Please Reconsider Invasion Gimmicks as MALF

[BurgerBB]

Foreward: This isn't meant to target a specific person or specific gimmick that someone did. It may sound like it, but that is because every single type of this gimmick follows a pattern.

The general gimmick is the following: The AI makes fake announcements saying [INSERT LORE LOCATION] has been invaded by [INSERT LORE FACTION HERE]. The AI makes a boatload of hacked messages containing paragraphs upon paragraphs or lore and explanation. Unfortunately, many players known or even care about lore, which turns several people off. In some cases, players don't like the role-play entailed with "Everything is at war, everything is turned to shit, everything is dying." While of course this is an HRP server, not many people are interested enough in the "expanded readings" of the lore.

After a certain amount of time passes, the AI then proceeds to detonate APCs to simulate an invasion, such as a ship firing on the station or a team of stealthy people planting bombs and detonating them.  In most cases, the AI gives people some sort of hint of what they should probably do, such as kill a specific target, save a specific target, or secure a specific target. In 99% of cases, the request is usually ignored because people don't want to the usually unreasonable, unmotivated task they were given, or they can't really do anything since most jobs don't have access to the tools used to complete task they are assigned, or they absolutely can't do the task because security or command outright blocks or makes it harder for the crew to do that task.

In the cases that players are brave enough to do anything, the amount of hurdles they'd have to go through is extremely tedious and not very fun. Going through breached areas from APC explosions is extremely time consuming, annoying, and usually incredibly laggy. Not having any access to areas that they need to go through is also extremely annoying given powergaming rules on hacking, as well as several mechanical implementations that prevent you from breaking into areas that you need to get into.

Usually near the end, the AI reveals that it was all a ruse and starts to go full on aggressive. Before or after this revelation, the AI constantly recalls shuttles that are called from emergency shuttles, and  the station has gone to such shit that it's hard to really do anything at all to stop the AI from killing everything because the AI core is excessively fortified. Most MALFs just go with a straight up code delta nuke here. Mechanically, the crew are expected to break into the AI core without being allowed to hack, without much weapons because security died with them elsewhere, and without much of anything since EVA suits are hard to get. All of these factors have lead to people trying to cheese the AI, such as the meme of dropping rods, or using station emitters to just breach the endless amounts of reinforced walls that they're supposed to break.

When the round ends, people express actual genuine criticism about the round, but it is usually straight up ignored or deflected because there are always 3-4 people who said they've liked it because of the amount of lore it contained, the amount of effort was put into the gimmick, or that they were the ones the gimmick was centred around.

So honestly, I'm sick of it and I feel that a lot of people are sick of this gimmick too. I know that this multi-paragraph will probably do nothing to stop it or really get people to stop doing a thing that some people don't like and some people like, so I'm legitimately going to just cryo and do something else every time I see an announcement about how [INSERT LORE LOCATION] has been invaded by [INSERT LORE FACTION HERE]. I seriously encourage others to do the same so people aren't as mad at the end at eachother over the poor execution of the gimmick. If you know the actual journey of the gimmick and the destination of where it will lead, and you know that both will be not very fun, then what is the point of participating in it?
 

[CampinKiller]

I've had some good rounds where this has happened, though. And honestly, cryo'ing because you think a gimmick might turn out badly is a shit thing to do

[BurgerBB]

38 minutes ago, CampinKiller said:

I've had some good rounds where this has happened, though. And honestly, cryo'ing because you think a gimmick might turn out badly is a shit thing to do

I mean honestly it is. It absoultely is which is why I haven't done it until now. I always wait and see where the gimmick might go, but I think it's a good idea. Sometimes walking away from a bad situation is the best option for everyone involved.

[GreenBoi]

People say it's criminal to cryo from what they believe is bad gimmicks, but I never understood that. Unless you are a truly important factor to it and how it may end, your attendance is practically not necessary. The most I could see a single person being able to do is spread rumors, honestly.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

In what other videogame are you REQUIRED to stay if you know youre going to have a bad time? If i dont like a round i will cryo so i can go get lunch or do something else. Finding myself in an invasion game mode isnt fun. I wont have fun and no one around me will have fun because i cant invest in something i don't like.

Invasion malf is really cliche these days, but theres not a breadth of malf options

[Carver]

If people were required to stay for a round type or gimmick they dislike, you'd find there would be a lot more valid-hunting/salty/etc. players for the antagonists to deal with. Cryoing, even mid-round, I'd argue is fine.

As for the topic; I admit it's overrated as a gimmick but since it's something of an attempt at 'not just being another murderbone silent malf' I won't fault the players for the same lack of creativity that otherwise permeates all round types. I'd say the 'same gimmick' issue appears in a lot of round types, for better or worse, it's just people often copying something they probably found memorable without particularly innovating on the concept.

[StationCrab]

Some of the coolest MALF rounds I've been a part of have used similar gimmicks, so I'm not really sure I agree.