Spice it up again

[eyzpick]

This evening we had a very nice chat in the sandstorm discord channel.
We all had quite the same feeling and question.
The game is feeling stail, how can we spice it up again.
Some suggested trying hardcore, some suggested trying different game-modes.

Thoughts, feeling?

[peglegswansoon]

Do agree the game has been feeling a bit stale recently. Haven't had as much motivation to jump on, compounded by the fact that other people don't seem to have either!

I've been enjoying Hardcore mode somewhat, it's a nice change of pace both figuratively and literally... Bots are less likely to surprise you by peeking at ludicrous speed. No objective markers is a nice reduction in clutter. The lack of friendly HUD indicators is troublesome at times, particularly on night maps where it can be very hard to tell between friend and foe. It does increase the immersion though. Respawning without your gear is an interesting mechanic but would probably get old fast, I think it can be disabled.

Another thing we could try is mods. There are some pretty good maps floating around now which would probably shake us up a bit. Mountain Pass, Noshahr Canals, Michigan Militia and TORO are quite fun imo.

In addition there are other mods which change up the loadouts/gear, and add custom weapons/attachments. I joined a server and saw a 9mm conversion for the M4, a full-auto Glock pistol, different slings and ammo carriers that give you extra pistol ammo, or let you take two primaries. That sort of thing. Also mixed up the classes a bit. I think it was this mod.

The in-game mod downloads should no longer be weirdly bottlenecked, so it should use your full internet speed. I admit forcing people to download multiple GBs of mods when they first connect is a bit of a turn-off though

[WuMing]

The expansion spiced things up nicely. Night maps are nice, new weapons are nice. Still preferring Insurgency: Sandstorm as the multiplayer shooter.

Current PvE server and possible changes:
- option for Hardcore map (through voting) - is this possible or does it need the server to be in "hardcore mode"?
- option for increased bot difficulty - quantity / quality

Server changes:
- Separate PvE Hardcore server if needed?
- Separate PVP server?
- Separate gun game server?
- Separate mod server?

Are server configuration profiles possible so changing one server to different profiles would be quick and easy? This would reduce the need for additional servers and thus costs.

[Ztranier]

I do not think that a second EBS server is the right way for the future.
It will even need more admining, and also it will split up our community player base, and tbh there are not that many of us playing the game regulary

but i like the idea of having 2 primary weapons
imagine you could have your most liked rifle, plus an auto shotgun like the Saiga like we had in INS

[kentone]

So, we can maybe start by having the second sling, a full auto glock, and a couple of new maps. I let you here a list of the mutators, so we can change the gameplay a bit:
https://insurgencysandstorm.mod.io/guid ... ide#read19

Theres an alternative to hardcore which is SlowMovement, is basically the slow movement of hardcore with the advantages of non-hardcore gamemode.

take a look to the maps as well:
https://insurgencysandstorm.mod.io/?fil ... Checkpoint

Soon, we would need to make our own weapon theather isn't?

I will to try to get to it, but if someone feels adventurous with unreal engine 4 dev kit let me know!

[Ztranier]

oh yeah, own weapon theater
lets call DD

[Cold Blood Nor]

Personally I am not on as much these days due to me having to prioritize my dissertation atm. But If we do change things up on the server (i.e. adding mods, changing to hardcore, etc. I do think we should have a rolling message on the server for at least half a week before implementing the changes. This gives a heads-up to the regular non-EBS members that changes are coming to the server.

It would be interesting to see some PvP action going I think. I know it is not what we are used to, and goes against working together as a community, but if there is a push and defend game mode available for PvP it could be interesting.

[Randel]

I jump on when and where I have the time / opportunity / Work / family permitting.

I remember we did have some fun times with Knives, and pistols only. Went that way when we knew the maps inside and out. Always keen for some fun like that.

I like the hardcore option too - keeps the style of play very high tariff which is what we like right?

[Dave :)]

yep its deffo suffering post lockdown syndrome.
I am fine with a switch over to hardcore for a change, or if we could switch from normal to hardcore by the admin, that would be even better.
As long as there's a bit crack on Discord its all good.

Cheers
Dave

[Spawnsy]

What happened to templates @kentone ? I thought that was one of the main drives behind switching providers?
Tying pvp could go either way. There's no telling if it will kill the server and drive away the regulars, or if it will attract a whole new bunch of people.
Hardcore is really popular and is the easiest option. It's my guess that we may even see some old faces return if we put it on HC.