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I am a little worried that Cycles will be too easy to nip in the bud, honestly.
Nothing quite like a pitched PvP battle getting disrupted by a sneak-attack by Drow Slavers with Troglodyte Slave-Soldiers charging with their Masters' whips cracking at their backs.
Kinda makes me think of the Battle of Five Armies, actually.
Goblin Squad Member
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Will mass combat play into escalations/quests?
Say, a bunch of settlements (or one well-developed one) don't want to deal with the barbarian/demonic horde cycle as it rampages it's way through productive areas. So they rally as many PC's as they can and march on the infected hexes, systematically wiping out resistance and, if there is one, destroying a monster fort with siege engines. Would that be a planned or possible solution?
It would potentially give career soldiers something to do in PvE.
That will hopefully be necessary as it will encourage the "mass cooperation" that GW seems to want.
Will ECs be allowed to build to that level or will hunger PC parties swarm the areas like locusts? Will settlements find themselves "protecting" EC hexes to allow them to mature into more lucrative threats?
I wouldn't worry about that. That's the part where GW comes in the role of "dungeon master". They will open and close the PVE faucets just like they do for the economy.
Hey, y'gotta know who's in the Battle of Five Armies to know what it is, so I'm not worried about spoiling anyone.
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I oppose the idea that once something's been around long enough it's okay to spoil. Some guy on these forums deliberately spoiled a character death in Serenity for me, thus ruining what should have been one of the most traumatic moments of the movie. Discussion went like this:
Me: Not sure what you're implying, but please be careful when discussing this. I haven't seen the movie.
Him: Serenity came out five years ago. [spoiler] gets killed by a [spoiler spoiler].
Anyway, sorry for the topicjack. I'm still kinda bitter about that.
Goblinworks Executive Founder
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I think that the description of the goblin inclusion explains one way that it can't be stopped early: the second phase is them investigating what happened to the scouting party. It might be different if the scouts are allowed to return, but it would escalate either way.
Monster escalations should definitely be bribable, it is always preferable to do a surprise attack on someones western border just when they have tied up their army to the east with those ogres you managed to persuade to attack
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Goblin Squad Member
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In the blog "Over the Hill and Far Away" it is mentioned that besides the 6 wilderness hexes surrounding a settlement hex, there will be wilderness hexes scattered about the land to break things up.
What if escalations spilling out from the original monster hex could turn invaded wilderness hexes into additional monster hexes with enough time? Certainly, settlements might get a bit bent if one of their 6 surrounding wilderness hexes (where they control points of interest) were permanently converted, but perhaps if all the nasties were driven out, they could turn it back into their own wilderness property.
In this way, monsters could be generated from more than the initial monster hex and add some variety. I suppose I'm a bit worried that static monster hexes will become a bit too predictable.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Will different monster types interact with one another? For example, a hobgoblin tribe might subjugate regular goblins, form temporary alliances with bugbears, but declare war on orcs. I think it would be more interesting if there wasn't a monolithic 'team monster', but I understand that there could be a server-resources issue associated with making falling trees make sounds when there's no player around to hear them. Maybe there could be a sort of 'pause while no players are near, but fast-forward when they get just outside of visual range' system?
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Goblin Squad Member
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One of the devs stated in an interview (or maybe it was the KS video update?) that players would be able to interact with escalations in other ways than simply fighting them. It could be gated by character alignment or which faction you are allied with.
@Hobs From the blog, I got the feeling that monsters would invade nearby wilderness hexes from their origin point (the monster hex).If left alone, some would continue to invade nearby wilderness hexes, some would 'dig in', and some might simply 'go away'. There was the example of the barbarian cycle 'marching' across the landscape, for instance. If the escalation was beat back, players would 'reclaim' the overrun wilderness hexes. We don't know much about Monster Hexes, but it seems those are a permanent infestation, as opposed to the overrun wilderness hexes which otherwise seem to function similarly.
It seems pretty close to what you were saying. Not quite as dynamic, but easier to implement. I was very excited about this new information about how different monster escalation cycles might affect the landscape in different ways =D
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Goblin Squad Member
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Black dragons and orcs are clearly evil escalations. Good settlements will fight them, and evil settlements will have a choice between fighting them (if they're encroaching on the evil settlements' territory, for example) or encouraging/allying with them (if they're encroaching on a nearby good settlement, for example).
Barbarian hordes could be evil, or just neutral. Theoretically, good, neutral or evil settlements could build good relations with neutral barbarian tribes, hoping to influence the path that the next horde will take. Good, neutral or evil settlements could also attack a horde, to cut short the incursion.
Will there be any good-aligned escalations? Good escalations would provide problems for nearby evil settlements, but potential allies for nearby good settlements.
If there are no good escalations, then the escalation system provides some measure of advantage for evil settlements (since they will always have the option of allying with an escalation that doesn't directly threaten them). There has already been discussion of some advantages that good settlements will have, so this could be seen as a balancing advantage for evil settlements.
Chief Technical Officer
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Shipping for physical rewards was listed as June 2014 - as in, over a year from now. Was that a typo? Did you mean June 2013? *hopeful*No, 2014 is correct. Emerald Spire isn't even a project yet. It won't be ready until the middle of 2014.
Things *are* actually moving on Emerald Spire—the writers have concepts to work with, but they aren't yet to the point of delivering manuscripts. But no, we can't turn around a 160-page adventure from over a dozen writers in just 5 months! Heck, it'll take three months just to print and ship once we've completed it!
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Goblin Squad Member
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Things *are* actually moving on Emerald Spire—the writers have concepts to work with, but they aren't yet to the point of delivering manuscripts. But no, we can't turn around a 160-page adventure from over a dozen writers in just 5 months! Heck, it'll take three months just to print and ship once we've completed it!Shipping for physical rewards was listed as June 2014 - as in, over a year from now. Was that a typo? Did you mean June 2013? *hopeful*No, 2014 is correct. Emerald Spire isn't even a project yet. It won't be ready until the middle of 2014.
It'll also take some time for the central editor to make sure that none of those dozen+ writers' manuscripts have contradicted one another.
This would be a lot cooler if there were some benefit to battling PvE mobs other then the obvious, getting them out of your territory. According to the latest information NPC mobs will only drop coin. We won't get exp or any skill gain for killing these mobs, it seems kind of, well anticlimactic. I guess everyone will just let the mobs escalate until the leader spawns that drops the artifact just to make the fight worthwhile.
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Goblinworks Executive Founder
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@Valandur: why do you think that the coin and potentially merit based won't be good enough reasons to want to play someone else's escalation.
Plus, it's the game part of the game; hopefully PvE can be made inherently fun without resorting to Skinner Box forced engagement.
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Goblin Squad Member
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This would be a lot cooler if there were some benefit to battling PvE mobs other then the obvious, getting them out of your territory. According to the latest information NPC mobs will only drop coin. We won't get exp or any skill gain for killing these mobs, it seems kind of, well anticlimactic. I guess everyone will just let the mobs escalate until the leader spawns that drops the artifact just to make the fight worthwhile.
I was taking it to mean the most use is clearing them so economic activities can run without accosting or disruption: That sounds like the ultimately most rewarding goal, second to pushing these towards a competitor. Eg a hex with few mobs vs a hex with lots of mobs and powerful mobs.
Secondly some players will prefer PvE-ish content.
I think if these things achieve the goal of making PvE encounters high challenge, variable, unpredictable, outnumbered, requiring v specialist monster hunters... a serious and proactive threat to your assets/investmens/ventures etc that will be awesome achievement. I'd like to personally lead some of the NPCs against another settlement for desserts, though! :D
According to the latest information NPC mobs will only drop coin.
I'm pretty certain that it's been explicitly mentioned that monsters/NPCs will have other types of lootable resources/manufactured items (in fact, i'm not sure it's been explicitly mentioned that they will 'drop coin'). It's also been mentioned that fighting monsters/NPCs will be a path towards gaining 'merit badges' which is what is needed to advance/gain new 'class abilities', as skill progression happens automatically regardless of what you do in-game.
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Chief Technical Officer
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It'll also take some time for the central editor to make sure that none of those dozen+ writers' manuscripts have contradicted one another.Things *are* actually moving on Emerald Spire—the writers have concepts to work with, but they aren't yet to the point of delivering manuscripts. But no, we can't turn around a 160-page adventure from over a dozen writers in just 5 months! Heck, it'll take three months just to print and ship once we've completed it!Shipping for physical rewards was listed as June 2014 - as in, over a year from now. Was that a typo? Did you mean June 2013? *hopeful*No, 2014 is correct. Emerald Spire isn't even a project yet. It won't be ready until the middle of 2014.
And for many of the authors, this will be their first time writing for Paizo and/or the Pathfinder RPG, so, yeah, we're planning an extra-long development cycle.
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Goblin Squad Member
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It has been mentioned that depending on the player alignment and monster alignment, it may be possible for a player to cooperate with an escalation to either foment it in order to threaten a nearby opposing settlement, or perhaps (speculating here) hijack the escalation and help it along in creating a monster settlement that you can guide towards your personal goals.
For example, a Half-orc with a Hat of Disguise finds an orc settlement in a new escalation hex. The Half-orc has a high charisma and is similar in alignment, and after experimenting with the tribe (quests, gifts, unknown really) wins the favor of the tribe and becomes the Chieftain. This accelerates the growth of the escalation and the Half-orc with a Hat of Disguise can (to some degree) lead the orc tribe to locations around the orc settlement to wreak havoc on an unsuspecting population!
Fortunately we don't know any Half-orcs with a Hat of Disguise, and certainly none devious enough to pull THAT scheme off! Do we?
According to the latest information NPC mobs will only drop coin.I'm pretty certain that it's been explicitly mentioned that monsters/NPCs will have other types of lootable resources/manufactured items (in fact, i'm not sure it's been explicitly mentioned that they will 'drop coin'). It's also been mentioned that fighting monsters/NPCs will be a path towards gaining 'merit badges' which is what is needed to advance/gain new 'class abilities', as skill progression happens automatically regardless of what you do in-game.
The recent post about an interview Ryan did is where I got my information on the coin only drops. Bluddwolf posted a rife list of things that were said.
In most MMOs I don't PvP because instanced PvP is pretty bogus, so I normally am a PvE player. But in games like War and DAOC I loved RvR. I will likely do a lot of PvP in PFO, but being as I will be crafting as well, I will end up doing a good bit of PvE. As I was considering the blog, the system looks pretty cool, but the rewards seemed subpar. Obviously being in the game could change how I feel about it though.
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Goblin Squad Member
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@Valandur: The rewards are dependent on the economy: The concept of rewards in themepark:
1. loot, xp, achievements
2. quest lore
3. Am I missing something else?
in pathfinder online:
1. resources from mobs ie hides for crafters
2. preventing more mobs
3. increasing productivity for settlement
4. specialist monster hunter skills (?)
5. artefacts
6 send an escalation into enemy hexes
Are you referring to daoc's RvR + PvE access design as "rewards"?
I don't see it in terms of "rewards", but in terms of positive gameplay outcomes with knock on outcomes, ie causing problems for competitors and improving the running of eg hexes and operations which improve economic situation. I mean those monster hunters will have contracts to earn coin I believe? That price could be set by another player running the settlement calculating the correct rate and so on, with higher for tougher/more mobs etc?
Maybe I'm misunderstanding the meaning of "reward" you're thinking of?
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Goblin Squad Member
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You also forgot 'For the Glory' and 'Local Hero'.
Being the guys and gals that go out and kick monster heads in to keep the Hex safe might make you more popular in certain circles than the PvPers who spend their time picking fights with the other settlements.
And that's not to say PvE and PvP won't go hand-in-hand ... killing players is hard, killing monsters with pre-scripted attack routines and AI, no matter how intelligent, is going to always have attack patterns. Combat-focused PCs will find Monsters and hostile NPCs challenging, I don't think anyone has any concerns over that, but Players will always find the 'cheese', be it quirky one-shot combinations or complex chain-builds that can't be stopped once they reach a certain point.
Of course, if there IS an actual knock-down drag-out Multi-Hex 'War' going on, and you're gibbing Goblins instead of driving back Dreadlord Doucheadin's L'awful Evil Players ... boot's on the other foot then!
I could fully see, assuming that it happens, Players of certain alignments being able to ally with Monsters/NPCs of similar alignments and encouraging the Escalation/Invasion to go to a rival Hex.
In the process, they'll have to help defend the NPCs/Monsters against wandering Do-Gooders, inspiring MORE PvP, which has been stated as the 'focus' of the game.
Now imagine, if you will, assuming that all the above can be made to work, Chapters co-opting MONSTERS/NPCs into their 'Kingdoms'! Escalations could be made to be more than just random 'world events', but the catalyst for a brutal map-wide campaign as one Chapter or an Alliance of Chapters rises with the power of an Escalation at the fingertips, and the other Hexes, who may or may not be at war with each other, have to either try and rally together, or finish their own conflicts and hope they have enough strength to hold out until a second Escalation starts, and the two 'events' clash, pitting NPCs against each other as well as the PCs!
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Goblin Squad Member
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When you're coming from a system where repetition is directly rewarded with xp to a system where xp accrues with time, it's pretty common to wonder "Why am I doing this again for the 10th time today?" and "Why should I do this at all if doing it more often won't make me more powerful any faster?".
Eventually, when you get used to xp rolling in at a steady pace, it's common to start focusing your attention on something else as a reward system, like accumulating wealth, controlling territory, or mastering PVP combat at the duel, skirmish and/or battle scale.
(Or collecting the tears of the defeated, although it sounds like that sort of behavior will be more tightly controlled in this sandbox MMO than in a certain predecessor.)
I know there are lots of aspiring writers out there who would work for peanuts to craft unique stories or quests in a mmorpg that disappear from the game once they have been completed.
I know it's not in the design plan, but one off quests especially if they had a unique reward would be so cool! Couldn't have a unique reward for the "go kill 10 bunnys" quest, but a detailed quest that gets triggered when someone solves a puzzle, or finds the map that leads to a location that begins it, but is NOT repeatable just sounds wicked.
I'm under no illusions that anything like this will be added, just had to comment on how cool the idea is.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I know there are lots of aspiring writers out there who would work for peanuts to craft unique stories or quests in a mmorpg that disappear from the game once they have been completed.I know it's not in the design plan, but one off quests especially if they had a unique reward would be so cool! Couldn't have a unique reward for the "go kill 10 bunnys" quest, but a detailed quest that gets triggered when someone solves a puzzle, or finds the map that leads to a location that begins it, but is NOT repeatable just sounds wicked.
I'm under no illusions that anything like this will be added, just had to comment on how cool the idea is.
Not in the plans "yet" but mentioned and alluded to several times as long term goals.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Great blog, some thoughts:
* I would like to see escalations move even further away from scripted event chains towards algorithm created unpredictable creatures (the more they would resemble mutating viruses, which could only be contained until the players find the right antidote to stomp them, the better)
* it will be interesting to see how GW is able to solve the challenge of the time scale of the escalations: the shorter the escalation/each cycle, the sooner they become repetitive and the less players will have the chance to participate in each escalation, while a longer escalation may fail to create the sense of urgency (personally I do hope for a long duration with many ”side effects” to keep the player busy while the escalation plays out)
* I do hope there is a possibility for escalations to initiate also from “normal” wilderness hexes (and not just the predestined “monster” hexes) to keep things interesting and unpredictable
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Goblin Squad Member
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As KarlBob raised the issue....
What is the neutral or good mob equivalent to the monster escalations?
Does an evil character have to kill evil mobs in order to have the same gold faucet? Or, can evil or neutral characters get the same gold faucet by helping to escalate the monster hexes?
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Goblin Squad Member
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I know there are lots of aspiring writers out there who would work for peanuts to craft unique stories or quests in a mmorpg that disappear from the game once they have been completed.I know it's not in the design plan, but one off quests especially if they had a unique reward would be so cool! Couldn't have a unique reward for the "go kill 10 bunnys" quest, but a detailed quest that gets triggered when someone solves a puzzle, or finds the map that leads to a location that begins it, but is NOT repeatable just sounds wicked.
I'm under no illusions that anything like this will be added, just had to comment on how cool the idea is.
J. C. Lawrence's "do it everywhere" law
If you do it one place, you have to do it everywhere. Players like clever things and will search them out. Once they find a clever thing they will search for other similar or related clever things that seem to be implied by what they found and will get pissed off if they don't find them.
Worth checking against. ;) Though I agree, a few uber "A Riddle Wrapped In A Mystery Inside An Enigma" perhaps?!
Great blog, some thoughts:
* I would like to see escalations move even further away from scripted event chains towards algorithm created unpredictable creatures (the more they would resemble mutating viruses, which could only be contained until the players find the right antidote to stomp them, the better)
* it will be interesting to see how GW is able to solve the challenge of the time scale of the escalations: the shorter the escalation/each cycle, the sooner they become repetitive and the less players will have the chance to participate in each escalation, while a longer escalation may fail to create the sense of urgency (personally I do hope for a long duration with many ”side effects” to keep the player busy while the escalation plays out)
* I do hope there is a possibility for escalations to initiate also from “normal” wilderness hexes (and not just the predestined “monster” hexes) to keep things interesting and unpredictable
I agree. These are the key distinctions to make it more 'simulated' than a predictable/static piece of content that repeats in the same loop.
I wonder if this is something that requires data fed back to devs, to then modify these parameters, to run based off these initial conditions feedback for maximal effect over say next 2-4 weeks of potential growth??
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Goblin Squad Member
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Great blog, some thoughts:
* I would like to see escalations move even further away from scripted event chains towards algorithm created unpredictable creatures (the more they would resemble mutating viruses, which could only be contained until the players find the right antidote to stomp them, the better)
* it will be interesting to see how GW is able to solve the challenge of the time scale of the escalations: the shorter the escalation/each cycle, the sooner they become repetitive and the less players will have the chance to participate in each escalation, while a longer escalation may fail to create the sense of urgency (personally I do hope for a long duration with many ”side effects” to keep the player busy while the escalation plays out)
* I do hope there is a possibility for escalations to initiate also from “normal” wilderness hexes (and not just the predestined “monster” hexes) to keep things interesting and unpredictable
Great point. Any new idea or unique feature will quickly become old hat if it is not algorithmically varied or "hands on" custom operated by the GW crew.
Maybe player submitted ECs could be a stepping stone to player designed content of a deeper nature such as one-off modules.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Other possible escalations that could present in monster hexes (evil, neutral, and good):
Evil Escalations – Could possibly be co-opted by other evil forces and become allied to them.
Witches Coven – A small coven of witches finds a suitable cave or lone house to settle in and begin accosting passing harvesters, bandits or merchants. As they grow in power the can curse the land, charm players and NPCs and taint the earth for longer periods of time making the resources there slower to recover. Over longer periods of time the witches can begin to create an undead army to protect their perimeter. Escalation would end when the witches are beaten back into their cave or cabin and port out (might never actually be killed). Evil spell casters may be able to receive training from the witches under the right circumstances.
Lich King Awakens! – This would be a major escalation cycle beginning with a cave complex or tomb that appears when a powerful Lich awakens from a long supernatural sleep. His power allows him to gather the recently deceased as well as other evil minions. Over time his influence grows, and may even cause the very ground under his sphere of influence to cause players characters corpses to cause another undead spirit (of various forms, depending on the current strength of the lich) to be created. Every death adds another Soldier to his undead army and if not contained early on the Lich King becomes a powerful force indeed!
World Wound Portals – The demonic forces near the World Wound manage to port in a group of demonic invaders led by a force of Chaotic Evil Soldiers. It may be that Lawful Good players in a near enough proximity can feel the presence of evil, and perhaps the degree. These forces detect the nearest good settlement (preferring lawful good) to attack after a period of time getting oriented to their new location.
Neutral Escalations – Mindless insects cannot be allied, but humanoids may become friendly, even cooperative under the right circumstances.
Gypsy Caravan – A full blown caravan of gypsy merchants, entertainers and the occasional ne’er-do-well. This colorful wagon train moves throughout the River Kingdoms region and can buy, sell, entertain, pass on rumors, co-opt a gathering node for their own purposes, or fight other creatures in there area that may attack them. These gypsy caravans may appear unthreatening, but they will fight to defend themselves if attacked. Occasional rare raw materials may be purchased from the caravan as they travel the lands. Player characters may be able to receive training from the gypsies under the right circumstances.
Giant Ant Colony or Wasp Swarm – A colony of giant ants has taken up residence nearby and established a large mound. As time goes by the ants venture further and further out. Once a food source is detected the ants swarm the site causing destruction and death! The queen grows more powerful and hatches more eggs until the colony can be destroyed (and royal jelly can be a powerful ingredient indeed for the right skilled craftsman).
Amphibian Invasion – This escalation can occur near any monster water hex including the West Sellen River, Glow Water Lake, Silvershade Lake, Toad Hollow, or Echo Cleft. A race of amphibians has established an outpost in the waters and nearby shore and attempt to claim that hex and surrounding hexes as their territory. Over time they are able to build their own settlement and establish patrols both on land and in the water. Patrols in the water make traversing the water by any means particularly dangerous.
Ankhegs Take Root – Occurs only on plains and hills monster hexes. Ankhegs appear and grab animals, farmers, and anything else passing by their burrow. These insidious creatures are hard to detect until its too late, so any party trying to rid a hex of Ankhegs should have plenty of help and stick close together. Who knows what might be in the lair of these creatures. Loot from other hapless adventurers or the remains of a well armed military patrol?
Spinning the Spider's Web – Occurs in heavily forested monster hexes. Animals begin to disappear from farms and ranches, and passers by are attacked! It will be quite apparent what the threat is once adventurers are first accosted by a giant spider dropping from above. As parties venture further into the hex the webs thicken, as do the dangers from the monstrously large, sentient spider queen!
Mysterious Druid – A lone druid takes up residence in a hex that has suffered some destructive force. This druid, if left to his/her own devices can heal the land from a previous event that caused environmental damage. The creatures of the nearby lands can be made to serve the druids needs including personal defense and scouting. Druidic player characters may receive training from the wandering druid under the right circumstances.
Good Escalations - Could possibly be co-opted by other good forces and become allied to them.
Crusader Patrol – A patrol of NPC Crusaders sets up camp as they make their way to the World Wound. There are righteous crusaders who are passing slowly through the River Kingdoms and will attack and evil forces they find. Good forces may camp with them overnight and even trade small amounts of goods. If the Crusader camp has a healer properly aligned characters may receive healing (or training) under the right circumstances.
Missionaries – A party of missionaries sets up a church or temple in order to try to convert non-believers in the area. The missionaries’ structure may be build near an evil settlement, a neutral creature settlement or any place where they may convert some or the nearby residents to their faith. Evil player characters may attack the missionaries to establish or enhance their evil credentials.
Humanoid Settlement – An NPC settlement appears in order to harvest nearby resources. The longer the settlement is left alone the more resources that can be harvested. Over time this settlement can develop a defensive force and might be treated for all intents and purposes as a player settlement, except its ability to ally with other player run settlements may be restricted. Good aligned settlements and Charter Companies may attack but would take a significant alignment hit, while evil settlements and Charter Companies would not.
I know there are lots of aspiring writers out there who would work for peanuts to craft unique stories or quests in a mmorpg that disappear from the game once they have been completed.I know it's not in the design plan, but one off quests especially if they had a unique reward would be so cool! Couldn't have a unique reward for the "go kill 10 bunnys" quest, but a detailed quest that gets triggered when someone solves a puzzle, or finds the map that leads to a location that begins it, but is NOT repeatable just sounds wicked.
I'm under no illusions that anything like this will be added, just had to comment on how cool the idea is.
J. C. Lawrence's "do it everywhere" law
If you do it one place, you have to do it everywhere. Players like clever things and will search them out. Once they find a clever thing they will search for other similar or related clever things that seem to be implied by what they found and will get pissed off if they don't find them.Worth checking against. ;) Though I agree, a few uber "A Riddle Wrapped In A Mystery Inside An Enigma" perhaps?!
...Great blog, some thoughts:
* I would like to see escalations move even further away from scripted event chains towards algorithm created unpredictable creatures (the more they would resemble mutating viruses, which could only be contained until the players find the right antidote to stomp them, the better)
* it will be interesting to see how GW is able to solve the challenge of the time scale of the escalations: the shorter the escalation/each cycle, the sooner they become repetitive and the less players will have the chance to participate in each escalation, while a longer escalation may fail to create the sense of urgency (personally I do hope for
I think Mr. Lawrence's advice is good, if your making a Wow clone :P seriously though, it's the fact that its not done in other games that makes something like this novel. It's something I've come to hate in MMOs, if you find something really cool, a quest that gives you some cool reward. Every googan that wanders by can have that same item. It's like buying a cool car and soon you see the same type of car all over the place.
Why am I going to bat for an idea that'll never see daylight? LoL I'd stand a better chance arguing for them to add full night to PFO,
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Goblin Squad Member
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Thanks guys! They have said Escalations do not all have to be hostile events. It would be pretty cool to find a beneficial one close enough to be a boon to your own settlement once in a while. Just a few thoughts. Fun to break out the ol' creative thinking cap again!
Add some if you like. The brainstorming part of Crowdforging brings back many a good memory of long weekends of gaming with my college buddies (and many empty pizza boxes).
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Goblin Squad Member
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Blue Monastery - A group of monks enter an unexplored hex, clear it, and begin a monastery. The monks are looking for an artifact they believe to be in a monster hex nearby. They start with a tent, then a watchtower, then a fort for their monastery. As their encampment escalates they make searches farther afield looking for the hex with the artifact, interacting with characters and traders. There are two versions of this. In the first they are either LG or LN and are determined to complete the mission for their abbot. They aid parties if they are good, but will not tolerate interference with their quest. They will resist bandits, but also parties trying to clear out monster hexes, fearing that someone else will get to the artifact first. The second option is that they are LE (or again LN) and will stop at nothing to get that artifact. They believe that all methods are justified in completing their quest or preventing others from stoping them.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Blue Monastery Variations
1. All monks female, making them more blue nuns than blue monks. Their weapon of choice is a foot long dan bong.
2. Monks are famous for growing the flower for which their monastery is named, the blue rose. They are also skilld in making small glass animal figurines. Their abbot is T'wilum.
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Goblin Squad Member
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My guess initially for Escalations would be (along the iteration/refinement process:
First: Keep it simple structure so that it can scale and move and spread in an IMPRESSIVE and POTENT threat to players.
Second: Add a few variations per mob type.
Third: Fine-tune how it spreads and what branches are most effective
Fourth: How alignment can interact with different mob escalations
Fifth: Create some really impressive "Escalation controlling hex" outcomes eg a full-blown fort built by npc mobs in the middle of the wilderness!
Sixth: Start adding the PvE content associated with this eg quests were mentioned that might grow out of the above.
=
So it seems to me having roving/migrating/spreading mobs and work off that and how players interact with that and modify so it's effective, dynamic and "intelligent" and balanced or unbalanced based on context. IE I think PvE really should be aggressive force against players not passive. Possibly have mobs have objectives such as attacking player structures, removing resources at locations either players' operations (or even their own operations) -> possibly strengthening their forts?
To my mind, PvE is interesting when it appears to react intelligently to players or "have a mind of it's own". That would be my ideal version of PvE.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Will monster hexes respond to the number of players in the area? As in, will there be more frequent escalations during prime time and fewer at 2am?
In a single shard game, it's always prime time for someone and 2 am for someone else. So far, that seems to be the intent for PFO: One global server with everyone in it, rather than some North American servers, some European servers, and a couple of Asian servers.