Idea to deal with Ouroboros portal congestion

[KaizenSoze]

Alas, there are a lot of players that are afking after zoning in Ouroboros. This clogs up the portal space making it hard to click the portal. Just today I had to step back and jockey around a bit to click the portal several times.

 

Suggestion, place a pseudo pet right under the portal which pulses a repel field to push players are from portal every 10-20 seconds. You avoid repelling people just passing through or trying to use the portal the first pulse puts a tag on players and only if the tag is present do they get repelled. Nothing serious, just enough repel to move them a few feet away from the portal.

[Bill Z Bubba]

Why does the zone in point even have to be at the portal? Why not stick it in the middle of the pool?

[KaizenSoze]

5 minutes ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

Why does the zone in point even have to be at the portal? Why not stick it in the middle of the pool?

It is my understand that editing zones is tricky. I thought about putting it into the pool, but it might cause other issues.

 

This is my minimal zone editing suggestion.

[The_Warpact]

 

[Rudra]

They could also just make Ouroboros (and Pocket D) flag players AFK and log them off like every other zone. Then you don't have to edit the zone, just turn off the AFK suppression flag.

[wjrasmussen]

Make portal use AOE effect taking everyone in the radius with you!

[Tahliah]

On 1/14/2022 at 5:27 PM, KaizenSoze said:

Alas, there are a lot of players that are afking after zoning in Ouroboros. This clogs up the portal space making it hard to click the portal. Just today I had to step back and jockey around a bit to click the portal several times.

 

Suggestion, place a pseudo pet right under the portal which pulses a repel field to push players are from portal every 10-20 seconds. You avoid repelling people just passing through or trying to use the portal the first pulse puts a tag on players and only if the tag is present do they get repelled. Nothing serious, just enough repel to move them a few feet away from the portal.

Heh, pulse kb the ouro portal squatters. Not a bad idea.  Let's see them tossed back, though, not just shifted away.   And add the same pulse repel on Lady Liberty in AP.  I'm for it!

[TheZag]

I cant say for editing zones but if its similar to editing bases then the clicky part of the portal and where it dumps you out can be in seperate places and are easy enough to move.

 

And the monorail already works this way.  The monorail entrance isnt the same spot as the monorail exit.

 

The ferry in red zones is another solution.  Getting close enough brings up the menu with no clicking required and moving away closes it.

[srmalloy]

12 hours ago, TheZag said:

And the monorail already works this way.  The monorail entrance isnt the same spot as the monorail exit.

And reducing the utility for the people who are affected by the characters and pets clumped around the portal. People are complaining about the congestion around the portal, because it hinders their use of it as a transfer point -- zone in to Ouro, and the portal is right there to zone out to somewhere else... except when there are twenty people and/or pets clustered around the portal waiting for the BAF they're leagued up for to fill, or some such. Move the arrival point away from the portal, and while it does address the problem of people stacked up around the portal, it also destroys the purpose people want the portal clear for -- jumping right back out.

[TheZag]

So then the rest of my post might help instead of just the quoted snippet.  Or a combination of the 2.  You zone in a few feet away and the menu pops up without clicking when you are close.

 

 

[Troo]

On 1/14/2022 at 3:27 PM, KaizenSoze said:

Alas, there are a lot of players that are afking after zoning in Ouroboros. This clogs up the portal space making it hard to click the portal. Just today I had to step back and jockey around a bit to click the portal several times.

 

Suggestion, place a pseudo pet right under the portal which pulses a repel field to push players are from portal every 10-20 seconds. You avoid repelling people just passing through or trying to use the portal the first pulse puts a tag on players and only if the tag is present do they get repelled. Nothing serious, just enough repel to move them a few feet away from the portal.

 

I totally want this now, the 10 second version!

 

Now we only need a lawnchair emote so I don't have to innertube6 all the time.

 

It would be awesome to watch folks miss-time getting to the portal. Maybe request using the new knock-back formula and randomize the variables.

I'd make some popcorn.

"Hey, look. It's Bob again. The RNG hates that guy.. [insert funny knockback sfx]"

 

Edited January 20, 2022 by Troo

[srmalloy]

9 hours ago, Troo said:

I totally want this now, the 10 second version!

 

Now we only need a lawnchair emote so I don't have to innertube6 all the time.

It would probably go over like a lead balloon, but putting a timer on any mob that enters a, say, 10' radius of the portal (and is cleared when you move outside the radius or zone out) that, when the timer runs out, flings you over the edge of the platform (to reappear in the pool as you do now if you fall off) is subjectively hilarious... And there would undoubtedly be people who do it for the lulz.

[Troo]

12 minutes ago, srmalloy said:

do it for the lulz

 

Can I borrow this for a new t-shirt?

[Rudra]

13 minutes ago, srmalloy said:

It would probably go over like a lead balloon, but putting a timer on any mob that enters a, say, 10' radius of the portal (and is cleared when you move outside the radius or zone out) that, when the timer runs out, flings you over the edge of the platform (to reappear in the pool as you do now if you fall off) is subjectively hilarious... And there would undoubtedly be people who do it for the lulz.

I like this idea. Please implement this idea. I'd like to give it a try.

[TheZag]

I think a repel field will get more complaints then a clogged portal.  People that load slow may get repelled as soon as they gain control of their character.  Someone may have been just inside the repel radius and when they move to click the portal they get pushed away.  If the window is already open does it still repel you?  Would a bunch of afk people with open windows just continue to clog the portal anyway?

 

Its also worth mentioning that this is kinda a server specific problem.  We rarely form itrials in ouro anymore.  Our server forms up in pocket D or dark astoria most of the time.

 

For 1 more potential solution in addition to the blue side tram version and the red side ferry version is to have a second exit portal.  Everyone can zone in at 1 portal and the exit menu pops up immediately for those that want to leave right away.  Moving away closes the menu.  And for all those afk and itrial members that cant be bothered to move a few feet,  there is a second exit for players to use.

[KaizenSoze]

2 hours ago, TheZag said:

I think a repel field will get more complaints then a clogged portal.  People that load slow may get repelled as soon as they gain control of their character.  Someone may have been just inside the repel radius and when they move to click the portal they get pushed away.  If the window is already open does it still repel you?  Would a bunch of afk people with open windows just continue to clog the portal anyway?

Hence, why I suggested putting a tag on the player and only if they have the tag they get repelled.

 

The repel pulse should only occur every 10-20 seconds minimal. So, it would take two round before getting repelled.

[TheZag]

Im just thinking you would have an increased likelyhood of success by advocating for changes with systems that already exist in game.  Sure repel exists,  but not repel that only repels if the target was first in range of a repel that didnt repel but instead added a different flag that allows you to be repelled by future repels.   But im not a programmer so maybe thats easier then having the menu behave the same way as the red side ferries.

[Rudra]

Aww... I was looking forward to being flung over the sides into the center pool. An auto-opening destination menu would probably be the best way to go though....

[Excraft]

I'm surprised the usual forum white knight brigade hasn't been in here to crap all over this idea yet or to tell you this is your fault because you can't use your mouse right. 

[Aurora_Girl]

1 hour ago, Excraft said:

I'm surprised the usual forum white knight brigade hasn't been in here to crap all over this idea yet or to tell you this is your fault because you can't use your mouse right. 

 

We did that in the first couple of replies, keep up. 

[Excraft]

No need to get triggered.  We all know badly designed game elements are the players fault and shouldn't be fixed.  😉

[Six-Six]

Instead of KB or repel, why not a dimension shift bubble that makes you pass through everyone within 40, 50, 80ft of the portal

[srmalloy]

17 hours ago, Six-Six said:

Instead of KB or repel, why not a dimension shift bubble that makes you pass through everyone within 40, 50, 80ft of the portal

It's not moving through them that's the problem, it's that the ten, twenty, or thirty people and/or lore pets clustering around the portal makes it difficult or impossible to click on the portal, even if it's still visible in the pile. The more correct equivalent of your suggestion would be to make mobs untargetable with the mouse when within some radius of the portal.

[Rudra]

Or, you know, just have the Ouroboros portal work like the Rogue Isles ferries and auto-open a destination window. No new fancy code to make players and their pets untargetable. No need for timed repulsion pulses, even though I would get a kick out of being hurled over the side only to be teleported to fall into the pool. Just make the exit portal of Ouroboros auto-open the destination menu while within trigger range just like the ferries do.

 

(And if AFK'ers at the portal don't like the menu in their faces waiting for a destination to be chosen, they can walk away from the portal making it less congested. Win-win.)

Edited January 25, 2022 by Rudra
Edited to add last 2 lines.

[Six-Six]

Ya, I get it. but if they're phased, then your mouse pointer won't select them as well.

or make the Portal float about 10ft in the air.