[crossfire] Map access

[Mark Wedel]

On 09/ 4/10 07:06 AM, Kevin Bulgrien wrote:
>> With the new quest system, some maps are now only available if the player is
>> doing the correct quest. Such maps will also be available only once.
>
> Are you sure?  I think that quests are restartable?  But maybe not.  Perhaps
> only certain quests are restartable.

  It is never really explained in game terms why maps reset and are suddenly 
full of bad creatures again (as well as treasure).  It is just how the world works.

  But in such a world, one would think that the authorities wouldn't mind folks 
going in there again and clearing out all the creatures.  They may not reward 
the character again, but probably wouldn't mind.

>
>> For instance, the animator's quest in Scorn, or the Titan quest.
>>
>> I admit I'm not that glad of those restrictions. One should probably be able
>> to enter any map (unless some restrictions to enter are really mandatory), but
>> maps like titan quest are good places to find monsters.
>>
>> What are your opinions?
>
> Well, I'm not sure, but perhaps a compromise is to make sure the quests are
> restartable some relatively small number of times, or, say restartable after
> some length of time, or some other creative and reasonable parameter.  I tend
> to think that Crossfire will be a better game with some limitations on playing
> the same maps over and over and over again.

  Some games do this by basically tracking where player has been, and not giving 
as good loot if player keeps on same maps.  I'm not sure how that would be 
implemented in crossfire, but in theory that discourages players from camping 
out on maps waiting for the good drop.

>
> Now I don't play a lot, so my play times are often spanned by large amounts of
> time and I like to be able to replay maps that I have not done in a long time
> just to re-enjoy them without necessarily trying to abuse the map.  In this
> way I guess I agree.  I would really like to be able to revisit maps at least
> a little bit.

  In that mode of player, putting time gaps in place between revisits would work 
fine for you.  But for players that are looking for good maps that match their 
level, they may be repeating the same map because it is one they know that works.

  I guess the question always comes down to why to players repeat the same maps. 
  Is it treasure?  If so, reducing treasure on repeated visits would discourage 
that.  Is it exp?  If so, one could reduce exp rewards also, but that would then 
mean that there are good alternatives.

>
> I still think that somehow map abuse should probably be nerfed.  Like tracking
> frequency of use and somehow downgrading earned experience, but then I don't
> know... maybe that is a map problem rather than a game mechanics problem.

  Probably depends on why folks repeat - in some cases, it probably is a map 
problem (lots of fast/easy exp)

  The exp issue is a harder one to deal with - since you lose exp on death, it 
is pretty reasonable that character may need to return to maps they have played 
before.

  One thought, and I'm not 100% how to do this, would be some option to let 
playes 'instance' a map/map chain when they first enter it.  What I mean by this 
is that they get a copy for themselves.  In that way, if someone else has 
cleared out that map, they can go and play it - maybe only allow this once for 
each map, and just treat it as a per player unique map from that point onward.

  That at least fixes the problem that 'I can never do this map because it is 
always cleared out'.