Option to purchase slow autoconstruct on low population.

where you draw the line for low pop or do expect it to regulate itself via pricing?

 

I like the core idea. It sounds like it changes how the game would be played, indeed making it fun even 2v2 on command maps, which would be great.
But I think that because it radically changes the game, it will be impossible to balance it against normal play using cost. Rather, I would see this as a server toggle that is off by default. Otherwise, it becomes one more thing the commander has to know to do, or not do (I have little hope that we can make it a balanced choice by tweaking the costs).

I think just having it be a server variable already fixes the problem of low pop command games not being viable, without the complex stuff of making UI and balancing costs.

 

be careful not to end up with two games then

 

It's not like there's a ton of money on low pop either, so it might just end up being something never used depending on price.

 

sad, but true.

imo the only thing you could do for low populations is to create specific maps which counter those shortcommings, but it will never be even remotely the same (which reminds me, i should have a look at drygulch before it gets summer and i definately wont find time to sit around waiting for compiles)

 

its hard for newbies to learn if noone tells anything anymore, out of anyone to blame, newbies are the last ones where its justified.

we might just have been lucky - i found empires a few weeks before 2.0 was released (i think it was 1.7 or smthg), at this time the vast majority was newbies, pretty much everyone had to find their way around so we could do it together.

to me the biggest decline was when, due to a lot of scrimming, stratgies started to turn into "rush, rush, rush" and instead of disencouraging it, devs actively supported it - at least thats how i felt. soon after this found its way into pubs, the quality of games rapidly declined because the average pubber wanted to feel like a pro clanner aswell (that pro in terms of empires is laughtable at best is written on another page). no matter how dumb and unstrategic, you would always have one asking for an apc rush or an early vf or something fancy which only works as long as everyone pulls the same strings. noone cared about how the game was intended to be played anymore, all that counted was the glory of pulling off some insane stunt.

and now here we are, looking back at the ruins we left with wet eyes.

 

but @Xyaminou thats nothing new. it was like that 10 years back aswell. the difference is that 10 years ago you had at least 2 full 64p servers and everyone way less knowledgeable than now. the few who need everything spoonfed just didnt weight as heavy. but if you have one of them in a team of 5 he makes up 25% of players on the field, that hurts - even worse once one decides to "try out" comm in a live game. and there barely is anyone willing to take the boomtank and a majority of those who are willing to take it, dont give directions and dont develop strategies or plans - they just expect everyone to know the drill.


(unrelated, do you get a notification if i use @yourname or does that only work with quotes?)

 

Wasn't the player limit 32 10 years ago? When did it become 64 pop anyway, 2.3 or 2.2?

Just want to say for me it's not expecting people to know the drill, it's the expectation that anything I say isn't going to be heard so I just give out casual suggestions. Like even at the start of the match, when there's nothing in base and I'm stuck in spot, I have a bit of trouble getting people to move out of base. Being in the cv is absolutely no ground to be listened to. Sure there's yelling which works some of the times, but we really shouldn't have to do that.

I kinda think empires could use a planning stage of some sort after comm vote. Most of comm vote time is either people waiting for someone else to take cv until the last 10 seconds or 2 commanders constantly trying to get in the seat for themselves. Either case there's no time for plans of any sort. Not like it needs to be long of a planning phase, 60 seconds or even 30 seconds is enough time to say what you want to happen in like the first 3-5 minutes of the game.

 

always as in since 2.0? was that really only 32 players i cant believe i dont remember. the only limit i remember to be gone is tanks.

 

ok thats before my time, im not getting alzheimers yet pew

i wonder how retarded i was the first couple of weeks