Zombies Should decay
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So we all see the problem from time to time. In the noob zones it's not that big a deal, but in the "real world" zombies are a problem.
Not just because their annoying, but because they are taking up space that real, active players should be able to take up.
The solution is simple, have all structures decay in rooms with no active controller, and have zombies' rooms decay at that rate as well.
This will weaken the zombie, while still allowing for the fun defeating them.
Keep in mind that the idea is that the space should be "opened" to other players, not that players should avoid attacking them cause things will just free up anyway.
Here's the catch. How do you define a zombie?
There should be a long term way for a room to get "back to 0" but how do you define a zombie. How can we tell an active "automation" player from a player that setup an account and get a few rooms to RCL8 and left?
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To be clear this question is not about what to do with zombie rooms but how can we define a zombie room?
Once we can define a zombie room then the "do something" talk can start.
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Lower level question: Why are you trying to define a zombie room? The motivations you've stated in your post don't make sense to me.
"have all structures decay in rooms with no active controller"... why? inactive structures don't hurt anyone, and they provide a source of energy to harvest (directly from storage/terminal, and through dismantling otherwise).
"they are taking up space that real, active players should be able to take up." real active players are welcome to attack "zombies" in the same way they can attack non-"zombies" (whatever zombie means).
Why do you want a room that isn't being attacked and is still running working code to get back to zero? If a zombie stays alive (no population crash leading to controller downgrade leading to extinction) then they are by definition an automation player.
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Two main reasons. One I agree with, the other I do not.
First, the one I agree with. Those rooms, that don't have actual players in them, should be released for other players to consume (spawn in). This would help keep the world map from growing to silly sizes just because someone has a zombie room. This is a two part-er though.
- Rooms with no controller or reservation. I have seen rooms where people build nothing but walls. So 2500 walls. Then leave. These rooms should decay. Other examples where people have "left" but left complex, maybe even undesirable walls and what not in place. The empty rooms should "decay" very slowly back to a pristine state. I think the only structures that don't do this now are walls. Most everything else decays.
- Rooms that are being used by players that are not playing anymore should be freeed up for players that are actually playing.
Second, and I don't agree with this once exactly, but if you watch the chat on slack it comes up a lot. Players having to sweep zombie rooms, not for energy, or control points or anything like that, but just to open up space. This should not be a players job.
So that's all well and good. But I realized before we can have a real discussion about what to do about zombies (seems more important now that there is a lifetime subscription) that we need to be able to define what a zombie is. It's totally OK to not log into a game like this and do things. For some that would be the entire point. So what metrics or heuristics can we use to identify a zombie player.
We all see zombie players, we can identify them, but how can we codify how we identify them.
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A room full of walls is a treasure trove. Send in a dismantle creep and some haulers, turn those walls back into sweet sweet energy.
Players who aren't playing any more are NPCs. Eventually the game won't need invaders, once enough fully automated players quit and their empires keep growing organically. Treat them like NPCs in any other game; an obstacle to be overcome.
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I actually see a future where the devs intentionally re-instanciate old good automated scripts. Just put a dozen copies of hernandauer or dissi around the world, and those are the NPCs.
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sparr -- I for one can't wait to get auto-nuked by an NPC
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Would a simple login timer not work?
Whilst yes a good automated script will run indefinitely until killed. An active player does at least check on their screeps from time to time. Give you a month or two to check on your screeps else your scripts stop running?
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Dear colleagues,
I think any development in this direction is strongly against the spirit of the game.
Kind regards,
Atavus
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^^
Comment accepted. Surely if clearing a zombie is a chore then perhaps you're missing the point? The joy is surely not in human conquering but in intelligent scripts that can do so with minimal losses.