Geographic Servers

[xximrtwoixx 104]

This suggestion applies more to future development but could be implemented/tested with the mods current state.

Geographic servers - Each server represents a unique geographic area, to move between servers a player must navigate to the transition zone (edge of map) for the server. This would bring the player to next server over where they would repeat the process if they wanted to move to the next server.

Your location would be saved on the server you are playing but if you try to log into a server without making the physical journey you would not be able to load into the server.

Pro's -

1. Immersion- This would increase the scope of the setting; players would actually be a part of a huge world. Having to travel places would make you feel like you are in the world.

2. Better Server Performance- Content could be managed by server increasing performance. (ServerA is a city smaller in physical size to allow for more buildings and denser infected pops. ServerB is Farmland physically larger fewer buildings and fewer infected.)

3. Eliminates server hopping for looting/escape.- Players would not be able to transfer to other servers and maintain their same location.

4. Adds to End Game- Adds a sense of purpose for players/groups, they can "escape" from denser infected areas and gives them a use for cars & helicopters.

Con's-

1. Less Jump in Play- Journey's, starting locations, friends to group up with, all "decisions" about playing the game are now more important because it would be much harder to group up.

2. Being alone- This feeling of being alone in the world somewhat exists now in this type of system you could truly be alone traveling across a server with few players/zombies.

3. (Future) Content- Texturing/creating the amount of content necessary to detail a massive world that maintains a player’s interest would be daunting.

Implementation-

Tracking- A token/pass would be attached to the player to represent what "world" they are in. This could be an invisible item or code attached to their backend profile/location.

Worlds- A square of 9 would probably be the best starting place in my opinion this allows for a central zone to be fully surrounded by other zones. And if each zone comes even close to the current map size the world would be more than big enough. (For testing a square of 4 zones would be best, see below)

Player Transitions- Transition areas at the edge and corners of the game map. The best solution would work something like this, Player enters transition area and his location/account gets a check that he is clear to transition to zone x. Player logs off, and logs on to next server over check if he is clear to enter into zone, if yes he is allowed to spawn at his location. Thus the transition zone is a "gray area" that exists in both zones. (Should be wilderness/empty areas) Alternatively the players could interact with objects like toll booths/gates/etc that allows them to receive new tokens and removes old tokens.

Testing- This system could be tested with the current map but some modifications would need to be made and I'm not sure if any of these are possible. Also immersion could be affected because some subsystems could be changed/ruined to the point that they are no longer useful or realistic.

As the current land mass on the lap is a reverse L 4 of these maps could be made to represent one massive island the only change would be which direction is N. Changing this would affect planetary positions and I'm not sure it would be worthwhile or possible to correct this at this stage in the mod.

I believe testing would be of the resulting game play more than any specific mechanic. Would having to physically move your character to a different server ruin a player’s experience.

TLDR:

Servers represent unique geographic locations and thus force players to physically travel through them to reach other servers. Server hoping is eliminated. Adds endgame content and makes vehicles more important. Would this ruin jump in play? Would it ruin the gaming experience by forcing players to spend to much time in game travelling.

Thoughts please?

[xximrtwoixx 104]

No one has any thoughts on this or is the thread lost to the endless requests for bandit skins or starter weapons....

[miragexl 33]

i agree; server hopping/Dc'ing is annoying.

Should only be allowed to transfer characters to another server in special buildings or such.

[xximrtwoixx 104]

Any other thoughts? I hate how actual ideas get washed away by requests for starter weapons or easier zombies.....

[xximrtwoixx 104]

Diggin up this old suggestion, With the game going stand alone and Rockett confirming Chern + as the map I think that this idea could have some merit to experiment with linked servers. 4 servers host one world of 4 linked maps of chern, each map has true north re-mapped to make them represent a different corner of one large island. This would save alot of mapping and texture building and allow for transitions and player testing of linked maps.

Thoughts?

[xximrtwoixx 104]

No one likes this idea or hates it....

[Tristram 23]

This idea is absolutely brilliant.

I have no clue how it was left alone for so long.

I assume that with nine different areas, and thousands of servers hosting those, spawning could be randomized for your first spawn after death.

[xximrtwoixx 104]

Spawning a new character could be handled ib different ways, you could probably pick your lication via what server you'd like to play on. Thanks For the compliment man, anyone else have thoughts?

[ShaneGT 41]

basically you remove the hive and make independant databases per server. not ideal for rapid development

[GoverningNick 12]

nice idea, now car rides seem like an actual journey

[xximrtwoixx 104]

basically you remove the hive and make independant databases per server. not ideal for rapid development

Did you read OP? Maybe you don't understand what I'm trying to express, the hive can remain intact in the system I'm describing, the players location and thus what severs they can join is controlled by saving extra data to the hive.

Hive stores your x and y coordinates now thats how you end up in the same location in different servers or when you log back in. I'm saying save two more pieces of information that say what world your on, and if you are within the x and y coordinates that make up a transition zone. If you are in a transition zone then you can travel to the next server over in that same world. If neither of these conditions are met and you try to login to another server you are not allowed to login. (This could impact loading times as these things would need to be run when you log in)

Example of how the worlds would look/act

A single world or group of four servers:

Chern + NW | +|+ | Chern + NE

_______________________

++++++++++******++++++++

_______________________

Chern + SW |+ |+ | Chern + SE

The "+" areas mark transition zones or areas that exhist in both worlds that allow you to cross over from one server to the other

Because Chern is this shape it can be flipped around to use the same map for all corners of the island just by changing the directions in game, (This would probably mess up stars/sun/moon and all kinds of other stuff on some of the servers though, but it could still be used to test the transition mechanic w/out making a new map)

Chern now

N

W _| E

S

Chern SW

N

W was E L E was W

S

Edited August 29, 2012 by xXI Mr Two IXx

[aksuduud 64]

Would be annoying, what if your server goes down? Your char is fucked, what if you dont keep track of what server you use? Your fucked.

[kebman 213]

It could work with some kind of peer to peer technology, and a system with overlap, so that you won't loose a continent just because a server went down.

[xximrtwoixx 104]

If servers remained community owned you could allow same region cross world travel to eliminate the issue with servers being down, this would not eliminate hopping/ghosting though. This why I would prefer corporate servers because these considerations would not reduce scope.

[Deathcall 101]

Similar to how MMO's handle different continents I believe.

My only suggestion would be to make transition areas pretty big so people can't camp them.

Supposing the nine-square areas are all in one server, there's nothing preventing you from moving from square A to square B and then switching to another server. As long as the system is standarized, you'd be in B but in another server.

Overall, I'd prefer if characters where server bound however...

Edited August 29, 2012 by Deathcall

[xximrtwoixx 104]

I tried to address the transition zones in the crappy diagram, they would encompass the entire length of the borders of the map. When you get into those x or y coordinates you get a token/data saved on the hive that says your in the transition. You logg off, when you log in to the next server over it checks that you came from an adjacent server and were in the proper x/y coordinates ie have the token. Your spawned at the same coordinates, your character is updated w/a new server token and he still has the transition token. When you continue toward the heart of the other server/map you leave the x/y coordinates and your token or the check on your character is removed as he's no longer in the transition zone.

Thus the transition exhisist in both worlds really, it could be a slim area though like 50 meters or less on the edge of the map.