Copy/pasta from ticket.
Player unintended behavior in Halloween event:
Step 1: Find friend (usually 3 or 4 friends!)
Step 2: Establish alternate means of communications via any 3rd party software (i.e.: Skype, Ventrilo, Curse, Teamspeak, Mumble, Discord, Steam chat, etc.),
Step 3: Locate each other within the event dungeon
Step 4: Avoid directly attacking eachother
Step 5: Gang up against other players to gain quick candy advantage
Step 6: Gain control over central plaza, coordinate a route attack (aka pincer attack) to close off disadvantaged players
Step 7: repeat as needed.
The execution of this method almost totally GUARANTEES maximum candy count for all members involved, with an incredible disadvantage to random players in the event dungeon, or players that refuse to team up.
The latency happening in this event is abnormally high; PLEASE please please, sit in one of these dungeon instances and just watch. Watch the movements, watch the input delays. Please note that when certain players join the event dungeon, the reported latency number (seen by the chat window) DOES NOT MOVE, but there is a very incredible increase in delay time from attack button input -> to attack action in game.
This event NEEDS a hotfix.
Things that can be done to help prevent this kind of behavior:
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Reduce damage inflicted to players, by % amount or set a flat rate.
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Randomize the appearance of players as they enter the event dungeon (or remove costumes // give everyone the same appearance // make everyone look like pumpkin kepas).
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Auto-watch proximity of any 2 players (essentially watching all players but their proximity to one another) and start a count-up; in accumulated time, if the count reaches 100, autokick both parties from the event dungeon and reduce remaining entries by 1 (essentially watching all players but their timer proximity is specific to one another).
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REMOVE any geometry from the level that players can potentially (and purposely) snag onto in order to create the disparity between player actual position and server reported position. (Alternatively, change server handling to mimic player location rather than player movement (it will look jittery, but it will remove location discrepancy).
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Make the instance dungeon eat any audio received via recording device (sketchy sketchy sketchy, but do it; make them use their phones).
Other means to improve the event dungeon:
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Increase monster count in the event dungeon (more opportunities to catch up).
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Increase boss monster count in the event dungeon (more distractions for higher candy-count players).
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Increase damage that boss monsters can inflict in the event dungeon (more threat for all players).
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Increase all monster’s (except small pumpkin kepa) attack speeds (more threat for all players).
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Remove pvp aspect of the event (forum’s outcry response, I am personally against this).
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Improve respawn locations based on proximity to other players (stop dropping players in front of already established mvp’s)
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Allocate best resources to the center of the event dungeon (the plaza)(resources = monsters, stronger monsters, i.e.:main candy sources)(focuses action to the center of the event dungeon so, hopefully, higher candy count players will be more obliged to leave the perimeter open for lower candy count players to catch up).
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Read a book on game design (seriously).
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Announce plans for a dungeon before hand so those of us who are huge nerds, can give you a critique on the event before you publish it to the server.
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Hire me.
Need a tip?
This event’s a lot easier to do during off hours because the shitlords are sleeping.
