duplex
12-22-2008, 08:49 AM
Face of Mankind – Changes and New Features
Part 3
This is Part 3 of our "Changes and New Features" update series. Again, 5 screenshots are attached. Enjoy!
Market
All items except boosters (drugs) and faction items can be put on markets. The market terminal is easier to filter and sort now. It also divides the search result into multiple pages if necessary with 20 rows per page to reduce network load. You can filter for item type, min/max price, min/max quality level and min/max durability of items. There is still a checkbox to only list those items you could use (with regards to faction, gender). (see attached screenshot)
Medical Terminal
It’s simpler now regarding the cloning system. The usual 3 types of treatment are available. The clone bank shows the number of clones in stock, new clones can be bought at a standard rate. (see attached screenshot)
Factions, Penalty Points Distribution
Faction gameplay can be divided into Dominion factions and all other factions. Our initial plans were to give each faction a significant purpose (advantage/disadvantage) or even each group (Dominion, Clans, Corporations), but after a lot of brainstorming we found it would be too artificial and forced and that player freedom would have higher priority.
In the end we decided for a simpler, but still very interesting system.
In FoM we have the government (Dominion) factions of LED and FDC. They control the law and by that how penalty points are distributed or removed. This manual fining of penalty points happens together with higher ranks within the fined player’s faction. It’s basically the same as the old fining system, where higher ranks punish players down the chain within the faction. The change is that now the higher ranks must coordinate this with LED or FDC. They must cooperate with the Dominion in order to fine penalty points.
If LED or FDC member need to fine one of their own, it works the same way as before: higher ranked players can give penalty points to players down the ranks.
They also control cloning, since that is linked to penalty points. Once a player reaches a certain penalty point threshold, a cloning lock will be raised. It can be lifted by LED, FDC at any time by reducing a player’s penalty points. How many penalty points are added or reduced is limited per day. It’s not possible to just add tons of penalty points at one time.
Penalty points are added automatically for the following actions:
- Killing a neutral player
- Killing an allied player
- Killing an own faction member
- Carrying illegal substances (detected by LED using the scanner device)
So, these 2 factions have quite significant power. It leaves enough room for politics and eventually corruption. On the other hand, they cannot takeover a world, but free it (see section World Takeover / Occupation).
LED & FDC will earn their money from fixed taxes on each world for all sorts of world activity (mining, production, market). They will also get their equal share of the clone sales.
The remaining 6 factions (all clans and the corporations) basically have the same features, gameplay wise. They can occupy (takeover) worlds. We first planned to distinguish clans from corporations more, but found it would be up to the players to define their faction’s moral code, attitude towards other factions and general behaviour. Whether they are more focused on the economy or conquest or being hired by other factions as temporary allies will be up to the faction leadership to decide.
The income for the remaining factions is generated from all sorts of world activity (mining, production, market), since they receive royalties on the world income based on their activity there. They will also get their equal share of the clone sales.
World Takeover & Occupation, Royalties on world income
We wanted to give more meaning to world takeover, since this is one of the key Faction vs. Faction concepts in Face of Mankind.
Each world takeover cycle is one week as before. But to be able to really take over the world, the most active faction will hold a final battle against the defending faction at the world. If no faction currently occupies the world, the 2 most active factions will hold the battle.
The military activity of the challenging faction must reach a certain threshold to allow for such a battle. Before the battle starts, all members of the involved factions will be informed. In order to prepare properly for the battle and make it significant enough, it will be scheduled and will last for a certain time.
Faction activities are measured as before. Faction activities are divided into military activity and all other activities. Only military activity is considered for world takeover. All other activities won’t be considered in that equation, but it will be used to calculate each faction’s royalties on that world (see example below).
LED+FDC are not able to occupy a world, but they are able to “free” a world. A free world has no occupying faction and all income is distributed among the factions based on their non-military activity.
The occupying faction receives 50% of all income on the world. The remaining income is distributed among the other factions depending on their non-military activity.
Let’s make an example explaining a few of the special cases.
Example:
BOS is currently occupying Pegasi 51.
At the end of the takeover cycle, LED+FDC have reached the military activity threshold to challenge the current world holder, which is BOS. LED+FDC together also had the most military activity. A takeover battle will take place.
There are 2 possible outcomes.
1) LED+FDC win the battle (they have more points than BOS)
Pegasi 51 is free now. BOS lose their big 50% royalty chunk. All future income on the world will be distributed among all the factions depending on their non-military activity.
2) BOS wins the battle (they have the same or more points than LED+FDC)
Pegasi 51 remains under BOS occupation. BOS keep their big 50% royalty chunk. The remaining future world income will be distributed among all the factions depending on their non-military activity.
Turrets
Turrets are now placed statically at numerous spots on each world. They are used for world defence and are no longer property of LED alone. Everyone can bring them under individual control. If they are under control of another individual, they have to be hacked. Once they are under control, they will serve defence purposes of the player’s faction.
-duplex
You can discuss this update here: http://forum.fomportal.com/showthread.php?t=1159
Part 3
This is Part 3 of our "Changes and New Features" update series. Again, 5 screenshots are attached. Enjoy!
Market
All items except boosters (drugs) and faction items can be put on markets. The market terminal is easier to filter and sort now. It also divides the search result into multiple pages if necessary with 20 rows per page to reduce network load. You can filter for item type, min/max price, min/max quality level and min/max durability of items. There is still a checkbox to only list those items you could use (with regards to faction, gender). (see attached screenshot)
Medical Terminal
It’s simpler now regarding the cloning system. The usual 3 types of treatment are available. The clone bank shows the number of clones in stock, new clones can be bought at a standard rate. (see attached screenshot)
Factions, Penalty Points Distribution
Faction gameplay can be divided into Dominion factions and all other factions. Our initial plans were to give each faction a significant purpose (advantage/disadvantage) or even each group (Dominion, Clans, Corporations), but after a lot of brainstorming we found it would be too artificial and forced and that player freedom would have higher priority.
In the end we decided for a simpler, but still very interesting system.
In FoM we have the government (Dominion) factions of LED and FDC. They control the law and by that how penalty points are distributed or removed. This manual fining of penalty points happens together with higher ranks within the fined player’s faction. It’s basically the same as the old fining system, where higher ranks punish players down the chain within the faction. The change is that now the higher ranks must coordinate this with LED or FDC. They must cooperate with the Dominion in order to fine penalty points.
If LED or FDC member need to fine one of their own, it works the same way as before: higher ranked players can give penalty points to players down the ranks.
They also control cloning, since that is linked to penalty points. Once a player reaches a certain penalty point threshold, a cloning lock will be raised. It can be lifted by LED, FDC at any time by reducing a player’s penalty points. How many penalty points are added or reduced is limited per day. It’s not possible to just add tons of penalty points at one time.
Penalty points are added automatically for the following actions:
- Killing a neutral player
- Killing an allied player
- Killing an own faction member
- Carrying illegal substances (detected by LED using the scanner device)
So, these 2 factions have quite significant power. It leaves enough room for politics and eventually corruption. On the other hand, they cannot takeover a world, but free it (see section World Takeover / Occupation).
LED & FDC will earn their money from fixed taxes on each world for all sorts of world activity (mining, production, market). They will also get their equal share of the clone sales.
The remaining 6 factions (all clans and the corporations) basically have the same features, gameplay wise. They can occupy (takeover) worlds. We first planned to distinguish clans from corporations more, but found it would be up to the players to define their faction’s moral code, attitude towards other factions and general behaviour. Whether they are more focused on the economy or conquest or being hired by other factions as temporary allies will be up to the faction leadership to decide.
The income for the remaining factions is generated from all sorts of world activity (mining, production, market), since they receive royalties on the world income based on their activity there. They will also get their equal share of the clone sales.
World Takeover & Occupation, Royalties on world income
We wanted to give more meaning to world takeover, since this is one of the key Faction vs. Faction concepts in Face of Mankind.
Each world takeover cycle is one week as before. But to be able to really take over the world, the most active faction will hold a final battle against the defending faction at the world. If no faction currently occupies the world, the 2 most active factions will hold the battle.
The military activity of the challenging faction must reach a certain threshold to allow for such a battle. Before the battle starts, all members of the involved factions will be informed. In order to prepare properly for the battle and make it significant enough, it will be scheduled and will last for a certain time.
Faction activities are measured as before. Faction activities are divided into military activity and all other activities. Only military activity is considered for world takeover. All other activities won’t be considered in that equation, but it will be used to calculate each faction’s royalties on that world (see example below).
LED+FDC are not able to occupy a world, but they are able to “free” a world. A free world has no occupying faction and all income is distributed among the factions based on their non-military activity.
The occupying faction receives 50% of all income on the world. The remaining income is distributed among the other factions depending on their non-military activity.
Let’s make an example explaining a few of the special cases.
Example:
BOS is currently occupying Pegasi 51.
At the end of the takeover cycle, LED+FDC have reached the military activity threshold to challenge the current world holder, which is BOS. LED+FDC together also had the most military activity. A takeover battle will take place.
There are 2 possible outcomes.
1) LED+FDC win the battle (they have more points than BOS)
Pegasi 51 is free now. BOS lose their big 50% royalty chunk. All future income on the world will be distributed among all the factions depending on their non-military activity.
2) BOS wins the battle (they have the same or more points than LED+FDC)
Pegasi 51 remains under BOS occupation. BOS keep their big 50% royalty chunk. The remaining future world income will be distributed among all the factions depending on their non-military activity.
Turrets
Turrets are now placed statically at numerous spots on each world. They are used for world defence and are no longer property of LED alone. Everyone can bring them under individual control. If they are under control of another individual, they have to be hacked. Once they are under control, they will serve defence purposes of the player’s faction.
-duplex
You can discuss this update here: http://forum.fomportal.com/showthread.php?t=1159