Incitement for a better multiplayer experience

[II./JG77_Manu*]

I have spent "only" around 500 hours in the multiplayer mode of BoS so far, from the first F4 against Lagg missions on the Lapino map, over the different beta stages till now. I had mainly fun, trying out so many different things which came out one after another like the different planes, multicrew etc..flying with great people in multiplayer.

But lately it began to feel repetitive, and i got bored more and more. Here and there when the right people are in the teamspeak channel, i have still a lot of fun, but most of the time i go online, i feel bored pretty fast.

The main reason for it is, that the gameplay doesn't support a diversified and lively environment. Due to the overpowered 109-F4 and Yak1 it has become almost a pure airquake server between those particular two [please don't discuss about FM in this topic, that is another issue]. No difference in which server you go, it's always the same.

If you choose to make a ground attack, you could as well go into empty QMB, because you won't encounter any enemy planes (who don't care to protect the mission goals). The only reason why i do things beside pure airquake in MP, is because you can do it together with friends, apart this there is no point.

If you choose to do a fighter mission, and you don't take the F4 or Yak, you will definitely be in the minority, and also on a historical disadvantage (i myself don't care). If you fly on the German side you only encounter Yaks, if you fly Russian you only encounter F4..in terms of multiplayer. they could just have released those 2 planes, because the others are barely used anyway. In addition, it's always the same procedure you wanna do..climbing to 4,5k (highest possible altitude without having condensation trails), flying to the front line, and then the searching for an enemy plane begins. After violating both your eyes and your zoom-slider/button for 20 minutes - if you are lucky - you see an enemy, and the fight starts. Always the same. No matter what server, what location. No purpose, no sense.

 

 

Now you could say "500 hours, that's more then enough, this game was definitely worth it's money". At any other type of game (beside of Arma presumably) i would say "yes of course, time to move on". But i feel that this game has so much more to offer. With the release of the Dserver and the full mission builder, i really hope that certain users will be able [in terms of feasibility with the provided full mission builder], and also be willing to create missions for the multiplayer servers which will evoke unforgettable impressions.

I myself unfortunately don't have a clue, how to use stuff like an FMB, and won't also have the time to work myself into this stuff. I also don't have a powerful internet, so i wouldn't be able to provide a MP server anyway.

But i have a lot of ideas, which could possibly lead to way better multiplayer experience in the future.

 

 

I think it doesn't make sense for a MP mission, to try to create a large scale battle along the whole front with numerous different targets, all planes available, and complete freedom of choice what you want to do.

1. Because at the end of the day most players take the best plane on each side, and go searching for enemies (like it is right now, explaned above).

2. Because 48, 64 or even 100 players are not enough to fill the huge map with life

3. Because the engine just doesn't accomplish to compute enough AI stuff like people or vehicles on the ground, or AI planes in the air to create a lively map.

At the end of the day it will always be this unimmersive mid-altitude dogfighting over a dead white surface, no matter what the mission briefing says.

 

To create a real historically plausible mission which will lead to proper immersion, you need to concentrate on one particular task for each side/player, in one particular plane, within distinct bounderies. The best i have seen so far are the missions from Storm of War in Cliffs of Dover.

Those are missions on a particular date and time, normally once a week, where your squad, or you alone can register, and then you get a place in a certain squad, with a fixed airstrip and plane, and a particular task to fullfil.

 

Lately i took part for the first time, got placed in a squadron of Spitfires, became the wing man for another member of this squad, and my goal was to..yeah be a good wingman. We took off all together, our squadron leader told us everything (direction, what we gonna do next, throttle and rpm percentage etc). He himself got his orders from the "ground station" - a real person who sits in front of a computer, sees the map, and the radar, and manages the different squadrons. We couldn't here the ground station - he was in another channel - only our squadleader could hear him, and told us other pilots only what we had to know. Our purpose on this mission was to intercept a wing of 111s - we didn't know how many. Finally our squadleader managed with the help of the ground station to lead us to the 111s, and we attacked in pairs. We downed 5 of 12 111s (if i remember right), i got a shared kill together with my foreman,but got damaged in the hydraulics. I finally got home, and belly landed. We didn't encounter any human controlled enemy fighters (apparently they didn't manage to find the 111s   ), but i was absolutely overwhelmed about how immersive and thrilling flight simming can be. After my successful landing my tshirt was soaking wet, because i sweat so much. This was definitely my best time i ever had in flight sims so far.

I really really hope we will get something equal in BoS in the future. Would be awesome..

However, there is one huge disadvantage. Those missions are on a particular time, and also normally "only" once a week. If you don't have time at this point, you got bad luck.

So while i very much hope that we will see something like that in BoS, that's no solution for the boring 24/7 MP servers.

 

But there is a solution. You definitely can build immersive 24/7 permanent missions, which will work without registering, without being bound to a particular time, which will be accessable at any time of the mission stage. The setting should be close to OP's mission style, with the difference that there are no different targets for different squadrons, which have to be managed, but to simulate one particular squadron on each side, with one, and only one particular task to fullfil, and a plane and equipment, which suits the task best.

It's kinda hard to explane precisely what i mean, so i just provide you with 2 examples, which came to my mind. I just explane the missions roughly, because i don't want to go beyond the scope of this topic. I don't know if everything of those missions will be possible to create with the FMB, but i hope so (and appeal to the Devs).

 

Mission1:

 

Task of Luftwaffe:

"JG54 got the mission to intercept Sturmoviks [AI], and protect our advancing Panzer Korps at all costs. The Sturmoviks will come from direction 105° to our 4. Korps at Grid XYZ. To properly fullfil this task, you get the newly introduced 109 G2 with wing cannons attached. Intercept them at all costs"

Task of VVS:

"Brave comrades of GIAP 39, we got our long awated La5 today. As chance would have it, we have to start immediately, and escort our Sturmoviks from Beketovka to the advancing German tanks. If possible, shoot light targets nearby the tanks."

Framework:

Wing of 8 AI Sturmoviks attacks German tanks, anytime one wing deployed it's weapons, another wing of Sturmoviks starts. The German win, as soon as they shoot down a particular number of them.

The Russian get points for ground units being killed by either AI or player controlled La5. Tank 10, Truck or AAA 3, Arti 2. Russia win at a certain point.

No time limit, server ends as soon as one side fullfiled it's targets.

As soon as the Sturmos enter German area, the German fighters get a notification by their spotters all ~10km, or by pressing a certain command (i hope it will be able to implement something like this, like in Clod) in what grid they are currently. Russian fighters can ask all the time (i know that most russian fighters didn't have radio at this time, but let's just assume for gameplay reasons that "you" are the radio-equipped squadleader )

 

Mission2:

VVS:

"Stocks nearby the Velikije Luki trainstations are full of important supplies. They will be brought to Moscow imminently,  but it is very important that they will be protected from German bomb raids till they get fetched. Our intelligence says the German learned about it, so we have to expect heavy bomb raids. It will be the task of GIAP 11, equipped with Lagg3, to protect those stations. You are free to choose between 20mm, 23mm or 37mm nose cannon."

Luftwaffe:

"We learned about very valuable russian equipment which is imminent to be brought to safety out of our range. Now is the time to strike. JG51 will have the task to do Blitz-attacks with their Focke Wulf Jagdbomber. You will get a 500kg bomb below your belly. Your mission is to destroy the warehouses next to the trainstations of Velikije Luki. Stay below 300m, and stay exactly within the route marked on the map. Our intelligence learned, that you won't be seen by Russian spotters, if you stay within these Grids, till you reach the trainstations.

Meanwhile our few left He111 of KG4 will try to bomb the depots from high altitude. For you this mission is on voluntary basis, we got no fighter cover. If you don't feel up to the task, you don't have to participate. Good luck!"

Framework:

Russians have each 4x3 warehouses (3 next to another, 4 of those "clusters" around an area of 1km) next to the nearest 3 trainstations around Velikije Luki (so 36 in total), and have to defend them. They get a notification, as soon as a 111 enters the russian territory, or a 190 gets over 300m or gets out of the corridor explane above. Frontline should be around ~40km away from Velikije. They win, if at least one of those 36 warehouses survives till a certain time expires.

Germans have the choice to either take a 190 with a 500kg bomb, or a 111 with bombload of choice, but no "nuke" (which would destroy 3 warehouses at once). AI 111 are also attacking those warehouses frequently (in the best case a human controlled would replace the AI 111 "next in the line", but i don't know if this will be possible in FMB). They see on the map which warehouses are already destroyed, and which are still alive. They win, if every warehouse is destroyed within a certain time. 190s have the possibility to get into fights with the Lagg after they dropped their bomb [tried it a few times, low and slow, with the drag of the bomb mounting that's not a good idea]

 

 

 

Those are just two ideas which recently came into my mind, of course you could make hundreds more in a similar style. I think those missions would have a huge benefit compared to the current all-you-can-do large scale map battles.

First of all, you would only have to simulate the things within the mission parameters, and not the whole big map, so you could pack a lot more "life" into a smaller area.

Second of all the immersion to participate in historical plausible missions, having proper tasks to fullfil.

Third of all a lot of diversity, at best with a daily mission-rotation. One day high altitude cover/fights around 111s 109 agaist Mig3, next day low alt fighterbombing 190 against Lagg, etc etc...compared to the current omnipresent  4000m Yak-F4 dogfights.

Fourth of all you wouldn't need a lot of people online to have a lot of fun. In the worst case you are alone or together with a friend in the server, you would still have tasks to fullfil at every side, it would be more or less a Coop-single player mission. In the best case with a lot of people online you woud probably for the first time in this game see whole squadrons fighting against each other over the critical locations.

 

I really really hope multiplayer missions like this will find their way into BoS, now that we get the QMB and Dserver in a week.

Honestly, i would forget about all flaws this game still has - if those kind of missions will find their way into BoS multiplayer, i will probably spend another 500 hours, if not 1000 in this game.

 

I want this topic to become an inspiration and excitation for everyone who has the skills and resources to provide multiplayer servers in the future.

For this, fellow pilots, feel free to present your suggestions and ideas here, how your ideal multiplayer server should look. Or just imagine some missions, like my 2 little examples up there. Maybe some mission makers will come here, and implement/extend our ideas in their work. Wouldn't that be great?

[wellenbrecher]

Well, if you manage to get Phil and reddig interested in the Eastern Front maybe they'll do it for you 

But yeah, after SoW that's definitely what I'm looking for in every flight sim MP experience on some level or another. Those buggers really spoiled me.

Edited February 20, 2015 by wellenbrecher

[Trooper117]

I remember coming home at night from work, itching to get dinner out of the way so I could get into some co-op mission, or a squad mission that was part of a large online war

I would fly online several times a week. Sadly, it has not been possible to repeat those glory days of the old IL2, and unless BoS MP life can give me that excitement once more, I'll stay a strictly offline player.  

A very sad state of affairs, as I used to live for online co-ops etc... you never know, if this latest update can change things into a similar state, I may get the chance to do it once more...

[No601_Swallow]

 

Well, if you manage to get Phil and reddig interested in the Eastern Front maybe they'll do it for you  

But yeah, after SoW that's definitely what I'm looking for in every flight sim MP experience on some level or another. Those buggers really spoiled me.

 

 

 

But the sheer torture that Phil and RD have had to put themselves through to get to where they are - and the fact that (perhaps together with Wolverine) they're quite literally the only people on the planet (and yes, that - I think - is literally true) who've been able to achieve that - it says everything you need to know about that sim.

 

I'm hoping that BoS will empower mere mortals like us who aren't database engineers or software coders to do similar things.

I remember coming home at night from work, itching to get dinner out of the way so I could get into some co-op mission, or a squad mission that was part of a large online war

I would fly online several times a week. Sadly, it has not been possible to repeat those glory days of the old IL2, and unless BoS MP life can give me that excitement once more, I'll stay a strictly offline player.  

A very sad state of affairs, as I used to live for online co-ops etc... you never know, if this latest update can change things into a similar state, I may get the chance to do it once more...

 

Yep - my hope too! 

Edited February 20, 2015 by No601_Swallow

[DD_Arthur]

Excellent post Celestiale with some really interesting ideas.  Your analysis of the current state of multiplayer seems pretty accurate too.  It needs help.

[Leaf]

With the FMB and Dserver coming in 1.009, I'm quite optimistic!

[voncrapenhauser]

Well done Celestiale.

 

If it were up for a vote, you would definitely get mine.....great sugestions.

Edited February 20, 2015 by voncrapenhauser

[II./JG77_Manu*]

Thanks guys i am happy, that at least a few people are working themselves through this screed 

[Y-29.Silky]

It's just every server has a mission dynamic that has too much fatigue atm. Right now, every aircraft is available and the servers are 3 hours long with the objectives absolutely pointless.

 

I enjoy the 1946 servers. 1-1.5 hours, if you don't protect your objective, you will lose. Then it's on to a whole different mission.

[FTC_crash1983]

great sugestions celestiale really good post.