanishes muttering about their hunger.
Me hunger me feed on energy riuthsrthshto;thot O.O (think cookie monster but an energy source)

It then reappears to glow attracted to the sudden movements anyone makes in the sky city!

The idea is to lure the light source thing to light up areas without getting dazed and becoming part of the light side. (its like a game of team tag)

If the light source gets to you, you are blinded by the light and joined in the light side meaning when you move you light up but when you dont move you are in darkness.

Those who become light can move slightly quicker but are seen.
Abilities and things can not be used for anyone.

Now luring the light source in the containment room is where you can get someone to make as much noise and jump then it will go there.

You may have to sacrifice someone which gives the achievement For the team!

You could get light achievement starstruck

There is a timer and if the game ends with none winning you still win things but not as much as if you had won.


This is just one of many different events that could take place in the social area these are always announced in advanced for different time zones on some board for all to see where you can find out.


I would hope events and gatherings such as this would create a good atmosphere and fun for all.

Trading i think should be done somewhere you can see in person this way the exchanges the meetings the events are done in the sky city this becomes the 1st place to go to for help for info and to socialize too.

Trades can be put on board request so on your mini computer you can see things people want or are willing to sell.

Next to the names are optional time frame so if a seller wants to make a fast sell they would have a small timer in red. (those with a red timer want to trade or sell asap)

Yellows and green timers are less worried about that and just want to sell to get a good deal.



If you have no time to do that and like to put your item into a special area of the store but you have to give small % of your earning to the store e.g 10% taken by the store

The store will place your item there so that bids can be made by those interested in the object/items.
You can decide when to accept but the store could also automatically approve the best sale and message you once complete.


ok i think i am going off topic but had to spew my thoughts again :D
 

Wyntyr

Omni Ace
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Jul 26, 2016
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#6
I'm thinking that HOME (one of the Gatestrider's major clan star ships), can be that buffer zone location. Perhaps with a couple of areas for mingling with other players (bar/night club/garden/etc.) and your Reaper's OF bay that you can customize/furnish and show off/work on your OF's.
 

Pandagnome

Kaiju Slayer
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#7
I'm thinking that HOME (one of the Gatestrider's major clan star ships), can be that buffer zone location. Perhaps with a couple of areas for mingling with other players (bar/night club/garden/etc.) and your Reaper's OF bay that you can customize/furnish and show off/work on your OF's.
Would that be in space or floating somewhere in the sky?

Ah yes i could see those reaper's omniframe styles in a showcase room and each with their own unique horn and not forgetting the reaper with their stylish reaper g-suit
 

Dam13n

Well-Known Member
Mar 4, 2019
160
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#9
I think in general it's just important to have these types of zones, some of my most fun moments in FF was indeed simply hanging out around the printer, goofing off.

Like for example, you had a couple of sessions with a person helping them thump, later you met them in a mission and then even later you met them in Copa, hanging out around the printer and it automatically made you socialize with the person. Even if you're more of a "lone wolf" player, it was unavoidable. I generally don't like to join clans in MMOs but it was indeed because FF was so set up to, kinda naturally have these type of encounters that even i joined one.



What i'm saying is, "hanging out" was, of all the fun i had in FF (and there was more than enough fun to go around imo in that game), the basis, cause and generally the "waterhole" where the REAL social aspect of the game took place.
 
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Dam13n

Well-Known Member
Mar 4, 2019
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#10
I'll take this whole argument one step further, in for a penny, in for a pound.

In Warframe, take the main town of earth for example, it's damn beautiful. i love just sitting there but it lacks the necessity for me to go there. For anyone for that mather. There's no real reason for me to be there. I love just messing around in the plains, that's the most fun i've had in a video game since FF. But the hub and area are still disjointed.

WHY DOES IT EXIST?????? To look pretty, that's why.

It's not the same as Firefall's printer hubs, it just isn't. It's not a waterhole, it's just a pretty picture. This is why (and ib4 i get flack for this) item decay was crucial, to what made Firefall work.



There was a VERY good reason for you to go back to certain areas.

edited because of ocd
 
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Wyntyr

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Jul 26, 2016
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#11
Thinking about the above, perhaps some sort of starting/initial crafting area would be preferable instead of my post, either on Em.8ER or on HOME, since even though Copacabana had a number of social looking areas (even a dance floor) peeps congregated at the printers.
 

Dam13n

Well-Known Member
Mar 4, 2019
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#12
Thinking about the above, perhaps some sort of starting/initial crafting area would be preferable from my post, either on Em.8ER or on HOME.
Honestly i i have no idea, it's just the dynamic that we had in Firefall, you don't find that in other games and obviously some damn freaking smart cookies were working on it. It's just something and again the same thing that draws us back to FF and even Grumzz's original MMORPG's posts, that somehow puts the nail on the head imo.

That's the stuff that's missing in MMOs and Odin knows i don't know how to fix it.
 

Dam13n

Well-Known Member
Mar 4, 2019
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293
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#13
But yeah, Grummz. You made (help make) WoW, it's your fault MMOs are like this.

You damn own us at least a little bit man. Come on, FF was so close we could all smell it. Fetch quests and tab targeting? The gamer in me pucked a little bit calling that process a game.



Damned.
Alright, weirdo out.
 
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DoktOrk

SHIFTER
Omega Founder
Jan 7, 2018
48
115
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#14
The Internet was not so extensive or pervasive back then, so if you wanted to learn more about the game, you had to spend time talking to other players.

MMOs today are a blur of quest hopping. Combat is fast, leveling is fast, healing is near instant and so is mana regen. There is simply no time to talk to anyone"


This makes a lot of sense to me, have learned more by engaging with players who are willing to help ingame than anywhere else.

Reading things or watching tutorials helped, but the most helpful was when another player would show or explain and that was really the best in my experience
I totally agree on that!
Firefall was like a second life for me back then.
I loved, that I could join anyone's quests / events like Tower defense, or any other "public" events like BK or Tornado but I did not have to! I had time. Time to chat, time to take a break, time to craft or even ask for help, like how do I share my location in the chat, and most of all, time to just hanging around. (And lollygagging...) :-D

There is no other mmo game on the market since Firefall with that nonlinear grade of freedom. It was like we had a bunch of "mini-games" in the big gameworld, and the question was, where to go to help our friends, regardless of level or where we were in the story.

Cheers: DoktOrk :-D

Ps: I just wanted to say, I would really like to have a base on the planet. (It is just my personal opinion, but e.g. I felt so "off and alone" on my spaceship in Warframe.)
 

DoktOrk

SHIFTER
Omega Founder
Jan 7, 2018
48
115
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#15
And, and, and!
One more thing before I forget, what distinguished Firefall from any other mmos:
Take for example Neverwinter Uprising. (Probably not the best example, but it shows.) You have to team up with someone to make the same quest. In FF there were also a few where you had to do that, but for example Thumping or Bandit camps, Bombs, etc... did not have such prerequisites. People just jumped in, killed and healed the enemy and the ally (mostly respectively), and when the chemistry worked (I mean, when they found out they play the game with the same level of intensity and/or the styles they played completed each other) they teamed up after a while.
And THIS made a trick (with the things together I mentioned before) which I saw in no other (pve) game ever:
Firefall was fun to play for casuals and for hardcores as well, together, in the same instance.

Cheers: DoktOrk :-D
 
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Pandagnome

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#16
elt so "off and alone" on my spaceship in Warframe.
Yes think so too even though you could invite a friend it felt miles away, but a base on the ground that would be good you could pop out and go back in when you wanted plus there would be more space and gatherings for parties or just to hang out.

Take for example Neverwinter Uprising. (Probably not the best example, but it shows.) You have to team up with someone to make the same quest. In FF there were also a few where you had to do that, but for example Thumping or Bandit camps, Bombs, etc.
This was fun too although sometimes it wasn't because in neverwinter people would rush and destroy things so fast and my experience would be to waddle along and collect all the loot.

Some told me they would setup up macros, and that way they could press the button to do a certain combo without resorting to pressing so many buttons.


Wondered if we could have temporary homes make shift one's with junk pieces i mean dont think we would start of with an actual home at first or would we hmmm?
 
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DoktOrk

SHIFTER
Omega Founder
Jan 7, 2018
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115
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#17
in neverwinter people would rush and destroy things so fast and my experience would be to waddle along and collect all the loot.
Exactly!
And I do not like rush either. I enjoy the game as I play so why should I rush? I have my playstyle, they have their styles and it is good so. These just do not come together when it comes to a point where the whole party is waiting for me you know, to "venturing forth"...
So I have to do rush because I am not a prick and I do not want them to wait for me...
But in this case I give up a part of my gaming experience for theirs which is kind of hmmm... :-/
So sometimes I end up playing alone because I am slow (well, relatively). :-D

Cheers: DoktOrk :-D
 
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EvilKitten

Well-Known Member
Ark Liege
Jul 26, 2016
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#18
forgive me if I'm not fmiliar with the proper term.

The thing I like about Warframe is that I can log into the game and just afk in my dropship forever without having to worry about afk kickers. I presume this is because that data is stored mostly locally so I'm not taking up server space. Whether tht is the case or not, I think it would be very nice to have in em8er.

Here is what I am thinking: Even if you can't put uus in the interior like in Warframe, then a screen like the one in Destiny 2 should be possible, and you could have drop zones at each of the player-owned bases, and it just drops you there until you're ready to head on out.

What are your thoughts?
A long long time ago in a galaxy far far...well ok this one. But back when Em-8er was little more than a brand new webpage I made the suggestion of having each major outpost be the tether point for a space elevator. The idea was that all of the original ships the gatestriders arrived into the Em-8er system with would become teather bases. The elevator would be crucial for getting personel from surface to space (ships are very inefficient in comparison) as well as raw materials.

The ships would serve as the "safe zone" for any region, players can simply travel up the elevator (a loading screen essentially) and there they can work on their frames, socialize and such. Player housing and clan HQ's can also be part of these elevator platforms/converted ships if/when that is implemented.

In addition to the above, zone travel can happen through these platforms via space shuttles. This can allow for additional loading times while the players move about. There is another aspect of this that I really hoped for, though I realize it wouldn't happen for a long time post Em-8er launch, and that is space combat. it would be really awesome if eventually the Tsi-hu could begin to appear in space and Reaper teams would have to man fighters and capitol ships to defend the platforms.

1578642135272.png

The other thing here is, new tethers can be vulnerable to destruction, making the start of a new zone very risky (but with massive potential rewards). Established tether systems can utilize mass drivers (rods from god) to protect a small area around the immediate tether, rendering Tsi-hu dead meat, but until that can be established and powered up the whole zone is at high risk. Eventually as the zone becomes established the safe (relatively) zone will appear and grow as the resources within that area lower in value, this pushes players to expand the zones and push them outward to keep the game going.

Note that having the tether destroyed won't destroy the platform, only the planetside base. The area will have to be retaken in order to create a new tether, this means player housing won't ever be destroyed.