Topic: Mission packs

[Gook]

Next on the list was :

"2. An agreed mission pack to be 65%-70% stock missions with the remainder ED/EEK, such missions to be agreed."

Is there any appetite for an agreed mission pack, again to minimize downloads and facilitate server hopping, aid newbs and encourage returnees?

A recent poll showed a more or less even split on the absolute choices of stock OR new missions. I rather suspect a mix would be prefered rather than one polarised choice.

I originally suggested 60-40 in favour of stock missions, during the poll modified it to the above quoted number.

Assuming a mixed bag of missions, what do people think the ratios should be?

What none stock missions should definately be in, and what out?

The more people who give an opinion the better.

[C-Los]

   I agree this should be also, as I pointed out in the other thread !

Of course Gook...there will be the ones who say "What, you want every server to be the same"

I was always under the opinion each server was different according to map size, alliances, and objectives.

Then again...."What do I know, nothing I guess"

 

[Capt Jeff]

Well, I can see a mission pack being more "standardized" then  shiplists.

There are problems mixing stock and custom missions though, as there are server settings to make certain missions trigger, and they don't seem to be compatable.....

[FPF-DieHard]

Well, I can see a mission pack being more "standardized" then  shiplists.

I agree with this.  Missions also take up most of the space in a download.

[Corbomite]

Well, I can see a mission pack being more "standardized" then  shiplists.

A standardized mission pack would be great. Specialized missions can be added on a server by server basis. Since our scripters can't seem to agree on what the best way to script is, however, and after four+ years the only thing that the whole community can agree upon is that we don't like bugs, I don't really see this happening any time soon, unfortunately.

[FPF-DieHard]

Well, I can see a mission pack being more "standardized" then  shiplists.

A standardized mission pack would be great. Specialized missions can be added on a server by server basis. Since our scripters can't seem to agree on what the best way to script is, however, and after four+ years the only thing that the whole community can agree upon is that we don't like bugs, I don't really see this happening any time soon, unfortunately.

It would if it actually became a priority. 

Both the ED Corepack and the EEK packs are very close with only a few bugs left to kill. 

[Corbomite]

Both the ED Corepack and the EEK packs are very close with only a few bugs left to kill. 

Yes, but since they use two different methods to generate ships for the AI I would hardly call that standardized. The differences in their approaches, while both equally viable, cause the aforementioned problems with the server settings when they are mixed together. This leaves us with using one or the other.

[FireSoul]

1- The stock missions are boring.
2- The ED and EEK missions do decide on how to choose and create ships in very different ways. Which way, is up to the admin.
3- Bugs are always the issue, and the issue is improving slowly.


This time, I think the answer is: "It depends on the server.".. While I have a personal favorite set of missions, that set varies from person to person.

-- Luc

[Lepton]

Next on the list was :

"2. An agreed mission pack to be 65%-70% stock missions with the remainder ED/EEK, such missions to be agreed."

Is there any appetite for an agreed mission pack, again to minimize downloads and facilitate server hopping, aid newbs and encourage returnees?

A recent poll showed a more or less even split on the absolute choices of stock OR new missions. I rather suspect a mix would be prefered rather than one polarised choice.

I originally suggested 60-40 in favour of stock missions, during the poll modified it to the above quoted number.

Assuming a mixed bag of missions, what do people think the ratios should be?

What none stock missions should definately be in, and what out?

The more people who give an opinion the better.

Disinformation yet again.  There are agreed mission packs.  They are NW and EEK mission packs.  Download both and you are set.  This would allow server admins to use whatever combination of NW, EEK, and stock mission they choose. You completely fail to understand the issue yet again.  You continue to frame D2 issues in completely the wrong light.  There is no server hopping.  Only major servers are well attended.  Minor servers are unpopulated in the extreme.  We don't need more empty servers, but an actually full server.  What creates a full server??  It ain't stock shiplists and stock missions.  It is a creative server concept that most often involves a download of some sort. Newbies and returnees need to be brought into the fold and assisted in coming on-board not relegated to empty stock servers.  It is our duty to make server requirements as accessible as possible.  That does not mean "dumbing down" servers and making them all vanilla.  That means offering good community support which you may be surprised to know is actually the case here in the D2 community.  When I first came to the D2, DOE was the upcoming server.  I was on dial-up and that server had a pretty substantial download that even added models to the game.  Did I crumble under the pressure??  AHHHHHH!!!!  A DOWNLOAD!!!!  THE HORROR!!  No, I asked, probed, and got help.  No big deal.   Stop pushing your agenda by tapping into people's frustrations with their computers as opposed to their enjoyment of the D2.

More disinformation concerning the poll.  The poll was a specific question on the use of stock missions on LB5 and had only 30-40 respondents.  That poll cannot speak to the community's desire for stock missions either in the form of the poll nor the number of respondents nor was the poll framed as a serious referendum on the continued use of custom missions in the D2 in place of stock missions.  I'll tell you what is more telling to me as to community preferences.   When was the last time anyone called for a stock missions server other than you??  When issues that have cropped up in the past with bugs that could have been potential showstoppers, did the community abandon these brilliant missions??  No.  The scripters persevered and continue to persevere with the full support of the community to improve these missions.

Your effort to push for 60-40 stock is ridiculous and transparent for these reasons.  Stock missions are as bugged or more bugged than NW and EEK missions and there is active support for NW and EEK missions by the scripters and not for stock missions.  NW and EEK missions are far in advance of stock missions in their complexity and offer so much more than stock ever could.  Stock missions are too easy. 1v1 patrols, planet scans, and that ridiculous race to the listening post.  Come on!! Clearly, you are just looking for missions to flip hexes more quickly with using as few drones as possible or none at all.  You are transparent.  A 1v1 patrol maybe takes 2 drone rack firings for a Kzin whereas a 3v3 is going to be a good deal more impactful on your operating costs. Transparent.  And it totally hooks in with your deepstriking agenda.  It's easy to DS if 60% of the time you are getting missions that don't tax or even use your expendables.  BOOOO!!!  You are amazing to me.  You'd really rather not be playing the actual game at all or to make it so easy that you could do it half-asleep.  Go play a board game if you want to move little counters around on a hex map.  I, on the other hand, actually want to PLAY THE GAME.

[Lepton]

EEK mission pack: 6.5 megs
NW core mission pack: 8.0 megs

Take 7 megs as an average download for a misssion pack.  At a speed of 50kbps, that's 2.333333 minutes to download a 7 meg file.  (Add approporiate sarcasm) Wow, now that's really an imposition considering it needs to be downloaded once and you can log on to any server that uses that mission pack.  Considering that people spend hours on a server, the whole 3 minutes to download the mission pack is completely inconsequential.  Downloads are a non-issue.  Anyone who argues otherwise is delusional.

Hell, the 2500-2552 patch is 19 megs, so to even get on a server you are going to be downloading for alot longer than for any mission pack.

[Vaul]

More like 18-19 minutes to download a 7meg file at 50 kilobits per second, but the main point of the argument - that download times for files of less than about 30Mb aren't really a significant problem - holds.

Gook, it's a nice concept, but I don't think you're ever going to get a standardised mission pack. Not with such a large and active modding comunity at any rate....

[C-Los]

Excuse Me !!

I remember playing this game out of the box, with stock SL and Stock missions, and lets see, there was AF...CW 1...2...3...4...5...6 and others.

I had "Tons of Fun" and was not BORED !!!!

And there were other servers listed also, people played on them. Just because a server isn't populated to the Max doesn't mean its unplayable. If that was the case..."sorry no servers allowed till we can populate one"

Point being...I know we have progressed to the point of improved SL's and Missions and there's no reason not to use everything available. All I'm saying is, make it easier for everyone from the Admins to the players...go standard with whats available with an agreed upon update time period....Or whenever FS and the Scripters have them available.

Personally I love this game even 'STOCK" I would and probably will play it everyday, and its not just the game its "EVERYONE HERE" !!!  Playing against and with you all, blowing you guys up but mostly "getting blown up" (LOL)

Talking on RW or TS, laughing and having fun....

Its not "ROCKET SCIENCE" although what some of you people do does amaze me, and you all work very hard and give up hrs of your own time to make a game I love better !!  

I THANK YOU ALL !!


I've rambled on enough already....sorry  

I've said my piece...I'm Done !!    

[Lepton]

I have no doubt that you had fun on those early servers, but you also at that time knew of nothing else.  There were no scripted missions, I assume, and I assume shiplist manipulation was minimal.  We have gone beyond stock and I guarantee you that people who have stuck it out all this time will leave if things go back there.

I don't claim that servers need to be full to be worthwhile, but we have a bunch of empty servers now.  Making a bunch of "standard" servers is not going to change anything nor does it make any sense.

I am sure people get this, but I'll just repeat myself.  NW and EEK missions are the standard missions and they are a trivial download.  If everyone has them on their systems, then admins are free to choose whatever missions they wish to use on the server.  Mission selection is a server side issue, not a client side issue when the download is a one-off and is trivial in size.  Otherwise, if an admin wanted to put up a server with different missions than this so-called standard mission pack that Gook is aiming for, people would have to download those new missions anyway.  Let's just have everyone have all the missions on the client side, and the server will sort out what is what on their side.

[el-Karnak]

A very useful poll would be one on AI stripping.

[NuclearWessels]

A very useful poll would be one on AI stripping.

Seems to me (JMO of course) that it should be the norm for most PvP combat, especially with the disengagement rules in effect for most servers.

Of course, that means I need to get off my butt and fix it in the ED scripts,  but hey

dave