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Topic: Assignments, Smaller PBS

There's this on-going call for more PvE content, but that's a weird thing to say for Perpetuum. There's a small group of developers trying to work around open-world gameplay, with a player-driven economy. It's hardly feasible. Herein lies my first proposals:

(1) player directed content, like courier contracts... keep thinking along these lines!
(2) increase traffic between alpha en beta... assignment that can be done at least in fast-moving bots for people based on alpha. Risk-reward and all that, but also keep supporting light bots in player progression, maybe even a PvE-role for light ewar;
(3) content based on player interactions; i.e. have missions give players beacons and spawn a few tough NPC's, PvP style, instead of hunting down 20 WoW-like chickens;
(4) I'm thinking certain beacons should be deployed on beta+ only, but that's messing with current mechanics.. touchy subject in these parts wink

Continuing, in my opinion, PBS is the ideal mechanic for player-driven content, stories, gameplay and all that jazz.

Currently, Gamma PBS is based around a more permanent foothold. It could be for a few days, sure, but there's a fairly large sum of NIC (and time) involved, something that's not that feasible for new groups coming in the game. And it shouldn't.

Yet, it's off-limit for most players. You could argue; just join a corp, but that's not something easily said. It's the sort of conformity that shouldn't be there in the first place (sandbox, remember!)

So we have all this space, rewards (doesn't even have to be Colixum), and I'm sure a lot of players interested in owning a piece of land. So on this, my proposal:

Why not allow small outposts, camps even, to be deployed on Gamma? No defensive capabilities (maybe a single reinforced stage for the timezone predicament), some detection, but overall, something to store your stuff (resources, maybe a bot or two) while you go out and mine, farm, roam, skirmish or stage Gamma assaults.

These are mechanics that can be steered by putting up severe limitations (it's basically a more permanent field container), but supporting one player to a small group could in my opinion really drive Perpetuum to that unique experience it's already steering towards.

Thanks for reading.

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Re: Assignments, Smaller PBS

I've called it "tent". the one-man-pos

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3 Reply by Vehacan (edited by Vehacan 2012-08-04 13:55:42)

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Re: Assignments, Smaller PBS

Sounds good.
Another nice idea would be that players can hire some mercenary NPC's temporarily to accompany you to fight and roam or that mercenaries can be placed in a base or outpost to guard and protect. Everything for a price of course. smile

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Re: Assignments, Smaller PBS

Why not just a smaller one?? (PBS) dont need a new type, just shrink the size, stats and cost and youre good to go.

Why? Because one of big reasons for a stagnant game is that people are doing the same old same old, some new bots and smaller PBS and we might see some new, active, corps start to form. Theres no reason you should be a 200 man corp for it to be viable, not to bring up steve all the time, but ive seen people have 16 POS there, solo. Final note, plz 2 has mining tower that mines 24/7 if you fuel it??

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Re: Assignments, Smaller PBS

I support a smaller pbs station

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Re: Assignments, Smaller PBS

the thing that i dont understand is, why they went the "total annihilation"-like building pattern, where you have to build every tech seperately,

instead of the Supcom1 like "upgrading" system, where you build a t1 building, and then upgrade it.

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Re: Assignments, Smaller PBS

Annihilator wrote:

the thing that i dont understand is, why they went the "total annihilation"-like building pattern, where you have to build every tech seperately,

instead of the Supcom1 like "upgrading" system, where you build a t1 building, and then upgrade it.

What has this to do with smaller PBS?

This is about an alternative PBS, since it doesn't really have anything to do with the scope of supporting an entire corporation on Gamma.

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Re: Assignments, Smaller PBS

honestly i dont see a need for a smaller terminal.

after the reduced costs you can easy set a standart main terminal for yourself. costs are ok and for what you can do there thats totaly fine. if you get not get shot into imergency mode then you can pack up whenever you see fit.

i think quite a few ppl have done that already without the server has ever noticed.

the cots are ok, and you realy dont have to have it without risk.

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Re: Assignments, Smaller PBS

Zortarg Calltar wrote:

honestly i dont see a need for a smaller terminal.

after the reduced costs you can easy set a standart main terminal for yourself. costs are ok and for what you can do there thats totaly fine. if you get not get shot into imergency mode then you can pack up whenever you see fit.

i think quite a few ppl have done that already without the server has ever noticed.

the cots are ok, and you realy dont have to have it without risk.

There's a rather big gap between 'ok' and what a single player can hussle up. Maybe you're right, but that might not be what players perceive. Could you maybe estimate what a nomadic lifestyle on Gamma might entail?

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Re: Assignments, Smaller PBS

Doek wrote:
Zortarg Calltar wrote:

honestly i dont see a need for a smaller terminal.

after the reduced costs you can easy set a standart main terminal for yourself. costs are ok and for what you can do there thats totaly fine. if you get not get shot into imergency mode then you can pack up whenever you see fit.

i think quite a few ppl have done that already without the server has ever noticed.

the cots are ok, and you realy dont have to have it without risk.

There's a rather big gap between 'ok' and what a single player can hussle up. Maybe you're right, but that might not be what players perceive. Could you maybe estimate what a nomadic lifestyle on Gamma might entail?

I have to agree with Doek atm, a small ninja mining outpost with 1 emergency phase would be beasty that was small enough to put in a sequer with little construction blocks.

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Re: Assignments, Smaller PBS

well the reason for gamma is at some point of cource the resources. if you can have a too cheap terminal and mining tower  a base of operation then the risk vs reward is way off. you then can gather all the expensive stuff without having to invest.

look at the costs of blocks and the costs of a terminal. not that big of a issue. and honestly this is not ment to be for a single person. even less for a corpless single person. even less for a new player.

i dont like the references to STeve too much myself... but you cant build a pos and get the shiny moon minerals without a investment and without the risk to loose that.
if you want a cheep base then there has to be a great disadvatage to it. something like no emergerny mode at all. so you got found and someone wnts to shoot it... then its gone.

but a "save" haven for a cheeper price is no good idea in my opinion.

12 Reply by Arjha Shanoo (edited by Arjha Shanoo 2012-08-07 13:38:24)

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Re: Assignments, Smaller PBS

Annihilator wrote:

I've called it "tent". the one-man-pos

Zortarg Calltar wrote:

...
if you want a cheep base then there has to be a great disadvatage to it. something like no emergerny mode at all. so you got found and someone wnts to shoot it... then its gone...

To sum Anni's idea of the "tent" up again (he mentioned it in some topics when pbs/pos discussions first came up):

  • A one-person building for docking (if you lock out it goes into hiding mode)

  • Little storage room (unit restriction)

  • No Corpstorage, no market (although with a remote market access would be nice)

  • Not much hitpoints/defense

  • Ability to hide (can be detected somehow) but no safety/emergency mode

  • Needs not much space/tiles

  • Tents don't stack on terrain

  • Mobile (pick up and set down at another place) and light, can be carried packaged by (example) HMs with those still having enough cargo space for ammo

Basicly it's the image of real life camping tents. Hope I did get it all right.

disclaimer: I haven't played that other game so I can't say whether there are similarities or not

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Re: Assignments, Smaller PBS

Arjha Shanoo wrote:

To sum Anni's idea of the "tent" up again (he mentioned it in some topics when pbs/pos discussions first came up):

Yes, this is pretty much what this smaller structure should be like. The exact mechanics are a matter of balancing this out. Hiding it into the terrain is interesting too.

It's not about the resources on Gamma, it's about pulling people from alpha to try out ('play' with) player-built structures, preferably in or just after their first few weeks of playing.

Of course, we then go out there and crush their dreams. But they've gone out there and experienced what Perpetuum actually is (as opposed to what happens on alpha).

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Re: Assignments, Smaller PBS

Doek wrote:

[
It's not about the resources on Gamma, it's about pulling people from alpha to try out ('play' with) player-built structures, preferably in or just after their first few weeks of playing.

Exactly.

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Re: Assignments, Smaller PBS

to be more precise, i had the priority requests:

a wall (predefined positon about outposts)
a gate (-----"-----"----)
a defense turret (----"-----"----)
a tent (anywhere on bigger island that the DEVs worked on a year ago)


we got:

- a wall buildable everywhere because sandbox means no restrictions (*cynical remark)
- no gate yet
- delay turrets and elite player epeen buildings on small empty islands


and when i read zortags first post in this topic... how many agents is that "single player" your talking about?

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