[vorlon31]

What Conflux attributes, resources and assets would you like to see in Jumpgate Evolution?

[dahalb]

Are the conflux going to appear in Jumpgate Evolution?

[Tritian]

The addition of an AI enemy in Jumpgate Classic was clearly an afterthought, but had a significant detrimental effect on the game. The negative effects were caused by several reasons:

1) The instantaneous and non-persistent way the flux spawned was poorly implemented.
2) It was impossible to effectively 'clear' a sector of flux, so fluxing was futile.
3) Because they spawn in every sector, they end up being a huge hinderance to PvP.
4) The rudimentary AI was predictable and lacked any personality.
5) The flux models contained no animation frames, so they were very static. The skins used on the models were primarily HOT PINK in color.

So, in every conceivable aspect the flux in Jumpgate Classic failed.

IMO, there are other ways the flux significantly and negatively affected gameplay, although I realize that some of my thoughts arent very popular.

Specifically, I believe the flux 'united' the different factions together to fight a common enemy. This doesn't sound so bad at first, but by uniting the factions, you remove a very important aspect of PvP mechanics. IMO, Jumpgate should of encouraged the idea that the three factions were VERY different from eachother and were in a state of constant war. I think this is needed to create the proper atmosphere so that people of the same faction work together to escort haulers and provide equipment/commods for their own economies. IMO, the economies of the three factions should of been completely seperate in all aspects.

Anyway, I think it is possible to create a good AI enemy. In order to make the flux good, they'd need a COMPLETE overhaul in appearance, storyline, and implementation.

Appearance:

The biological nature of the conflux should of been expanded on. With modern modeling/skinning techniques, the conflux can really start to shine.

The models need to be more organic, with animation frames for moving tentacles/limbs. The propulsion of the conflux thru post-collapse space should resemble how octopus and squids swim in the ocean. I recommend the animators take a look at octopus movement footage to get ideas.

The skin of the squids should be very organic aswell, with shaders and light maps to reflect a slimey-like texture. The color of the conflux can remain pink, but a murky slimey fleshy pink. Possibly even a color-changing shader effect like the color changing effects of cuttlefish.

Storyline and Implementation:

The flux should spawn from their hives in flux space, and travel from sector to sector thru the anomalies (Jumpgate's without petals). This means no more insta-spawns in every sector. They should not be able to use the TRI-effected jumpgates, and that might be their reason for attacking us. By placing those petals around the anomalies and making them stable for human travel, it made them unsafe for the flux who were there first.

Anyway, the bigger flux tend to stay closer to their home sectors and unreg. The smaller flux are 'probes' and travel out further, to faction space. As the flux travel, they might happen by other flux. Flux that are similar (ie: share similar travel speeds) group up and travel with eachother, forming mini-swarms of like-minded flux. Back in flux-space, the density of conflux increases dramatically. Going deep into flux space would require an organized invasion force, and even still you might not get far. The flux can communicate and organize a defense when their space is invaded. Some areas of flux space would be virtually impossible to get too, and these are the locations where the flux spawn from.

Flux have two primary goals. The first is to kill all "Ugly bags of mostly water" for invading their space and ruining their anomalies. Their second goal is to mine semifluxor roids and bring back the ore to their hives for consumption. This is why they send out their little probes all over the galaxy, to find more roids. When the flux probes stumble across semi-fluxor roids in their travels, if it's not mined-out, they relay it's location back to the Hive. The Hive then sends out a Miner Flux. The Miner Flux is escorted by a couple of bigger flux to the location of the roid, which it then mines.

Conclusion

With these changes, the flux would be a persistant threat that had clear goals. Their need to mine ore would give purpose to their existance, and a possible way to cause real harm to them. People would get a sense of accomplishment in clearing a sector, because it would mean that it was actually clear for awhile, and you stopped those flux from going any further into space.

[Ambrosius]

Jumpgate Evolution would be better off leaving the Conflux behind -- but it's doubtful that would happen.

[Torynn]

Originally Posted by Tritian

3) Because they spawn in every sector, they end up being a huge hinderance to PvP.

[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']I do not agree with this. As players jump into every sector as well.[/font]
[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif'] [/font]
[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']This added a very nice key element to PvP and added danger, as there should be, it is called the “unknown”.[/font]
[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif'] [/font]
[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']Anyone going into any sector and coming across 2 pilots dog-fighting… some would fly by, others would like to kill both parties, and still others would like to help; though trying to figure out who was the defendant and who was the aggressor was difficult. One might be able to tell by faction, who might be who… as Oct were usually pretty aggressive and instigated a lot, at least when I was playing back in the day.[/font]
[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif'] [/font]
[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']So I feel that the Conflux vs PvP argument holds no water as other players could just as easily Jump in and be the “interfering Conflux”. While it sucks to be ganged up on, its adds that very real element of danger and adrenaline rush when it happens. The situational high of being out-number and still pulling through is indescribable.[/font]
[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif'] [/font]

[Torynn]

P.S. I hate Office 2007 formating standards. XD

[Lordopic]

Originally Posted by Ambrosius

Jumpgate Evolution would be better off leaving the Conflux behind -- but it's doubtful that would happen.

And there go's a large portion of the paying player base, I do wonder sometimes, if some people ever take their head out of their rears and read or take in what is going on around them.

As for the Conflux ill wait and see what they have to offer in Jumpgate Evolution before making any wish list’s or suggesting changes to them.

[Jetset]

Originally Posted by Tritian

so fluxing was futile.

You hear that vorlon?

Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!

[Wild_Bill]

Tritian makes a very good post including somethings I agree with and some I don't. I really don't care all that much about the eye-candy stuff so the texture, faders etc is wasted on me. I definitely agree with the perdictibility aspect.

The idea of mini-swarms is good IMO and I'd like to see it implemented. It makes more sense than the current hodge-podge of jump-in spawns or the timed spawn. Bunches of Squids, with a few Snails or Mantas popping out of an anomaly in any sector makes more sense to me than the current Swarm system. I wouldn't eliminate the current Swarm that meanders it's way out of flux space, I'd just add in the mini swarms and remove the "jump in spawn" and "timed spawn" aspects all together. That way you could temporarily clear out a sector or several sectors, but there would always be the chance a mini-swarm would pop in through an anomaly, wander around looking for pilots and then move on. I don't think mini-swarms should just "hang out" in a sector. For the flux hunters, a tuned beacon might even give flux swarm or mini-swarm information. Perhaps a modex for flux hunters? I say this because without the jump-in spawn or time spawn, finding flux could become a problem.

Flux miners? This may be the best idea regarding flux yet! Instead of having the conflux miners target the semiflux 'roids, have them go after common roids, or better yet, the common ore found in ALL asteroids! Thus when the flux got through, the uncommon roid would have more of the desired ores and less common ore. That could even be the RP explaination for "pures". But instead of the zero gate, make the pures "spawn" within "X" distance of the sector anomaly. It makes sense the flux would mine the roids nearest the "flux gate", rather than the JumpGates. If this rational was used it would mean the sectors with a greater flux presence would have an abundance of uncommon roids and pures, with a lower presence of common roids, thus increasing the value of those sectors to miners and their fluxing escorts.

If you blend this concept in with Vorlon's earlier flux "Tunnel'rs" concept, it hangs together even better! Flux miners and their flux escorts pop through the anomalies to mine the common ore/roids nearest the anomaly. The percentage of common ore nearest the anomalies would get lower and lower over time. Flux miners would then have to go further and further from the anomalies in their search for common ore, leaving roids with a much lower percentage of common ore in their path.

This would also have the effect of increasing the danger to miners and the need for escorts. The most valuable 'roids in a sector would be found closest to the anomaly, where the risk of mini-swarm spawns would be highest!

Swarms out of conflux space would regularily sweep through all sectors (pretty much as they do now), but if allowed enough time, would "seed" sectors with tunnel'rs larva and perhaps escort larva that would eventually dig their way out of the roids and seek to return to flux space. My suggestion here would be for the Snails to be the "Miner" flux of the more common flux types . Squids could be the "probes" as suggested, but they would be looking for, and "marking" sectors for the flux miners (rational for why squids are so ubiquitous). Actually, the "seeding" of flux in 'roids could be used as a RP rational for the timed spawns and help explain the confluxes animosity towards TRI pilots (pretty much as Tritian originally suggested).

There is one glaring problem with my idea of the conflux going after common 'roids. What part of common roids would attract a biological space faring organism? The element in greatest abundance in common roids is Iron at 25%. But Iron is also present in Semifluxors (15%) Precious Metals (15%) and Radioactive (20%). Only Ice roids have no Iron. It makes more sense that the flux would need Silicon, but Commons have the least Silicon (5%) while Semifluxors have 25%, Radioactives have 10% and Precious Metals have 10%. Again, only Ice roids have no Iron or Silicon.

For my idea to make "sense", we would have to develop a rational for the conflux needing Iron or else for needing some element in commons that's not found in any other roids. The elements meeting this condition are Aluminum (16%) Barium (4%) Chromium (5%) Gallium (8%) Molybdenum (7%) Titanium (12%) or Zinc (8%). I'm not enough of a biologist to make an argument for any of these elements, so anybody that knows more about it please jump in. What I want is a reason for the flux to concentrate their mining on Common Roids and Ore, thereby leaving the remaining roids with a greater number of Uncommon Roids and a lower percentage of Common Ore in all roids.

All that said, my major current complaint with flux is their "infinite radar" and their "target transference" whenever the original target left the sector.

I don't agree with Ambrosius, but then flux have "always" been a part of my game so I don't know what the game would be like without them. Less interesting I think.

[vorlon31]

Originally Posted by dahalb

Are the conflux going to appear in Jumpgate Evolution?

I'll wager my sub on it

[Jonboy]

Flux were only really bad for PvP for 2 things.

Deliberate flux dumping. Training AI onto an enemy to give you an advantage is lame.

Roid clearing. Hiding on roids was cool. Having flux appear to bug you while you were hiding was not cool.

There should definately be more AI free zones, like ZR used to be.

=======

I still don't get how u can play an MMO to beat up AI, when you can beat up better-crafted AI in a single-player game, let alone 'defend it as a valid RP.' If you're willing to pay, tho, who am I to complain?

edit: don't tell ND you've seen this: concept art

[SingleShot]

The fact that Flux AI will be server side means that group fluxing might actually be viable.

That would be a good thing. Fluxing squads have always been a bit silly given how individualized it tends to be. (You vs flux, or you + peri vs flux)

I remember after EP2 (but before the flux nerf) where in flux space if you saw another person while fighting flux you were dead, or FFing to a gate. In retrospect that probably wasn't that optimal for creating a vibrant PvE system. But the solution did make many high level flux pretty easy to fight.