[MUD-Dev] PvP and teamspeak?

[David Johansson]

On Wed, 06 Oct 2004 22:01:37 +0200, Ola Fosheim Gr=F8stad
<olag at ifi.uio.no>= wrote:
> Is it common for PvP oriented teams to require teamspeak?=20

Nearly all of the "cross game" PVP guilds are using some sort of
voice communication software, Teamspeak, Ventrilo, Roger Wilco.  Its
becoming more common in the regular PvE play as well. Alot of the
new first person shooter games comes with a builtin voice chat
system

> How do such guilds organize their fighting given the bandwidth
> issues? Any ideas? I imagine that you could set up teams with
> teamspeak and then have the teamleader using text chat to
> coordinate.

You use moderated channels, and several subchannels. Each seperate
group of people are in one sub channel for their specific task, lets
say, the sneaky assassins who climb the walls of the castle to
assassinate the king, have their own channel.  The general of the
battle (The commander) speaks to all channels with a special button
so he can keep the overview of the battle.

Alot of people also uses a program called TSO, which draws a directX
layer ontop of the game layer, showing who is talking on teamspeak,
and from what channel, where you can set the Generals in red names,
so you know when to keep silent and listen.  (TSO injects into dx
dll layer)

> This kind of situation makes PvP game designs rather impossible to
> balance for non-hardcore without either making defense much eaiser
> than attack or introducing some kind of artificial handicaps based
> on ratings etc.

In some cases, using voice communication is really superior to
typing, since you have your hands free to play, instead of to
communicate, but if the ingame chat system is built well enough
(Example: EverQuest XML interface) there is no need for a voice chat
at all.  The handicap and balance issue lies rather in "good
players" versus "bad players" (technically speaking) and cannot and
should not be an issue.  And I cant see where defense would be much
harder than attack?  Wouldnt you say that a professional guild of
gamers, sitting on the castle walls, would be equally hard to beat
as if they are the ones attacking you?

The game Dark and Light (www.darkandlight.com) and its lead producer
Stephane uses a system called "Divine Intervention" to balance PvP
combat, where a castle defended by 10 people could get aid from the
gods, if the attackers are many enough.  Same system is used if the
level or rank difference is too big.

A big problem with such systems in many games is that it will be
abused in the other way around.  Example: 100 level 1 characters,
taking out a level 100 character, since he cannot hit back on the
low levels, due to "divine intervention".

DJ.
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