Non-basing activities and population dynamics

[Gar]

There are three primary money-activities in HyperSpace, and the zone is set up so that money is the draw for activities. Therefore, there are only three available activities in HyperSpace. Anything else is wasting time for no real reason.

 

1: Flag game. 'Basing'.

2: Powerball.

3: Uncoordinated melee. 'Centering'.

 

I think we can agree on this. Now, I have listed these activities from 'most population required' to 'least population required'. Basing requires the most people and a certain combination of events to transpire. Powerball requires much less population, but turns off (goals become zero) below a certain number of people in the arena. Centering can be done with just two people, technically. Now, we define a player's log-on habits:

 

Player X logs on.

Player X analyzes the zone for money-activity payoff.

If the payoff level, in dollars per time spent, is lower than Player X's threshold, Player X logs off to try again later or sits in spec waiting.

Player X will not play until the dollars per time spent is higher than his threshold when he logs on and checks.

Player X will spec or log off if currently playing if a certain amount of time passes with the dollars per time spent rate too low.

 

This general model works very well to explain a number of things. (DpTS is Dollars per Time Spent). A short list of behaviors it explains:

: Generally, Powerball is only done consistently by people who can do it quickly (low time spent, as powerball's dollars are also low).

: While basing is going on the population increases drastically.

: When basing ends, the population drops drastically.

: During basing, the team with the higher DpTS has a greater 'stickiness'; i.e. players are much more likely to stay in that team or attempt to join it.

: During basing, the team with the lower DpTS has a lower 'stickiness'. People are more likely to quit it or spec and wait.

: As a natural course of the previous two behaviors, the 'better' team (judged only by DpTS) eventually has more people, and thus an advantage. The advantage grows over time, as the half-lives of the players on the lower-DpTS team hit and they quit or seek other money-activities; usually centering.

 

Note that the team imbalance will always happen unless DpTS rates are approximately equal between the two teams. This post is not intended to be critical of the current zone set-up, but the fact that the team imbalance happens makes it evident that the two money rates are not equal, and the rate at which the two teams become imbalanced shows that the difference is large.

 

Anyway, on to my point.

 

Due to certain money-draining additions, centering's dollars per time spent is extremely low. This rate only decreases as the population decreases. When less than two or three people are centering, the dollars per time spent rate is near zero. Unfortunately, centering is the seed by which all other population arrives.

 

1: Very few people center for awhile. A few others, with low DpTS thresholds, join for awhile.

2: A few people center for awhile. With slightly more people, a few players with slightly higher DpTS thresholds join.

3: Centering maxes out for a little while. Meanwhile, the jackpot increases.

4: A player from the next higher tier of DpTS rates logs on, analyzes, and sees the jackpot at just high enough to entice him to play. He joins, and collects the flags.

5: An in-between period happens, where a few people join to start the basing up. Lancasters are necessary for both sides, or basing may not begin.

6: Basing begins. Population increases over the duration.

 

As you can see, each step is derived from the previous step. Therefore, the longer steps 1, 2, and 3 take to happen, the less likely it is that there will be a high population at any given time. Now, this long-winded explanation might be entirely things you already know, but it was necessary to point out the inescapable truth: The lack of money-activities for low-population periods hurts the zone.

 

When there are less than 5 people in the arena, basing isn't possible, powerball turns off, and centering's dollars per time spent can be zero or even negative. The zone sits idly at step 1, as very few people melee in center. This happens for a huge percentage of each day - I'd estimate 18 to 22 hours of any given day in the current setup, the zone is trapped in steps 1 and 2. Obviously, event mods can raise the DpTS with events, but events can't be run all the time. What's the solution?

 

Add profitable money-activities for extremely low population times; and these activities should turn off at a certain population threshold. I recommend 10 people in-zone. This turning-off is necessary to propel the zone into steps 4 through 6.

 

 

I am not going to suggest what that sort of activity is in this post. The aim of this post is to convince you that something needs to be done for the 22 idle hours of the day.

 

Counterargument 1

"But Gar, then one or two losers will just get on late at night and rack up the cash!"

 

Yes, that's the point! One or two losers will get on late at night - and then the odd player that logs on late at night will have reason to join the arena, and have something to do! Two losers becomes three losers. Ten minutes later, another player comes by and sees this going on. Three losers become four losers. Tada! You've set the zone on a progression towards basing in the middle of the night! It might not happen, but that's alright. At least people are playing and can play HyperSpace at any time.

 

Counterargument 2

"But Gar, this is stupid. I won't be able to do this money-activity if I am the 10th person. I won't join."

 

Or, you will join, and start a 5 on 5 basing game, because the other 9 players will be forced to abandon the low-money activity when it turns off. If 5 on 5 basing provides slightly more cash than the low-money activity, you have incentive.

 

Counterargument 3

"But Gar, you're stupid and know nothing!"

 

Ok, have fun with an empty gamezone 22 hours out of the day, even if this idea could cause basing to happen at all hours.

[cow888]

Give out free money when less than 20 players are in ships. We'll see people piling in 24/7.

[Dr Brain]

In general, most of your points are valid, though I'd say many people hop in a ship and center for fun rather than money payoff. That doesn't change your conclusion much, though.

 

We could change powerballing to only have goals in the center and shut off at pop=10. Putting them in the center would decrease time (increasing DpTS).

 

The major issue with setting the zone to work with low populations means that secondary pub arenas become a breeding ground for tradekillers. Historically, that's why we have the cutoffs in place.

[Sharpflame]

In general, most of your points are valid, though I'd say many people hop in a ship and center for fun rather than money payoff. That doesn't change your conclusion much, though.

 

We could change powerballing to only have goals in the center and shut off at pop=10. Putting them in the center would decrease time (increasing DpTS).

 

The major issue with setting the zone to work with low populations means that secondary pub arenas become a breeding ground for tradekillers. Historically, that's why we have the cutoffs in place.

 

Uh, I guess it would've been done already if possible... or should've: Why not only have one public arena, and make ?Go 1, ?Go 2, etc all impossible to get into or have nothing in them. Ta-da!

 

 

 

 

Gar, I like your post, it makes a lot of sense. Adding powerballs in center like Doccles suggested would probably help, just hopefully not just one person can jump in and make hundreds of thousands by themself with nobody to stop them.

[Dagger171]

Maybe then you could initially have a low powerball prize and as more people get in their ships the prize could increase.

 

Or maybe with the opportunity to make lots of money not just one person will try to take advantage of the powerball, so enough people will come to stop that one person from making all that money.

[Gar]

Wow, moving powerball to center is a great idea. It's easy to implement, easy to control, and will guarantee you at least some activity in the center at all times.

 

Maybe then you could initially have a low powerball prize and as more people get in their ships the prize could increase.

This is a good idea. It's more difficult to powerball the more people are in the center, so it should reward more. I still think it should 'turn off' at 10 people, forcing people to expand what they're doing to the flag game (and eliminating that annoying tendency for pub members to go fight randomly in the center instead of basing, even while a basing game is going on).

 

The major issue with setting the zone to work with low populations means that secondary pub arenas become a breeding ground for tradekillers. Historically, that's why we have the cutoffs in place.

I was told secondary pub arenas are illegal? Is there no way to enforce this?

 

 

 

A second idea I had for a centering idea is 'King of the Hill'. A large rectangle could be added that rewards people that die inside it. The reward for the dead person depends on how long they stayed in the rectangle, how many other people died in the rectangle during that time, and of course bounty. All this means that the longer you stay alive in the Hill, and the more people you fight off, the more you get. You also can't do it by yourself, because there's nobody to kill you.

[Unix]

I asked around with upper staff and they told me that a second pub isnt illegal, as long as you're not doing anything illegal in there.

 

KOTH = The game has it's own version, not a rectangle, just based on killing and stuff.

[linger]

First point i didnt know gar had that much common sense i thought he was a complete noob who only knew how to complain (still do for the most part)

 

second most zones have a king of the hill and a king of the kill that depends on a timer and how long you stay alive or the person with the most kills within a time limit could be more fun this way soemone is bound to get money no matter what the population is

[Prints]

Please tell me if it's bad to resurrect old posts on this forum because I don't know, but...

Is it possible to turn off ammo when there are less than 10 people in ships?

Let people still do things like buy repels, because since the recent "wipe," it's frustrating only having 1/3 reps each respawn (I only had one on my ship before ?buy was shut down)

That way if the population is low, people will still center and stuff At least some people would have more incentive to center

And with less than 10 people, btying shouldn't be too much of an issue O_O

[Sharpflame]

Please tell me if it's bad to resurrect old posts on this forum because I don't know, but...

Is it possible to turn off ammo when there are less than 10 people in ships?

Let people still do things like buy repels, because since the recent "wipe," it's frustrating only having 1/3 reps each respawn (I only had one on my ship before ?buy was shut down)

That way if the population is low, people will still center and stuff At least some people would have more incentive to center

And with less than 10 people, btying shouldn't be too much of an issue O_O

 

This isn't a very bad idea. I haven't thought about it for more than five seconds though, so it probably has some downsides somewhere.

[QUAX]

KOTH = The game has it's own version, not a rectangle, just based on killing and stuff.

 

 

They had that set up in Red Star.

[f3ar-evil]

And EG

[linger]

red star ftw my original zone

 

Poetryman66662005

Liquid_darkness

valium

 

thats where my version of koth came from

[14th]

whats DpTS?

[»D1st0rt]

(DpTS is Dollars per Time Spent)