Public Age with Live Events

[GPNMilano]

So, I'm working on a "super secret" project as some of you know and I'm trying to figure out how to implement it. Because of it's nature, the age in question is filled with "Live Events" that the player experiences as they journey through the age. These include things like bridge collapses etc. However, due to the nature of the age being intended to both be Multiplayer, and a public age like the City. I'm running into the difficulty that Cyan ran into with some of their stuff. How best to implement an age, that is dependent on live action sequences, but that should have those experiences be available to everyone that plays the age. So I want to get some feedback on how best to implement this. My current thinking is that the age, will have the live events and puzzles be reset to their default status once the age is completely empty. So, that a player, playing through it for the first time, can experience those events, and someone else, who joins the age later will miss them, but have the opportunity at a later date, once the age is empty of players, to go back through and experience them for him/herself. It should be noted, that the Live Events will not deter from the rest of the age. So, a player will be able to explore the age, completely, without ever experiencing the live events (because someone else in the age already did) but still "solve" the age and get to the end. And because the age is reset, the player that missed stuff can go back at some future date and experience the whole journey complete with the action sequences, if they so choose?

So, any feedback on this would be great? Should I implement it like that, and have the age be reset, or try and find some other way to do this?

[Tweek]

This is one of the many reasons I don't like multiplayer Uru, short of a lobby like setup.

I like the idea of it resetting when it is empty. Most of the puzzles with The Cleft were based on generating power, I have long felt they could have made the area multiplayer and just have the windmill shut off say after an hour.

Without knowing the nature of the live events I can only offer limited suggestions. However, in regards to the bridge collapsing, perhaps what you could do is have the bridge collapse during the crossing of the first person/people. Then have a makeshift wooden bridge appear to span the gap like the DRC came by and put it up or something whilst no one is around (i.e., in other areas of said Age). This would cover the crossing whilst there are others around in the Age. Then when the location is empty the Age resets.

[Ehren]

I like the idea of it resetting when it is empty. Most of the puzzles with The Cleft were based on generating power, I have long felt they could have made the area multiplayer and just have the windmill shut off say after an hour.

I'd have to strongly disagree with that, the Cleft really has to be a personal age unless the design/function is radically changed.

For one thing, if there is a steady stream of people the age would pretty much never reset. Many would have no idea there was ever anything to actually do with the power there. Journey cloths would seem pointless since the tree door would always be open. Other players could lock people out of both the kitchen and imager room. It would be a mess to try to use the imager if other people are trying to use it too. And some people would end up seeing the end vision (while others are watching it) before ever seeing the intro one. And then they could end up getting to the rainy Cleft way early too.

It would only work if you had fairly few new players, and I don't think that was the original plan.

[GPNMilano]

I like the idea of it resetting when it is empty. Most of the puzzles with The Cleft were based on generating power, I have long felt they could have made the area multiplayer and just have the windmill shut off say after an hour.

I'd have to strongly disagree with that, the Cleft really has to be a personal age unless the design/function is radically changed.

For one thing, if there is a steady stream of people the age would pretty much never reset. Many would have no idea there was ever anything to actually do with the power there. Journey cloths would seem pointless since the tree door would always be open. Other players could lock people out of both the kitchen and imager room. It would be a mess to try to use the imager if other people are trying to use it too. And some people would end up seeing the end vision (while others are watching it) before ever seeing the intro one. And then they could end up getting to the rainy Cleft way early too.

It would only work if you had fairly few new players, and I don't think that was the original plan.

I have to disagree with you Ehren. Aside from the doors in the kitchen and workroom, there isn't anything in the Cleft that can't be made suitable for multiple people in the age, but the wiring and programing of it would have to be redone to accommodate that. However it can be done so that the age can have more than one person in it and not be so horribly broken.

[Ehren]

I have to disagree with you Ehren. Aside from the doors in the kitchen and workroom, there isn't anything in the Cleft that can't be made suitable for multiple people in the age, but the wiring and programing of it would have to be redone to accommodate that. However it can be done so that the age can have more than one person in it and not be so horribly broken.

It's not that I think the Cleft would be unsuitable for multiplayer but rather that I don't think one single public instance would work well. If nothing else, it would defeat the point of having the puzzles if there has been too many players for it to ever reset.

But I also think you'd have to change the whole end part of the quest with the bahro poles and rainy desert since you could no longer use the same imager code and yeesha vision type of set up. People couldn't have different codes or it would be really bizarre when one person can get it to work with a code that fails for you. And if it's changed to be always the same code to reach the end then there would have to be some setup to keep a player from using it early.

I'm not against the idea of single public instances with resetting puzzles, I just think it wouldn't be good for the Cleft, which is such a key "intro" AND "finale" kind of place.

[Tweek]

Makes no difference to me, I don't like the online aspect of Uru. I'd rather see a limited online function where say 6 people lobbies are set up for small group exploration.

Anyway that is neither here nor there, as the topic is about Chloe's Age.

Given the size of your Age Chloe, and how spread out visitors would be I think a reset would work.

[GPNMilano]

I have to disagree with you Ehren. Aside from the doors in the kitchen and workroom, there isn't anything in the Cleft that can't be made suitable for multiple people in the age, but the wiring and programing of it would have to be redone to accommodate that. However it can be done so that the age can have more than one person in it and not be so horribly broken.

It's not that I think the Cleft would be unsuitable for multiplayer but rather that I don't think one single public instance would work well. If nothing else, it would defeat the point of having the puzzles if there has been too many players for it to ever reset.

But I also think you'd have to change the whole end part of the quest with the bahro poles and rainy desert since you could no longer use the same imager code and yeesha vision type of set up. People couldn't have different codes or it would be really bizarre when one person can get it to work with a code that fails for you. And if it's changed to be always the same code to reach the end then there would have to be some setup to keep a player from using it early.

I'm not against the idea of single public instances with resetting puzzles, I just think it wouldn't be good for the Cleft, which is such a key "intro" AND "finale" kind of place.

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by the imager codes. Right now the only imager code that is unique among all players is the one that plays Yeesha's initial intro. After that every player gets a unique code for the endgame and pots. At least in MOULa. This was done specifically so that you couldn't cheat and get someone elses code. So exactly what would be different than what it is today?

[Karkadann]

You could take a page from Cyans play book and improve on it. Not knowing what the age is or if its possible to set up a few ways to reset

you could have it reset when know one is in the age, this would encourage people to finish the age before they leave,
it may prevent any spoilers from leaking out. Im not sure people would wanna walk into an age that has has puzzles half finished.
reset when the puzzles are complete, of coarse you don't wanna walk into an age after puzzles have been solved.
or make it a additional sub age like the multi player puzzle ages in the hoods this way a bunch of people belonging to one hood
could work on the age a little at a time (assuming you keep your hood private) and not have to worry about somebody else messing up your progress

[Christopher]

I would make it like Guild Wars 2 did. For every live event, make an event, which reverts the first event. So if the bridge collapses,make an event, where the bridge is rebuilded.

Christopher

[GPNMilano]

I've thought about this, looked over the suggestions and I think i've come up with this: The events will reset when the age is empty. So that new explorers get to experience the events for themselves. Then, after say three months, the events will no longer trigger for anyone, and instead a update will be made to the age where the live events are replaced with the aftermath of the events. So, like say the bridge collapse, after three months a rope bridge will be installed to replace the broken bridge etc.

EDIT: Without trying to give too much away. Here's an example of one of those live events. Forgive the audio. I'm not sure why but the Internal client isn't very forgiving when it comes to one of the sounds playing in this area.

Live Event Show Spoiler

http://youtu.be/zKzHtWFPaPM