Vanduul AI, space chess, and the need for an enemy

Bruttle

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I constantly see it, the need for a bad guy. I see it in both the real and virtual world. In the real world, everyone needs someone they hate. I have seen it in every job and social structure. At work, there always needs to be one (or more depending on company size) person that everyone hates and trash talks. The interesting thing is when that person leaves the company, someone else falls into that position and is the new hated employee. Anyone that has been a manager has likely at least seen it happening, if not actually hired someone to be a bad guy so the situation is controlled and manageable.

In MMOs, the same is true. Everyone needs someone to hate. Usually, it's a guild/clan that everyone talks about. It is typically a PK or opposing faction group and that group usually changes as the months go by. The main point is that there is always at least one. As one fades away, another takes it's place as the new superbad. It's usually very innocent and fun, but occasionally it takes a turn for the worse. Sometimes that group finds a way to fight back and ends up trolling the entire game. I can see this being a huge potential in SC. Just imagine if a pirate org actually gets good leadership and shuts down entire solar systems for their own profit. Profit = better ships = more system control = more profit = rinse and repeat.

Honestly, Test is one of the orgs that is large enough to pull it off. If, as an org, we decided to go pirate, we would have more than enough resources to basically run the game. It's a scary proposition. Not that we necessarily would, or that we would use it for game ruining purposes (not entirely devoid of possibility), but rather that it is possible with a large enough fleet. I'm sure other orgs have discussed this very possibility with great concern. How could they not when our numbers are over 10,000.

So with that in mind, I propose Vanduul space chess. What I propose is less random events, but more a very long term and organized AI. This AI could constantly push for domination. They could take over solar systems, and trade routes. They could colonize planets for resources that increase their invasion force until players retake the planet. Hell, they could even interfere with our UEE controlled resources and alter our ability to make new ships or repair and replace damaged ones.

What I propose is a Vanduul AI mastermind. I would love to see it. I would love to see them pick at weak points in both player and UEE forces. I would love to see them actively attempt to interfere with the player "quality of life" in the game. More to the point, I would love to see the need for the player base to actively organize and push back. I want to see a need for things like operation pitchfork to occur on a fairly regular basis. I want to see SC generate the game's bad guy so that it is under CIG's control.

Also, by being under CIG's control, I also mean literally under their control. I would love to see a handful of devs take control of some vanduul ships and have little events. They used to have them in MMOs. I remember them from back in my EQ days (embarrassing, I know). A GM would take control of a boss monster or something powerful and go on a rampage until enough high level players showed up to kill it. This would be amazing in SC. Just imagine having a dozen or so devs control a vanduul invasion. It would be amazing, fun, and a refreshing break from the usual rinse and repeat that inevitably overtakes the daily mmo routine.

More to the point though, it would give the game a bad guy. It would give us all a reason to get together and push back. It would develop our ownership of this universe and give us a sense of pride. It gives us history and memories of this game. Most importantly though, it gives us a reason to band together instead of the usual MMO trend of cancerous behavior.

That's the idea though and I'd love to see it happen. What do you all think?
 

FluffyVonRage

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Test for Anti-Hero(Tm) - Sure we'll take all your shit, but as soon as the devs kick off with the vanduul we'll come out of nowhere and obliterate them all, or go out in a blaze of glory :D
 
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Han Burgundy

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I think the AI Vanduul mastermind should just be a team of folks at CIG. With broad stroke actions like galactic wars, where they play both the UEE and the Vanduul, they can purposely steer in-game events in super cool directions. And as for a player group locking down a system and breaking the game, I think the long hard dick of the UEE can handle pretty much anything we would be able to throw at it. TEST has 6 Bengals holding down a system? CIG just needs to spawn 12 of em with infinite health and throw them at us. Resources are free to them if its an issue of game balance.
 

Han Burgundy

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is there a TL;DR? im lazy.
TL;DR: Hey, wouldnt it be cool if the Vanduul had a battle strategy for slowly taking over systems unless they are properly defended? Additionally; Hey, wouldnt it be a potential game-breaking issue if an org was strong enough to seize an iron grip on a system?

/TL;DR
 

Op4ArcticFox

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May 9, 2014
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TEST has the numbers right now, but like, remember that everyone is a person, with their own ideas and feelings on the game. If we as an Org suddenly went rogue, that doesn't mean all our members would. And sure we might gain numbers from others wanting to troll/profit I bet we'd lose a lot more than gained. Plus MANY other Orgs would just jump at the chance to have open season on TEST. The task would not be a worthwhile venture in my opinion.

As for the Vanduul, I have no doubt CIG has a long term game plan for interactions of species and conflicts in the universe as a whole. It'll probably start off not the best content, because so much focus is being given to S42, but once that has taken flight, more resources could be devoted to a PU story ark. So control systems would be cool, but who knows, we probably won't get that, it's a huge engineering investment. And they might have other ideas anyways.
 

cmink

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Catching up on threads and old YouTube. I listened to an old Montoya/Bored Gamer discussion about Operation Pitchfork and whether Test would participate. Montoya, possibly jokingly, said Test may go to the defense of the Vanduul.

Hilarious, but possibly pretty awesome. Defeating the offensive and controlling the space between UEE and Vanduul opens a lot of unifying potential for the Org.

I know this is probably two years early, but I can dream.
 

TheWoad

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I love this idea, and wouldn't be surprised to see it become reality. But being eternally in love with the underdog, I propose it goes one step further: since this is a WAR, there should be major offensives. Preferably of the type that threaten the very existence of frontier organizations. Imagine a game where the concept of a war isn't relegated to a few dedicated systems, but can be anywhere (within reason, we don't want to threaten newbro areas) at any time. Imagine logging in to your toon after a week long hiatus because RL sucks like that, only to find yourself spawning in a hisec newbro area with nothing to your name but what you had on your person last time you logged out, and a rookie ship. All because a Vanduul offensive invaded the system your org WAS (as in not anymore) based in and obliterated EVERYTHING you hold dear because UEE/player orgs didn't mount a proper defense.

Now that would make for an incredible, albeit heartbreaking experience. This game is supposed to place heavy emphasis on our actions and those of the world around us affecting us in a permanent way, right? What's more permanent than Test Squadron losing everything and being forced to start over with a fleet of rookie Aurora's?
 

TheWoad

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Catching up on threads and old YouTube. I listened to an old Montoya/Bored Gamer discussion about Operation Pitchfork and whether Test would participate. Montoya, possibly jokingly, said Test may go to the defense of the Vanduul.

Hilarious, but possibly pretty awesome. Defeating the offensive and controlling the space between UEE and Vanduul opens a lot of unifying potential for the Org.

I know this is probably two years early, but I can dream.
Yeah it's called Operation: Yawspoon and will most likely happen.
 
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