THE SPAWN QUEUE CONCEPT
(5 votes, average 4.20 out of 5)
Written by KFS1   
Friday, 19 February 2010 14:09

A few threads are floating around the Barracks about this idea: "A simple 'queue' that kicks in when overpopulation reaches the breaking point (various estimates put this at 5-8%). The Queue replaces the Spawn Delay system, and is a simple line first come first served. Provisions should be made for HC members to bypass the Queue (a perk to joining HC perhaps), and a way for Squads to set a "open join" time for functions like Squad night (IE: KGW Squad Night Saturday Login time 0600 - 0630). Does CRS have any plans to implement a side balancing system that forces balance and is not dependent on player whims, such as a Queue system?"

 

KFS1: A queue system vs a delay system is really just swings and roundabouts. In both cases, you wind up stuck watching a timer. One change I - personally - would like to see is that the spawn delay is moved to after you click to spawn. It would look like a queue system, and it would mean that only people trying to spawn are affected by the countdown.

The current system is a dynamic, self-adjusting mechanism that is based on the number of people spawned in and active (I said "based on", I'm not going to re-cover how it works in detail).

1.31 is changing the way capture works. What you have on the live server right now is "individual capture": Each individual player makes their own, isolated and discrete attempt to capture a given table. The new system is anchored to the facility you are trying to capture: If I run into the Antwerp-Schilde depot and get it to 50% before you enter the building, you will see a capture bar showing 50% captured. If I die/leave the building, your presence will continue the capture. And if you leave the building (or die), it doesn't reset instantly. Instead the timer slowly goes back down.

Even the simplest version of this mechanism should be a serious boon to underpop teams. With the individual-capture system - the one live for the last 9 years - underpop guys got a facility to 95% and bam, it never happened. With the new system, you'll be respawning pretty quickly and most of that progress will still be there...

Even if we don't initially factor balance into the timers, it's there implicitly because when the other guy dies, he has spawn delays. And where you feel spawn delays most is when you are trying to pillage a town out by pouring out of a bunch of depots/MSPs. That means that the underpop guy can sweat working captures a little bit less in favor of taking out enemy units, and that means cycling people into the balance system sooner and more often (and, Mr. Overpop, that actually means less severe delays for you).

I'm fairly confident we will factor balance into capture progress at some point - although I don't know if it will be in the first version. We have a lot of factors and possible variables to consider.

 
 

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Comments (10)
1 Friday, 19 February 2010 18:18
Hinfoos
IMO i believes it would be better if the capture timer went down to 0% isntantly when the cp is all empty of attackers.
2 Sunday, 21 February 2010 04:16
Meister
Kind of like Foos, I agree that it should reset to 0% when its empty of attackers, but only if there is a defender in it. Ex, defender kills attacker through window, but doesnt go in to reset meter, it doesnt automatically go to zero, just degrades.
3 Monday, 22 February 2010 06:06
verdoso
I don't the problem caused by overpop is limited to capturing the flags. And in any case, regarding capture, the system is better than the current one, but the underpop guy still has to capture the flag with way more defenders than attackers.
4 Monday, 22 February 2010 06:52
Verdoso
I don't claim to have a magical solution for the problem, and I understand why making your customers wait staring at a timer is far from ideal. It's just that I don't think the changes in the capture system will really improve the situation much.
5 Friday, 26 February 2010 12:15
woolef
Couldn't we have a carrot instead of a stick? How about giving bombs a higher blast radius for underpop side or giving them more ammo, maybe even let the unit they are take more damage
6 Sunday, 28 February 2010 10:04
merc88
wait is bad.....any circumstance.
7 Sunday, 28 February 2010 13:04
basset
Bad idea - how about the next step is to force people to play 1 side or another.
This was a problem years ago when 1000's played - and its still and will ALWAYS be a problem. Face it - there is NO good fix.
Live wit it.
8 Monday, 01 March 2010 13:14
Szyporyn
This I like a lot more, good approach to the whole deal!

Can even work on tweaking the timers in relation to player population dispersion (right word?)
9 Thursday, 04 March 2010 04:29
twisty
Maybe Unit based Queue not Player where the mission leader can Queue items required

i.e
Mission Leader needs inf. They put in the Queue 10 Inf, 1 Tank and 1 AT gun. This could be tied to spawn delay.

Cheers
10 Friday, 12 March 2010 13:32
Reis
U add this because underpop side cannot spawn enough inf defenders when a town is under attack.Instead of spawn delay u can simply INCREASE THE TIMER till u capture a depot in town if u are on the overpop side and decrease the timer for the defenders
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