Enabling the Supreme AI

[ferrite]

Well I wrote this up last summer but filed it away and somehow forgot about it. Please understand that its a work in progress, if you have any suggestions to improve the overall concept they are welcome :D

A new program created for TR toons only.

The first time you TR, you receive a mail notifying you that a new option 'Simulate Boss AI' appears in your options menu, for that toon only. Checking the box activates this toon for standard quest end bosses. Each additional time you TR, your available level increases, eventually up to Raid end bosses, then Epic end bosses, then Epic Raid end bosses and so on.

While the box is checked and you are logged into a city zone with that character, you may occasionally receive a flashing notice asking if you'd like to participate in simulating an end boss AI, for a real-live player group fast approaching, in some quest or another. If so you are transported to the quest/raid in progress, your toolbar/menus change to that of the end boss, and you wait in anticipation for the carnage you are about to wreak upon the hapless souls. If you beat them down and/or survive their attack, you may loot the chest(s). For each player you caused death to at least once, you get the option of selecting from their treasure menu, what they would have otherwise received (but still may only loot the chest ONE time). If the group wins, they loot as normal.

Restrictions:
-Any equipment you receive this way is specially marked with the Starter property, to prevent trading or other abuse. Other loot is marked as normal. Player's loot is marked as normal.
-You will never be invited to participate in groups where one or more of the active players is in your guild, or any guild for any other charcter on this account.

(Players must agree not to take screenshots or otherwise reveal or post any information about boss stats, abilities, etc.. the program would periodically be monitored for possible abuse and updated as needed) Turbine could kick off the program with one boss and see how it goes, and the level of interest, and to work out the kinks. If successful and is popular, then expand it to other bosses.

Thought Harry was easy-peasy did you? Or the Stormreaver was a pushover? Or maybe Velah was a bit too predictable? Let's see how you fare against an experienced player pulling the strings, an AI that's able to adapt and change tactics on the fly.

http://i.imgur.com/YSBwnQ2.png
'MORTALS in MY Domain...'

[PrimalConcreteSledge]

Lag might be a problem here. The death penalties would probably result in a new swarm of pallys so a big thumb down on that one.

Otherwise a not a bad idea, worth taking a closer look at.

On the other hand, the technical stuff would probably take years to complete ...

[donfilibuster]

The technical stuff may vary, some of it already exists.
e.g. a dev can throw two velah at you at the same time (was in lam)
It might depend on the actual way a player gets to control the monster.
Direct control may need dev work, faking it like druids shape or domination it may be easier to code.

Various ideas for players playing monsters have been entertained before. This version narrows it down to boss fights.
I'd say a new game mode shouldn't be hidden, PvP or not, it should go on the LFM much like public quests are.

For the sake of simplicity, can cut down the TR aspect, the notices, and the monster stats.
Would also not call it a simulation, no point in having a half baked monster mode, gotta be a proper feature.

The part about the rewards has the same considerations as a PvP mode, which usually boils down to no rewards.
Player's "ante" would be fair treasure.

[droid327]

I think too many people would just co-opt the system by throwing the fight. Its game theory...if enough people agree to throw boss fights, then the odds of you getting someone to take a dive for you goes up. You're better served perpetuating boss-diving, so you can get easy raid loot when you want it, than hoping to beat a group of players for whatever raid loot they may be going for, which may not even interest you.

[My-WAI]

First premise of any FTP addition: Guarantee the new feature created will generate additional income.
Explain.

[GoRinNoSho]

Imagine if you appeared as Velah in EE Von6. Imagine how many tells you would get requesting that you throw the fight for a frds or 3. Party gets an easy access to higher chance of shards and frds by a Velah that doesn't fight back and you get 1-3 frds.

Additionally I'd expect in intra-guild no contest runs, in fight negotiations and frankly downright extortion in some cases (party you are nearly dead and about to waste an hour of time, but for a fee that won't have to be the case).

The reverse case can hold true as well if the rewards are decent for the mp in pvmp. If you take them down they may be more inclined to avoid you in the future since you have wasted their time. Party now has to rerun the preraid because you ignored the melee and just triple cometfalled the healers/casters into oblivion during the first minute of the raid.

[Mastikator]

I think too many people would just co-opt the system by throwing the fight. Its game theory...if enough people agree to throw boss fights, then the odds of you getting someone to take a dive for you goes up. You're better served perpetuating boss-diving, so you can get easy raid loot when you want it, than hoping to beat a group of players for whatever raid loot they may be going for, which may not even interest you.
It could be prevented by disallowing the boss-player to know who he's fighting, he doesn't get their names at any time, nor is he able to chat for the whole duration.
Players are not made aware whether the boss is AI or a real person, nobody knows who throws or doesn't throw fights.

Definitely worth looking into.

[GoRinNoSho]

You'd also have to lock out all chat for the boss, disable them from making groups in the lfm panel, make sure the who panel did not reflect that there are people in the same quest area as you. For instance if you checked the who panel and isolated by area then you could figure it out in some cases.

[Merlin-ator]

/not signed

Excellent idea, but too easily exploitable.

[donfilibuster]

It's the same loot concerns as with players playing monsters and pvp in general.
There can't be any real loot coming out of these.

At best you'd have loot specific to that playing mode, say, temporary stuff like the kobold boosts.
Perhaps token access or monster count like in the manual, e.g. you need to beat velah x times to play her.

As for throwing the fight, maybe there could be other monsters there, which aggro if you are not fighting.
There's always a bigger dragon you know ;)