Alternate game modes?

[kharnov]

We were having a discussion on the development channel regarding potential alternate game modes that could be included in future releases. What are some of your ideas? Try to go as in-depth as possible, and remember that fewer radical changes to the basic team deathmatch will ensure that your idea, if it's good enough, will be done in a timely fashion.

One idea I've been fond of is bomb mode. The idea is that you've got a bomb, which is a buildable you can construct on either team. While the humans get some large high-tech bomb, the aliens probably get something else, like a spore of sorts. Regardless, it works the same on either team, and the goal is to get the bomb to go off. First, you'll need to put it in a safe place so that it can construct, which would likely take a minute or two, and then you've got to set it off. Once it goes off, an evacuation message is broadcast to the entire map, and you've got to get as far away from the bomb as possible. Then, I suppose either one of two things can happen. Perhaps you win by having the most teammates left after it goes off, or just from having it go off in the first place.

[KenuR]

Infection style game mode.

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                             [b]Main rules:[/b]

Humans:

• When the game starts humans get a few minutes to build their base, after that building is not allowed. Aliens can't spawn until humans' time for building expires.
• when a human dies he becomes an alien and gets transferred to the alien team.
• the goal for humans is to last as long as they can/ destroy all alien eggs.

Aliens:

• aliens start with a couple of eggs scattered across the map
• aliens can't spawn as grangers so, no building
• the goal for aliens is to kill the human team as fast as possible

Optional rules:

• aliens deal less damage than usual
• humans get more credits than usual for killing aliens
• when an egg gets destroyed every person on the human team gets a number of credits. (100?)

[ViruS]

Survival Mode (based of L4D's and Z server mod)
Humans have to survival a series of waves without telenodes (they get destroyed when the timer reaches 5:00, when aliens get to spawn) and they are allowed to build anything except telenodes. Build point queue time is decreased from 8 seconds to 4 seconds.
There are records kept on the server with bronze/silver/gold(/platinum for twice previous score? :O)
Human weapon damages are quadrupled towards other aliens (not againts self or team mates) and tyrant health is increased to 600 but walk slower therefore rely on charge more.
Humans regenerate 1hp every 2 seconds in a similar way to dretch healing.
Medkits are buy-able at armoury.
Ckits do little damage to aliens yet can heal humans and "drop medkits" from the health stolen from aliens.
Alien damages are divided by 5.
Aliens rush in waves and are limited to a certain max class which they're allowed to at the wave number (like in ambush mod).
Adv Marauder zap if possible could be returned to 1.1 or korx style because its suitable for slowly draining health. The damage won't be nerfed as it only does like 20 damage to armoured.
Aliens get to "buy poison" using their kill counter when they spawn if they have killed at least one human.
Aliens spawn as a random class (can't be chosen). Tyrants and adv goons have a 1/20 chance of spawning.
Humans have to buy their ammo that cost the credits related to their gun.
----(ammo cost half of the gun price if they buy all bullets, the less ammo they buy, the less the price is)
----Painsaw has ammo of 500 to prevent spamming usage (damage modifiers are 4 remember?)
----Chaingun has an extra clip since it runs out fast
----Grenade has a range of 500 so it is useful
Dead humans are allowed to move to alien team.

Vampire Mode
Simple really, you attack to gain health. Check the arcade mod's code/patch.

[velociostrich]

• When the game starts humans get a few minutes to build their base, after that building is not allowed. Aliens can't spawn until humans' time for building expires.

I kinda like this idea. One improvement: instead of making the aliens wait several minutes, give the humans like 30 seconds or so and make the build time zero for everything; this ensures that the humans team, if at all competent, will be able to get a base up and make for a good game for the aliens, and the aliens won't have to wait that long. The amount that the humans can build would, as usual, be limited by buildpoints.

[KenuR]

I kinda like this idea. One improvement: instead of making the aliens wait several minutes, give the humans like 30 seconds or so and make the build time zero for everything; this ensures that the humans team, if at all competent, will be able to get a base up and make for a good game for the aliens, and the aliens won't have to wait that long. The amount that the humans can build would, as usual, be limited by buildpoints.

30 seconds is probably too little, unless you give them unlimited build points and make the build time not zero, but very small (2 seconds?). That way anyone can build wherever they want and no one will rage if a noob places a turret in a bad place.

[Sixthly]

In regards to bomb mode, if the bomb is implemented as a buildable object then the countdown should not start until either both teams have built a bomb, or N minutes after the first bomb has been built. Whichever comes first. Otherwise the team to build a bomb first is guaranteed victory by camping.

The normal gameplay should be renamed to "Team Deathmatch" (or similiar), as suggested by kharnov on IRC.

[Ishq]

"Team Deathmatch" makes it sound like a killwhore fest where the main objective is racking up kills. I think something like "Annihilation" makes more sense, since the point is to destroy spawns and kill all the humans/aliens.

[Sixthly]

"Team Deathmatch" makes it sound like a killwhore fest where the main objective is racking up kills. I think something like "Annihilation" makes more sense, since the point is to destroy spawns and kill all the humans/aliens.

"Team Annihilation" does make a lot more sense than "Team Deathmatch"/"Team Survivor". I believe it's important to emphasise the team aspect, especially for future potential of non-team game modes.

[danmal]

I've written up a rough draft of a new game mode. Lots more stuff needs to be decided on but it should server as a decent starting point. Feedback is necessary.

Resource Control

Game Mode design

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Multiple resource points are placed throughout the map. One OM/RC can be placed at each point. This OM/RC provides power in a localised area with a separate BP pool from any other OM/RC's as well as decreasing kills till next stage and providing credits/evos to the team over time. A resource point with a fully built base would be the initial spawn location for each team. You still gain credits/evo for killing an enemy. A team wins by destroying the enemy teams spawns and killing all remaining players.

Potential changes: Only one RC/OM at main base and eggs/repeaters are used to harvest (too much risk of BD attempts imo). Resource points only lower kills to next stage (only providing credits is imo a bad idea as S2 is required to crack most bases). More suggestions would be nice.

Potential problems: Camping at bases until a specific stage is reached. Backdoor on unprotected bases. Need a builder to control a point (builder may need more in combat abilities).

Game mode design rationale

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The game mode, Resource Control, is similar to capture and hold game modes available in games such as Battlefield. Teams fight over specific points in a map and the team that controls that point gains either credits/evos, points to the next stage or a combination of both. Resource Control has been designed with several goals in mind.

1. Create a reason to drive conflict between teams.
2. Reduce the risk/reward of aggressive play
3. Keep core Unvanquished gameplay
4. Minimise the need for extra code and content creation

I'll go through each goal and try to explain why the goal is desirable, what gameplay it creates (or removes) and how it should be implemented.

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Unvanquished currently contains two main types of resources. There are evo/credits, credits, which are used to buy items or improvements. Then there are next stage points, NSP, which are used to unlock new technologies and are pooled together for the entire team. Credits are available both over time and by killing an enemy while NSP are only available by killing an enemy. This is in contrast to games such as StarCraft or DotA where the equivalent resources (minerals/gold and Gas/experience) can be gained by controlling areas of the map. With the previously mentioned games these resources prevent overly defensive play as the player must at some point contest for control of a resource or lose due to a much more advanced and better equipped enemy.

In Unvanquished it is currently possible to prevent the enemy team from gaining any NSP and to limit their credit per time simply by playing defensively. There is no need to contest for control of a resource as you already control the enemy players resources. This directly leads to camping being too strong as a tactic and can almost entirely prevent conflict. As such a new gameplay design is needed to create conflict.

By adding resource points on the map we do not only create conflict but also reduce the risk/reward of aggressive gameplay. Currently playing aggressive is very risky but also has very high rewards. In fact the risk to reward ratio is probably about right however the actual values of risk and reward are too high. People are risk averse (especially in competitive matches) and do not generally like high risk ventures even if the risk reward ratio is fair. By lowering the risk we make the choice of aggressive gameplay appear more appealing. This has the side effect of making the game less painful on new or low skilled players who are unlikely to get many kills.

Core Unvanquished gameplay remains unchanged. Players still attempt to destroy and defend bases, different weapons/evolutions are available at certain points throughout a match and building across the map is encouraged. There is also little to no need for new art assets to be created (at least initially) while the amount of code required should hopefully not be too high.

[Ishq]

Yeah, map control definitely needs to take a larger role in this game if we want to create an aggressive and active game. No one likes playing against a team of players camping behind defenses the entire game.