Discussion on Monsters

[Vivalas]

This might be somewhat of a rant, as it basically started as a rant message I threw up in OOC on Dwilight and was surprised to see similar thoughts.

But, I seriously think the monsters aren't very constructive to the game or add much in terms of anything really. In both Dwilight and BT we nearly had RP and conflict starting up before the hordes came back and everyone was confined to fighting monsters again instead of actually interacting. Perhaps it's just the sudden influx of monsters because of the bugs, but even with "normal" monster attack rates, realms like Westgard on Dwilight basically are confined to fighting nothing but monsters, while more eastern realms just get to chill.

I suppose I understand the premise of monsters: to confine realms and add pressure... but it really just feels like it ends up as a grind. Players want to politick and intrigue and exert influence over other realms, not just walk around fighting monsters all the time. It's unfun and uninteresting for me as a military leader, and I don't imagine it is anymore interesting to the people just following my orders and fighting what are basic silent NPCs. Granted this is just my opinion, but I feel some others probably share my thoughts.

Anyways, I am making this thread to just have a general discussion on monsters, their role in BM, player's opinions on monsters, and the dev team's actual reason for putting them in-- since I don't want hearsay on that point.

My various suggestions are as follows:
1. Remove or seriously tone down monster hordes. On Dwilight, maybe just confine them to the west. Allow actual player-generated conflict to brew on continents and possibly think of a different, less time-intensive method of forcing conflict.

2. Seriously buff monster hordes to the point they're not just an annoying grind but an existential threat. Scale monster spawning rates to fit a sort of "imaginary radius" that expands and contracts along with the number of nobles on the island. Regions and realms inside the circle are unaffected, but regions outside are swarmed and very hard to keep defended. Basically turn monsters in to a sort of hard radius in which civilization can practically exist, so it constrains land and resources enough to cause conflict while allowing conflict to actually generate. This is my personal favorite.

3. Make monster hordes a lot more periodical like Daimon invasions so that it's not just this constant wear but sort of major event that can cause much-needed interruption during long periods of conflict.

[Medron Pryde]

I like the idea of "monster radius" nexus things.

I understand that some of the monsters are "attracted" to realms with fewer nobles and more land.  I can understand this to a certain point, though I also am not certain it is the best idea either.  It seems like punishing players who have done well and expanded to have them suddenly assaulted by monsters and undead to take away what they conquered.  Also, not hitting realms with large number of players and smaller areas seems guaranteed to allow those realms to expand at the expense of all others until they reach the magical tipping point of becoming a target themselves.

Personally, I want to fight other players, not unthinking monster hordes running around and gobbling up everything they can find.

[Gabanus family]

I don't have the time to write a proper reply, but this discussion has been had on discord a few times and the answers were generally as follows:

Monster spawning depends on density rates. The idea is to get more nobles in fewer regions to actually promote interaction again. On Dwilight for instance, even without the big monster invasions, we hardly saw any pvp action and war. I do like the idea of the rogue range, but it will be quite some work I'd imagine.

BT also had little pvp action other than an upcoming assault of Nothoi/Fronen/Gotland vs BK (and whoever helps them), but it was just post invasion.

[Medron Pryde]

BT is still recovering from the last Daimon invasion, and was only beginning to get close to being ready to get back into PVP action.

Well...there was the Angmar assault on Gotland.
And the Fronen/BK civil war.

But there were still enough monster action going on that nations like Thalmarkin, Obea, and the Vales were barely holding on.

Now there are so many monsters and undead hitting every nation except Obea that Obea is the only nation expanding.  Every other realm is being smashed back into something akin to what the Daimon Invasion just got done doing to them.

[Anaris]

I've got plans for adjusting the way several things work so that the monsters will not be the same sort of problem in future that they are now. It will be somewhat similar to your second suggestion.

[Gabanus family]

BT is still recovering from the last Daimon invasion, and was only beginning to get close to being ready to get back into PVP action.

Well...there was the Angmar assault on Gotland.
And the Fronen/BK civil war.

But there were still enough monster action going on that nations like Thalmarkin, Obea, and the Vales were barely holding on.

Now there are so many monsters and undead hitting every nation except Obea that Obea is the only nation expanding.  Every other realm is being smashed back into something akin to what the Daimon Invasion just got done doing to them.

I can assure you that Obia'Syela is hit as well. Less so because our density is far better, but we're grinding down monsters after monsters still. We do have the largest army on the continent as well though, but even we are about to lose Rueffilo again because the monsters proved to strong.

And the fronen/BK war that was about to come resembled more a gangbang than a war though :p

[Eduardo Almighty]

Angmar is doing well, but I saw the map yesterday out of curiosity... BT is !@#$ed.

[feyeleanor]

Even Ar Agyr is restricted to a small coastal strip now and those who know us know we're usually up for a bit of mayhem anywhere on BT. The only upside is that Aibhlidhn's honour has sky-rocketed since we first got involved with defending The Vales :)

[Medron Pryde]

Looking at the map today...and the food statistics...

We're...a month...maybe two...from half the realms simply being starved out...

Rough times ahead if the monster swarms keep eating all the food in the countryside like they have been...

[Zakky]

Looking at the map today...and the food statistics...

We're...a month...maybe two...from half the realms simply being starved out...

Rough times ahead if the monster swarms keep eating all the food in the countryside like they have been...

Good. Some realms will finally die. Maybe people will move to other realms?

[Wimpie]

Good. Some realms will finally die. Maybe people will move to other realms?

NEVER

[Zakky]

NEVER

;D

[Medron Pryde]

I prefer realms die due to the actions of players.

It makes for far more interesting stories than "death by monster swarms."

[Anaris]

OK, then. Take action.

You know what actions will make things better for your people: Either get more of them into your realm, or move them to another realm where, together with the people who were already there, they can hold off the hordes.

Or, if your own people are doing OK, and your realm is in a good position to hold out, then step up outreach. Exhort the people in small realms, in fringe realms, to come and join you. Offer them safety, riches, semi-autonomy. Whatever it takes to save humanity, right? Especially if it's done by player action?

If you take an action, you accept the consequences of that actionâ€"and the reverse. If you desire a consequence, take the action that will result in it.

[Eduardo Almighty]

LOL... after years playing with another Battlemasters, I can tell... you will see Beluaterra die if you (not really you) expect us to gather around the same bonfire to play happy friends. We can love each others as players (most of the time, we don't), but when you talk about realms, people will die with their loved ones before joining the enemy (everyone else).

It's like the Simpsons meme... "Damn Battlemasters, they ruined Battlemaster..."