Suggestion Conquest/politics system overhaul

[BushidoNBourbon]

(In before, sorry for my terrible english, I'd be glad to clarify anything you don't understand)
I came up this morning with some ideas in my mind that I don't know how can fit in the actual Loka system, about some mechanics changes in territory fights or towning systems. I expect this to be a hard developing and testing work, but hey, I'd just like to toss 'em over here and see what you think about it.

1st: Bringing roles to territory fights.
I tried to train some PvP in servers with armor/weapons sets, and since I'm used to games with army/fleet roles, I find a good point in bringing the same style to territory fights.

People in territory fights could get any role, to mention some, vanguards, rogues, archers, support, defense... All of them with different armor sets and enchants, different weapons, potions... It's more like using the brain from the generals in each side and capacities of every soldier.

As an optional point, people can be set up as engineers or scouts, based on gathering intel or preparing the terrain while the inhibitor is being activated.

Plus, bringing different talents or special rules to each role, such as VotA has.

I know theres a big con in this: People won't be able to use their god gear here. I have nothing to say about this, actually. Creating a "Hero" role to allow only one player each side bring their god stuff, maybe? I don't know. I feel like more leaving god stuff for raiding and overworld fights.

2nd: Setting up trading powers
When I joined Loka, I was sticked into market and trading system, and since the beginning I always wanted to set up a trading power instead of being through the continents doing PvP non-stop.

I'm just thinking that a biome ownership can be ruled according to trading the products that biome produces. The more traded products from that particular biome you have conquered, the higher chance to have control over it.

Last but not least, trading activities can bring small amounts of town strenght (capped? Losing strenght for trading inactivity? Not sure about how to balance this part). Maybe a trading town skill with an industry?

Also, a small detail about embargoes: I would appreciate any clarification about the current system and why has been planned like that. This is because I find a bit annoying for new and small towns to not have access to embargoed items. I think embargos should affect other continents and nomdads, but no towns in the same continent. This is why I would like to know what made devs to set embargoes like this current status.

3rd: Protectorates
My last suggestion is about implementing a new model of alliance: Protectorates.

Protectorates as definition: A small individual (not part of an alliance) town being protected by a way stronger town (such as continent capital) or alliance of towns, IN ANOTHER CONTINENT. The protecting town can assist the protectorate in defensive fights, but not in attacks.

So, let's say: Hilo (Kalros) wants to be a protectorate of The Covenant (Ascalon). Since Hilo is not part of an alliance, can be protected by Covenant. If, for some reason, Asmund attacks Hilo, The Covenant can go help without the need of requesting reinforcements. If Hilo were attacking Asmund, they must have to request reinforcements as usual.

There is no strenght to be added to any town, nothing else but requesting deffensive reinforcements. More mechanics to be added to this point? Not sure. This is more like a foundation of an idea.

Cons: Tons of protectorates for the same town (Cap the number of protectorates to 1? 1 each continent?), no possibility of joining an alliance for the protectorate...

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Well, these are the ideas I had so far today. Discuss, and have a good day everyone!

 

[turtlemaster01]

This would actually change the face of conquest massively. I like it. Keep up the good work!

 

[Skuhoo]

Making embargoes not affect towns on the same continent would defeat the purpose of embargoes entirely. People would just buy the embargoed materials from a friendly town on the continent, even if that town is a level 5 town with zero territories.

Embargoes are not just about monopolizing a resource, it's often cutting it off almost entirely. Forcing a town to trade a resource to control it removes that aspect of embargoes entirely.

Having any benefits like strength or resource control come from lots of trading is highly abusable as well. Nothing would stop two towns from working together and trading stuff on the market back and forth.

 

[turtlemaster01]

Embargo's could cover all of 1 resource (which they already do I think) and this would take other resources not embargoed and use them for trade. Adding a passive strength gain is not a bad thing. It helps non-Pvp towns actually have a chance at doing something in the world without having to throw endless amounts of resources into failed conquest fights. This group of suggestions is great it adds depth, increases different outputs for strength lose/gain, and adds another reason to work together instead of tearing each other apart. If your worried about abuse put in a new rule saying a town cannot trade back and forth more then X times.

 

[BushidoNBourbon]

Making embargoes not affect towns on the same continent would defeat the purpose of embargoes entirely. People would just buy the embargoed materials from a friendly town on the continent, even if that town is a level 5 town with zero territories.

Well, in my opinion, I believe embargoes can be arranged to make the capital still control, if not the 100%, 80% of the total production (to say any hypothetical quantity), which is way more than the rest of towns together. Not like cutting it off, but reducting a bit the production and let the new creation towns survive with those leftovers, OR probably making it work like shards taxes: You take a percentage of the total each town in that continent produces, and forbid that product for nomads and other continents towns.

I know that will kill the definition of embargo itself, but this kind of policies only strenghten big towns, something I'm kinda against. I mean, embargo can be used between great powers as usual, I believe there is the real trading damage, and where the real ISK war ( ) is. If new towns spend all their items in developing themselves, I don't expect them to be able to trade embargoed items' leftovers with other great powers.

Anyways, the embargo thing was just a small detail, not a big plan in my mind. You got into that point, I just used that to explain my point of view about it. I believe this part of the game has been chosen wisely, I'm not having anything against it.

Having any benefits like strength or resource control come from lots of trading is highly abusable as well. Nothing would stop two towns from working together and trading stuff on the market back and forth.

In fact, I was thinking about that same problem when I got into that suggestion, and I agree with you. I added a small detail in OP at the creation, in the way of brief questions to be taken in consideration, like this:

Last but not least, trading activities can bring small amounts of town strenght (capped? Losing strenght for trading inactivity? Not sure about how to balance this part).

I didn't get deep into those questions, but, being inspired in some strategy games or MMO where trading is an important aspect, why not thinking about trading as a town basic aspect?

 

[longfellow4]

I love the idea of the class system!

 

[Cryptite]

Some good ideas! I'll break them down a little bit:

1st: Bringing roles to territory fights.

Likely one of our next major Conquest updates will be something along these lines. It's tough to really expand on our thoughts right now since they're still fluctuating, but suffice it to say, we're in agreement that the state of Minecraft Pot PvP is boring, formulaic, and unchanging. We feel bringing variety to a fight gives everybody more options and will make it more fun. Currently, everybody must bring an entirely accepted set of God Gear before it's even considered worth going to a fight. We'd like to do away with some of these dumb requirements in favor of some greater flavor.

It probably won't be quite like "choosing a role", but rather bringing certain weapon-types to the battle with new, custom enchants that change how the fighting plays out.

2nd: Setting up trading powers

We too like the idea of trading powers, but there hasn't yet been a concrete system devised that doesn't simply reward the players who just play the most. Grinding is an understood mechanic of RPGs and Minecraft. But in our view, the grinding that players do contributes directly to the resources they can pump out to do Conquest fights. We've always thought Capital should be more than just PvP, but we don't like any system where it's just some concept of a chest you dump resources into. We'd prefer if the resources that are being gathered are contributed to the landscape because of the requirement in Conquest either in battle, or whatever else.

If a system can be suggested that is fully thought-out as to how trading works and contributes to the Conquest game that works, we're totally open to looking into it. Just hasn't happened yet.

As for embargoes, that's generally been answered already by people. Simply put, if there is any way to collect resources that are embargoed, there is no need for trade. I can see the idea where you can only get like 10% of the resource, but still, people will stay up all night to gather Spruce at a 10% droprate rather than fight Conquest which renders control over your territory useless. I'm not saying the system is unopen to change, but it probably should be more intentional than just "well you still get some resources". That's why we don't just block you gathering a resource; we convert it into oak, wheat, etc.

3rd: Protectorates

This is probably the idea that won't get any support. Simply put, we have three continents for a very specific reason. That reason is Eldritch (in the present), Argus (in the past), or any other superpower. Simply put the superpowers in Loka haven't just been winners, but towns who can project their strength to other continents in the form of reinforcements or invasions. Adding protectorates just gives superpowers even more power to ensure they have complete and total world dominance.

We have three continents because that means that if Eldritch always wins Ascalon, then Kalros and Garama can still be won by two other towns. This gives the illusion of potential success to more people and makes it so that it doesn't seem like an impossible task to gain ground in Loka.

Thanks for the suggestions Bush!