From the MB2 Labs: A New Gamemode

[Wildebeest]

I figured it was about time I wrote one of these.

Abstract: Semi-authentic mode is being replaced by something awesome: a hybrid of FA and Open modes.

Disclaimer: This might not make the next build. Don't kill me.

A long time ago, some team member mentioned that it'd be interesting to have a mode where the Open-style point setup could be determined by the mapper, rather than us.

This got me to thinking about how cool it might be to have a mode that was a sort of hybrid of FA and Open modes. Here is what I have so far:

• Mappers can define a point buy to connect various FA properties to points. These properties currently include: MB attributes, force powers, class flags, saber styles, weapons, holdables, customveh, speed, AP multiplier, and BP multiplier. This set of properties will expand in the future, probably to include weapon overrides.
• The last 4 default to their FA values in their absence. The rest need to be explicitly given buyable values. All other FA properties, including models and class limits, are defaulted to their FA values.
• The game can create a menu for you. However, if you wish to customize the menu, you can do so, as long as you name it the same thing the game would.
• If you do not create an SA, a default one will be used. Currently, the SA defaults emulate the MB Open mode classes. This effectively turns your SA into per class limits on the MB Open mode classes.

I've attached a sample new SA .mbch file. Note that behind the scenes, MB associates buyables with force powers to build off of the base point buy code. Not all force powers are available to each team, and some have special properties. All of this will be documented for mappers upon release of the system.


This is what it looks like (SA and screenies by =Someone=):




Now, I want your opinion. Droid suggested that we might use this mode as a way to revive point progression in an interesting way. The current point progression system is broken. After a lot of discussion with various team members, I've come up with the following spec for point progression.

• Like penalty points, equipment points are retained for a certain period of time if a player wishes to reconnect to the same server. (This is already implemented.)
• Player enters a server. He is granted a certain amount of points, ramped based on the number of rounds the server has had people playing in it, if he's not recovering points from before.
• Player is granted points for completing a round on the winning team.
• Player is granted points based on completing an objective. The map may override the default for given objectives.
• Player keeps track of damage dealt. Dealing damage to the enemy team adds damage, while dealing damage to your team subtracts damage. Every x positive damage dealt, you gain points. Every y negative damage dealt, you lose points. This ensures that you don't lose points if someone steps in front of your weapon if you're doing a good job.
• A player's class defines his max and min points. If you switch to a class with a lower limit, you lose those points.
• The map may override the default thresholds we set for gains and loss of points.

Feedback would be appreciated.

[AlphaFA]

Looks good bro.

[Gabriel]

ANYTHING to bring back the good ol' PP system ^_^

[Hawk]

This would be epic beyond imagination. The possibilities are endless.

About the other idea, the overhauled PP system, I still wouldn't play it because I don't want to earn points.

[^Xero.]

This would be awesome. I like it.

[Palin]

WANT. pls

[Metaguardian]

That's probably the best SA revamp idea I've heard. I'm looking forward to it.:D

[Ford]

cool but i want ctf more

[=Someone=]

CTF should be an extension of this, imho. Imagine the different kinds of teams you could have.

[Lt.Claim]

Wait, what happens if the class you wanna join is full ? You get another class ? and what happens to your points then ? How are they spent ? do you lose them ? and Do you really think that's fair to lose points because someone else is taking your class and you want to take another class, or just to balanced the teams ? Maybe you'd need a minimum amount of point to be able to take certain classes, to avoid them getting taken by noobs with no point that'll just waste them ? wait no, that's not such a good idea ...
Seems to me that the point progression thing, although a pretty neat idea, might be very complicated to do ... But you're the developers, so you probably know better than me...
Hope it will work the way you want, cause it puzzles me for the moment...

Oh, and what's a vibro-shiv ? is it the same thing as the assasin from JT has ?