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Overview of Upkeep

Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 3:09 pm
by Ryan
Hey there!

I know a lot of you are confused about the new Upkeep feature that is soon going to be added, so I am writing this overview in hopes that it becomes clear to everyone. This time I am posting in the general section, so anyone can feel free to reply!


Upkeep

Summary:
Upkeep, at it's most basic level, will correct unbalanced gameplay by awarding the team that is outmatched with money that can be used to buy better weapons, items, and even xp.

While both teams will receive money at all times, any time a given team is dominating due to a high win stream, or level difference, they will receive less.


Specifics:
At the start of each round, a timer will set at an interval of 10 seconds. Each 10 seconds, the number of dead players will be checked on each team, and money will be awarded to them. The amount of money awarded is determined by a) what level of upkeep the team currently has, and b) how many players are dead. Take a look at the information below.

No Upkeep: $50 every 10 seconds.
Low Upkeep: $20 every 10 seconds.
High Upkeep: $10 every 10 seconds.

Let's pretend that 3 players have died on your team, and the upkeep interval has arrived. If your team has no upkeep, then each player will generate $50 for every other player that is dead, totalling $150 each player! This happens every 10 seconds and will increase with each player that dies.

Since this money is only awarded to dead players, the first player that dies will receive more money than anyone else on their team. This contributes to fairness since a low level player is more likely to die to a higher level player.

In addition, there will be bonus money that is awarded at the start of each round to ALL teammates. This only happens if your team is at No or Low Upkeep.

No Upkeep: Bonus $1000 awarded
Low Upkeep: Bonus $500 awarded

This will give the last player that dies an opportunity to collect some money.


Factors of Upkeep Level:
  • If your team is on a win stream, chances are you will be raised to low upkeep. The higher your team streak becomes, the higher chance you have of entering into Low or High upkeep scenarios.
  • If the kill ratio on your team exceeds your enemies dramatically, then chances are you will enter either a low or high upkeep state.
  • If the average level of your team is considerably higher than that of the opposing team, then chances are you will be entered into a low or high upkeep state.
  • If there is no autobalancing, and the actual number of players on your team exceeds that of the opposing team, more than likely your team will enter a low or high upkeep state.

I hope this clears things up about the new Upkeep system. Overall it is a good system, and everyone will benefit from it in some way.

Since all of this will happen in the background, having the effect of just increased money, the learning curve should not be increased after making this addition.

All you need to know is that No upkeep = good, Low upkeep = OK, and High upkeep = meh, we are wtfpwning this team and deserve nothing!


It should also serve as a guide to switch teams up if necessary.


Please post your comments/suggestions below!

Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 8:59 am
by TooL
I think this is a wonderful idea.

We run 2 plugins to balance things out. One is PTB, and the other is a $ balance similar to what you describe here but is pretty straight forward. If a team goes on a losing streak, say 2 rounds in a row for example, each member is awarded $1000 at the start of a round. This value increases the longer the losing streak lasts.

Upkeep may be enough to allow us to remove these two plugins. :mrgreen: