Brainstorm: Game Modes

by Quin on 08/30/2007 05:20, 188 messages, last message: 12/17/2007 01:10, 135843 views, last view: 05/18/2024 15:45

As fun as Sauerbraten is to play online, it gets a bit tedious after a while, the problem being that the number of unique and playable game modes are limited.

Some of the reason behind CTF being opposed is that it is far too common in FPS games these days. What we need is something fresh, new, and unique in some way.

So.. Any ideas for new game modes? What kind of game would you play? Maybe you've got some awesome game mode idea that you haven't voiced, or a killer idea that would work if only it had something else?

This is where it is up to *us* to come up with something *new*, that will make our online fragging that much more varied and enjoyable. Let's all bash out some ideas and come up with something that is both suitable, and have half a chance of actually getting added to Sauerbraten.

   Board Index   

#1: ..

by Zorro_hates_cookies2 on 08/30/2007 05:44

Excellent topic. I'll reply with a few completely random thougts.

We all would love to see classic CTF, I think. Additionally, some sort of assault game mode would also be nice.

Zombies would be interesting (a la CS:S), but I can't think of a proper way to implement it with Sauerbraten's gameplay dynamics.

I think hostage rescue would be a little over-the-top.

Coop would be nice, but I understand that this would require adverse changes to the network protocol and the server would no longer be "thin"

Something like Halo 2's "Juggernaut" might be doable. Perhaps a mode where there is some special object to carry

King of the hill isn't needed because it has virtually no difference from capture.

Instagib capture has been mentioned before and here I am repeating it.

reply to this message

#2: ..

by TomCat39 on 08/30/2007 05:57

There really isn't too many ideas that haven't been tried.

CTF is a classic which will never go away.

Team Fortress with the Job assignment concept is ultimate or used to be. AAO goes along those lines with a medic, grenaders etc etc.

UT tried the bomb run, sort of like a weird FPS football game.

Assault is a huge sucess. Capture an obejective/ defend an objective.

Domination/Sauer Capture was implemented already. UT introduced it, Sauer perfected it.

What more can you do when fragging people and still keep it FPS not RPG?

Efficiency is Last Man Standing so that's covered. King of the hill could easy be accomplished with Capture, only one flag....

Not sure on the Juggernaut being I never played halo. but I have a feeling it pretty much exhausts the possibilities....

Not to be pessimistic, just realistic. FPS has been around for nearly 2 decades. Many minds have tried to improve on the concept. Only a few have stood the test of time. One of which is being denied Sauer.

I mean. WHY is CTF in EVERY fps game.... Because it had been the MOST successful. It's that simple.

You can be different and not use a guaranteed formula, but you might be cutting off yor own nose just to spite your face.

I do wish you luck on coming up with something original, but I'd actually wager, it's either been tried before or is just not a very successful concept. And I'm not a gambling sort of fellow.

Good luck.

reply to this message

#3: ..

by TomCat39 on 08/30/2007 06:31

Oh here is a thought though...

If you were to add CTF.... I'd be different and make sure that friendly fire is always on period. As it is with Capture.

Most games I've played with CTF have it as an option and most leave it off so that you can't hurt teammates and can boost them with shooting them etc.

I think if Sauer were to add CTF they could remane different via Friendly Fire on as default and would require modding to turn it off.

More of an after thought. But still.... A thought. ;)

reply to this message

#4: ..

by Quin on 08/30/2007 06:43

#1: The assault idea is a pretty good one, as it is the most flexible in terms of scenarios. InstaCapture is in Summer Edition now :)

#2/3: Yes, most successful modes have already been pioneered by Quake or UT at some point.

The trick is not to get caught up in a loop of ideas that are just coming from those games. I mean, you could mix a few ideas or modify one idea to make something new.

Friendly fire is a given in Sauerbraten, no matter the game mode. The idea is if you can hurt yourself and enemies, things should be consistent. There's also a consequence to shooting say a rocket into the middle of a fight because you hurt your teammates as well as the enemy.

ALL: Maybe the whole CTF/Capture/Assault idea can be taken in a different direction with new concepts?

Random Idea: A variation on the Capture style combined with an Assault could be to have only one (or perhaps two) bases which must be attacked/defended (a scenario of which could very well be a 'King of the Hill'). The team who succeeds first wins the round.

reply to this message

#5: Idea for MOD

by octav on 08/30/2007 12:09

RPG-style(eventualy) Deathmatch with monsters in DM maps like: Monster Madness(UT) or DMSP (Quake- but with no fraglimit).

reply to this message

#6: ..

by Julius on 08/30/2007 13:02

How about:

A deathmatch game that doesn't have instant respawn but a gameplay dependant one?

What I imagine would be the following:
P(layer)1 kills P2 (who now faces something like a 10 second respawn delay), if now P1 manages to kill another player (P3) in these 10 seconds, P2's delay gets extended for 10 seconds and P3 also gets a 10 seconds delay and so forth.
P1 could also get a slight life bonus from the second or third kill on to make it possible for him to actually get the end goal, e.g. being the last person alive and winning the match.

I call it SLMS for "Speed Last Man Standing" :) Or what about "RunningMan" (RM) since one has to compete with the timer?

Could be also combined with a Instantgib variety and the timer should be displayed prominently (with announcer :) )

Disadvantige: Could be a bit boing for the first one killed, but for this system to really work, there shouldn't be much more than 6 players (hard coded 8 player limit?), which would result in a 1 minute wait for the winning run (but most of the time it will be disrupted and thus the waiting time much shorter).

How about that?

reply to this message

#7: ..

by Zorro_hates_cookies2 on 08/30/2007 17:10

10 seconds itself is a very long time to wait, the value should never be able to increase like that.

Indexed team spawns might be needed for some of these game modes. The way it works is there are spawns for team 0, 1, 2, 3, ect (however many teams the map can accomedate. Teams are associated with an index as they are created. This would make multi-team games work with sauerbraten's team system (where there is no definite team limit).

reply to this message

#8: ..

by marvin2k on 08/30/2007 17:35

i have an idea since long years ago, it name is "Corridors". I think it will require a lot of inplementations in sauer, but can be a future game mode if you like it.

imagine two teams, with two building base. The teams will be bots and player. The bots will be created automatically, in group of 6 o 7 and automatically they will go to the other team base, in the way they fligth with the other team bot robots. the players will help the bots killing the other team (player or bots) and they obtain credit. The player must buy weapons, and other improvements to kill faster and better to obtain more credits, the same team player will help between them to conquest the other team base. (of course the bots atack also players). the bases are protected with ground armo, and players must be destroy it to conquest base.

The idea is that the players go with bots and help between them to conquest enemy. The idea is taken from warcraft3 corridors mod. but is very good game to shoter like sauer.

Somebody undestand me? If you like it, i will explain better and slower. but i need time. :-P

thanks guys!

reply to this message

#9: Re: ..

by Drakas on 08/30/2007 19:10, refers to #8

not to sauer. overcomplicates things IMO. but keep brainstorming :P

reply to this message

#10: ..

by Acord on 08/30/2007 19:34

It would need to have non-player entities working online(which needs to be done badly), but my idea was a CTF with a twist - players get about 20 seconds at the start of a round to buy stuff like mines, turrets, and destroyable entities, and then they place them in their half of the map before the round starts to impede the other team.

reply to this message

#11: ..

by marvin2k on 08/30/2007 19:58

is good idea too, you can take simple ideas from mine, for example, use points (from frag) to buy. People who frag a lot can do improvements, and help others. i don,t no, thing to not be always the same. :-)

reply to this message

#12: ..

by SheeEttin on 08/30/2007 22:01

I would LOVE classic CTF and assault being implemented. I spend half of my time playing UT2k4 in assault. (The other half is in onslaught.)

Anyway, some people are suggesting some things from Counter-Strike, and to that I say no. The whole buying thing is not what Sauer is about. It's about simple, fun gameplay. Nothing complicated.

reply to this message

#13: Keep the Flag

by Geartrooper on 08/30/2007 22:35

Flag starts in a random location. Two teams battle it out for possession of the flag. Once retained, player runs like mad and frags the opposition to Keep The Flag. Round is won by the team with the most time of possession. Flag is passable to teamates.

reply to this message

#14: ..

by Acord on 08/30/2007 22:38

Alright, here's one: Zero G mode. Gravity drops to zero, the jump button provides forward momentum but can only make short controlled pops.

reply to this message

#15: Re: ..

by w4 ¿?¿?¿ on 08/30/2007 22:55, refers to #14

they could just add a gravity modifier to the .cfg of the map. That would provide a way for a map maker to alter the physics of his map so it plays best.

reply to this message

#16: ..

by w4 ¿?¿?¿ on 08/31/2007 00:59

ive really been trying to think of a way to somehow combine the Fps modes with the editing mode. This of course it limited by the lack of dynamic lighting as well as a number of other factors but it would make for really interesting gameplay.

Here is how i think it would work:

The original map would be set in some uneditable form so that blocks can be made from it but it can not be changed its self. This would could be modified so that a layer or two of the map could be edited but there would still always have to be some base map. Furthermore, certain areas could only be edited by certain teams and some areas would be uneditable.

Gameplay would be alot like CTF or a attack defence with two teams.

weapons would be standard with the addition of a editing tool, but when using this tool the player would remain open to attack.

Once a player attempts to create a block, it will slowly rise up from the floor, layer by layer. This must be a slow process and would be modified by the source of the block. Texture could also be changed using somthing like the F2 view.

The player can only create a block inside the designated editable area and there would be limits on this. A player can only edit a certain number of blocks at a time and the more he creates, the slower it will be to materialize. Blocks must be formed out of other blocks (they cant hover)

All edited/editable blocks will have "health". They will be mose effected by explosions but guns would also do slight dammage. To create this several other settings must be changed. All faces would be default for all edited blocks, and a new even smaller block size would have to be implimented. All editable blocks would use this smaller block size.

To make the breaking look good without procedural breakage, a spherical damage radius to the blocks would have to be defined so blocks closser to the center of the explosion would be damaged more. If someone really wanted too, special shaders could be applied to these damaged blocks. When a block breaks, it will disapear with a effect much like the current rocket explosion, the chucks of wall that fly everywhere.

Selective entities could also be created so long as they are binded to a map model and have set limits. For example, a jumppad ent wouldd create both the ent and a map model. The value of the jumppad would have a cap and only a preset number of jumppads could be in play at anyone time. Other examples may be a mine with a negitive jumppad and particle effects.




At the time, this idea is inpracticle would require many elements of the engine to be rewritten.

reply to this message

#17: ..

by TomCat39 on 08/31/2007 07:32

Here is an I idea I hope isn't immediately seen as a CTF. Even though the premises are very similiar. The boundaries are a bit different.

For one thing only one "flag" object. I would like to call it a football.

The carrier can't shoot weapons. If he's fragged it's a fumble and first person to touch it recovers it.

If you "shoot" when you have the football you throw the football so best aim at a teammate so as to pass. Unlike standard USA football, you can pass forward.

The object would be to run the football into your endzone. Not just a small flag spot but a large endzone.

I figure the first map could be the classic football field. with end zones. Once your team scores, the opposing team starts with possession at say their 10 yard line.

I'd guess upon scoring the teams are teleported to their end zones and the football is placed at the possessing teams 10 yard line.

It would force symmetrical maps to be "fair" but it is a different game that I can't think of being done before. Call it FPS football maybe, being that's what it closest resembles in my mind.

Also upon score maybe there should be a 3 second barrier to stop the teams from advancing out of their endzone. A sort of huddle moment so teams could organize. But quickly. Also it would give players a chance to regain their bearings after being teleported out of nowhere.

First team to 32 wins? each score worth 7 points? Sudden death overtime if score is tie after X amount of time passes....

I think that gives a good idea of what I am seeing in my mind. I'm sure some more details would need to be worked out, but at the moment, I can't foresee as to what they might be.

reply to this message

#18: Re: ..

by SheeEttin on 08/31/2007 15:31, refers to #17

UT2k4 (and probably earlier) has this. It's called "bombing run". You described it almost perfectly.

1 + 1 = 11!

reply to this message

#19: Bloodstain

by tentus_ on 08/31/2007 15:53

Idea: team deathmatch, but the location of the frags determines the outcome of the game.

Details: We can reuse the capture maps for this, one of the things I most like about the idea (content is an issue for any new gameplay mode, folks). One team will create a red bloodstain when fragged near a base, the other will bleed blue. You goal is to have the majority of the bases covered in the other team's blood at the finish. A base can be no more than say 8 stains saturated, so only the last 8 frags will count.

Strategy: If a team completely stains a base, then they should avoid that base like the plague, because by being close to it they're asking to lose it. This is the opposite of capture, where checking your bases is a good practice. So the action should, in a larger map, slowly work it's way down to fewer and fewer maps.

Feedback?

reply to this message

#20: ..

by Zorro_hates_cookies2 on 08/31/2007 16:27

tentus_: That sounds like a very interesting (and unique :o) game mode. It sounds really nice, except for one thing. What compels you to go on a base in the first place if the only outcome is being able to be shot on it? I can see everyone standing just outside the border of the base since entering it will allow the enemy to kill you and come closer to victory.

TomCat39: The american football game mode sounds somewhat interesting. If it goes in both directions, it is almost like deathball.

reply to this message

   Board Index