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Crysis to Feature 10 Hour Multiplayer Matches
Via Joystiq, an article on the InCrysis site about the multiplayer modes of the Crysis PC game. The jawdropping title seems to mostly be offering the same-old same-old ... except when it comes to the 'Power Struggle' mode. From the Joystiq post: "To successfully destroy the other team's HQ, you'll have to harness the power of alien technology. Randomly generated throughout each map are various crash sites where players can scavenge for alien cores. These energy sources can be used to transform your team's arsenal into weapons capable of achieving victory. However, you'll first have to build up that arsenal by capturing structures that manufacture basic weapons and vehicles -- and you'll also have to provide the manufacturing materials. Apparently, it can take up to 10 hours to launch an attack capable of winning a Power Struggle match. In-game, this feels like days, as one full day/night cycle is completed in two hours. Which means, yes, Crysis' multiplayer will feature dynamic light cycles as the icing on the cake."
On a more serious note, I don't think 10 hour FPS fragfests for one game is the best idea. Unless you're part of a clan, you're going to have people that just can't dedicate that amount of time to one game and are going to be coming on/off too much to feel like a real team.
It's UP TO 10 hours, which basically means they just implemented the ability to set really high time limits. I doubt most matches will take that long - I've done my share of beating UT Assault maps in under a minute :)
Still, its an interesting idea to have an endurance-type FPS rather than being all about high-speed killing.
Do you people actually have 10hrs of spare time you can just sit down and play straight through? Don't you people have to work? Eat? Poo? Spend "quality time" with the wifey?
/., what was I thinking.
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Right, this is
And what happens if some of your teammates can't play that long. I can imagine for most people this experience is gonna suck as people constantly drop out midway through a game. Only the hardcore'est of hardcore is going enjoy this game to its fullest.
I played WoW, and I didn't quit it because I got bored, I just didn't have the time to put in it. This game sounds just as ridiculous. Maybe that's why I like CounterStrike so much. You can hop on, play for a half-hour or so, and leave. (And NOT have to worry that the kids who aren't working are collecting bigger and badder ass weapons to kill you even worse tomorrow).
Or maybe I'm just getting old.
AirSpeak - http://itunes.com/apps/AirSpeak
Please, Eve takes the cake on this one. Let's say you want to take down an enemy starbase. Here's how you do it:
1. Identify the supporting player operated structures (think 'starbase camps') in the same system.
2. Bring a huge fleet and force them into 'reinforced mode' one by one.
3. Wait however many hours it takes for their shield reinforcement fuel to run out (12, 24, 36 hours, who knows) while preventing them from refueling it 23/7.
4. Now attack the starbase - I don't even know how long that takes.
So, time to take any enemy system putting up resistance... probably around a week or so. Maybe two. Oh, yeah, and it will take a fleet worth about $30,000 U.S. to do it and you'll probably suffer $10,000 U.S. in losses if the enemy is putting up resistance.
Yeah, it's so cool it's been done twice before, at least.
Just how is this any different than Natural Selection or Tremulous?
Oh, right. 10 hour matches.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
Yeah, but I'd like to join a game with some hope of bringing it to a conclusion while I am still there. I don't want to start a game and then *know* I will likely not see the end of it, or worse, see my good team devolve into a useless set of idiots/nubs as the people I started with cycle out. That stuff was semi-tolerable in Alterac Valley with WoW because you were earning PvP kills and reputation points even if you didn't play to the end. Here, the only point is getting to the end or racking up some kills. I agree, you can rack up kills, but if you don't play the RTS aspect of it, you could find yourself plinking at someone with a pistol as they are firing their alien-upgraded man-portable annihilator sniper beam cannons at you.
I can accept 2-3 hours for a game, but 10 hours would be just too much. I hope that they have some real way of making those game lengths viable.
Savage was a pretty fun RTS/FPS.
There's a quick fix available to cut down on this sort of problem. If team loadouts appear to be lopsided by numbers, give a very slight damage boost to the weaker team or some other subtle advantage. Naturally, this should be available as an option.
For example, TF and TFC do not return the flag to the enemy base (if the runner get killed) until the idle time expires, which helps prevent the 0-0 score deadlock on overpopulated servers. If there's twice as many people on the red team as the blue team, then the timers adjust themselves so that the blue flag can get returned within 10 seconds rather than the standard 30 or so.
If you want, a high-turnover rate may be factored by having newly joined players counting as 75% of a player, and include an algorithm that eventually shifts them to full player status.