The Energon Pub

News Credits: 2 · by **-Soundwave-** » Tue Apr 17, 2018 7:37 pm

I'm disappointed that we didn't think of this before.

I think with the community getting more vocal it will be great to run this again. Though I don't have the lower levels. I did manage a few kills and just the act of hunting made it fun.

News Credits: 1350 · by **ZeroWolf** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 3:42 am

Hopefully I'll be able to participate in the near future as reading all about this has made it look incredible fun. I also always love getting involved in a narrative :-)

News Credits: 42 · by **Psychout** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 4:04 am

We have been looking at ways to let level 0s aid the main faction, but it's tough as numbers vary so greatly.

I'd love suggestions for how to get them more involved, level 0 is literally the future of the game.

News Credits: 1350 · by **ZeroWolf** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 4:49 am

You could add points for fights between registered L0 players and say they are the background forces in the narrative, but you would have to count only those missions where both sides participate in the mission. I don't know if that would be very good or not though.

by **turbomagnus** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 4:57 am

Psychout wrote:We have been looking at ways to let level 0s aid the main faction, but it's tough as numbers vary so greatly.

I'd love suggestions for how to get them more involved, level 0 is literally the future of the game.

I hate to say it, but I think part of the problem is how level 0 is designed to be so separated from the rest of the game, supposedly to 'protect' new players from being bullied or overwhelmed. New players don't encounter higher levels like they should and so feel no drive to level up to challenge them; why should they when they can 'dominate' at level 0? I know that, all those years ago, when I started that was part of what drove me to level up, the desire to face off against Whisper, Burn, you - Psych', and others on your own levels. That separation makes level 0 almost an entirely separate game and it's not something that can be fixed without a programmer...

On the other hand, I've noticed that when a level 0 player reaches the boards, that changes and they become more willing to level up both to face new rivals and support new allies, so maybe find a way to get players to the forum? I dunno...

From what ZeroWolf said, maybe even make level 0 missions count extra in competitions? But that would get them to participate in competitions, but not necessarily level up... If only there was some way to, as cheap and tacky as it sounds, offer some kind of bonus (or bribe, even, let's be honest) to level 0 players when they start moving up to level 1 (and 2) to convince them to take that proverbial leap; that might also work...

Just... brainstorming. Feel free to ignore everything I just said...

News Credits: 1350 · by **ZeroWolf** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 5:10 am

I'm doing my best now to get the exp necessary for the jump to L1, and admittedly I didn't think it was going to be that much of a leap but now I'm guessing I was wrong :-?

This is going to be interesting...and fun

What Turbomagnus suggests could work but only (as he points out) if the player wants to proceed like that. Though after all this if the player doesn't want to get involved then what can you do?

News Credits: 42 · by **Psychout** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 7:17 am

Something like this is what I'm thinking, registered level 0's who win even or outnumbered missions could score extra points?
Problem is must how random it is down there.

News Credits: 1350 · by **ZeroWolf** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 8:06 am

That is true and I'm not sure what can be done about that, I haven't seen any other L0 commanders post apart from me and Chibi so talking to them to see if they can get aboard such an idea would be difficult

News Credits: 42 · by **Psychout** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 9:22 am

Ive had an idea for the next tourney that may work. As we're using the star wars theme for our alt hunt, they can be ground assault troops trying to defend their base fron imperal/rebel attack?
Using the even/outnumbered idea and just hoping we get enough level 0 players to join in it may have a pretty big impact on the story, again limited to active and posting players.

We'll have to see what interest we get when we publicise the event in a few weeks time.

News Credits: 1350 · by **ZeroWolf** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 9:38 am

It's worth a shot

by **turbomagnus** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 11:46 am

Sounds good to me. I mean, think about it; how often throughout history (or especially in fiction) have previously untrained and inexperienced troops turned the tide of a battle against a superior foe? The Colonial Militia (War of 1776), Rickenbacher vs. Richentofen (WWI), the scattered Allied paratroopers forming ad hoc units and launching raids and skirmishes on D-Day in WWII turning what by all logic should have been a disaster into victory because all the random attacks and conflicting reports confused the German defenders...

I can see an even/outnumbered level 0 victory (even or especially with the luck factor) representing something like a platoon of green troops getting lost in the woods and instead of coming out on the enemy flank end up behind their lines completely and capturing the enemy headquarters and commander...

by **Wingz** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:09 pm

turbomagnus wrote:From what ZeroWolf said, maybe even make level 0 missions count extra in competitions? But that would get them to participate in competitions, but not necessarily level up... If only there was some way to, as cheap and tacky as it sounds, offer some kind of bonus (or bribe, even, let's be honest) to level 0 players when they start moving up to level 1 (and 2) to convince them to take that proverbial leap; that might also work...

My suggestion might be to focus more on participation rather than level range bonuses.

Let's use the presented example (from a few sources) that level 0 consists of the background soldiers duking it out. Instead of having their missions count extra, perhaps give a point for every 10 missions they fight (they being those signed up), regardless of opposition? 10 missions could be as long as 10 hours down there, and the point is that they're deploying (and not necessarily able to contribute fully to events due to the level restraints)...it's enough to contribute, but not enough to feel overpowered (which might discourage them from leveling up).

EDIT: I should clarify - each 10 missions per signed up player. The more new players there are and the more active they are, the more significant it would be, just like the imaginary background army they represent.

News Credits: 7 · by **High Command** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:29 pm

My 2 bob on L0 (having been there myself back in February):

L0 is an unfun slog to get through and if I was someone entirely new to the game, I doubt if I'd have bothered getting through it.
Missions are won by the side with the most players in 99% of the time or are entirely in the hands of the RNG if sides are even. Because you can only have 4 stats and remain at L0, they have very little effect on whether you win or lose, so you don't learn a lot about what works and because payouts are so low it takes a lot of playing to ge the 10k xp you need to get out of there.
My advice to everyone is get up and out or L0 as fast as you can by playing as many missions as you can. Get the 10k xp you need and you'll see your team shoot up very quickly as soon as you can start playing higher level missions.

News Credits: 42 · by **Psychout** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 1:04 pm

No argument there HC, but we're trying to work out how to involve the poor bastards, encouraging them to stick around until they level up.

The issue is that we will have no idea how many will sign up to the hunt until it opens, and if we get 10 cons and only 2 bots then how do we go about making that fair and putting even more people off?

We could have a standard 'support' mission; level 0's have an alt hunt of the same duration where they have to kill anything that is a tank (which covers 3 or 4 or more alt classes) no matter what the higher levels are playing? Then it wont matter how many sign up on each side.

Thoughts?

News Credits: 1350 · by **ZeroWolf** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 1:20 pm

That and wingz ideas seem fair to me, I've definitely got one tank alt in my team so she'll see use to give any bot L0 a target

News Credits: 7 · by **High Command** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 2:03 pm

Since many L0 missions don't end with a SL scoring on kills would be tricky. Maybe just winning a mission with general alt classes like car and plane?

News Credits: 1 · by **Redimus** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 2:22 pm

I think Burn should just throw xp at any lvl 0 commander who shows an interest in taking part.

And subtract xp from any commander who seems to sit in lvl 0 when she has waaaaay to much xp to gain any advantage from sitting there...

News Credits: 7 · by **High Command** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 2:25 pm

Redimus wrote:I think Burn should just throw xp at any lvl 0 commander who shows an interest in taking part.

And subtract xp from any commander who seems to sit in lvl 0 when she has waaaaay to much xp to gain any advantage from sitting there...

Instant L1 team for anyone active on the forums and wanting to play in a tourney sounds like a win idea to me. ;)^

by **Wingz** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 2:26 pm

Psychout wrote:We could have a standard 'support' mission; level 0's have an alt hunt of the same duration where they have to kill anything that is a tank (which covers 3 or 4 or more alt classes) no matter what the higher levels are playing? Then it wont matter how many sign up on each side.

Thoughts?

It, again, would fall on activity in level 0. I'm not sure what things are like at that level, anymore :lol:

That's why I suggested something that wouldn't be effected if there aren't any players on the opposing faction, but I definitely think it would be more fun the way you're suggesting!

High Command wrote:Since many L0 missions don't end with a SL scoring on kills would be tricky. Maybe just winning a mission with general alt classes like car and plane?

This is a very good point and counter

News Credits: 42 · by **Psychout** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 2:35 pm

Wingz wrote:
High Command wrote:Since many L0 missions don't end with a SL scoring on kills would be tricky. Maybe just winning a mission with general alt classes like car and plane?

This is a very good point and counter

Kills still happen at Level 0 and it is supposed to be a challenge though, don't want to make it too easy but I see your point - if its too hard they just wont bother.

:-?

I'll go have a poke around at a bunch of level 0 logs and see what I can come up with.

edit: ****. level 0 is worse than I thought. Just looked through approx 50 mission links, and all but maybe 5 were unopposed.

News Credits: 1350 · by **ZeroWolf** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 2:47 pm

I know I've had a few kills since I started...mostly bots that have thunder in their name so far...that player probably hates me. Though I wouldn't say no to instant level 1

one half of my guys are working towards their third upgrade (about half way there) the rest got their first one this morning.

News Credits: 226 · by **Burn** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 2:54 pm

Redimus wrote:I think Burn should just throw xp at any lvl 0 commander who shows an interest in taking part.

As long as they're new and relatively fresh to the game.

By the time the tournament rolls around, would we still consider ZeroWolf fresh? I mean he's been on the nose for a few years now...

Redimus wrote:And subtract xp from any commander who seems to sit in lvl 0 when she has waaaaay to much xp to gain any advantage from sitting there...

What genius would want to sit at level 0? Level 0 fights would be little old ladies in wheelchairs trying to throw their handbags at each other. Slow, boring, and nothing is really gained.

by **Bun-Bun** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 3:03 pm

It is amazing the gains some people have made in Sustains weekly report since they've leveled up some of their characters...

News Credits: 42 · by **Psychout** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 3:30 pm

Burn wrote:
Redimus wrote:I think Burn should just throw xp at any lvl 0 commander who shows an interest in taking part.

As long as they're new and relatively fresh to the game.

By the time the tournament rolls around, would we still consider ZeroWolf fresh? I mean he's been on the nose for a few years now...

Maybe reward level 0s who take their part in a tourney with a level up?

News Credits: 1350 · by **ZeroWolf** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 5:09 pm

Burn wrote:
Redimus wrote:I think Burn should just throw xp at any lvl 0 commander who shows an interest in taking part.

As long as they're new and relatively fresh to the game.

By the time the tournament rolls around, would we still consider ZeroWolf fresh? I mean he's been on the nose for a few years now...

Redimus wrote:And subtract xp from any commander who seems to sit in lvl 0 when she has waaaaay to much xp to gain any advantage from sitting there...

What genius would want to sit at level 0? Level 0 fights would be little old ladies in wheelchairs trying to throw their handbags at each other. Slow, boring, and nothing is really gained.

Oh Burn, I always be fresh :saint: