New multiplayer game mode proposal for Flying Circus: "Patrol"

[DakkaDakkaDakka]

(Note: I posted this to the RoF forum, but reposting here in the hopes it encourages the devs to consider some new ideas for MP game modes).

 

The current RoF/BoX engine, if I am not mistaken, supports only two (!!!) MP game modes: Team Death Match and Capture the Flag.

 

• The Team Death Match isn't really "true" deathmatch, because there are usually an unlimited number of respawns available, with each map being won only when all of one side's objectives are completed (or, if it's an airquake server, after a given time limit has elapsed). (Normally, deathmatch means you play until the other side's planes have been entirely wiped out).
   
• I have not seen a Capture the Flag MP server since 2011 or so, when I came to RoF - it has been entirely extinguished, and probably for the best as it's totally anachronistic / arcade. Even more than airquake!

Fundamentally, the current BoX maps are iterations of the existing RoF objective-based Team Death Match game modes. Basically, destroy X number of objectives and you win the map.

 

I don't mean to imply that there's anything wrong with that - I just mean that it's no different than what we've been doing in this engine since the beginning with RoF.

 

What I am proposing is a fresh approach to actual gameplay modes altogether, especially with an eye to Flying Circus.

 

Let's say we create a new game mode: Patrol

 

The map will have a time limit of 10 minutes (or thereabouts). The first 90 seconds is for players to connect and choose either Central or Entente. Planes, fuel loads, etc. will be set at the server and will be unique to the specific map. If there is an imbalance in the number of players, a random reshuffle will occur and players will be reassigned to balance the sides as closely as possible.

 

Once the 90 second "preparation" timer expires, players will be spawned into their respective patrols, with all friendly aircraft in loose line-abreast or echelon formation. Starting locations of the patrols will be ~8km apart, at semi-random altitude and heading (they would be pointing generally towards a meeting point between the two patrols, but not necessarily head-on, and not necessarily co-alt). Let's say 50% of the time it's co-alt, and the other 50% of the time, one patrol or the other has an altitude advantage. Just to keep it interesting.

 

The players will need to spot the other patrol, communicate this rapidly amongst their team mates, and then quickly maneuver to best advantage. Dogfight commences as soon as the planes merge, the map ends either when all planes of one side have been destroyed, or when the 10 minute timer expires. The winning team is the one that destroyed the most enemy aircraft. The scoreboard briefly displays at the end, and then the next rotation loads - with different planes, different starting positions & altitudes, etc. Constant change and evolution.

 

There would be no respawns, when you die, you're dead, and you can either continue on and spectate the furball, or disconnect and join the next map rotation (perhaps there could be a number of servers running these maps).

 

All players in a patrol would fly the same aircraft - i.e. it could be all Camels vs Dr.1, or Albatros vs SPAD, or whatever, but everyone in Central would fly the same plane, and everyone in Entente would fly the same plane, as defined by the mission creator. Because in FC everyone will by default have access to the same planes (unlike in RoF), this would be easy to accommodate.

 

Obviously, this would allow fast action and team tactics, and at realistic altitudes. It could be fun!

 

This is just an example of an idea that's not too far outside of reality, even given the current engine. I believe it would replicate the most exciting parts of the icons-off full realism servers (at least for fighter pilots), eliminate the need for flak fences and similar to force players to fly at realistic altitudes, and provide a means by which historical match-ups could be undertaken (i.e. people don't get to fly the uber plane all the time, but they are guaranteed to have a good matchup every time).

 

Those are the types of ideas which I feel could create new interest in MP, and new exciting experiences to appeal to a wider player base.

[Herne]

I hardly played RoF MP, but I've put a few hours into some of the servers in BoX, and I think you might be surprised what admins can do to keep the game fresh. As for patrols, that's up to you to decide when you study the map prior to take off. You will have defensive and offensive objectives, and its up to you to plan your route in advance and set the objectives for your own mission.

[J99_Sizzlorr]

So Flying Circus Vol. I got announced, and i was wondering if we ww1 fliers may get a new game mode. Currently we have capture the flag and team deatchmatch. If we have a look at the popular online tournaments (Bloody April, Flanders in Flames etc.) however we see none of those game modes fully used. In these tournaments we have missions that can be realized with the Mission Editor but aren't fully supported by a game mode. 

 

So i was thinking to myself maybe we get another online game mode that fully supports the mission styles we use in tournaments. But what do we need to bring the beloved online tournaments to the next level? 

 

Currently in our online tournaments the winning team is announced by a series of lengthy subtitle screens and only some basic math can tell you if your team has won or lost this mission. How good you did peform you can only see if you visit a third party statistic website. Why does the game we play not fully support us the way we play it most times. Could something be done about this in the upcoming Flying Circus Volume I  with the advanced digital warfare angine? 

 

One central aspect of most online tournaments seems to be reconnaissance duty. But in RoF a successful reconnaissance mission currently does not award you or your team with any points. The only thing it mostly does is activate another mission like destroy a the target or it grants new aircrafts on the airfields.

 

So i thought about some online game modes that could be fun on a daily basis and could be useful for our online tournaments:

 

Search and destroy

 

What about a search and destroy type of game mode, where all enemy targets are marked with a questionmark at the beginning and only a successful reconnaissance reveals the icon type of the target to all pilots on one side. The goal is it to destroy a number of specific targets like 3 out of those 9 initial question marks for example and you only get to destroy the specific target if you had a successful recon before. The specific targets could be randomized on a mission so nobody knows behind which questionmark the specific targets are hidden. The team which destroys its targets first wins the mission. 

 

Of course there could be some secondary targets that if you destroy them the destruction of your primary targets gets easier for example: destroy observation baloons for less accurate AA fire, destroy AA units for less AA fire or destroy enemy support vehicles which cripples aircraft supply of the enemy and so on.

 

Most of those things are realizable with the current RoF Mission Editor only the dynamic icons are not possible at the moment

 

Promised Land

 

This game mode centrals arround making your ground troops able to capture territory at the frontline. At the beginning each side has diffrent sectors at the front under control. To enable your ground troops to capture a sector on the frontline your team has to perform a series of tasks.

 

First you need to recon the enemy sector, to spot the strong points in enemy defensives.

 

Then you have to attack the strong point and soften it up.

 

After that your team needs to destroy the enemy observation baloon to make the artillery spotting mission possible

 

With a successsful artillery spotting mission you will take out the enemy artillery in this sector making it possible for your ground troops to advance.

 

After those tasks are completed your ground troops will attack the sector and capture it for your team. Now the other side can recapture this sector by completing their tasks. The team which has the most sectors under control at the end of the mission will win.

 

Most of those things are realilzable on the current Mission Editor. Only the winning condition is somewhat tricky, and of course the lack of infantry models (only available through a mod in RoF)

 

What do you guys think about future game modes? How do you like to see online play develop to be? Do you have ideas for future game modes? Do you like it the way it is in RoF right now? Maybe we can discuss some things right here....so please post your thoughts i am intereseted in them.... 

Edited December 5, 2017 by J99Sizzlorr

[6./ZG26_5tuka]

 

Search and destroy

 

What about a search and destroy type of game mode, where all enemy targets are marked with a questionmark at the beginning and only a successful reconnaissance reveals the icon type of the target to all pilots on one side. The goal is it to destroy a number of specific targets like 3 out of those 9 initial question marks for example and you only get to destroy the specific target if you had a successful recon before. The specific targets could be randomized on a mission so nobody knows behind which questionmark the specific targets are hidden. The team which destroys its targets first wins the mission.

That's what we had here as well, only without the recon mechanic (target icon would pop up + a message 'target X has been spotted in grid xxxx-x). The IL-2 mission editor does allow for that kind of mission already. The reason why it is not (or rarely) used on MP servers is because most people think it's too hardcore and fly somwhere else rather than bothering with recon.

 

 

Promised Land

 

This game mode centrals arround making your ground troops able to capture territory at the frontline. At the beginning each side has diffrent sectors at the front under control. To enable your ground troops to capture a sector on the frontline your team has to perform a series of tasks.

 

First you need to recon the enemy sector, to spot the strong points in enemy defensives.

 

Then you have to attack the strong point and soften it up.

 

After that your team needs to destroy the enemy observation baloon to make the artillery spotting mission possible

 

With a successsful artillery spotting mission you will take out the enemy artillery in this sector making it possible for your ground troops to advance.

 

After those tasks are completed your ground troops will attack the sector and capture it for your team. Now the other side can recapture this sector by completing their tasks. The team which has the most sectors under control at the end of the mission will win.

 

Most of those things are realilzable on the current Mission Editor. Only the winning condition is somewhat tricky, and of course the lack of infantry models (only available through a mod in RoF)

 

What do you guys think about future game modes? How do you like to see online play develop to be? Do you have ideas for future game modes? Do you like it the way it is in RoF right now? Maybe we can discuss some things right here....so please post your thoughts i am intereseted in them.... 

 

Again this should already be possible with the current IL-2 Mission Editor (minus the moving frontline if I'm not mistaken). Sure, it would not be the same as an entitled game mode where objectives are assigned in a rush-mode type of order but the function would be there.