Long term observations - What to possibly consider

Questions and comments on tactics and playstyles
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Zehra
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Long term observations - What to possibly consider

Post by Zehra »

BZFlag has a varied amount of players with varied skills, but how it plays out if we consider the game as population dynamics, we do see interesting results.

We have maps with super flags and those without them, mostly those without super flags are either speciality or league related.(Jumping Skills, maze type of maps vs Ducati, Hix, Babel..etc) In super flag related maps, we either have maps like Urban Jungle, Ziggurat or maps like Apocalypse or Scarwall.(It tends to be multiple shots and with super flags either with or without custom flags, but there is some popular exceptions, like QuickShots.)

This sample already shows about 5 distinct and unique styles of play in a game.(Very differing tactical play too, although skilled dodging comes in handy in most maps.)

If we suppose that we have 20 players per group active per day, we have around 100 players in total. If we only consider 12 hours active, we have around 8 players active at any given hour on average, considering a 1 hour gaming session per player and almost 2 players per each group.(By group, it's play-style preference.)

...

This is all very stable, but we do not throw in player skill yet.

If we have 10% of players extremely skilled, 10% of players completely new, 20% of players skilled, 20% of players with below average skill and 40% of players being average, we now have a very interesting dynamic.

Around 4 players would be average, another 4 being either either above average or below average and when players are above 8 or so, an extremely skilled player or a newbie skilled player could be expected.

...

Given that players skills tend to increase with time and that too little or too much of a challenge is not fun: In the long run, it either becomes too boring for skilled players or too much of a beat-down for newbies.

Now to the main point, what should be done to make it both challenging and exciting for each player group?

How to make it challenging and engaging enough for skilled players, while not turning it into a newbie beat-down, and keeping it fun for the average player?

Thoughts?

-Zehra
Those who are critical of me, I'll likely be the same of them. ~Zehra
The decisions we make are the ones we look forward too and the ones we regret. ~Zehra
There's a difference between knowing my name and knowing me, one shows respect to my name and the other is to who I am. ~Zehra

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