Potential objective rework [Extremely Hot!] [Gone Sexual!!]
Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2018 8:31 am
Alright, kids. Gather round while Papa Drinks-Too-Much discusses the issues with the current objectives. This may be a text wall depending how much I can bother to format it.
THE PROBLEM.
As it currently stands, the objective system is extremely binary and is rather un-engaging. It's essentially a list of "Steal X (where X is a usually hard to obtain item)" or "Assassinate Y (Where Y is literally a random crewmember." This means most antags are generally an RNG roll and if you get an easy objective like stealing plasma, and an easy target like an un-robust ERP target, you get easy greentext. Furthermore, the binary state of 'Green/Red' gives an extreme issue with people who *only* care for said greentext. This leads to things like someone completing their easy objectives, and then forcing a shuttle call because hiding in maint for an hour sucks. This also leads to a lot of un-needed murderboning which is "allowed" but opens you up to admin memes, which rarely ever happen. So, hardly worth note. Murderboning is fun! For the person doing it. For everyone else, it sucks.
THE (possible) SOLUTION.
Make objectives less binary. No longer is it 'steal X,' instead, you might get 'Steal any object from X department.' The more valuable your item is, the better your rating. So if you get the RDs tele-armor, that's worth more than a cyborg limb. Then, to add to it, you throw in sub-objectives. These are all modular, and can be attached to other main objectives. Such may be, No Violence, Fast Completion, Stealth and the like, limited only by imagination and ability to track it. You will be assigned objectives and sub-objectives possibly based on rating, so the higher your rating the harder your objectives get on average, and on top of this, bonuses can be earned. Do a no kill run while it's not assigned? You get a bonus. You are only penalized bu failing to complete assigned Sub objectives, but can get bonuses for completing ones not assigned. Not only can you work on a difficulty curve to give the more robust antags a harder challenge, but you can also rework the antag rep system to curve chances for those with higher ratings. Now better antags get it more often, and get harder objectives, while the less able ones get slightly easier tasks. To avoid abuse, lower population times have your ratings diminished slightly when accounted for in things like difficulty and chance to get antag, so you can't get on at off hours with 5 other people and farm rating. After time to gauge the numbers and see where things fall, ranks can be shown on the end screen rather than the simple 'Green/Red'text. This is a system that would allow players to decide what they do, and how they do it. I'm toying with the idea of a 'objective prefs' section so you can have some impact on the objectives you get allowing you to reduce chances of getting objectives you don't enjoy, at a cost of rating. This all can tie quite well into Bhijn's teased storyteller system, as it allows for a much larger variance of chaos between antags. This will also come with some game-mode changes, and new objectives entirely.
FEEDBACK.
I have the creative ability of a limp sock, please, if you have ideas for new objectives, ways to incorporate current game-modes, or anything you think could make this a better system, drop it here. Forums are massively disused but this is the best way to make sure your suggestion isn't lost. So drop it in here, and have fun.Â
Existing plans.
I currently have plans to make a syndicate version of revs. It will be called 'TakeOver' and will involve these modular objectives. It will begin like traitors, and play out much like revs in the attempt to remove heads. It will have various bonuses however, tied to sub objectives. You might get HOSTILE Takeover, where you have to kill all heads, or COVERT takeover, where you have to convert them. On top of this, you might get a sub bonus for not being too violent, or being EXTRA violent. This also has even further possibility to invoke a deathsquad-esque syndicate raid on the hostile takeover in which the traitors need to get to the bridge with the Captain's ID or something to call in the Syndicate raiding party.
THE PROBLEM.
As it currently stands, the objective system is extremely binary and is rather un-engaging. It's essentially a list of "Steal X (where X is a usually hard to obtain item)" or "Assassinate Y (Where Y is literally a random crewmember." This means most antags are generally an RNG roll and if you get an easy objective like stealing plasma, and an easy target like an un-robust ERP target, you get easy greentext. Furthermore, the binary state of 'Green/Red' gives an extreme issue with people who *only* care for said greentext. This leads to things like someone completing their easy objectives, and then forcing a shuttle call because hiding in maint for an hour sucks. This also leads to a lot of un-needed murderboning which is "allowed" but opens you up to admin memes, which rarely ever happen. So, hardly worth note. Murderboning is fun! For the person doing it. For everyone else, it sucks.
THE (possible) SOLUTION.
Make objectives less binary. No longer is it 'steal X,' instead, you might get 'Steal any object from X department.' The more valuable your item is, the better your rating. So if you get the RDs tele-armor, that's worth more than a cyborg limb. Then, to add to it, you throw in sub-objectives. These are all modular, and can be attached to other main objectives. Such may be, No Violence, Fast Completion, Stealth and the like, limited only by imagination and ability to track it. You will be assigned objectives and sub-objectives possibly based on rating, so the higher your rating the harder your objectives get on average, and on top of this, bonuses can be earned. Do a no kill run while it's not assigned? You get a bonus. You are only penalized bu failing to complete assigned Sub objectives, but can get bonuses for completing ones not assigned. Not only can you work on a difficulty curve to give the more robust antags a harder challenge, but you can also rework the antag rep system to curve chances for those with higher ratings. Now better antags get it more often, and get harder objectives, while the less able ones get slightly easier tasks. To avoid abuse, lower population times have your ratings diminished slightly when accounted for in things like difficulty and chance to get antag, so you can't get on at off hours with 5 other people and farm rating. After time to gauge the numbers and see where things fall, ranks can be shown on the end screen rather than the simple 'Green/Red'text. This is a system that would allow players to decide what they do, and how they do it. I'm toying with the idea of a 'objective prefs' section so you can have some impact on the objectives you get allowing you to reduce chances of getting objectives you don't enjoy, at a cost of rating. This all can tie quite well into Bhijn's teased storyteller system, as it allows for a much larger variance of chaos between antags. This will also come with some game-mode changes, and new objectives entirely.
FEEDBACK.
I have the creative ability of a limp sock, please, if you have ideas for new objectives, ways to incorporate current game-modes, or anything you think could make this a better system, drop it here. Forums are massively disused but this is the best way to make sure your suggestion isn't lost. So drop it in here, and have fun.Â
Existing plans.
I currently have plans to make a syndicate version of revs. It will be called 'TakeOver' and will involve these modular objectives. It will begin like traitors, and play out much like revs in the attempt to remove heads. It will have various bonuses however, tied to sub objectives. You might get HOSTILE Takeover, where you have to kill all heads, or COVERT takeover, where you have to convert them. On top of this, you might get a sub bonus for not being too violent, or being EXTRA violent. This also has even further possibility to invoke a deathsquad-esque syndicate raid on the hostile takeover in which the traitors need to get to the bridge with the Captain's ID or something to call in the Syndicate raiding party.