Map pack FTMFW. Maybe some new cell types too. Cells that attack enemy phages as they travel by, cells that kill the phages in it over time, cells that explode and cause AOE damage to cells around them. Maybe throw in some one time use power-ups as well. Stuff that you can use to enhance one of your cells once per game.
Ooh, and maybe a super-weapon cell type. You could scale the super-weapon's attack power based on how many cells are in it. Obviously, you'd implement something like a 10 to 30 second initial charge up and cool down on it. Maybe even aura cells too. They'd grant a small bonus to all of your cells so long as you held them. Phage Wars Live 2? =P
Oh, and a double click attack that repeats the last movement you just did. i.e.: you click and drag from three cells to one cell, then click the target cell again and it automatically repeats the attack.
I'd pay for maps and cells long before buying ranks like a [explicit deleted] [explicit deleted] [explicit deleted] sucking [explicit deleted], [explicit deleted].
Firstly, I think you posted this in the wrong forum.
That aside, I think Phage Wars is easily the best game on the site, even considering the bugs and few minor downfalls.
Personally, I dont agree with any of your suggestions except the double click idea. Thats an awesome idea that I never would have thought of. Except it kind of defeats the purpose of the game because a large majority of the game is your ability to click and drag quickly as well as strategicly.
My suggestions for the game are as follows:
1. Remove the ability to buy gene points. Yes, we all know the creator deserves some kind of monetary reward for the hard work he or she surely put into this game, but it is rule #1 that any premium content can not ruin it for the free players. Rank 100's are super overpowered and ruin it for the free players. Especially if they're new or not very good. Personally, I have beat a few Rank 100's myself, but that is because they are not very good as they paid for their rank & didnt earn it.
2. Implement some sort of system so levels are matched up equally to some extent. I'm tired of sitting in the lobby and watching dozens of people level because no one wants to play me because of my high rank and high win/lose ratio. Im also tired of playing noobs that poses no skill and are of no challenge to me.
3. Implement a penatly to players win/lose ratios and exp when they leave a match once in the pregame lobby. Once again, this should help with people constantly leaving and match hopping until they find people of lower ranks than themselves for an easy victory.
4. Obviously fix the bugs.
5. A leaderboard would be spectacular. One for win/lose ratios and one for rank. People who have premium content should not be able to appear in the leaderboards.
I am however surprised at your disdain for new strategic possibilities being implemented. I'd like to see the phage world open up to all kinds of things.
One "game mode" idea I've had since my previous post is a "King of the Hill" style match with one Amoeba in the middle of the map. The first player to get ~300 phages in the Amoeba wins the match. The Amoeba would grow and shrink based on how many phages currently occupy it, and phages would not reproduce inside of it. Additionally, phages attacking from the Amoeba would have a negative strength and speed modifier to prevent rushing it at the start of the game. As it grows it consumes any cells it overlaps and the phages in the cell either add to the total if you occupy it, or count as having attacked the total if an enemy occupies it. If the Ameoba shrinks back down due to being attacked by opposing forces the cells it has already consumed do not return to the map.
Another, more "out in left field", idea I had was a game mode where you could only see the color of the cells occupied by your enemy(ies) and not a total phage count, unless you held a "Radar Cell". There could be maps with only one "Radar Cell", and there could be maps where everyone starts with a "Radar Cell" close to their starting cell.
Team play would also be a big plus in my opinion. Not just 2 on 2 but 3 on 3 as well. This would obviously include some larger/more dense maps designed for six players. Throw in the ability to party up with friends for these team maps and flash games step into a social gaming experience. I personally would consider that a huge leap for browser based gaming in general. (All of the "free to play" MMORP***** where you have to participate in tons of micro transactions to be competitive with anyone else in the game don't count.)
I like the idea of alternate game modes. Team play would be great. Especially if you could link up with friends as you suggested. I would like to see a "Stealth" game mode where all enemies appear as the same color on your screen, black for instance, but are in fact still 3 different players. This would stop players from teaming up against other palyers & also stop people who are gunning for one player to attempt to eliminate them right of the get go. When I'm playing a 4 player free for all match and they all decide to go straight for me until I'm out of phages, I'm pretty much screwed. It doesn't matter how good you or your phage is, you're going to lose if the people you are playing aren't completely skilless & all 3 of them want you dead first.
"Suicide Bombing", Where another high level in your game goes all out against you as soon as the game starts dwindling both of your phage counts, annoys me more than 3 on 1. At least in 3 on 1 they have a goal. Most of the time if you get suicide bombed one of the low levels comes in and mops up and both the high levels lose. The option for 10 or 20 second anti-rush protection on your games could take care of that though.
Personally I think that the quick match should throw you in the game where people have about your same level. You would still be able to look for a greater challenge with higher ranked people or troll defenseless level 1's in the find games lobby, but I'd like the quickmatch to find the most balanced game available for you.
It could also be useful to see the players and their ranks directly from the find games lobby without joining, but that would mean redesigning the whole thing I guess...
Last thing, I noticed that the compare phages feature is only available right after you join a room, and not while waiting between two games. Do you think it was intentional or he forgot about it?
Great Game love the Live version when it works. Some improvements suggestions 1. Fix the bugs..... 2. Create some rooms where only certain levels can play, rooms with Lvl 1 â" 10 only; 10 â" 20 only; 20 30 only; 30 â" 40 only etc..... up t Lvl 100 *this should give all levels the chance to progress, and avoid being destroyed by Lvl 100âs 3. Those players that just sit doing nothing â" auto lose the game! 4. Build a bigger arena, for up to 10 folk to play ï 5. Those entering rooms and leaving repeatedly â" enforce a leave policy, you only get three chances to leave same room before being forced to play in that game or kicked off / logged off.
Great Game love the Live version when it works. Some improvements suggestions 1. Fix the bugs..... 2. Create some rooms where only certain levels can play, rooms with Lvl 1 to 10 only; 10 to 20 only; 20 to 30 only; 30 to 40 only etc..... up to Lvl 100, this should give all levels the chance to progress, and avoid being destroyed by Lvl 100âs 3. Those players that just sit doing nothing, auto lose the game! 4. Build a bigger arena, for up to 10 folk to play :-) 5. Those entering rooms and leaving repeatedly, enforce a leave policy, you only get three chances to leave same room before being forced to play in that game or kicked off / logged off the game with a 10 min ban.
Needs to be a better vetting/lobby system. A rank 3 going against a rank 20? How does one expect to win at all? It's just a long stream of games that only give me 40xp each and I lose my will to play. Just "sticking it out" isn't a terribly viable option either. I have the chance to have fun with this but I'm not going to sit here and lose my way up. That's just silly.
I like a lot of the op's ideas but I think implementing a feature into the game that could destroy cells or remove them from the game isn't such a good idea, especially if there are a lot of higher levels in the game compared to newer players.
I think larger maps that can accommodate a larger amount of people would also be a good idea. If matching higher levels with lower levels still happens if there's a Phage Wars 2, there should definitely be some implementations to help newer players. A handicap feature such as starting off newer players in more then one cell or giving them more phages at the start of the round are just a few ideas.
As it goes for pregame stuff, I think server browser/creator should be implemented on the same grounds as Shell Shock Live. Allowing you to open up private parties, only allowing certain leveled players and being able to kick people if you are the host of a lobby should be definite add ons.
1. A points penalty for a R55 player going against R22 players. It's simply not worth 400 points for the R55 player to win such a contest. 2. Some way of reporting those who're using cheats. They're clear to spot. I feel that those two problems are the biggest liabilities for the game.
* I don't agree with a penalty for entering then leaving rooms. You have R70 players joining a R1-10 room, you can't seriously expect players to stay under those conditions.
* And 3 v 1 rushes. As somebody who plays others close to my own rank level, I have zero problems in encouraging that when players 20 ranks above myself decides to come in for a pigeon shoot.
* I have no problems with the buy rank system, after all you don't expect zero pay after working in a job do you? Whether that system can be improved is another question.
1. A points penalty for a R55 player going against R22 players. It's simply not worth 400 points for the R55 player to win such a contest. 2. Some way of reporting those who're using cheats. They're clear to spot. I feel that those two problems are the biggest liabilities for the game.
* I don't agree with a penalty for entering then leaving rooms. You have R70 players joining a R1-10 room, you can't seriously expect players to stay under those conditions.
* And 3 v 1 rushes. As somebody who plays others close to my own rank level, I have zero problems in encouraging that when players 20 ranks above myself decides to come in for a pigeon shoot.
* I have no problems with the buy rank system, after all you don't expect zero pay after working in a job do you? Whether that system can be improved is another question.