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Re: Fear of Death: Punishment & Reward...
Posted By: Ragnarok <nikozomo@bowlingpin.com>Date: 2/2/00 6:00 p.m.

In Response To: Fear of Death: Punishment & Reward... (Xian)

> One of the key elements to multiplayer online team games is the
> balance between reward and punishment. This is important because
> every online game relies heavily on public pick-up servers where
> the majority of the gamers don't know each other. This means
> that teamwork and team goals and team communication aren't
> always ideal... and often far from good. While there's little a
> developer can do about people determined to spoil a game for
> others, there ARE measures they can take to futher immersive or
> team gameplay...

Yes, when the player joins the server, he knows nobody, and also spawns at a certain location, while all the other players are already deep in enemy territory.

> One of these is a fear of game death.

> Those weaned on the traditional FPS (team game or otherwise)
> have a devil-may-care attitude towards their own death, often.
> Sure, the teams that work together will often do better, but in
> a game such as TFC (Half-Life) or team deathmatch (Quake3)...
> your personal pleasure is more important than the team's success
> (usually) and one can typically find enjoyment fragging folk
> merrily apart from the team. Dying costs you nothing personally,
> so a player places little value on his own life. Gameplay is
> basically reduced to deathmatch with teams... and some secondary
> team goals.

How true you are. Do you feel sad that the other team won the match with the highest score while you had the highest kills and low deaths?

I don't think so!

> Compare this with FPS team games that instill a punishment...

> Rainbow6 and Counter-Strike (HL) are tactical FPSims with a
> generally higher lethality to their weapons and a high stress on
> team tactics. They have a very simple method of punishment: You
> die, you wait. If you player dies, you wait until the next round
> before you can play again. Ouch. What does this mean? It means
> players are less anxious to go Cowboy and die alone against the
> teams that use team tactics, it means people pair up for
> superior firepower against lone Cowboys, it means that players
> are forced to learn to work as a team... or suffer the
> consequences- rather than simply hit the SPACEBAR and respawn.
> This is a GOOD THING.

True, both R6 and CS have relistic guns in a realistic game, so, this means that somebody hit by a rocket would instantly die, instead of just losing a little health and armor. This gives the player fear,thus enabling it to hide behind its teammate, using it as a bodysheild.

> But is it good for Halo?

> Granted, we know very little about how Halo actually plays...
> but it's up to Bungie to make a reward & punishment system
> that doesn't simply make team goals a matter of personal taste.
> In traditional FPS games, it's possible to have one outstanding
> player decimate a well-coordinated (if slightly lacking in
> skill) team... in a FPSim, that almost never happens. So, I
> submit that SOME form of punishment is needed... but I ask you,
> what?

> Ideas? (Remember the goal is to promote teamwork using a method
> that would affect the most utilitarian and selfish player...)

Seems that more games are aiming at teamwork, like the upcoming TF2, and the already released Starseige Tribes.

Mission goals help teamwork alot, like a goal of planting a C4, one sets the bomb, but would be vulnerable while planting, luckily theres teammates standing guard. Thus enabling the enemies having to rush with more then one person.

And vehicles help ALOT for teammwork. Take Tribes for example:

Somebody buys an APC, and tells the team that an APC is ready for passengers. The players start daydreaming of throwing mortars in the air with fellow teammates, rushing the base, taking the flag, and escape with the flag in the APC (this probably woulnd't happen, you'll be dead by the time you get in the base). But it does involve some laughs (ships colliding, etc.) and if teamworked correctly, provides a fun teamwork expierence.

But theres a problem which makes us go solo more then go as a team.

THE DREADED CHAT.

Ever tryed to type in a teammate which is closest to you but after you're done typing is far away battling the enemy? The problem with chat is, it takes too DAMN long.

Example, how long will it take me to write this following sentence:

John come with me so we oculd go in the base and campture the flag john behind you theres a oops too late we're both dead.

Perhaps 10 seconds to write that.

But theres a cure for this too.

VOICE-COMMUNICATION

This one is obvious, instead of typing it, why not just say it?
Its fast, its easy, and you dont have to sit there looking like a doofus.

Those are my views, but remember, theres some people who don't give a damn about teamplay and just waltzs in the covenant base, but never comes out....

Solo killed the cat.

Message Index



Replies:

Fear of Death: Punishment & Reward...Xian 2/2/00 12:53 p.m.
     Re: Fear of Death: Punishment & Reward...DogFish 2/2/00 1:20 p.m.
           Hmmm...Xian 2/2/00 1:49 p.m.
                 Re: Hmmm...Regdren 2/2/00 3:31 p.m.
                       Re: Hmmm...Adam 2/2/00 10:35 p.m.
                             Well...Xian 2/2/00 10:54 p.m.
                                   Re: Well...Adam 2/3/00 12:24 a.m.
                                         Re: Well...phayd 2/4/00 8:53 a.m.
                                               Re: Well...o 2/4/00 11:51 p.m.
                                                     Re: Well...phayd 2/6/00 4:44 p.m.
                                                           I never mentioned this before, but...Stryker 2/6/00 5:37 p.m.
                                                                 Re: I never mentioned this before, but...phayd 2/7/00 4:28 p.m.
                 Re: Hmmm...Desio 2/2/00 3:31 p.m.
                 Re: Hmmm...DogFish 2/3/00 4:24 a.m.
                       Responding (long; for everyone)Xian 2/3/00 11:59 a.m.
           Re: Fear of Death: Punishment & Reward...Br'fin 2/2/00 1:50 p.m.
     Re: Fear of Death: Punishment & Reward...Ragnarok 2/2/00 6:00 p.m.
           Re: Fear of Death: Punishment & Reward...Giule 2/2/00 8:30 p.m.
           Re: Fear of Death: Punishment & Reward...mud 2/2/00 9:13 p.m.
                 Re: Fear of Death: Punishment & Reward...Ragnarok 2/3/00 10:13 a.m.
     limited lives theory + ramblingXZCion 2/2/00 8:45 p.m.
           Re: limited lives theory + ramblingRagnarok 2/2/00 9:27 p.m.



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