Another co-op idea: acceleration-via-collaboration

[sonics01]

This is a brainstorming effort, all these numbers and contents are just rough ideas so please don't be too picky about these ideas. 

Regarding the system, I'm thinking of something like Hunt Showdown. But it may not need to make a dedicated MP server, which might create more burden of budget and manpower to Hinterland games. It might be OK with TCP/IP or something similar type of MP? I don't know. I also need to think about this. Anyway, here are some brainstorming efforts from mine. 

1) MP starts with one person (host) creates a lobby/game. Then, another player joins the game made by the host. I guess 2~4 people MP would be good enough? Host decides the all custom options and difficulties for the game.   

2) I think it would be better to create a new game mode for MP games. Using single play survival mode character to MP would be great, but that would be challenging. Because, some key aspects of TLD should be slightly modified for MP play (like all other time accelerating activities). 

3) Similar to MP of Hunt Showdown or Escape from Tarkov or Diablo, the player starts with items and gears from their latest save file. If a player has expedition parka and rifle at the latest save of latest MP game and finished that MP session, that player should start a next MP session with the same expedition parka and rifle and all the same gears and items from the last game's last save file.

4) Similarly, skill level and all other processes of the player should follow each MP session. The Player's skill level, journal, map, and etc should follow and be continued from the next MP session.

5) Each MP session should be a new game. All loots and items should be renewed for each game. But maybe the host can modify the custom option for item amount, to introduce an assumption of the gameplay in already-looted world. Or, it might be good to introduce an additional custom option for the ratio of opened and searched loot boxes in the game when the game starts. 

(On the other hand, maybe it would be better to continue in the same world with each MP sessions, to give MP players the feeling of "continuation".) 

6) For sleep/rest, I think TLD MP could use the system of MP of The Forest. There, players need to vote to rest, and if the vote passed, everyone sleeps together. I guess TLD MP can use this for time acceleration of rest/sleep. "Past time" should be the same. Players agree with rest/sleep/spend time, and they rest/spend time together. This will limit the freedom of players, but this is inevitable. TLD MP would be collaborative party play, not the competitive FPS game, so I think this should work. 

7) I think time acceleration for harvesting can be replaced by acceleration-via-collaboration.

A. First, remove time acceleration during harvesting, but only for MP mode, increase harvesting speed for a single person. Let's say, reduce the default harvest time to 70% of current harvest time. 30min harvest time will be 20 minutes for a single person in MP mode. (This is why MP mode game should be totally different from SP game) Still, 20 min of harvesting is long. 

B. Now, introduce the collaboration, which will boost the harvesting speed. Other player joins the harvesting, and speed of harvesting increases. Introduce faster harvest speed with more number of people joins harvesting. 20 min harvest time reduces to 10 min with 2 people, 6 min for 3 people, and 5 min for 4 people. (These numbers are just rough ideas and should be modified. I'm just giving an example.) 

C. Like the current SP game, players can stop harvesting and continue later, but they need to melt the carcass first. If players think it takes too long time to harvest, then they can do part by part, step by step, or spend 5 minutes every day for their moose. 

😎 The same goes for crafting and repair, their process could be accelerated via collaboration instead of time acceleration in MP TLD. Reduce the base time for crafting and repair, and let the collaboration boost the time cost for any crafting and repair activities. Crafting/repairing should be able to be continued later, so players can decide/plan their time schedule. Like, let them invest 10 min for craft and 10 min for repair every day, and then enjoy the other things. 

This way, people can perform crafting, repairing, and harvesting alone or together, but they will try to do these activities together to save time, and players will try to act based on their own schedule.  

9) Cooking time should not be accelerated by collaboration. But I guess this wouldn't be too much problem. Let players start cooking, and let them enjoy the other things during cooking time and come back before meat burns. 

10) Now, fishing is the issue. Fishing cannot be collaborated, yet the current system takes too long time. In SP TLD, we can go fishing for the entire in-game day, but it only takes a few minutes in real-time. Amount of time acceleration is too much. So, for MP, entire mechanics and balance for fishing should be changed, which won't be easy. I suggest to reduce the time for each "fishing session" to 5 minutes in real-time, so that players can do fishing and talking together, or players perform separate activities. But fishing will not become an enjoyable content for MP TLD players I guess. Can we get some hint from fishing PC games around? This needs another idea. 

I will continue later if I can brainstorm more. Welcome other ideas and suggestions. 

PS) I understand the development of such new content regarding MP will take a huge amount of time, manpower, and cost for devs. This post is not intended to push developers. Again, this is just a pure brainstorming effort. 

Edited July 1, 2020 by sonics01