Season #1 announcement


  • Dev Team

    0_1605726104167_promoForSteam2.png

    This is to announce that the Season World is now open! All players who have got access to the Season #1 can now spawn in and mark the spot in this empty new empty world. Ticks are paused at the moment until the Season begins on December 1, 2020.

    What is Season World?

    This is our newest game feature. It's a parallel world where all players start on equal terms. Everyone has GCL/GPL 1, equal 100 CPU from the start (which does not scale with GCL). It doesn't have any Novice or Respawn areas. The world will last until February 1, 2021. Then the season end and we will distribute valuable rewards among participants.

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    How to join the season?

    In order to spawn in the Season World and start playing there, you have to get access to this particular season. Season #1 costs 5 Access Keys. You can obtain Access Keys at the official store, in-game market or Steam Community Market.

    What are season rules?

    Every season will have different rules. Season #1 rules are described below:

    A new empty world is created. Every player has GCL/GPL 1 and 100 CPU from the start. New resource items appear in all rooms randomly from time to time. Collect and bring them to special structures placed in crossroad rooms to increase your season score. These structures are blocked by huge constructed walls on the season start, so you have to dig your way to them first. Players with the most collected resources win the season rewards.

    Other game changes: market is not available, terminal structures cannot be constructed.

    Can I observe Season World if I don't have access to join?

    If you didn't get access to the Season World yet, you will not be able to spawn, but you still can enter the world and watch its map, rooms and the Chronicle. The Chronicle is where we will post the most interesting moments, replays, and our comments about how players progress in this season competition.

    What are the rewards?

    Besites usual in-game resource items there are unique landscape, structure (controller) and graffiti decorations that will be bound to account (non-transferable).

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    👍


  • Will those "mined resource items" be in your storage/terminal and counted at season ending or will it be more like the power processing? If you keep the resources in storage/terminal it'll be more exiting near the end of the round since they can get stolen by aggressive other players.



  • Looking forward to this!

    At the same time we're going to announce some other exciting news as well

    Hmm. Arena? New power creeps? Something else entirely? Or maybe the warp container + terminal changes drop?



  • @tigga said in Season #1 announcement:

    Looking forward to this!

    At the same time we're going to announce some other exciting news as well

    Hmm. Arena? New power creeps? Something else entirely? Or maybe the warp container + terminal changes drop?

    I still hate the new terminal changes, but I am looking forward to new things



  • I wonder if arena will include our current GPL and power creeps 🤔



  • @tehfiend said in Season #1 announcement:

    I wonder if arena will include our current GPL and power creeps 🤔

    Almost certainly not. It's a whole new world.

    ☝


  • Any more particulars on that other than "100 CPU?" Is that 100 CPU max? Or always? Do we start with GCL 1? GPL 0? 2 months doesn't seem like very long to get any kind of colony up, depending on what the tick rate is going to be.

    Edited to add: Who am I kidding! Even if it turns out to be a level 4 slap fest for snowball resources... I'm totally going to buy the 5 gold coins to enter with. Even at full price (Not the current sale price.) it's only 10 bucks for 2 months of entertainment.That's a bargain! It'll be fun!



  • Even with MMO-like 3 second ticks starting from GCL=1, GPL=0, 2 months is alright. People will be hitting RCL 8 before the first month is out. Power creeps wouldn't be very significant though and I doubt the CPU limit will be a problem for anyone much in the first month. Unlikely to see GCL over 6.

    Personally I'd prefer slightly faster ticks, but 3 second ticks is fine.


  • Dev Team

    The top post is updated with a video and rewards table.

    Now you can actually unlock Season #1 using the button on this screen! This will require 5 Access Keys in your inventory.



  • Where the video?

    Well, those are impressive rewards. And many are fungible to many millions of credits.

    Also, the last prize, that says "top N" from 1 to 100? Does that mean the number 1 player gets 10 of each of the top 1..3 items, then on down to 3 of the "top 100" items?


  • Dev Team

    @smokeman said in Season #1 announcement:

    Where the video?

    In the first post. Don't you see it?

    Well, those are impressive rewards. And many are fungible to many millions of credits. Also, the last prize, that says "top N" from 1 to 100? Does that mean the number 1 player gets 10 of each of the top 1..3 items, then on down to 3 of the "top 100" items?

    You don't get lower items, you only get the items that are specified for your place. The "Top N" label on the last item indicates the design of the graffiti decoration.



  • Where the video?

    I think it's the short gif of resource collection/deposit in the top post.

    I like this challenge, there are a number of different strategies that all seem viable. I'd love if there were frequent dev posts (each month?) about events happening in the season server. I miss the screeps review ones and this should be fast paced enough to have worthwhile updates. As a side question: If there are issues with server downtime or gamebreaking behavior, will the season be extended?



  • Do we have controller decorations today? Or was that a hidden announcement in the OP?



  • Some things that were mentioned on slack, and I thought I'd repeat it here (though I know @o4kapuk saw):

    1. A running leaderboard is a must-have IMO.
    2. I think something to prevent hoarding the special resource will be good. If it acts as a normal resource and is the same order of magnitude as power/deposits in terms of quantity (or even 10x higher) then the only interesting combat will be on pickup. Drop-off can't be prevented as any static guards can be overwhelmed by bursts. You sit there for 50k ticks with x creeps, I arrive for one 100 tick burst with 5x creeps. I spent less, and you don't acheive anything.

    So on the hoarding, what could be done. There were a few ideas:

    1. Make the resource so plentiful that you couldn't hoard it. It'd just fill your storage.
    2. Add a decay to the resource even in a store. Controlling drop-off routes now becomes important as it's time sensitive.
    3. Make resources damage whatever is holding them every tick. Similar to 2). You'd want to get rid of it.

  • Dev Team

    @tigga

    Do we have controller decorations today? Or was that a hidden announcement in the OP?

    It will be first introduced only for these season rewards.



  • @Tigga I agree that actually being able to defend the drop-off point would be cool, but wouldn't a simple cooldown mechanic which limits the drop off throughput be much easier to implement (already exists in game) and have the same results to what you're proposing?

    Edit: Limiting the throughput might even result in the top players needing to get control of multiple drop-off points, which would be nice IMO.



  • Throughput limits on the output would kinda work. I don't think they'd be quite so effective: you'd still be able to burst so long as your average was less than whatever the limit is set at.



  • Can you please review the "terminal structures cannot be constructed"? I think disabling the market is fine but not having a terminal will require a lot of code changes/deviation from regular code.



  • I think it would not be much change for me, if it is correct in the game constants like "CONTROLLER_STRUCTURES".

    Besides, i wonder how i can upload code there (via api), just use screeps.com and a new token?


  • Dev Team

    @saruss https://screeps.com/season/api is API root for the season server

    👌