Firstly, we should get what I like to label the "Hard Drive Effect" out of the way. I call it this because I am a nerd. Lets say you are just an average person who ordered a HDD online. Now lets say you received it, installed it inside your computer machine, and then proceeded to do whatever one does with a HDD installed inside a computer machine. As long as its doing what you expected it to do you are contented, correct? Being that average Joe, that is most likely the end of the story as long as the electrical magic keeps happening for a judicious amount of time. Just mayhap, If you are exceptionally nerdy you just might head on over to place you purchased said device from and express your joyful glee that it is indeed doing what you bought it for. I get computer thing and do computery things! That would be an exception to the rule of just being content
Now lets say you get your HDD and any number of horrible, bad, frustrating things happen when you attempt to utilize it. The odds that you are going to head on over to the place you purchased it from with the "Woeful Broadsword of Justice + 1 Bad Review" ready to strike increase in magnitude by very much alot!
So, one must factor in the number of HDDs sold vs the number of bad reviews. Then you must look at about 90% of those bad reviews and come to the conclusion that most of those are pretty nontechnical people that shouldn't have a computer.
In the end it all sums up to the fact that average folks are only truly motivated to come and express dissatisfaction with something when it goes wrong. If most people are not, or relatively few are motivated enough to come and voice opinion is a static forum such as this, then it must not be a real problem.
None of the above states that the flag game is perfect, because it certainly is not. Just that proportion of people who play it, have been provided a place to express any concerns about it, are relatively few. Could there perhaps be a passing mention in pub chat? Sure. But that is not the forum to be taken seriously and some form of cohesive discussion about it take place.
So anyway, flag game...
Hallu would have to chime in what a bot is capable of, so some of those types of solutions would be more in his realm, but within the confines of what a server.cfg allows there are relatively few options to try and obtain a more lively jackpot flag game.
A shall mention a few. But I will also mention that jackpot flag games with carried flags are "running" games. That is just the way it is. You are red, everyone shoots at you. You wont stop flag carriers from running away from situations where going to forward will cost them the flags. Only a fool who isn't playing for keeps and doesn't think anyone else should be would do so.
The green reward: This has been observed to keep people playing long enough for others to join in. A contribution based percentage is a good idea. I agree. Take that freq hopper! This would require probably quite a bit of work on hallus part.
No Timer: turn off the drop timer. Would most likely increase running. But would negate the running off to drop and neut the flags effect if you really want to win the flag game. You cant just wait for someone else to drop, and they cant just wait for you to drop. Couple with this a standard amount of time after which the flag game will just get reset by the bot. People will abuse and ship change to neut or just to troll the game, and jackpots will be lost.
Reduce the Drop Radius: Make dropped flags drop in a clump right where the timer expired. This was done once and it led to some interesting battles over the territory where everyone suspected that the flags would re-appear.
Dropped Flags are Owned: The flags you drop are owned by your frequency and cannot be picked up again by anyone of your frequency. This would probably just lead to freq hopping, but could also prove interesting coupled with some of the other controls like reducing the drop radius so that the flags all drop in a clump. It order to re-obtain the flags one would have to A)freq hop. So do that in open space, goodbye to your possibly high bty ship. Or go safe which gives time for other of a different freq to find them and grab them. Too bad for you for letting the timer expire. B) Wait for some other freq to pick them up and take them back, or wait for them to drop owned flags.
Flag Kill Multiplier: Flag kills net more points. Incentive to get "more" kills while carrying a flag. Trying to get more kills equals more engagement.
Turn Off !FLAGS: or make it cost bonus to use. One reason its no big deal to drop and re-acquire flags is that its no big deal to find them again. But, just turning it off without making some other changes would probably just be a negative given the player counts these days.
Again, carried flag games are running games, that wont change. So aside from taking the flag game out one must just look to speed up the time between jackpots and evening up the reward players of different contribution levels get.
Lettery Word Quota reached.
Now lets say you get your HDD and any number of horrible, bad, frustrating things happen when you attempt to utilize it. The odds that you are going to head on over to the place you purchased it from with the "Woeful Broadsword of Justice + 1 Bad Review" ready to strike increase in magnitude by very much alot!
So, one must factor in the number of HDDs sold vs the number of bad reviews. Then you must look at about 90% of those bad reviews and come to the conclusion that most of those are pretty nontechnical people that shouldn't have a computer.
In the end it all sums up to the fact that average folks are only truly motivated to come and express dissatisfaction with something when it goes wrong. If most people are not, or relatively few are motivated enough to come and voice opinion is a static forum such as this, then it must not be a real problem.
None of the above states that the flag game is perfect, because it certainly is not. Just that proportion of people who play it, have been provided a place to express any concerns about it, are relatively few. Could there perhaps be a passing mention in pub chat? Sure. But that is not the forum to be taken seriously and some form of cohesive discussion about it take place.
So anyway, flag game...
Hallu would have to chime in what a bot is capable of, so some of those types of solutions would be more in his realm, but within the confines of what a server.cfg allows there are relatively few options to try and obtain a more lively jackpot flag game.
A shall mention a few. But I will also mention that jackpot flag games with carried flags are "running" games. That is just the way it is. You are red, everyone shoots at you. You wont stop flag carriers from running away from situations where going to forward will cost them the flags. Only a fool who isn't playing for keeps and doesn't think anyone else should be would do so.
The green reward: This has been observed to keep people playing long enough for others to join in. A contribution based percentage is a good idea. I agree. Take that freq hopper! This would require probably quite a bit of work on hallus part.
No Timer: turn off the drop timer. Would most likely increase running. But would negate the running off to drop and neut the flags effect if you really want to win the flag game. You cant just wait for someone else to drop, and they cant just wait for you to drop. Couple with this a standard amount of time after which the flag game will just get reset by the bot. People will abuse and ship change to neut or just to troll the game, and jackpots will be lost.
Reduce the Drop Radius: Make dropped flags drop in a clump right where the timer expired. This was done once and it led to some interesting battles over the territory where everyone suspected that the flags would re-appear.
Dropped Flags are Owned: The flags you drop are owned by your frequency and cannot be picked up again by anyone of your frequency. This would probably just lead to freq hopping, but could also prove interesting coupled with some of the other controls like reducing the drop radius so that the flags all drop in a clump. It order to re-obtain the flags one would have to A)freq hop. So do that in open space, goodbye to your possibly high bty ship. Or go safe which gives time for other of a different freq to find them and grab them. Too bad for you for letting the timer expire. B) Wait for some other freq to pick them up and take them back, or wait for them to drop owned flags.
Flag Kill Multiplier: Flag kills net more points. Incentive to get "more" kills while carrying a flag. Trying to get more kills equals more engagement.
Turn Off !FLAGS: or make it cost bonus to use. One reason its no big deal to drop and re-acquire flags is that its no big deal to find them again. But, just turning it off without making some other changes would probably just be a negative given the player counts these days.
Again, carried flag games are running games, that wont change. So aside from taking the flag game out one must just look to speed up the time between jackpots and evening up the reward players of different contribution levels get.
Lettery Word Quota reached.