Battle Station : Upsetting me !

[Abdominaux]

If this was true BS would run. Fact is, most players don't want to pvp and thus BS doesn't run. Instead of fixing BS to fit a small crowd, fix pvp in general and get more people interested in pvp.

Make pvp easier (yes yes, cry cry. Want someone to play with or not?)
Make lower level pvp less of a twinkfest (yes, your twinks will likely still get most of the kills, but wouldn't it be fun if you also died once a year?)
Make some of the required pvp items easier to get (make a shop that sells lava capsules, grafts, pvp implants. Make it so you don't need to have a high level toon to farm your gear)
Have proper guides to teach new players (Why not? Get the knowledge out there!)
etc.

Fix what needs fixing.


PS. "you" is not referring to the OP, but to the pvp crowd in general.

Just to point out the fact, there is most of the time, on the lowbie BS at least, you see 4 or 5 on a side, and then 10+ people on the other, so more than 12 players wanting to pvp.

[Abdominaux]

Should run as 3v3. Just remove the C point/teleporter/corridors from games started as 3v3.

I'd like TL7 pvp to actually run. As for the guy with a level 55 toon, level it to TL7. :P

Yeah, maybe a 3v3 BS can be fun, it could be another part or a new BS by itself.
And nope, I dont wanna pvp at T7 for my own reasons (time mostly), but im sure you agree that it could be fun doing daily BS/PVP event during the leveling experience.

[Drmorte]

1. Devs should work on fix yo make BS work across servers. They said it's not currently possible. So work to make it so.

2. Make BS maps random... And more HALO like. Those are great playfields... BS never changes and gets a bit boring.

[Structure]

Frankly I don't see how anyone could agree with keeping an entire part of the game broken and unusable to satisfy nearly a decade old story that is hardly even relevant or applicable anymore.
If there's enough people for side vs side then it should run with that, but if there isn't enough on one side but enough to make it up on the other then why shouldn't it be divided up in order to run? If the story is what concerns you, a small passage about pvp being used as a sport after the closure of one certain station would cover it.

Did the people that say "I don't want to fight my friends" never play old-style games where the only multiplayer was against friends? It's actually quite fun and generally leads to a better experience rather than the random nerd rage and cocky knob head syndrome that plagues anonymous internet combat.

I'm quite sure the only reason that tl5 BS isn't that active as well (at least on rk2) is that there's many many more times the established twinks on clan side. It's such an uphill battle to gain the numbers that I think most omni have just not bothered and let it die.
Mixed sides there would fix that, but I know some people there wouldn't relish fighting another team of equal twinks.

[Khalem]

I'll take red vs blue anyday over a non running BS with 12 people in queue on one side and 1 on the other.

[raw_fox]

what about a new PvP playfield with conquerable places/cities/outposts at 24/7, 0%gas, fat dyna loot and the access-tunnelsystem to the lost ancient Xan city ?

what about other, smaller/other BS's for lower level, like range vs. runspeed, other design ?

the sign-up for the BS is bs.
you have to be in the right level at the right BS terminal at the right time. Bring a button: BS, to sign up automatically to the right BS for your level.

information billboards
(the cute version comes with live TV from inside the BS, to be shown outside to the waiting participants)
These billboards would show advertisements, bs screenshots, the actual stats, the number of players by faction, the queue with numbers and factions, some eyecandy, ..

make a new pvp rewardsystem available for fr00bs.
give them a reason to join the BS.

[Rktim]

Frankly I don't see how anyone could agree with keeping an entire part of the game broken and unusable to satisfy nearly a decade old story that is hardly even relevant or applicable anymore.
If there's enough people for side vs side then it should run with that, but if there isn't enough on one side but enough to make it up on the other then why shouldn't it be divided up in order to run? If the story is what concerns you, a small passage about pvp being used as a sport after the closure of one certain station would cover it.

Did the people that say "I don't want to fight my friends" never play old-style games where the only multiplayer was against friends? It's actually quite fun and generally leads to a better experience rather than the random nerd rage and cocky knob head syndrome that plagues anonymous internet combat.

I'm quite sure the only reason that tl5 BS isn't that active as well (at least on rk2) is that there's many many more times the established twinks on clan side. It's such an uphill battle to gain the numbers that I think most omni have just not bothered and let it die.
Mixed sides there would fix that, but I know some people there wouldn't relish fighting another team of equal twinks.

First of that decade old story line is the weary foundation of the game that everything else is built around, nr2, id rather have them kick start the war again by making every zone in the game 25% then turn BS in to Red vs Blue

[Mikenche]

First of that decade old story line is the weary foundation of the game that everything else is built around

There are other things to build things around as well. Aliens, Dust Brigade and the Xan are probably the most prominent ones.

nr2, id rather have them kick start the war again by making every zone in the game 25% then turn BS in to Red vs Blue

Some possible outcomes:
- PvPers start farming their green kills in the wild, resulting in less people at BS
- New players are discouraged as they get killed every time they try to get anywhere, like a mission
- Old PvMers might leave the game as they don't want to get ganked either

[julwithnumbers]

PVP is broken in AO, those of us that can figure it out and equip a char properly will faceroll the vast majority of players, and I recall I didn't enjoy the BS much when I went there on leveling chars, even though I knew how to delay, annoy, and distract the other side enough to win the round.
It must be pretty sad to have no PVP able chars, it's hardly surprising to see some people frowning from it.
Lots of good suggestions on this thread too.

[drlongfellow]

A idea i thought would work is make it so everybody that's signed up in queue gets the max vp reward every 5min for just sitting and waiting for it to run It would of course after the 5min give u a message to go up in BS get your vp then spit you out and have to sign back up. This will make people go to the BS's that are not commonly used and sign up for easy vp and when others do the same the bs will actually run. you need to work on peoples greed to make them show.

[Calamite]

I don't see what's the big deal with "fighting friends", not like friends will lose much from dying inside BS, would be fun to fight friends if it doesn't hurt anyone. I would understand if the old title system was still there, but now it's about the same as a duel vs a friend (actually you lose more in a duel since you get a loss in your stats).

[Ashram]

One suggestion I have given numerous times to kickstart the Battlestations. Give VP just for being in the queue, AND make the penalties for non-attendance MUCH more severe. And further, reduce the amount of VP availible elsewhere. Also, some sort of anti-afk check will be needed for the queue.


Right now, here is how I see the problem. TL 4 guy needs VP. He thinks to himself, "I could sign up for battlestation, but why bother, it will never run, as noone else signs up."

With this change it becomes: "I could sign up for battlestation, and get some VP from the queue, and possibly go to the battlestation, incase enough other people are thinking the same thing as me.

[PhoenixOfAges]

One suggestion I have given numerous times to kickstart the Battlestations. Give VP ...

Yes, because all the other times they upped the VP in BSs one way or another it managed to get them all going so well. I mean just look at the growing collection of dead or dieing BSs which proves the effectiveness of that tactic.

More rewards won't get them functioning well, it just won't. Then look at what cramming high rewards that buy items mostly unrelated to PvP has done. All the griping over four point capping, VP farmers, title farmers that kill the VP farmers while running from anyone that can put up a fight and various other issues people routinely bring up are the result of pulling in people that didn't want to go to BSs.

BSs more than most zones will work well or poorly based on the actions of those in the zone. The more in there that don't give a rats ass about PvP and only want the reward the less functional it will be for those that want to go to a PvP zone to fight people that can give them a good fight. BSs need to be about the PvP, not the reward.

Most BSs were dead on arrival. That should show us all how excited people in AO are in the activity of PvP. So deciding that now that we have a lower population to work with that we just have to make people do an activity that apparently most aren't interested in so the minority that are interested in it have clay pigeons to shoot doesn't make sense. The ones that didn't want to go won't enjoy getting splattered. Those that want real PvP won't enjoy obliterating people that can't give them a good fight. So why do people keep suggesting such things?

BSs don't need more numbers from anywhere. They need more interested PvPers and to be made so they can start up more easily with the people that are interested in going.

[Hvyshadows]

Good stuff...

Couldn't agree more. FC has done the whole upping rewards thing in BS and it hasn't made a change in the number of people in queue. They have made daily missions the speficially require you to enter BS, and it hasn't made a change in the number of people in the queue outside of the normal BS stations that run with frequency (although the cries of "Just let us get 400 points for our daily mission!" are amusing).

All of this is why I think the idea of the OP is a good one. Simply take the first 6 or more people that sign up, divide them into equal teams, and let loose the dogs of war. If the hardcore RPers have a problem with "killing" their friends, think of it instead as a training ground for the true conflict between the Clans and Omnis that occurs in the Notum Wars.

[Autohead]

(although the cries of "Just let us get 400 points for our daily mission!" are amusing).

If people really are saying that, they need to shut up, the daily mission completes regardless of which side gets to 400+ points. Even if you're on the losing side the mish still updates.

[Mikenche]

If people really are saying that, they need to shut up, the daily mission completes regardless of which side gets to 400+ points. Even if you're on the losing side the mish still updates.

That's all well and good, but you can't be even on the losing side if the battle station doesn't run at all. Even TL5 and TL7 are having problems now, although they still run on most days. TL2 runs a few times a week I think. The others run once in a blue moon, i.e. not often enough to get reasonable amounts of VP, daily mishes or no.

[Autohead]

That's all well and good, but you can't be even on the losing side if the battle station doesn't run at all. Even TL5 and TL7 are having problems now, although they still run on most days. TL2 runs a few times a week I think. The others run once in a blue moon, i.e. not often enough to get reasonable amounts of VP, daily mishes or no.

Of course I know this, unlike a lot of people here I've actually been playing the game, not just trolling the forums with an inactive account for years. I was just under the impression that the previous poster was saying people were saying that ON THE BS. Even then screaming "just let us get our daily mish points" from outside is pointless as well, that's not going to get a round to start any faster when none of them run. Not even TL7 BS hardly runs when I'm online.

[PhoenixOfAges]

think of it instead as a training ground for the true conflict between the Clans and Omnis that occurs in the Notum Wars.

It's funny you should say that. A ways back I suggested that for a RP reason for going with semi-randomly generated teams rather than side vs side they could say ICC took command of the BSs and made arrangements with all sides to stop their hacking of the terminals and misuse on the stations. That is all sides would participate in battle training by fighting each other in mixed teams as preparation for combating the aliens, which are considered the real enemy. Then they would be permitted to use the orbital weapons in their sided ground combat.

[Mikenche]

Of course I know this, unlike a lot of people here I've actually been playing the game, not just trolling the forums with an inactive account for years. I was just under the impression that the previous poster was saying people were saying that ON THE BS. Even then screaming "just let us get our daily mish points" from outside is pointless as well, that's not going to get a round to start any faster when none of them run. Not even TL7 BS hardly runs when I'm online.

Ah, I think I misinterpreted Hvyshadows's post. I was thinking about VP, but now I realized those cries probably meant the BS score. So yes, they're pointless inside BS and will likely have little effect at the signup terminal as well.

[Hvyshadows]

It's funny you should say that. A ways back I suggested that for a RP reason for going with semi-randomly generated teams rather than side vs side they could say ICC took command of the BSs and made arrangements with all sides to stop their hacking of the terminals and misuse on the stations. That is all sides would participate in battle training by fighting each other in mixed teams as preparation for combating the aliens, which are considered the real enemy. Then they would be permitted to use the orbital weapons in their sided ground combat.

Oooooh, and every once in awhile a Gen will spawn in the Core and a Tara like battle will ensue for loot rights to the bots.

Okay, that's a really, really bad idea and not what you were saying at all. But it would be a trip the first time it happened.